'83 Chrysler 5th Ave bucking

"John S." > wrote in message
ups.com...
> JS> Wow...that's an apalling description of Chrysler dealerships and
> the quality of work their repair shops do. If true, I have to think
> that car buyers would be abandoning Chrysler. And yet the news I read
> tells me that Chrysler is doing far better than it's U.S. competition.
> Interesting how the real world can sometimes differ from strongly held
> opinions.
>
Chrysler is doing better than the US nameplate competition because of the
product, specifically the 300 and Magnum, and soon the Charger. Meanwhile,
GM has new, generic front-drive cars like LaCrosse, and Ford has new generic
front-drive cars like the 500. Actually, the 500 and Montego are nice cars,
but should have a little more motor. Still, the competition is pretty tough
in the $25-30K generic front-drive car catagory.

"Sue" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> My 5th ave has 80 thousand miles on it, I love this car. A few days ago
> it started bucking badly once it warmed up. I brought it to be looked
> at and was told I needed to replace the carburetor. I don't know if I
> trust this guy to know what is wrong and am afraid he's just taking a
> guess. I really don't want to invest a lot of money in this car but ,
> as I said, I do love it. Any suggestions other than a second opinion..I
> intend to do that anyhow as this is a death sentence case.
>

When was the last time this vehicle was tuned up with a good set of plugs
and wires?, Those carburetors were very easy to overhaul with just a carb
kit and a set of floats, has that option been given to you? And was the car
put on an oscilloscope to check the primary and secondary voltages?
Glenn Beasley
Chrysler Tech

maxpower wrote:

> "Sue" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>
>>My 5th ave has 80 thousand miles on it, I love this car. A few days ago
>>it started bucking badly once it warmed up. I brought it to be looked
>>at and was told I needed to replace the carburetor. I don't know if I
>>trust this guy to know what is wrong and am afraid he's just taking a
>>guess. I really don't want to invest a lot of money in this car but ,
>>as I said, I do love it. Any suggestions other than a second opinion..I
>>intend to do that anyhow as this is a death sentence case.
>>
>
>
> When was the last time this vehicle was tuned up with a good set of plugs
> and wires?, Those carburetors were very easy to overhaul with just a carb
> kit and a set of floats, has that option been given to you? And was the car
> put on an oscilloscope to check the primary and secondary voltages?
> Glenn Beasley
> Chrysler Tech

Actually, just a crudded up cap and rotor can cause a lean-running 70s
or 80s 318 to kick and buck quite a bit, especially when hot.

Basically, given nothing more than the info above, I'd guess its either
fuel starvation (fuel filter, fuel pump) or a secondary ignition problem
(coil, wires, plugs). Carb would be a lot further down on my list.

"Steve" > wrote in message
...
> maxpower wrote:
>
> > "Sue" > wrote in message
> > oups.com...
> >
> >>My 5th ave has 80 thousand miles on it, I love this car. A few days ago
> >>it started bucking badly once it warmed up. I brought it to be looked
> >>at and was told I needed to replace the carburetor. I don't know if I
> >>trust this guy to know what is wrong and am afraid he's just taking a
> >>guess. I really don't want to invest a lot of money in this car but ,
> >>as I said, I do love it. Any suggestions other than a second opinion..I
> >>intend to do that anyhow as this is a death sentence case.
> >>
> >
> >
> > When was the last time this vehicle was tuned up with a good set of
plugs
> > and wires?, Those carburetors were very easy to overhaul with just a
carb
> > kit and a set of floats, has that option been given to you? And was the
car
> > put on an oscilloscope to check the primary and secondary voltages?
> > Glenn Beasley
> > Chrysler Tech
>
> Actually, just a crudded up cap and rotor can cause a lean-running 70s
> or 80s 318 to kick and buck quite a bit, especially when hot.
>
> Basically, given nothing more than the info above, I'd guess its either
> fuel starvation (fuel filter, fuel pump) or a secondary ignition problem
> (coil, wires, plugs). Carb would be a lot further down on my list.
>

Yup I agree with you

I agree, Steve.
There are some good dealerships (which is more than I would have said a
couple of years ago)
but there are a lot that are not good at all.
Prices tend to be higher and work crappier.
I have not had one of my cars serviced or repaired at a dealership in about
20 years.
Those things I cannot or will not do myself, I take to a dependable
independent garage.
(You may have to search for them too, but they are out there.)

Most, but not all, service or filling stations are to be wary of.

"Kokomo Kid" > wrote in message news:SJNge.304
> Chrysler is doing better than the US nameplate competition because of the
> product, specifically the 300 and Magnum, and soon the Charger.
Meanwhile,
> GM has new, generic front-drive cars like LaCrosse, and Ford has new
generic
> front-drive cars like the 500. Actually, the 500 and Montego are nice
cars,
> but should have a little more motor. Still, the competition is pretty
tough
> in the $25-30K generic front-drive car catagory.

GM and Ford have, from all reports I have seen, been very good at making
cars that few people want. Both these giants are in dire straits. Their
cars are bargains right now.

Chrysler has some interesting cars, if they can overcome the quality stigma
that they so justly deserved a couple of decades ago.

Still, quality concerns, gas prices, and state of the economy can play havoc
with the best laid plans.

Sue wrote:

> Thanks , I guess I will try to find someone I can trust to look at my
> car, that's not as easy as it sounds. The problem is I don't know much
> about cars and neither does my husband. When I bring my cars in for
> service I always think they see an easy mark and We wind up spending a
> lot of money on repairs that I am never certain we needed. We put a lot
> of mileage on our cars and both of our other cars are new , my 5th Ave
> is an extra so I wouldn't have to replace it but it's the one I like
> the most.I guess an older car like that is not for people like me.

I am not sure about the USA, but here in Canada the CAA (which is our
equivalent of the AAA) gives an approval rating to service shops that neet
their criteria for competence, honesty and being trustworthy. You might
want to ask a local AAA office about any recommended shops near you. They
may help whether you are an AAA member or not.

Ken Pisichko
Canada

On Thu, 12 May 2005 20:45:32 -0500, Ken Pisichko > wrote:

>Sue wrote:
>
>> Thanks , I guess I will try to find someone I can trust to look at my
>> car, that's not as easy as it sounds. The problem is I don't know much
>> about cars and neither does my husband. When I bring my cars in for
>> service I always think they see an easy mark and We wind up spending a
>> lot of money on repairs that I am never certain we needed. We put a lot
>> of mileage on our cars and both of our other cars are new , my 5th Ave
>> is an extra so I wouldn't have to replace it but it's the one I like
>> the most.I guess an older car like that is not for people like me.
>
>I am not sure about the USA, but here in Canada the CAA (which is our
>equivalent of the AAA) gives an approval rating to service shops that neet
>their criteria for competence, honesty and being trustworthy. You might
>want to ask a local AAA office about any recommended shops near you. They
>may help whether you are an AAA member or not.
when i was getting my car towed to my usual garage, i asked the CAA
guy where he gets his tow trucks repaired. i'll be there next.
....thehick

"Sue" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Thanks , I guess I will try to find someone I can trust to look at my
> car, that's not as easy as it sounds. The problem is I don't know much
> about cars and neither does my husband. When I bring my cars in for
> service I always think they see an easy mark and We wind up spending a
> lot of money on repairs that I am never certain we needed. We put a lot
> of mileage on our cars and both of our other cars are new , my 5th Ave
> is an extra so I wouldn't have to replace it but it's the one I like
> the most.I guess an older car like that is not for people like me.
>
Sue, over the years, we've run into driveability problems with 5th Ave's
as you describe. I'm assuming yours is the v-8, 318 cubic inch, with
rear-wheel drive. If that be the case, it's got the "lean-burn" engine
management system on it. A quick way to determine if your ECM is faulty is
to temporarily swap air cleaners with someone's 5th Ave that is performing
correctly. I'm betting the computer, mounted on the air cleaner, is causing
your problem.
If when you swap--MAKING SURE THE NUMBERS ON THE COMPUTER ARE
IDENTICAL--your engine performs correctly, then you can simply replace your
computer, maybe a new one from Chrysler, a re-built one from Chrysler, or an
after-market one from an auto parts chain, like NAPA.
In our experience, the carbs don't give that much trouble--just the
computers which control the carb as well as other driveability-related
controls.
Good luck & HTH. s

sdlomi2 wrote:
> Sue, over the years, we've run into driveability problems with
5th Ave's
> as you describe. I'm assuming yours is the v-8, 318 cubic inch, with
> rear-wheel drive. If that be the case, it's got the "lean-burn"
engine
> management system on it. A quick way to determine if your ECM is
faulty is
> to temporarily swap air cleaners with someone's 5th Ave that is
performing
> correctly. I'm betting the computer, mounted on the air cleaner, is
causing
> your problem.
> If when you swap--MAKING SURE THE NUMBERS ON THE COMPUTER ARE
> IDENTICAL--your engine performs correctly, then you can simply
replace your
> computer, maybe a new one from Chrysler, a re-built one from
Chrysler, or an
> after-market one from an auto parts chain, like NAPA.
> In our experience, the carbs don't give that much trouble--just
the
> computers which control the carb as well as other
driveability-related
> controls.
> Good luck & HTH. s

Much appreciated, as were the other tips, none of which she had a
chance to try. Sue asked me to monitor the group for answers while
she's away for the weekend (sans the 5th Avenue). Finding another 5th
Avenue owner to swap air cleaners with could be a problem, but we'll
look around.

Thanks,
Brother Bob