1996 Ford Contour drop in idle when in gear

1996 FORD CONTOUR
140,000 MILES • 4 CYL • FWD • AUTOMATIC
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DRAGON1976
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
I recently got a 1996 ford contour from a friend of mine. The head gasket was replaced about a week before i got the car. I've noticed that the car idles & runs fine when in park or nuetral, but when u drop into gear, it idles rough & wants to stall. I just recently gave it a tune up, & replaced the idle air control valve, but the problem still exists. any thoughts or ideas on what else it might be?
Sep 1, 2010 at 3:12 PM
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MHPAUTOS
  • ✓Experienced Mechanic
  • 31,937 POSTS
Hi there,

This sounds like the base idle set to low and when in gear the idle drops to a point that it is struggling to run smoothly.

Mark (mhpautos)
Sep 1, 2010 at 3:19 PM
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