I've also had this problem (99 CSVT.) The EGR passageway in the manifold was completely clogged with carbon. Directly behind the throttle body, not where the EGR bolts on.
I tried your suggestion of running a hose from my posterior to my nostrils for more efficient flatulant processing, but unfortunately I still have my P0401 code 😩
i had probl on mondeo 2.5 v6 ,same engine i think. under the throttle i found a small black pipe with hole in it, so changed pipe, then there was a small black pipe running round back of engine, that was split so replaced it with a 10mm steel tube from my local diy. also under the 2.5 v6 plastic cover on the front of engine where the front plugs are theres another pipe i replaced as it was split too. having done all this work the engine light went out and now runs sweet at 800 rpm with no stumbles. not bad for a 2001 thats done 120000 miles and its no where near as some 2.5v6's ive heard running on youtube.
I have the same codes along with two more codes for lean conditions on both banks. When i looked up possible causes for all four codes the only common thing to come up was EGR solenoid. i ordered one for $14 from ebay. since they are easy to replace i figured i would just start there. I will report back if that fixes any of the codes or not. Solenoid replaced, didn't work. Different EGR (from junkyard), didn't work. I'm thinking I need to clean farther into the intake because there is a bend about 6" In that I can't get around with a clothes hanger. Will report back again.
I had the same problem bring up air filter hose goes into the motor I took those four bolts out took that played off and it was crazy in there cleaned all the holes up put it back together code never came back
Did you ever pull off the big air hose to the Plenum remove the gasket and find the egr gas inlet port to see if it was clogged? Mine was along with the stainless steel pipe that feeds the EGR had a split in it which would be a vacuum leak in of itself. We JB welded the pipe and wrapped it in aluminum tape, replaced the EGR valve and unclogged the port and all was fixed.
Yes, I removed the upper intake manifold, there were no restrictions in there. I cleaned it, replaced the EGR and inspected the EGR tube. EGR tube was fine. I also replaced the DPFE sensor, still have the code. I just took the car on a 6,000 mile road trip with no related problems. I did have a problem with a broken strut. That strut was one year old. Shows how critical it is to properly torque that upper strut mount.
@@davidgpo The egr ports go to the throttle body, and that is where the clog usually occurs in the p0401 code. These cars also are sensitive to catalyst efficiency as well. Having the egr code and the cat code together often happens, and if the egr isn't cleaned properly, it will kill the cats.
I have the same car, same engine. It's not the EGR valve. You need to clean out the carbon in the passages that exist between the UIM and the throttle plate. Also you probably have a bad DPFE sensor. Get a used, but GOOD, DPFE sensor on fleabay, and have it handy. I've 170,000 miles on my Contour and have NEVER had an EGR problem. I HAVE decarbonized the UIM 4 times (every 15,000 miles) and changed the DPFE twice.
Christopher Certa The UIM is the Upper Intake Manifold. That's the big gray part that looks like small sausages all lined up. Look where the UIM is bolted to the throttle plate, which itself, is connected to the black rubber 'accordion' that goes to the air filter. Hidden behind those bolts is a series of worm-like passages that take sooty combustion fumes and flow them back into the cylinders. Hey presto, these fumes get burned AGAIN & thus less crappy fumes out the tailpipe. Therein lies the rub. Over time these passages get clogged with 'caked in soot' that blocks this flow. There's no sensor on these passages but the closest one is by the EGR. Sooo, the EGR says: "I can't flow the sooty fumes!" and throws a code and you get a check engine light (CEL). Set aside an afternoon. Remove the + terminal of the battery. (We don't want shorts!) Unscrew those UIM bolts and carefully release/loosen/remove & put aside the airfilter, accordion, etc. to give you room to work. Behind where the throttle plate is attached, down at the bottom, you'll see the passages. They'll be black and clogged. *Thoroughly* clean them out with a pick, brake cleaner, rags, a pipe cleaner etc. so that up-n-down-n-all-around... everything is spotless. Use a thin layer of high-temp RTV sealant to 'join' the UIM back to the throttle body assembly. Let it semi-dry so that it's firm but certainly not like toothpaste. Reconnect the air filter assembly, the throttle cable etc. etc. Look over everything and make sure it all works just like it did before you disassembled everything. Reconnect the + terminal. Start the car. The CEL should be OFF. If everything feels right, go for a short drive. When you come back, pop the hood and REcheck the tightness of your hose-clips, bolts etc. until you are truly confident everything is as it should be. Now go drive your car (now with the CEL off!) and let the car's computer RElearn new settings. Throw in a can of Techron or Seafoam or Berryman's B12, into your gastank, every 500 miles or so. Personally speaking, I find such 'UIM passage cleaning' gets me through about 15,000 miles before I see the EGR throwing yet another fit. Latah.
Gerald's Videos good advise...i got a 2002 cougar with 2.5v6..check engine lite came on and started skipping when going up hills..kept getting worse n worse..i checked YT and found a video that showed the symptoms and how to fix..sure enough i cleaned the throttle body passages and check engine lite off and running good..
unarammer s Good to hear! Another 'false code' is P0420. It's the catalytic inefficiency one. It's more likely a bad DPFE sensor. These are usually on the side or back of the engine with two pipes and an electrical connection. They go bad due to heat. Simply get a used but good one on fleabay and swop it in. Reset the ECM and you're good to go.
The heater core is mounted low, at the center, on the inside of the firewall. You can see the two coolant tubes on the outside of the car if you crawl underneath the car. No need to remove the dash! Remove the two trim panels from each footwell, you may have to remove the center console as well. Remove the screws securing the airbag diagnostic monitor and place aside. Remove the screw to release the air duct in the base of the heater unit. Remove the 3 screws securing the air outlet to the heater unit bottom cover, then release the clips. Push the duct up to retract it, and withdraw the air outlet. Release the clips on each side and withdraw the heater unit's bottom cover, complete with the core.
I had the same problem with my "96" contour with the same code, turns out after many catalytic converter replacements, and EGR valve replacements, I found the UIM (upper intake manifold) just behind the Intake throttle body valve are passage ways coming from the EGR valve that were clog with carbon soot. I also found doing my inspection that pipe that comes from the Catalytic converter to the EGR valve has two small pipes that split to the DPFE sensor were also clog of carbon soot, I had several of those DPFE sensor replace in the past, only to find the tube were clog. Removing this pipe is difficult to remove but worth the effort in inspecting and cleaning the tubes. I found out in researching this that the UIM should be clean once a year or every 15,000 months. There is no where in any maintenance manual that state that this should be done on a regular basis. If the ford dealers know about this, they sure didn't apply that knowledge to me, after several catalytic and EGR replacement. I happen to find the clog passage way, by accident, when I removed the Throttle body to clean the back side of the throttle body plate. From there, I followed the passageway that lead me to the pipe, I mention above.
I've also had this problem (99 CSVT.)
The EGR passageway in the manifold was completely clogged with carbon.
Directly behind the throttle body, not where the EGR bolts on.
I tried your suggestion of running a hose from my posterior to my nostrils for more efficient flatulant processing, but unfortunately I still have my P0401 code 😩
Howd u get the egr off? The exhaust pipe doesn't seem to have any bolts and trying to turn the egr didn't work
The Idle Air Control Valve is a common issue on that engine. It will have a rough idle if ist's bad. That bad gasket could also be the problem
i had probl on mondeo 2.5 v6 ,same engine i think. under the throttle i found a small black pipe with hole in it, so changed pipe, then there was a small black pipe running round back of engine, that was split so replaced it with a 10mm steel tube from my local diy. also under the 2.5 v6 plastic cover on the front of engine where the front plugs are theres another pipe i replaced as it was split too. having done all this work the engine light went out and now runs sweet at 800 rpm with no stumbles. not bad for a 2001 thats done 120000 miles and its no where near as some 2.5v6's ive heard running on youtube.
I have the same codes along with two more codes for lean conditions on both banks. When i looked up possible causes for all four codes the only common thing to come up was EGR solenoid. i ordered one for $14 from ebay. since they are easy to replace i figured i would just start there. I will report back if that fixes any of the codes or not.
Solenoid replaced, didn't work. Different EGR (from junkyard), didn't work. I'm thinking I need to clean farther into the intake because there is a bend about 6" In that I can't get around with a clothes hanger. Will report back again.
I replaced that too, didn't change anything.
@@davidgpo I was hopeful because after replacing the EGR the code went away on its own. About 10 miles down the road it popped back on. 😡
@@davidgpo you think thats bad, I had to redo my entire vacuum system for the EGR because all the hard lines cracked and broke.
@@marchawk3080 no te enojes, porque te vas a envejecer muy rapido
I had the same problem bring up air filter hose goes into the motor I took those four bolts out took that played off and it was crazy in there cleaned all the holes up put it back together code never came back
Did you ever pull off the big air hose to the Plenum remove the gasket and find the egr gas inlet port to see if it was clogged? Mine was along with the stainless steel pipe that feeds the EGR had a split in it which would be a vacuum leak in of itself. We JB welded the pipe and wrapped it in aluminum tape, replaced the EGR valve and unclogged the port and all was fixed.
Yes, I removed the upper intake manifold, there were no restrictions in there. I cleaned it, replaced the EGR and inspected the EGR tube. EGR tube was fine. I also replaced the DPFE sensor, still have the code. I just took the car on a 6,000 mile road trip with no related problems. I did have a problem with a broken strut. That strut was one year old. Shows how critical it is to properly torque that upper strut mount.
@@davidgpo
The egr ports go to the throttle body, and that is where the clog usually occurs in the p0401 code.
These cars also are sensitive to catalyst efficiency as well. Having the egr code and the cat code together often happens, and if the egr isn't cleaned properly, it will kill the cats.
I have the same car, same engine. It's not the EGR valve. You need to clean out the carbon in the passages that exist between the UIM and the throttle plate. Also you probably have a bad DPFE sensor. Get a used, but GOOD, DPFE sensor on fleabay, and have it handy. I've 170,000 miles on my Contour and have NEVER had an EGR problem. I HAVE decarbonized the UIM 4 times (every 15,000 miles) and changed the DPFE twice.
Gerald's Videos I have the same car with the same codes. What is the "UIM?"
Christopher Certa The UIM is the Upper Intake Manifold. That's the big gray part that looks like small sausages all lined up.
Look where the UIM is bolted to the throttle plate, which itself, is connected to the black rubber 'accordion' that goes to the air filter.
Hidden behind those bolts is a series of worm-like passages that take sooty combustion fumes and flow them back into the cylinders. Hey presto, these fumes get burned AGAIN & thus less crappy fumes out the tailpipe.
Therein lies the rub. Over time these passages get clogged with 'caked in soot' that blocks this flow. There's no sensor on these passages but the closest one is by the EGR. Sooo, the EGR says: "I can't flow the sooty fumes!" and throws a code and you get a check engine light (CEL).
Set aside an afternoon.
Remove the + terminal of the battery. (We don't want shorts!)
Unscrew those UIM bolts and carefully release/loosen/remove & put aside the airfilter, accordion, etc. to give you room to work.
Behind where the throttle plate is attached, down at the bottom, you'll see the passages. They'll be black and clogged. *Thoroughly* clean them out with a pick, brake cleaner, rags, a pipe cleaner etc. so that up-n-down-n-all-around... everything is spotless.
Use a thin layer of high-temp RTV sealant to 'join' the UIM back to the throttle body assembly. Let it semi-dry so that it's firm but certainly not like toothpaste.
Reconnect the air filter assembly, the throttle cable etc. etc.
Look over everything and make sure it all works just like it did before you disassembled everything.
Reconnect the + terminal.
Start the car. The CEL should be OFF. If everything feels right, go for a short drive. When you come back, pop the hood and REcheck the tightness of your hose-clips, bolts etc. until you are truly confident everything is as it should be.
Now go drive your car (now with the CEL off!) and let the car's computer RElearn new settings.
Throw in a can of Techron or Seafoam or Berryman's B12, into your gastank, every 500 miles or so.
Personally speaking, I find such 'UIM passage cleaning' gets me through about 15,000 miles before I see the EGR throwing yet another fit.
Latah.
Gerald's Videos good advise...i got a 2002 cougar with 2.5v6..check engine lite came on and started skipping when going up hills..kept getting worse n worse..i checked YT and found a video that showed the symptoms and how to fix..sure enough i cleaned the throttle body passages and check engine lite off and running good..
unarammer s Good to hear!
Another 'false code' is P0420. It's the catalytic inefficiency one. It's more likely a bad DPFE sensor. These are usually on the side or back of the engine with two pipes and an electrical connection. They go bad due to heat. Simply get a used but good one on fleabay and swop it in. Reset the ECM and you're good to go.
Gerald's Videos Wow! Thanks a lot for the info!
I have the same problem check engine light came on spark plug 2 n then it went away n then it came on spark plug 1 so idk
Thank you ! Much needed reference.
me puede ayudar en un problema con ese coche no se porque se acelere cada que meto un cambio y suelto el clutch
Are you saying that your clutch is slipping? ¿Estás diciendo que tu embrague está resbalando?
davidgpo se acelera mucho el coche en neutral
Si el motor está acelerando con el embrague enganchado y el coche no se mueve, creo que necesita un nuevo embrague.
@@elcruzrodriquez a mi me pasa lo mismo! No encontraste solución al problema amigo??
Where is the heater core in the 98 contour
The heater core is mounted low, at the center, on the inside of the firewall. You can see the two coolant tubes on the outside of the car if you crawl underneath the car. No need to remove the dash! Remove the two trim panels from each footwell, you may have to remove the center console as well. Remove the screws securing the airbag diagnostic monitor and place aside. Remove the screw to release the air duct in the base of the heater unit. Remove the 3 screws securing the air outlet to the heater unit bottom cover, then release the clips. Push the duct up to retract it, and withdraw the air outlet. Release the clips on each side and withdraw the heater unit's bottom cover, complete with the core.
Need help if you are still here
I had the same problem with my "96" contour with the same code, turns out after many catalytic converter replacements, and EGR valve replacements, I found the UIM (upper intake manifold) just behind the Intake throttle body valve are passage ways coming from the EGR valve that were clog with carbon soot.
I also found doing my inspection that pipe that comes from the Catalytic converter to the EGR valve has two small pipes that split to the DPFE sensor were also clog of carbon soot, I had several of those DPFE sensor replace in the past, only to find the tube were clog. Removing this pipe is difficult to remove but worth the effort in inspecting and cleaning the tubes.
I found out in researching this that the UIM should be clean once a year or every 15,000 months. There is no where in any maintenance manual that state that this should be done on a regular basis.
If the ford dealers know about this, they sure didn't apply that knowledge to me, after several catalytic and EGR replacement.
I happen to find the clog passage way, by accident, when I removed the Throttle body to clean the back side of the throttle body plate. From there, I followed the passageway that lead me to the pipe, I mention above.