1997 Ford Contour poor cold temperture idiling heater temp

1997 FORD CONTOUR
200,000 MILES • 4 CYL • FWD • AUTOMATIC
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JP4PERKINS
I have a 1997 ford contour. At cold temps the car refuses to idle without the engine dying out. I have to maually speed up the engine until it warms enough to idle. This often takes several minutes. I dont know if it is related but the air temp from the heater never gets very warm and take several minutes of driving for the heat to get even slightly warm. What may be causing this problem
Feb 11, 2009 at 11:01 AM
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2CARPRO JACK
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Could be a partially stuck open thermostat.Is the check engine light on? You may have more than one problem, if the light is on, have it scanned for codes.This may lead to what is wrong with it.
Feb 13, 2009 at 8:01 AM
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JP4PERKINS
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The check engine light is not on. I just recently scanned for error codes but there are none.
Feb 13, 2009 at 8:08 AM
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2CARPRO JACK
  • ✓ASE Certified Mechanic
  • 11,533 POSTS
  • ASE Certified Mechanic
Try a t-stat and also clean out the throttle bore with cleaner and a rag this may help stablilize the idle as well
Feb 13, 2009 at 8:12 AM
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