99 Cougar has major PROBLEMS , Miss Fire, check engine light etc...

[jmr898]

I have a 1999 cougar V6 and the car has aprox 75k on it now and has been giving us problems from 55k untill now, the car went to get emissions done and failed about one and half years ago. So the dealer gave us a list of what needed to be done to fix the problem. and check engine came up too ( o2 sensor was the code)
-Mas air flow sensor
-intake manifold gaskets( becasue in the winter they go bad and crack)
-o2 sensors

so we went and replaced all that outside of the dealership plus spark plug wires , and spark plugs. then the car ran fine for a little while and passed emissions test.

a little later check engine light came back on and it was brought up the same o2 sensor code,
So back to the Dealer we went. they said that the o2 were bad even though we replaced them not even a month ago, and they siad that the intake mainfold gasket is leaking too, AGAIN!!!
OMG , well then they reset the code and we took the car home then about a month later the car started to stumble when giving the car gas
under load. and slowly got worse.

they suggest that the fuel filter might be old and clogged , so I replaced it and it did almost next to nothing and now it seems more like a miss fire to me and the check engine light stays on 100% of the time and also flashes some times . I am gussing that it might be the Coil pack , because the problem seems more of an Ignition problem then a fuel problem to me.

Any Help before I go buy the coil pack, and is it true about the manifold gaskets going bad in the winter and cracking?
also how many o2 sensors are on this car?
HELP Please

[DXJ]

There are 4. One before each bank's "pre-cat", and one after. As for the manifold gaskets, I don't think they would go bad so soon. Before you go changing parts on hunches, it would be a good idea to have all the stored codes retrieved, and invest in a repair manual that has the troubleshooting procedures. Don't overlook basic mechanical problems like low compression, cracked heads, ect.

[jmr898]

Tommorow I'm going to get a scanner to get the codes becasue the dealer will not release them to me because they want to do the work. Is a scanner the only way to get codes?
also Where can I get a service book for this car , a good one.

[beyondloadedSE]

Originally Posted by jmr898

Tommorow I'm going to get a scanner to get the codes becasue the dealer will not release them to me because they want to do the work. Is a scanner the only way to get codes?
also Where can I get a service book for this car , a good one.

Yeah, if you could get the codes that would help greatly. You can go to any local Autozone and theyll pull the codes for you and tell you what they are. And no, your intake manifold gaskets wont go bad over a winter. My original pair lasted about 6 years, and I replaced them only because I upgraded to the SVT upper and lower intake manifolds. Same thing for 02 sensors, they wont go bad in a month... or in a couple years for that matter. As for the service manual, I would just check online. I cant remember the exact website where i picked mine up but it was about $100.

[jmr898]

I bought a scanner and the code that i'm getting is cylinder misfire #2
what is the fire order on the motor and on the coil pack and what should the spark plugs be gaped to?

I looked close at the wires and it seems that the dealer only replaced 3 of the 6 wires,

And thank you for the info

[beyondloadedSE]

#2 is the middle plug on the rear bank.

[jmr898]

Cool, Thanks a bunch , Plus I just fixed the car, the coil pack was marked the Fire order and I was told from a few people that the plug gap on Bosh coppers are .044",
I changed the wires and plugs and the car is back to normal and runs great. altought I think I might need to change the drive belt or the alt. is going bad ,cause the lights Dim when I give it gas under load I'm going to look into that tommorow and hope to fix it.

[jmr898]

By the way that is a clean looking Ford Contour , and thanks for the help

[jobartel]

Do you think the gap was the issue? I am having the same problems. I have replaced the O2 sensors on the front of the motor, the coil pack, plugs and wires. The gap seemed to be alot higher that 44. I would love it if thats all it was. Autozone checked the codes and it says random misfires 4-6 and IAT. Thats when they told me to replace the coil pack. That did not help.