Perhaps the biggest, most common complaint about the Contour
is the lousy shifter feel. When the engine is cold, first
gear can a challenge to get into. Someone uniquely (and
accurately) described it as trying to shift through a jar of
peanut butter.
Ford recently released a new synthetic fluid designed
specifically for the MTX-75 transaxle, part number
XT-M5-QS. It is available from your dealer, but is quite
expensive at $17-$20 per quart. It works quite well, but
remains to be seen if it is worth the money versus the method
described below. Please note that if your car was assembled
after January 1, 2000, the transaxled was redesigned and
requires this fluid.
Here is the classic method to remedy the problem:
Make sure you have the following items before you start:
-
- Drain pan
-
- 8mm Allen wrench or female T50 torx socket to
remove the fill and drain plugs (you will have to
look to see which you have.)
-
- 3 quarts of synthetic ATF. Mobil 1 and Redline
D4 ATF work well.
-
- Bottle of Ford Friction Modifier C8AZ-19B546-A
(you will only use half)
-
- Some method of filling the transmission. A small
plastic pump that screws to the top of the
bottles is available at most auto parts stores.
The drain plug is at the back of the transmission, facing the
passenger side.
The fill plug faces the front of the car on the drivers side
just behind the front wheel.
Before you drain the fluid, make sure you will be able to
refill it by loosening the fill plug. This can be done
without even jacking the car up. Jack the car up from the
drivers side, set the jackstands and position the drain pan.
Remove the drain plug and let the transmission drain into the
pan. Replace the drain plug and remove the fill plug. Fill
the tranny with the pump you acquired from the auto parts
store, mixing the 2 oz. (half the bottle) of the friction
modifier in one of the bottles of ATF as you go. The tranny
will take about 2.7 quarts including the FM. On the third
bottle, have the fill plug handy since it will come back out
the fill hole rather rapidly once full.
You should notice an improvement in shift feel immediately.
