Hello everybody! I'm new to this club but here goes. On Sept. 5, 2001, I was rear- ended while on my way to work. At the time, I owned a 1990 Pontiac 6000. Loved that car! Anyway, the car was totaled. I ended up going to many used car lots in search of another car. Long story short - I chose a '95 Ford Contour LE, V-6. I was told that it was only used for business. Yeah, right! I test drove it, checked under the hood, under the car (for leaks), checked all buttons, the inside looked as though no one ever drove it - so I thought I made a good choice. Two weeks went by and the car started running hot. I was very upset! So, that same day, I went to get the oil change and the mechanic told me that my thermostat was sticking. A friend of mine replaced it for me a couple of days later. While he was working on it, he told me that my fan wasn't coming on. I ended up back at the lot, ranting and raving. (I'm female by the way.) Of course, I got the car "as-is", no warranty. After raising h*#@ twice, they offered to fix the car. Ok, so the fan gets fixed in December. $300 job. Because of the cold weather, I really didn't have any problems with the car getting hot. But the fan only comes on if the A/C is on! So, when spring arrived this year, I started having problems again. If I drove around too long, the temp gauge would move to the right. Well, a few months ago, I was vacuuming the inside and noticed my carpet was wet. I told a friend and he said it was my heater coil. All this time, that was the problem! I have not been able to afford to get it fixed. But I know I can't continue to drive it like it is. I went to Advance Auto and the guy there said it's a big job and that I would probably have to leave my car with someone. I went to AutoZone this past Sat. and the guy there said it wasn't a big job at all. He told my mechanic friend and I exactly where the coil is located and what's involved. Ok, question - Is this job big or small? About how much would I pay if I went to a small mechanic vs. the dealership? Once fixed, will this solve the "running hot" problem? Also, what't the problem with the fan? Why doesn't it come on without running the A/C? Is there a problem with the switch (sensor)? If there is anyone out there who can offer advice (other than getting rid of it), please get back with me. Unfortunately, I'm stuck with this car because I financed it. I have 14 more payments to go. I'll never get another Ford. As a matter of fact, I've been tempted to trade it in for a 2003 "anything"! HELP!! Thanks in advance! : )

Hello! Thanks for responding to my "problem". I'm about to pull my hair out with this car. I've gotten a couple of responses about this and I really appreciate it. It's also good to know that others know how I feel. I guess the best thing for me to do is to put the car on a diagnostic machine to pinpoint the problem. Usually, (particularly on extremely hot days), if I see the temp gauge hand going past halfway, I just park somewhere for a little while and let things cool off. I don't know why the fan is not clicking on...Thanks!

I had a problem like that before in another type of car and it was a sensor that goes in the inlet of the engine hose. Not sure if it is the coolant sensor. The fan would not work without the A/C because that sensor was bad. The fan should work with the A/C because is another sensor that turns the fan on when the A/C is on this sensor also controls if the fan should be on low or high depending on the temp of the car. Hope that helps, JC

Thanks to all of you guys for your help! There's a lot of Contours on the road and I had no idea there was a club for this. I suppose it doesn't matter what kind of car I have, there's bound to be problems sometimes. But I have my eye on an Impala or an Accord. Not sure yet. I'll try a radiator flush first and see if that helps. Thanks again!