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<TD class=msg vAlign=top width="100%" bgColor=#ffffff>Hi all new to the forum here. I ususally do all the maintance on my girlfriends 2000 Mercury Cougar V6. And it just started about a month ago. When you start the car up it makes a strange humming noise. Most of the time it does it when its cold outside. I popped the hood and tried to pin pointwhere the noise was coming from and it seemed to be coming from the frontdriver fender (that area).Oil level is fine. Trans fluid isfine. Only has 77k miles on it. Thanks everyonefor the help
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check the motor mounts to see if they are ok. if one is almost cratered it''ll make some noise due to the engine vibration and the metal JUST about contacting. You can also check the condition of the mounts by just watching the engine as you hold the brake ans shift from reverse to drive. If the engine rocks more than an inch in any direction, the mounts are probably shot.

I would be surprised if that was the case though.

if the intake has a heater vent from the exhaust manifold, sometimes it''ll make noise if something isn''t good and snug. (though I haven''t seen any of those since carburetors went out of style so it may be the EGR valve being noisy allowing more hot exhaust into the intake)

if it''s the EGR valve, the recirculation pipe may have some restriction (carbon build up) and need to be cleaned. I''ve had to do this on my wife''s vic (major pain beyond reason) and a suzuki esteem I had before. but my cars were throwing codes for that. If the check engine light is not on, don''t even worry about this one.

I have a sinking feeling that it''s probably the transmission though. either the pump or the torque converter. Keep an eye and nose on the tranny fluid. if it changes to an amber color or black or smells burnt, have the tranny checked out. it''s always less expensive to fix the failing part than to let it break and fix the parts that get damaged as well.

It does it when I wake up for work in the morning and just start the car up. Without even putting it in any gear. Lasts about 20 seconds sometimes less. And it doesnt do it everytime either. At a red light sometimes it will do it. Hope its not the trans. only 77k miles. Also the tranny fluid is still nice and redish pink in color just like new. Started the car ran it threw a couple of gears D,R,N. Then checked it while running and was right on the money. Thank you for your help. All is neeeded.

!!!UPDATE!!!!





Been workin on the car this last week. And found where the sound was coming from. The air duct for the intake. (air box) I replaced the IAC (Idle Air Control) and it hasnt done it since. ?Just thought would like yall know just incase you come across it.

ah, so it was a lot smaller vibration than I was thinking about. Glad you found the issue and got it fixed.

Sorry I missed this. That is known as the ''''Moosing'''' problem. The intake tracts on the Duratec V-6 Contour/Mystique/Cougar were known for the problem. In extreme cases it causes stalling.


The IAC valve replacement is one solution. There are other less expensive approaches as well.
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<LI>A 3 footlength of hose coiled up to replace the IAC hose has been known to work, but it looks crappy.
<LI>A 1/2 inch copper cap with a hole drilled in it placed inside the existing IAC hose also solves the problem. You just have to get the hole diameter right. Too small &amp; you limit idle speed and idle compensation in cold conditions. Too large &amp; you don''''t solve the moosing problem. Google search ''''ford contour moosing'''' and you should find a resource for acceptable diameter to start.</LI>[/list]

I should note for those of you laughing at the copper cap solution: This was an issue on 1980 BMW 3 series cars, and this is the exact solution BMW owners have been using for decades now. I had a 1986 325 and transferred the cap over to my Contour, just made the hole a little bigger.Edited by: TourDeForce