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1996 Chrysler Concorde



 
 
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  #11  
Old November 20th 04, 02:51 AM
Bill Putney
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GrtArtiste wrote:
> 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.


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')


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  #12  
Old November 20th 04, 03:02 AM
Bill Putney
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GrtArtiste wrote:

>>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?


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')


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  #13  
Old November 20th 04, 03:02 AM
Bill Putney
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Posts: n/a
Default

GrtArtiste wrote:

>>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?


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')


----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==----
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  #14  
Old November 20th 04, 04:26 AM
Geoff
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"GrtArtiste" > wrote in message
...
> 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.


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


  #15  
Old November 20th 04, 04:26 AM
Geoff
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"GrtArtiste" > wrote in message
...
> 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.


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


  #16  
Old November 20th 04, 12:55 PM
maxpower
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Posts: n/a
Default

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
"GrtArtiste" > wrote in message
...
> 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.



  #17  
Old November 20th 04, 12:55 PM
maxpower
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

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
"GrtArtiste" > wrote in message
...
> 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.



  #18  
Old November 20th 04, 12:56 PM
maxpower
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

the headlites were updated also, but agree they were a ****poor design also,
"Daniel J. Stern" > wrote in message
n.umich.edu...
> On Fri, 20 Nov 2004, GrtArtiste wrote:
>
> > 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.



  #19  
Old November 20th 04, 12:56 PM
maxpower
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

the headlites were updated also, but agree they were a ****poor design also,
"Daniel J. Stern" > wrote in message
n.umich.edu...
> On Fri, 20 Nov 2004, GrtArtiste wrote:
>
> > 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.



  #20  
Old November 20th 04, 12:59 PM
maxpower
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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
"GrtArtiste" > wrote in message
...
> >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?



 




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