1996 Chrysler Concorde

My mother has just acquired a 1996 Chrysler Concorde (3.5L engine) from another
family member (89000 miles, $3600). She is confident that the car has been
maintained, not abused, and all recalls are up to date. Aside from the air
conditioner being inoperative (I understand this was a common problem with this
model, quoted $900 to fix), the car appears to be in good shape and everything
else is operational. Are there any other well known conditions-problems I
should be on the lookout for since I will be keeping an eye on the car for her?
Thanks for any replies.

 

Hope she doesn't drive at night; the headlamps on these cars are awful.

 

I have a 94 with the same 3.5. AC is out on mine also. I also started to
develop transmission problems at 90K miles. The symptom is vibration
around 35MPH and it is slow to engage when it's cold. The dealer said that
there was an internal failure but they couldn't say how long it would last
before it failed completely. I've since put another 33,000 miles on it and
it's still functioning although it's behavior is gradually getting worse.
Don't know if this is a common Concorde problem but if you do start to
notice the transmission misbehaving be advised that it doesn't mean that
its going to stop working immediately.

 

Hope she doesn't drive at night; the headlamps on these cars are awful.
I noted the odd, milky-white color of the headlamp lenses. Is this what you are
referring to? Can these be replaced at a reasonable price?

 

I've been driving a Concorde for 10 years, I've never found the headlights
to be inadequate.

 

Hang around here as much as you'd like, but you may want to also check
out the www.dodgeintrepid.net forums. It has a good search feature, and
many questions have been answered, including general ones that you
asked, and possibly how to get that a.c. back up and running on the cheap.

For a '96, you want the First Generation forums.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
adddress with the letter 'x')

 

As far as replacing them for the clouding, you can find them on the
internet for around $60 each. Some of the aftermarket headlight assys.
aren't that bad. I've not used this place, but you might check out
http://www.headlightwarehouse.com.

That having been said, I'm sure that Daniel was refering to mediocre
design and performance of the lighting - I'll let him fill you in on the
details of what he was getting at. You also may want to do a Google
Group search on this forum with "Stern" among the words in the keyword
list - he has elaborated on the 1st gen LH headlights and their
shortcomings before.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
adddress with the letter 'x')

 

Two small issues: one, there was a recall for leaking fuel injector O-rings.
You'll want to make sure it was performed by either calling a dealer with
the VIN number handy or seeing if you can find the spot on the chrysler.com
website where the information is also available. These leaks have caused
fires in extreme cases.

Second, the 1st gen 3.5L is known for leaks developing around the water
pump. Usually you can see coolant dripping out of the front of the engine
when this happens. If you notice antifreeze disappearing, this is a likely
cause. Change the timing belt at the same time if you elect to replace the
water pump, and use a water pump that is the OEM replacement unit from a
dealership parts department, there are some improvements apparently made to
the design.

You may or may not have issues with steering noises, especially when turning
the wheel at low speeds/low ambient temperature. Steering rack mount
bushings are to blame, unfortunately they weren't available separately from
the rack unit for a '96 when I needed mine. People have improvised their
own bushings out of polyurethane; you might be able to find the material at
a speed shop.

The A/C is frequently an evaporator leak requiring removal/replacement of
the dash for access, unfortunately a common problem area for 1st generation
LHs. Make sure somebody checks the system over thoroughly.

Some have reported problems with suspension bushings in the front end
wearing out at earlier-than-expected mileage; I didn't have my '96 long
enough to experience this.

The transmission requires regular maintenance with the *correct* fluid --
either ATF+3 or ATF+4. Be wary of quick lube places offering Dexron with an
additive said to make it equivalent to ATF+3, it's a deceptive marketing
practice. If you don't do your own transmission fluid changes, insist that
whoever does the work (approximately every 30K miles) uses the ATF+3 (a.k.a.
Type 7176) fluid -- and verify it. Premature transmission failure results
from using the wrong fluid.

Other than that, the 1st generation LH vehicles are very good cars, possibly
even exceptionally good, especially for their time. The 3.5L was the
larger, more powerful engine, and owners report getting in excess of 200K
miles from them with proper maintenance. If you replace the cloudy
headlamps, you'll probably get many good miles of service from that car.
Good luck.

--Geoff

 

Me personnaly i think it was a good is a good vehicle, aside from the
evaporator leaks, the inner tie rod bushings have a weak design but for the
cost of the bushings only, its a low cost fix, and seen alot of water pumps
fail, they have since been updated by Chrysler for a better design.Acually
chrysler extended the warranty or the evaps, they went 7/70
Glenn Beasley
Chrysler tech

 

the headlites were updated also, but agree they were a pisspoor design also,

 

the odd milky color is called deteriation, common on most plastic lites i
have seen, there is a substance out on the market that will polish the
outside lens to almost factory appearence, i have not used it yet but will
need it on my truck. what Daniel was refering to was the design, right from
the factory people were complaining of lack of lite at nite time driving
Glenn Beasley
Chrysler Tech

 

Glenn - My limited (1 car) experience and what I read on various forums
says that any polishing you do will likely get you close to water-clear
appearance, but that that only lasts a few weeks and some kind of polish
or wax will need to be re-applied periodically (easier after the first
time because the major surface imperfections get polished out then, and
it's mostly the effect of the polish filling in the microscopic
scratches rather than actually smoothing out the plastic that creates
the clear appearance by reducing diffraction). IOW, it's a good way to
get decent lighting and avoid hassles with the law until the unit can be
replaced. IOW - if it's a choice between spending a lot of money on a
polish kit or replacing the unit, replace the unit.

Does that line up with your experience?

Also, as a preventative, I will be replacing my one cloudy assembly (the
other one was replaced a year or so ago, so it is like new), after which
I will put on the X-Pel adhessive-backed vinyl protectors (reduces UV
and prevents sandblasting and damage from small stones) that I have
sitting on the shelf - about $40 the pair.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
adddress with the letter 'x')

 

Thats good to know because at the dealer we have this guy who will do it as
a service on vehicles that need it, i was gonna wait and see what the
results were before i did it, i will have to ask him what the gaurantee is,
thx Bill

 

No, that just means you've got bad headlamps that have deteriorated due to
UV from the sun. This has taken them from "poor" to "dangerous" -- those
lenses should be clear; you'll need new headlamp assemblies.

Absolutely yes, especially if the cost of repairing injury and damage
because of inadequate headlighting is factored into your price
calculations. The aftermarket units are a mediocre lot, but since it's
nearly impossible to do worse than what the factory installed in the first
place (in terms of performance and materials/build quality) you may as
well get the least-worst aftermarket items, generally supplied by
TYC-Generra. Stay away from the stinkier varieties of aftermarket poo
(Depo, DJAuto), stay away from any bulb sold as "Blue", "White", "Silver",
etc., and try to find GE's new Night Hawk 9007 bulb -- that'll make the
headlighting as "unworse" as possible.

 

....for a couple of months, at which point the deterioration comes back
faster/worse. Polishing the lenses strips off the anti-UV/anti-scratch
hardcoat, exposing the bare polycarbonate to the elements.

 

My sister just bought herself a 94 Concorde. Seems like a nice car and
like new inside and out. The power antenna doesn't work though - it
makes a noise like it is trying to move but doesn't. Anyone know if this
is an easy cheap fix or a warranty item. The dealer sold her a 2 year
extended warranty with the car.

 

I dought very seriously if the antenna is covered by that used car contract,
But check it out anyhow...the antenna is relatively easy to replace, at one
time you could get just the mask repair kit but if the motor is bad in
it,,,,, it will do you no good

 

It's a cheap fix, I had to replace it on my 94 Concorde also.

 

If the motor is good and still runs, then all you need is a new mast with
cable rack. Here is a brand new unit on Ebay for $17 plus $6 shipping:


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...ry=33639&item=7923129710&rd=1&ssPageName=WD1V

Bob