Conference vmsnet::car$note:carbuffs

    Anyone have any real details on the 1988 intrepid. I am considering
    a this as a possible second car. I understand they now have a 
    2.7 litre v6 (200 hp) and a 3.2 litre (220 hp) that produce more
    power and 10% better fuel economy than the 3.3/3.5 litre engines
    thay replace. These new engines are all aluminium from what I have
    read .I have seen some spy shots of the new intrepid
    and may take time off this week to see it in person at the autoshow.

    re: .195  Me thinks you mean 1998 Intrepid.
    
    The latest Motor Trend has a spread on the new 98 Intrepid - good
    shots, lots of info - that's about all I know...
    
    andy

    Me thinks you're right :-)

    Check out the latest Car and Driver also.
    
    Dan

    Anyone have any news about the 1998 Chrysler minivans? We're thinking
    of a new minivan and can't decide between getting an end of the year
    '97 or hold out for a (possibly)nicer '98. 

    check this one out.  http://www.4adodge.com/value_add/intrepid.html
    
    Sure they have some pics.   
    
    chet

    Apparently the new Concorde is based on the LHS platform with the
    longer wheelbase. My wife really like the looks of the front of
    the new Concorde since it sort of resembles the italian exotics.
    Haven't seen what the new LHS will look like. I am still leaning
    toward the Intrepid ES with the Autostick and Performance handling 
    options. It looks like the Concorde/LHS are being targeted at the
    smooth riding segment since they don't offer a suspension upgrade
    package although all this is based on what the 1997 options listings
    indicate.     
    Since its still a year or more till they actually reach production
    I won't know for sure what option packages the 1998 come with. 
    
    Other vehicles I am considering in the same price range are the
    Buick Regal GS/Pontiac Grand Prix GTP twins with the 240 hp 
    supercharged 3.8 V6 although this don't offer anywhere near the
    same amount of interior room as the intrepid.
    

    will the new LHS have a longer wheelbase than the rest of them? up till
    now, it has been the same wheelbase..
    
    (at least according to my shop manual)
    
    ...tom

    All it mentions is that the Concorde and the LHS will be based longer
    than the intrepid. Looking at the current models the wheelbase for
    the intrepid,concorde,LHS is the sameat 113 inches but the length
    of the LHS is 207.4 vs 201.5. The article just mentioned that the
    Concorde would be longer so I assumed that meant a longer wheelbase.
    Maybe they just me that the overall length of the Concorde and LHS
    will be greater than the Intrepid while they still share the same
    wheelbase.
    
    
    Looking at the chrysler web page the 1998 intrepid has a wheelbase
    of 113 just like before with an overall length of 203.7 (two inches
    longer than before). Unfortunately there were no specs provided
    for the new Concorde (just a picture). So I would gess that its
    the same story as before (same wheelbase, longer over length for
    LHS,Concorde)

    We bought a used 94 Intrepid with power door lock.  It does not lock
    the doors automatically when the car goes over 15 mph.  My other 2 cars
    (95 Grand Voyager and 95 New Yorker) both do that.  I looked up the manual,
    it said that this feature can be enabled by the dealer for a 'small
    fee'.  Anyone knows how this feature can be enabled without visiting
    and paying the dealer?  Thanks.
    
    Norbert 

    re: auto lock
    
    Apparently it's a "computer programmed" feature - so you need to have
    the car hooked up to a computer that knows how to program the auto-lock
    feature.  I questioned this with my 93 Gvoyager, and the dealer said
    they'd do the programming under warranty either way (on or off).
    
    andy
    

    Have the late model intrepids been experiencing lots of transmission
    failures or had the problem with the 4 speed finally been cured.
    Two people I know have realatively new ones and one is on their
    second transmission and one in on their third.
    

    Dave -
    
    I've heard that even thru the 97's, that Chrysler is still running the
    basically same Ultradrive 4-speed auto.  They've made some changes
    to help beef it up - but it is basically the same series of hydraulics
    and computer "logic" it's had since the early 90's.  When I test
    drove a 96 Voyager last summer, the tranny had the same feel when
    downshifting that my 93 had (that started dying before I dumped it),
    and to me this showed that Chrysler hadn't really done anything to
    improve the overall design.  Yes, I've also heard of folks with
    new LH's and Voyagers with dying trannys in the past couple of
    years.  This is one of the major reasons I stayed away from
    Chrysler when I got my new minivan last summer.  Geesh - if GM, HOnda,
    and Ford can make 4-speed autos that last longer than the warranty,
    why can't Chrysler?  I mean the 3.3 and 3.8 motors are great - but
    the tranny's bite the big one.......
    
    So - unless the 98 LH's have a different tranny design, I think that
    you may be in store for the same old "crap shoot" with the ultradrive.
    
    just my $.02
    
    andy
    

    My recollection from when I got my '95 intrepid is that the auto-lock
    feature does indeed require you to plug in to the computer; I believe
    the 95s came from the factory with the feature disabled (don't know
    about the 94s.)
    
    the minivans are different; on the wife's 95caravan, there is a
    sequence to toggle the mode (and it came from the factory enabled,
    which lasted until we got it home and I figured out how to disable it.)
    
    Personally, I find the auto-lock extremely annoying.
    
    On the trannies: both of our 95s ( the LH and the minivan) had new
    transmissions before they had 15,000 miles on them; but they weren't
    the usual failure modes. The LH developed freeplay and eventually a
    scraping (I suspect in the transfer chain); the minivan broke a tooth
    in the differential (possibly because something else broke free and
    jammed into a tooth) (this made a rather spectacular noise when it
    happened, but after that there was just a fair amount of whine.. but
    there was a LOT of metal in the sump. so they swapped the whole mess)
    
    A 94 may be subject to a TSB (not free out of warranty) about shift
    calibration; my 95 was built in early october and required the TSB
    (although it took three trips to the dealer to convince the boneheads..
    somewhat amazing, because all they have to do is plug it in and ask the
    diagnostic computer...)
    
    ...tom

    My 94 Intrepid is doing some strange stuff with the transmission.  When
    the car was driven for more than half an hour, I started to notice this
    problem in the stop and go condition.  When slowing down almost to a stop
    at a traffic light, I noticed that the engine RPM would all of a
    sudden go up to about 1000.  That moved the car forward a bit making me
    hold the brake a bit harder.  It only lasted about a fraction of a 
    second.  When I applied gas to start from this stop, it would feel like
    the transmission was in neutral.  The engine RPM would go up real fast
    and then it would kick in.  The car would then drive normally, until 
    the next stop.  It does not do that for shorter trips.  I guess it
    would do that when the transmission is hot enough.  
    
    I need to bring that to the dealer to take a look.  It is an
    intermittent problem.  Wonder if this behavior is recorded in the
    onboard computer.
    
    Anyone experienced this behavior?  Hope it just needs adjustment?
    
    Thanks.
    
    Norbert  
                                              

    I've heard of this in rec.autos.makers.chrysler .. I think as a first
    step you need to make sure your computer code is up to rev.. but check
    the newsgroup for more info (beware the low signal/noise ratio..)
    
    ...tom

re .204

I have a 94 Voyager and the auto lock feature can be enabled/disabled by the
owner. It is a sequence of turning the car on (not start) and cycling the door
lock from locked to unlocked, or vice versa, then turning the car off. After
that the auto lock will be enabled or disabled, which ever you wish. I'm not
sure what Chrysler did after 94, but the sequence for my vehicle was printed in
the owners manual. 

I'm also aware of a particular coding sequence for engine troubles. If I cycle
the key from OFF to ON four times, leaving at ON for the fourth time the check
engine light will blink in a particular sequence depending on what it sees as
the engine's condition or trouble. Engine okay is four consecutive blinks of the
light, a wait of about 1-2 seconds, then it repeats iteslf. Does anybody have
any further info on these codes, or where I can find them? No problems right
now, just looking to the future.

Thanks,

Jim

    Auto lock:  Yes, my 95 G. Voyager's manual describes how to enable and
    disable this function.  The 95 New Yorker came enabled.  The manual of
    the 94 Intrepid says that it requires a visit to the dealer to have
    that enabled.  I tried the sequence described in the Voyager manual and
    it did nothing.  I guess they had different people developing the body 
    control module program for the LH cars and the minivans.  I looked up the
    service manual for the 95 LH cars last night, it does say that the 
    diagnostic computer is needed to enable this function.  I guess the same 
    goes to the 94's.
    
    Norbert 
                

    whether or not the same people did the body software on the minivans
    and the LH, the philosophy was completely different.. on the minivans,
    the body controller does a few interesting things.. on the LH, there
    are few things that DON'T involve a computer.  Maybe thre were just too
    many things to choose any one to have a simple disable..
    
    ...tom

    Just want to share this info.  You can find the Technical Service Bulletins
    (TSB) in the Cartalk web site.  Check out http://www.cartalk.com.  Go into
    Virtually Userful Data, then select Car Info.  Select Cartalk Car
    Report to extract the TSB of your vehicle.  
    
    I was surprised that the TSB for the 94 and 95 (possibly 96 and 97, I
    did not check) LH cars and minivans have TSB numbers dated back to 87.  
    There are 148 TSB numbers for the 94 Intrepid, 78 for the 95 New Yorker,
    and 52 for the G. Voyager.  The ones dated between 87 and 91 are all 
    transmission related.  Guess Chrysler uses the same transmissions since 87?
    
    Norbert
     

    Some of those TSBs are generic; I know one of the ones that applies to
    the '95 LH talks about how to find a leak using dye.. 
    
    ...tom

Update to .209.

Took the car to the dealer to have a look at the transmission.  After hearing
the symptom and test driving it for a while, the dealer determined that they
need to rebuild the transmission.  They said they have seen quite a few of
these, and it is nothing new!  They said they will also put in the upgrade to
this transmission.  Wonder what that is.  The only good news is that it is under
warranty.

Norbert

    It only needs the TCM (Transmission Control Module) reprogrammed. Mine
    (95) had same symptom. Updated the flash and all was well. Well, for a
    while that is. the problem I have now is a strange one. After a long
    8+ hour cold soak when stopping and the tranny does a 2->1 downshift,
    it stays in a neural state for 3 seconds before shifting into first.
    If one attempts to start moving before the 3 seconds have elasped, it
    will rev and slam into gear. Drive 1 mile, problem gone. so far they
    have replaced the TCM (again) and the valvebody/solenoids/pressure
    switches with no luck. Looks like it's tranny time. The 28 year old
    100K+ mile torqueflight in my 69 GTX works better. Sure it is not as
    smooth or fuel conserving but if I ever put the intrepid through what
    the GTX see's for abuse (I mean fun) it would'nt last long.
    
    
    					/Dave
    

    
    	my wife's 96 cyrrus is having the aforementioned problem
    	with the TCM and shift locking in second gear. the TCM
    	has been reprogrammed and the transmission serviced (fluid 
    	changed etc). the problem is still there. they are now
    	telling me they need to remove transmission from vehicle
    	and see what the problem is. 
    	has anyone else had this happen. is this a "bug" or
    	a new "feature" for transmissions these days.
    	i get nervous when i hear "remove transmission from vehicle"!!.
    	any input would be appreciated.
    	thanks
    

    Hm. Did they list any fault codes on the repair invoice? 
    
    If you're not getting fault codes, you probably need a new
    transmission. If you're getting fault codes, it might be a sensor or a
    valve that can be replaced without much pain.
    
    Still under warranty? how many times has it been back for this problem?
    
    ...tom