1995 Ford Contour AC/Fan/Belt/Timing
Josh318
10-18-2006, 09:05 AM
I'm new to the ford forum but need some help.
AC: We had a heavy rain yesterday, and I'm not sure if that's what caused this, but for some reason my AC only works well when set to Max AC. When it's set to anything else, I can hear a loud blowing noise behind my dash, but nothing comes out of the vents. Any ideas?
Fan: The Cooling Fan makes a loud beeping noise quite often. When I unplug the power from the fan, the Beep goes away. Bearings? Do I need to replace the fan, or just the motor, or is there a better fix?
Belt: My belt is cracked, and I'd like to replace it. It's under a motor mount and there isn't much room, Is there an easy way to do it?
Timing Belt: I'm at around 85,000 miles, so I assume it's ready for a change. How hard is it to change the belt? Are there any special tools needed?
I'm thinking of taking it to the ford dealer and having them do it all, any idea how much I can expect to pay?
Thanks!
AC: We had a heavy rain yesterday, and I'm not sure if that's what caused this, but for some reason my AC only works well when set to Max AC. When it's set to anything else, I can hear a loud blowing noise behind my dash, but nothing comes out of the vents. Any ideas?
Fan: The Cooling Fan makes a loud beeping noise quite often. When I unplug the power from the fan, the Beep goes away. Bearings? Do I need to replace the fan, or just the motor, or is there a better fix?
Belt: My belt is cracked, and I'd like to replace it. It's under a motor mount and there isn't much room, Is there an easy way to do it?
Timing Belt: I'm at around 85,000 miles, so I assume it's ready for a change. How hard is it to change the belt? Are there any special tools needed?
I'm thinking of taking it to the ford dealer and having them do it all, any idea how much I can expect to pay?
Thanks!
beyondloadedSE
10-18-2006, 10:44 AM
All of this stuff has been discussed on contour.org and i believe theres even how-to's on some of this stuff...assuming you have the I4.
pre98zetec
10-18-2006, 12:09 PM
I'm new to the ford forum but need some help.
AC: We had a heavy rain yesterday, and I'm not sure if that's what caused this, but for some reason my AC only works well when set to Max AC. When it's set to anything else, I can hear a loud blowing noise behind my dash, but nothing comes out of the vents. Any ideas?Do the air only blow out the vents on HIGH?
Fan: The Cooling Fan makes a loud beeping noise quite often. When I unplug the power from the fan, the Beep goes away. Bearings? Do I need to replace the fan, or just the motor, or is there a better fix?Cooling fan, as in engine cooling fan?
Belt: My belt is cracked, and I'd like to replace it. It's under a motor mount and there isn't much room, Is there an easy way to do it? Jack the car up on the passenge3r side and set it on a jackstand, Remove the passenger side wheel. Once that's removed remove the 'splash' guard that covers the accessory belt. If you reach up toward the rear you will feel a pully with a 1/2 inch bolt on it. Put a half inch wrench on it and pull down. This releaves the tention on the belt so you can remove it. INstallation is the same. Remember to look on the passenger side wtrut tower fror the belt routing diagram.
Timing Belt: I'm at around 85,000 miles, so I assume it's ready for a change. How hard is it to change the belt? Are there any special tools needed? Rather easy job if you're mechanically inclined. 85,000 isn't that old but preventitive maitenece is the best maintenece. There's a how to on www.contour.org I'll find for you. While you're in there it's best to replace water pump, also.
I'm thinking of taking it to the ford dealer and having them do it all, any idea how much I can expect to pay?Too much, Ford dealers rip you off more then most garages. Take it to a reputable garage or look on CEG and see if you can find a local guy willing to help out (usually there are a few)
AC: We had a heavy rain yesterday, and I'm not sure if that's what caused this, but for some reason my AC only works well when set to Max AC. When it's set to anything else, I can hear a loud blowing noise behind my dash, but nothing comes out of the vents. Any ideas?Do the air only blow out the vents on HIGH?
Fan: The Cooling Fan makes a loud beeping noise quite often. When I unplug the power from the fan, the Beep goes away. Bearings? Do I need to replace the fan, or just the motor, or is there a better fix?Cooling fan, as in engine cooling fan?
Belt: My belt is cracked, and I'd like to replace it. It's under a motor mount and there isn't much room, Is there an easy way to do it? Jack the car up on the passenge3r side and set it on a jackstand, Remove the passenger side wheel. Once that's removed remove the 'splash' guard that covers the accessory belt. If you reach up toward the rear you will feel a pully with a 1/2 inch bolt on it. Put a half inch wrench on it and pull down. This releaves the tention on the belt so you can remove it. INstallation is the same. Remember to look on the passenger side wtrut tower fror the belt routing diagram.
Timing Belt: I'm at around 85,000 miles, so I assume it's ready for a change. How hard is it to change the belt? Are there any special tools needed? Rather easy job if you're mechanically inclined. 85,000 isn't that old but preventitive maitenece is the best maintenece. There's a how to on www.contour.org I'll find for you. While you're in there it's best to replace water pump, also.
I'm thinking of taking it to the ford dealer and having them do it all, any idea how much I can expect to pay?Too much, Ford dealers rip you off more then most garages. Take it to a reputable garage or look on CEG and see if you can find a local guy willing to help out (usually there are a few)
Josh318
10-18-2006, 12:23 PM
Do the air only blow out the vents on HIGH?
The air only blows out on Max AC setting but the level can be low or high or anywhere in between.
Cooling fan, as in engine cooling fan?
Engine cooling fan, right behind the radiator. Seems to have a sqeak/squeel. It does not consistently squeel. It will squeel much more often on hot days (I think this is due to the fan running more). Squeels for about a second, then will not squeel for a minute or so, then squeel for a second or two. Etc..
Jack the car up on the passenge3r side and set it on a jackstand, Remove the passenger side wheel. Once that's removed remove the 'splash' guard that covers the accessory belt. If you reach up toward the rear you will feel a pully with a 1/2 inch bolt on it. Put a half inch wrench on it and pull down. This releaves the tention on the belt so you can remove it. INstallation is the same. Remember to look on the passenger side wtrut tower fror the belt routing diagram.
Cool, I was hoping there was an easier way than removing the motor mount.
Will I have a clear view from beneath, or will I be working blind, just using my hands to figure out what's going on.
Rather easy job if you're mechanically inclined. 85,000 isn't that old but preventitive maitenece is the best maintenece. There's a how to on www.contour.org I'll find for you. While you're in there it's best to replace water pump, also.
I'm mechanically inclined, but not comfortable with timing and whatnot. I've done quite a bit of work on my Dodge Truck, but there is just no room in this little contour.
Too much, Ford dealers rip you off more then most garages. Take it to a reputable garage or look on CEG and see if you can find a local guy willing to help out (usually there are a few)
I'll see if I can find an affordable garage that can do it for me.
Thanks for the quick reply! Any further help on the AC issue would be appreciated.
The air only blows out on Max AC setting but the level can be low or high or anywhere in between.
Cooling fan, as in engine cooling fan?
Engine cooling fan, right behind the radiator. Seems to have a sqeak/squeel. It does not consistently squeel. It will squeel much more often on hot days (I think this is due to the fan running more). Squeels for about a second, then will not squeel for a minute or so, then squeel for a second or two. Etc..
Jack the car up on the passenge3r side and set it on a jackstand, Remove the passenger side wheel. Once that's removed remove the 'splash' guard that covers the accessory belt. If you reach up toward the rear you will feel a pully with a 1/2 inch bolt on it. Put a half inch wrench on it and pull down. This releaves the tention on the belt so you can remove it. INstallation is the same. Remember to look on the passenger side wtrut tower fror the belt routing diagram.
Cool, I was hoping there was an easier way than removing the motor mount.
Will I have a clear view from beneath, or will I be working blind, just using my hands to figure out what's going on.
Rather easy job if you're mechanically inclined. 85,000 isn't that old but preventitive maitenece is the best maintenece. There's a how to on www.contour.org I'll find for you. While you're in there it's best to replace water pump, also.
I'm mechanically inclined, but not comfortable with timing and whatnot. I've done quite a bit of work on my Dodge Truck, but there is just no room in this little contour.
Too much, Ford dealers rip you off more then most garages. Take it to a reputable garage or look on CEG and see if you can find a local guy willing to help out (usually there are a few)
I'll see if I can find an affordable garage that can do it for me.
Thanks for the quick reply! Any further help on the AC issue would be appreciated.
pre98zetec
10-18-2006, 12:42 PM
The air only blows out on Max AC setting but the level can be low or high or anywhere in between. Does this only happen with a/c on or also with defroster/heater/panel?
Engine cooling fan, right behind the radiator. Seems to have a sqeak/squeel. It does not consistently squeel. It will squeel much more often on hot days (I think this is due to the fan running more). Squeels for about a second, then will not squeel for a minute or so, then squeel for a second or two. Etc.. I can't say I've ever heard of this problem but the best option would probably beremove it and inspect tht bearings for movement (wiggle back and forth) If they don't i would put some lubricating oil in it and see if that quiets it down. If it doesn't. Find one out of a junkyard to put in.
Cool, I was hoping there was an easier way than removing the motor mount.
Will I have a clear view from beneath, or will I be working blind, just using my hands to figure out what's going on. It's kind of a half and half here, first times always a bitch and you can't see too well. Make sure you have a extra set of hands with you, Even I can't do it by myself and i've done it 20+ times. But, you CAN remove the motor mount if you feel comfortable. Just place a jack under the oil pan to support the motor and remove the bolts. By doing this you should be able to work on it from the top if you'd like more moving/seeing room.
I'm mechanically inclined, but not comfortable with timing and whatnot. I've done quite a bit of work on my Dodge Truck, but there is just no room in this little contour. Well timing is a sinch on these cars, even if for some reaso you don't get the timing off the car will just run like crap. Zetec's are non-interference motors so you risk nothing if you don't get the timing off, Hell.. you could run it till the belt snaps and put a new one on and be fine. But nobody likes those kinds of surprised, especially when they never seem to happen close to home.
Engine cooling fan, right behind the radiator. Seems to have a sqeak/squeel. It does not consistently squeel. It will squeel much more often on hot days (I think this is due to the fan running more). Squeels for about a second, then will not squeel for a minute or so, then squeel for a second or two. Etc.. I can't say I've ever heard of this problem but the best option would probably beremove it and inspect tht bearings for movement (wiggle back and forth) If they don't i would put some lubricating oil in it and see if that quiets it down. If it doesn't. Find one out of a junkyard to put in.
Cool, I was hoping there was an easier way than removing the motor mount.
Will I have a clear view from beneath, or will I be working blind, just using my hands to figure out what's going on. It's kind of a half and half here, first times always a bitch and you can't see too well. Make sure you have a extra set of hands with you, Even I can't do it by myself and i've done it 20+ times. But, you CAN remove the motor mount if you feel comfortable. Just place a jack under the oil pan to support the motor and remove the bolts. By doing this you should be able to work on it from the top if you'd like more moving/seeing room.
I'm mechanically inclined, but not comfortable with timing and whatnot. I've done quite a bit of work on my Dodge Truck, but there is just no room in this little contour. Well timing is a sinch on these cars, even if for some reaso you don't get the timing off the car will just run like crap. Zetec's are non-interference motors so you risk nothing if you don't get the timing off, Hell.. you could run it till the belt snaps and put a new one on and be fine. But nobody likes those kinds of surprised, especially when they never seem to happen close to home.
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