This is not something that can be just guessed at. The overdrive lamp going off indicates at the very least that the PCM is detecting a problem with the circuits that control the solenoids responsible for shifting the transmission. Diagnostics start by pulling the trouble codes and then testing for the cause(s) of the code setting. Then an estimate could be given.

contour was made from 95-02. is the 89 a typo? maybe you mean 98?

Yes it is a mistake. I meant a 1999. Thanks for pointing that out.

Clean the plug prong and tip where it plugs in at the transmission silly. Not meaning to be sarcastic, but why do people start pulling codes on electronics when it's something stupid like the darned prong at the tranny? A flickering of on and off is poor connection.

This deal reminds me of a guy in 1979 that spent money at a repair shop on a 1970 oldsmobile that had an AC that would not work. So he has them check the freon low side and high side with gauges then a freon leak meter to check if the evaporator core was leaking into the dash area.

I saw the car being tested and got to talking to the customer standing outside that shop about cars. I told him i was from another shop and would go look at it. All it took is one question from me to where i gave one answer. I ask the gauge maniac..Hey??? Is the AC clutch engaging on the compressor, he says I dunno, i told him start the car!! He did and the Clutch never engaged, i told him change the 2 cent glass fuse under the dash and IT WORKED!!

a friend bought a 98 contour w/4cyl 2yrs ago for 3k. the timing sprocket blew up and it sat a dealer for 3 weeks while they put in a used motor. after a 3k bill he drove it for about a month and got a huge vibration and discovered the pass side axle shaft vibration dampener was gone? apparently just fell off. $400 later he was good to go. he ended up donating it too charity soon after.

That sounds like people i know. One is a lady that has a 2005 ford probe. It sort of vibrates while in drive with the ac on. I have told her over and over and over and over..It needs to be idled up a tad!!! But that dumb lady has since then had a mobile station change the timing belt and motor mounts and even the distributor and she's spent 700 dollars and it still needs to be idled up as i told her 6 months ago.

Hi Earl, I know your trying to help but....

"Not meaning to be sarcastic, but why do people start pulling codes on electronics when it's something stupid like the darned prong at the tranny? A flickering of on and off is poor connection."

Pulling codes and performing the diagnostics correctly is EXACTLY how this should be approached. Could this reported symptom be caused by a poor connection? Of course it could, but its not likely just a single pin at the transmission, because that is not how the lamp is controlled.

"This deal reminds me of a guy in 1979 that spent money at a repair shop on a 1970 oldsmobile that had an AC that would not work. So he has them check the freon low side and high side with gauges then a freon leak meter to check if the evaporator core was leaking into the dash area."

Back in the 70's we had systems that would run the compressor, with or without refrigerant in the system.

"I saw the car being tested and got to talking to the customer standing outside that shop about cars. I told him i was from another shop and would go look at it. All it took is one question from me to where i gave one answer. I ask the gauge maniac..Hey??? Is the AC clutch engaging on the compressor, he says I dunno, i told him start the car!! He did and the Clutch never engaged, i told him change the 2 cent glass fuse under the dash and IT WORKED"

So "the glass fuse" is supposed to be the ONLY thing that would ever go wrong and make that Oldsmobile AC system not operate, or was that an anecdotal lucky guess? With the fact that the blower motor and the AC compressor shared the same power source, and if you had been given the information that the compressor was inoperable AND the blower motor wasn't working, then you could claim a logical step to that check. Aside from that, other common failure points for that compressor clutch circuit were the AC control head, the five wire plug that was at the rear of the right hand valve cover, the thermal fuse that was alongside the compressor (most common failure point) and of course the clutch itself. BTW, if the main system fuse was blown, most common cause, was a bad blower motor. Did you have them measure the blower motor current or simply leave it to fail the fuse again?

"That sounds like people i know. One is a lady that has a 2005 ford probe. It sort of vibrates while in drive with the ac on. I have told her over and over and over and over..It needs to be idled up a tad!!! But that dumb lady has since then had a mobile station change the timing belt and motor mounts and even the distributor and she's spent 700 dollars and it still needs to be idled up as i told her 6 months ago."

Ford stopped making the Probe in 97. Besides, a typical 2005 has no way for the owner to correctly make any kind of an idle speed adjustment. You can tamper with the system, and with settings like the throttle closed position. But you WILL cause problems by doing that, and then the car will ultimately have to go to a pro that is trained and equipped to service the car correctly. Which would mean he/she would have to reset the throttle plate to its correct setting, and then diagnose the original issue. If an idle speed correction was truly necessary, its likely done through a software update, or in some cases with bi-directional controls through the factory scan tool for a given manufacturer. Refer to the appropriate service information to be sure!

I've haven't always been on JohnG's side in the past, but this time I'm backing him. Pulling codes is a simple procedure that a lot of shops will do for free.

Ummm, thanks tim :).

Except...

Pulling codes can be a simple procedure that should never be done for free. Pulling codes is only the first step of the diagnostics. Performing diagnostics correctly requires technicians with the greatest skill sets, most education, and the most expensive equipment that the shop owns. Yes, some buy a single aftermarket scanner, and attempt to function at a rock bottom price. All I can say is if they think their efforts aren't worth anything they should be the ones to know......

That's total garbage written above by you john..Probe most certainly is and was around in 2005. You don't know who you're talking to. Only an idiot pulls codes when an issue is obviously simple.

All you did "john" is type most of my writings in quotation and mis directed information. You're the type like we had in one of our service departments, that read alot of books but had no actual knowledge.

"Probe most certainly is and was around in 2005"

Then why does Mitchell labor guide not list it after 1997?

"You don't know who you're talking to."

Please don't keep us in suspense. Who are you?

"Only an idiot pulls codes when an issue is obviously simple."

Spoken like someone who grew up in the era of nobody else knows anything except "earl"

Actually anyone that doesn't start by pulling codes, FROM EVERY module on the car doesn't understand the basics of working on today's cars. (Nor yesterdays for that matter) Again, pulling codes is only the first step, even that does not make a diagnostic routine.

"All you did "john" is type most of my writings in quotation and mis directed information."

Still quoting you, but there is no misdirection taking place. The others around here have seen for years exactly what I bring to the table, both as a full time professional technician, and as a writer on forums just like this one where I dispel many of the old myths.

"You're the type like we had in one of our service departments, that read alot of books but had no actual knowledge."

Its unlikely you had anyone "like me" in one of your service departments. In fact when I read the way you wrote that, I have to wonder if you were actually a technician or not. That statement would more accurately reflect someone such as a salesman's perspective, or perhaps someone like an old service manager that I once had. He had no problem cutting down any other shop, and their techs when in fact he had no clue about just what they really could or could not do. You know looking back, it seemed everyone was always cutting another shop or tech down, without justification. BTW I'm not attacking you personally, I'm just correcting the technical errors in what you wrote. People writing bad information can actually make my job harder. case in point, starting by polling the modules for codes IS the correct routine, anyone attempting to say otherwise is either uninformed or has some reason to make an unsuspecting vehicle owner doubt a real professional.

Frankly I don't know what you could or could not do back in the 70's nor does it much matter. The cars of today require a much greater education than what was required of the guys in the 70's. You cannot just stab guesses and have any hope of being accurate. There is no more expensive way to attempt to fix a car today than to start throwing parts at it.

Test, don't guess.