96 v6 contour surges

[gunterstan69]

my contour is back to surging right after you start it in the cold weather once you get it woemed up its not bad but while it's cold it runs for a lil while while the rpms are up but then when they start to fall they fall below 500 and the car quits and answers please

thanks stan

[beyondloadedSE]

fuel filter.

[shorod]

Your symptoms sound similar to ones a co-worker is experiencing on her 1995 Contour V-6. On hers, it starts okay, idles okay, but when she puts the engine under load (shifting into reverse or drive) the engine stumbles like it wants to die. Per suggestions on Contour.org, I checked the vacuum secondaries (aka Intake Manifold Runner Control, IMRC) to see if they close when the engine starts. They do not. She hasn't had me troubleshoot why they don't close, so I don't know this WILL fix her car, but it's at least something that could cause the symptoms. You may want to verify that your secondaries close when you start the engine. I think it was 1998 before the Contour got the electronic IMRC, so your '96 probably still has the vacuum operated secondaries.

Also, you might want to try adding a bottle of fuel injector cleaner to the fuel tank and drive for a hundred miles or so and see if that makes a difference. I've seen injector cleaner fix quite a few driveability issues.

-Rod

[beyondloadedSE]

Originally Posted by shorod

Your symptoms sound similar to ones a co-worker is experiencing on her 1995 Contour V-6. On hers, it starts okay, idles okay, but when she puts the engine under load (shifting into reverse or drive) the engine stumbles like it wants to die. Per suggestions on Contour.org, I checked the vacuum secondaries (aka Intake Manifold Runner Control, IMRC) to see if they close when the engine starts. They do not. She hasn't had me troubleshoot why they don't close, so I don't know this WILL fix her car, but it's at least something that could cause the symptoms. You may want to verify that your secondaries close when you start the engine. I think it was 1998 before the Contour got the electronic IMRC, so your '96 probably still has the vacuum operated secondaries.

Also, you might want to try adding a bottle of fuel injector cleaner to the fuel tank and drive for a hundred miles or so and see if that makes a difference. I've seen injector cleaner fix quite a few driveability issues.

-Rod

95s were the only year with vacuum operated secondaries. 96+ were all electronically controlled by the IMRC. If its not closing, theres probably carbon gunked up within the lower intake manifold. Theres a how-to on contour.org on how to clean the upper/lower intake manifold. There are some people on CEG that like to "pin" their secondaries open all the time. Its pointless without extra compensated timing in the lower RPM's, but regardless, ive ridden in cars with either pinned or gutted secondaries and none have studdered. Youll just lose low RPM torque.

I still stand by the fuel filter suggestion.