new member looking for knowledge

[cpapsSVT]

hey, just bought a 98 silver/blue with 47 cllicks. My friend Tom belongs to Midwest Fords, but they don't have too many CSVT's in the club. I am basically looking for any basic knowledge I should know about the car like preventative maintenance, any quirks and stuff like that. Also, the car came with a K&N, and I was wondering what else are some good starter mods so I can get this thing movin a little better.

Any comments are appreciated.
Chris

 

[Ryan]

check out the CEG (www.contour.org)

but to answer some of your questions. Ypipe and/or MSDS headers are probably one of the best mods HP wise. There isn't alot of maintenance minus the WP. The early models tend to let go fairly early due to a plastic impeller. As for Tom...is that Mystic 544?

 

[chknhwk]

Metal water pump like RT said and check out the Dual Mode Damper as well.
Brullen cat-back all the way baby! Loud with center resonator and MSDS headers.

 

[cpapsSVT]

thanks guys

I believe Mystic's name is Tim, I'm not 100% but Tom is actually SitDown and I also noticed SnkBitn posts here, small internet world. Anyway, I was thinking exhaust first, and what is scary is when I went to test drive the car, the WP was shot, which I couldnt believe because the car is near flawless otherwise, but Ford replaced it with a new unit that was updated and I do believe the fan is metal in this one.

Thanx for the info, look forward to swapping more thoughts.
Chris

 

[Jason43]

May be due for an intake cleaning/rebuild.

 

[leumerg]

do not get a mass air flow senser the worst mod u can get my car ran very bad and had the sensor recalibrated twice now it sits in a droor spend you money at a bar. a superchip raises your redline and it pulls a little harder. brospeed exhaust very loud a little ricy

 

[Ryan]

a MAF is the worst investment? But you should spend your money on a superchip? Looks like you need to do more research!

Originally posted by leumerg
do not get a mass air flow senser the worst mod u can get my car ran very bad and had the sensor recalibrated twice now it sits in a droor spend you money at a bar. a superchip raises your redline and it pulls a little harder. brospeed exhaust very loud a little ricy

 

[MySvt21]

I am also new to the board, i bought my 98 Black Svt Contour 3 weeks ago. It has 52,000 on the clock and the only thing that has gone wrong was the water pump, which seems to be a common failure with these cars around that many miles. The factory pump has a plastic impeller, I replaced the water pump and thermostat in under an hour.

Travis

 

[Ryan]

Yup, very common. the earlier years had a plastic impeller that would go out anywhere from 40-60k miles.

 

[rilestoneSVT]

I'm curious, how much does the average water pump replacement cost? I'm at 58K right now and there have been no signs of failure, but I'm sure now that I post this, the damn thing will go out in the morning...

 

[MySvt21]

I went to a local AutoZone and it was $10 for the thermostat and $80 for the water pump, $10 core so bring back your old one, it comes out to $70. Not to costly and pretty easy to replace.

Travis

 

[rilestoneSVT]

Thanks! I'm sure the dealer by me would have said they'd do it for $300.....

 

[Jason43]

I think BAT has them for a little bit cheaper.