I just purchased a 95 Contour SL a little more than a week ago, and for the most part it has been okay. However, last night, when I got off work, I turned the ignition key, and...nothing. Would not crank, make a noise, nothing. My husband came up and found a wire under the dash that he calls a "kill switch", two wires running into a connector that has a kind of plunger button on the end. When we hold the button down, the car turns over. Otherwise, it won't at all. He tried to jury rig it by taping the button down so it stays on, but when the car is on, my power locks go crazy, locking and unlocking themselves every few minutes. I'm afraid this is going to cause some kind of major short circuit or fry the computer brain in the car, so for now he has this "kill switch" rigged up for easy access. I don't want to have to push a button and THEN turn the ignition key every time I start my car.

We have not tried tracking down any other wiring since we've only had it a few days and we have not had time to climb around in the engine. I bought a Haynes book, but it is less than helpful-no troubleshooting for this problem, and no reference of any kind of backup switch like I have. Help, please???

Is it an automatic or manual shift?

It's an automatic, 2.0 liter, 4 cylinder. It does not have an alarm system, though stickers on the window mention Ford Anti-Theft protection, and no chip in the key. It's also not remote start, if that helps. Thanks!