Reaper1

Update time! I haven't worked on this TC for a bit, but I did work on *a* TC (which is now officially dead). While in Florida for the Grassroots Motorsports 2016 Challenge, I decided it would be a good opportunity to strip the '91 parts TC I got. It only had around 22,000 miles on it, but it was hit VERY hard in the rear. So hard that when my friend cut the trunk off with a sawzawll in a straight line, he actually cut throught the bumper support shock on the right side because it was 4" further in the chassis than the left side! We later found that it also broke the rear of the hard top (it was on the car when it got hit), but absolutely NO cabin intrusion! Both doors opened and shut just fine (thought the gap on the right side was quite a bit smaller and the door window overlapped the quarter window when rolled up). So, being as the car was "new", I decided that the engine was a good donor for my 350,000+ mile '90 Daytona, plus I had to yank that anyway because the clutch wasn't operating for some reason. So, the TC's 3.0 got a 5-speed swap and dumped into my Daytona. After swapping the fuel rail and injectors (3.0's can run on only 2 cylinders BTW!) it purrs like a kitten! For the first time since 2002 my Daytona moves under its own power! Because the hard top was on the parts TC and how "new" the car was...I was REALLY hoping the soft top was in great shape. After we cut the side of the car, cut the bracket off for the tonneau cover and the bracket for the pull down (after removing the pull down) there was FINALLY enough room to get the top out. Luckily the only damage was to the very front of the headliner....other than that it is perfect! At some point in the past a tree had fallen on the front of the car smashing the windshield on top of the steering wheel. So, to get the dash out we just cut the A-pillars at the dash line and laid it forward like a Jeep! LOL We backfed the electrical system to move the seats and windows. The driver's seat didn't want to move forward, so I had to take it off the base, then take the base out of the car. BTW, they fit perfectly in a Daytona! (of course they should due to the TC's "bloodline"). The rest came apart pretty much without incident. I was able to stuff everything except the spare tire shelf/well (didn't need/want it) from the TC into the Daytona....proving that yes, you can shove one car into another! LOL There's even another windshield frame with good glass from a '90 J-body, the soft top, spare parts for the Daytona, and all the other crap including a very nice hood mat and the carpet from the TC in that Daytona....and yes, there's room for a fairly tall person to get in and drive it! Once we got done stripping the TC it was pretty obvious where the TC chassis was shortened from a G-body...just behind the seat belt attachment point the floorpan is noticeably shorter. Ironically, it looks like if you got rid of the spare tire hold-down mount that it might be possible to adapt J-body convertible seats to the rear as I recognized the oval holes used by that car's lower rear seat cushion. Not that there would actually be any room for passengers, but just interesting. So, once my life get back to a "normalized" state I am going to get the Daytona (along with the contents) shipped out to me and I can then utilize these parts to really make my TC pop! (and I'm going to turbo that 3.0 in my Daytona....like I've been wanting to do for 16 years!)

I gave the TC a break for about a week or so...drove the truck because I hadn't driven it in months! I went to put my passenger side window down as I intended to put the soft top down, but...it stopped about half way! Uh oh....it went back up fine. After thinking about it, I thought maybe it got hung up on the wiring in the door. So, I popped the panel off and thought I fixed it...good thing I left the panel off! LOL It turned out to be the speaker I had installed! The outer splash guard was turned 180*...then after putting it back together and trying again, I found out that the whole speaker had been in 180*! The stupid amp gets in the way of the crescent gear on the window drive. I decided this was a good time to look and see if my aftermarket speaker would actually fit because I know the magnet is large-ish. It fits...but there's not a lot of room. So, lesson learned here...if you go to install speakers in your doors, roll the windows down so you can make sure they clear everything!

Spinning Wheels doesn't have the Hydac anymore? I know they went on backorder a while back, but I thought that was a supplier issue? I have a hard time believing Hydac isn't replacing stock.

Spinning Wheels doesn't have them in the Hydac anymore? They did for a while for a decent price. I know they went on backorder, but I thought that was a supplier issue.

Nice find! Beautiful car for sure! #1...replace ALL of the rubber fuel lines with the correct fuel injection hose! (you should inspect the brake hoses for dry rot as well) #2 certainly replace at least the fuel filter #3 it sounds like it has a vacuum leak...inspect the vacuum harness for any broken/split/disconnected lines #4 you know these cars a bit it seems, so start looking for a replacement accumulator! #5 what do the tires look like...not the tread, the rubber. Dry rotted? #6 if the oil hasn't been changed...change the oil and the tranny fluid. It's been sitting a LONG time and fluids can get "nasty" over time causing other issues. #7 flush the brake system. Brake fluid absorbs water over time...the entire system needs flushed to make sure it's fresh and no contaminates are in it. #8 I know you just emptied the tank, but it might actually be a good idea to pop the pump out and take a look at it. I have seen a few cases (In personally had this happen on another car) where the gas attacks the plastic and rubber bits over the years of sitting and turns it into a gooey mess. #9 lube the chassis points #10 I know you said garage kept, but still check out the windshield washer system. The stupid little plastic tubes love to break over time and the fluid itself is slightly corrosive, so it might have eaten at the pump gasket making it to where when you dump new in...it pours right out! I hope that helps some. The basic tune-up stuff and a general overall inspection is really the key. Taking care of the old/bad fluids and inspecting critical systems for proper operation and good condition is really what it comes down to. Then...drive, enjoy, fix stuff as it comes up!

^^ LOL This guy!

AJ, another reason to use black zip ties is that typically they are more resistant to chemicals and exposure to the caustic environment of the engine bay. So...safer (usually) depending on what they are on. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Not only that, but you can visually see the speaker just totally being overdriven for the intended volume level. It's clipping AND distorting!! BLECH!!!

I figured I'd give a small update. I've been a slacker of the biggest degree and haven't done much of anything recently. Just haven't had the "drive"... Anyway, I got tired of listening to my stereo sounding like a perpetually flatulent elephant, so I decided to try and swap the speakers out with ones from my parts car. Well, out of the 4 speakers I pulled, only 1 sounded "ok". After some position swapping of some of the speakers, I got it to sound a *little* better, but it still is begging for a new stereo install. Now, maybe someone here with some better knowledge of the Infinity stereos can help explain why this thing sounds the way it does. My car does not have the original Infinity head unit. Instead it has a later Chrysler Infinity unit with the integrated CD/tape player. I like that. However, it seems like it totally overdrives the bass, no matter what. I don't know if the output is higher to the speaker amps on this head unit or what, but even with the bass all the way down it distorts something HORRIBLE! Oh well...eventually that whole mess isn't going to be used at all as I am going to install a much better stereo.

Being as it's a V6 car it has the A604/41TE "Ultradrive" transaxle. Most likely it's not stuck in 1st, but rather 2nd. That is the default mechanical forward gear that can be achieved with that transmission. There are a LOT of reasons that the TCM (transmission control module) could send the tranny into limp mode. It could be something as simple as a bad sensor, or something as bad as a broken OD snap ring (very common on the older units) or a broken apply piston inside the front basket. As others have said, it needs to be hooked up to a competent shop's diagnostic computer to see what's going on. Besides obvious fault codes, the CVI nnumbers (basically a number that represents the internal clearances of the clutch packs to the computer) are something to be aware of. Obviously the closer they are to the middle of the range, the better (or slightly tight). Something you can try yourself at home is to reset the system and attempt to do a "quick learn" on the TCM. The caveat to this is that you will clear any codes the TCM might have stored that could help the shop determine what's wrong with the transmission. The upside to it is that it might get the car back to being a bit more driveable in case you need to drive it further to a known good shop to really check it out. To do a "quick learn": (disclaimer, I tried to look this up before posting, but didn't find it right away. This is from memory and I haven't done it in many years. I *think* it's detailed in the FSM.) disconnect the battery for ~30 minutes then reconnect it start the car and cycle the shifter between all of the gear selections and "park" (it will probably engage the gears a little harsh, this is normal) you need an empty road you can get up to about 60mph on and have room to stop put the car in "OD" and accelerate up to roughly 30mph at about 1/4 throttle letting the transmission shift to 2nd (but not 3rd), then slow down enough to get it to downshift, but not stop. repeat ~10 times you will then increase your speed up to where it shifts to 3rd with the same procedure work your way up to 3/4 throttle in this same manner. Once you are done, what you have effectively done is "taught" the TCM the internal clearances in the transmission so that it can shift correctly. Now, if the transmission has a sensor issue or an internal problem, this probably won't work. The last A604 I had R&R'd back around 1998 was ~$1800. There ARE updates, TSB's, and other things that *should* be done. I know one is that there are new sensor pigtails that should be installed. The new OEM solenoid packs are also much better than the old ones. The aftermarket has several kits to help improve shift quality and increase longevity. The biggie is seeing if your TCM can be "reflashed" with updated programming. I know that's a lot to take in, especially if you aren't familiar with these transmissions. I also know it sounds absolutely like a nightmare. The truth is, it's not any worse than any other modern electronically controlled transmission. As someone else pointed out, Chrysler continuously improved the transmission until the end. One thing I *highly* recommend is once you figure out what's wrong with the transmission and you get it fixed, install an auxiliary external aftermarket transmission cooler. Because of the way these transmissions work, they can really heat he fluid up. While the ATF +4 fluid is a fully synthetic fluid meant to deal with those conditions, it doesn't hurt to help it out a little. You can choose to bypass the internal radiator transmission cooler all together, or tie it in series. Personally, I eliminated the radiator cooler. My reasoning was that I then no longer had to worry about possible fluid exchange in case of a failure. I hope this helps some and I wish you the best of luck!

I saw 3 possible adjustments that could help the situation. The front header clamp adjustment...make sure it's pulling the top header down tight enough. The next one I can think of is the tension rod adjustment. The third is the rear cam adjustment. If me tilts it a little, that might force it to stretch. Be sure to have the pull down mechanism is adjusted and working correctly. Have the rear top pins completely secured by the mechanism, then pull the header down to see how it does with ANY adjustment made to reduce stress on the mechanism.

Please note that what I'm about to explain I personally have never experienced in my own vehicle, but I have seen this happen. While it is true that almost all new cars specify platinum or iridium plugs, including turbocharged ones, I have heard reports from other owners of 2.2 8V turbo Chrysler engines where the platinum tip has broken off and some claim they can be a hot spot in the combustion chamber causing preignition. Please keep in mind that these were also NOT stock engines. I have personally SEEN a platinum plug fail like this while I was working in the boating industry. Having said that, in a stock engine, with a good quality plug I honestly don't think it's much of an issue. One thing to keep in mind with these types of plugs: DO NOT gap them! You can check the gap, but NEVER pry between the ground strap and electrode tip. If it's a double platinum plug, really all you can and are supposed to do is check the gap. The same goes for iridium type plugs. Also, do not expect these plugs to work miracles. Unless your old plugs are totally trashed they will not really provide an increase in power or economy. The sole reason these plugs exist is to extend the service life of the plug to reduce the service intervals needed on new vehicles. So, if you don't want to have to change plugs every year or so, maybe these are worth looking at. Because my personal goals for my cars are typically elevated beyond stock I do not run these types of plugs due to the added possible failure point of the plug and they don't increase performance (I only run copper). As a matter of fact, in my Daytona a set of plugs would only last about 6 months. However, I was modifying the plugs by cutting the ground strap back to just be over only 1/2 of the electrode, and then I also put a point on the ground strap. Basically a "poor man's race plug" by exposing more of the electrode this is supposed to unshroud the flame kernel that starts there which in theory can help make sure the combustion not only happens when it's supposed to, but that it is complete as well. Those modifications reduce the life of the plug, plus I ran my engine pretty hard. I also try to index them the best I can. I don't own a set of shims, but I can usually at least get the plug gap towards the combustion chamber at the very least. I like to try and aim the gap at the exhaust valve. Anyway, just trying to play devil's advocate and give some tips for the correct use of that type of part if a person so chooses to run them. Oh, one last thing...most of us probably already know, but please don't fall for the "more ground straps, the better" trap. That is totally BS for most engines (including ANY of ours) and can actually end up causing issues. Don't waste your money or time on them.

To remove the airbox to get at the throttle body: take off the corrugated plastic tube that runs behind the battery and the air box. take the clamps loose that hold the front of the air box on and remove the front of the box along with the air filter loosen the hose clamps on the corrugated rubber hose between the air box and intercooler (you *can* get away with only removing the intercooler side) loosen the clamp holding the one vacuum line to the side of the box, remove that line and the other rubber line that goes to the anti-surge valve (blow off valve) loosen the hose clamp on the turbo inlet hose on the side of the air box take loose the PVC tube between the valve cover and the air box loosen the hose clamps holding the short rubber hose between the air box and the throttle body I suggest using something like WD40 on the 2 grommets that hold the air box to the bracket from the "head side" of the bracket using a prying device, *carefully* pry the air box out of the rubber grommets Once you have the 2 plastic pins on the back of the air box out of their grommets, you can pull the box toward the front of the car and it should come off of the throttle body allowing you access. loosen the hose clamp under the air box going to the small hose (part of the blow off valve plumbing). then you can completely remove the air box from the car. Be careful of the plastic vacuum lines as they will most probably be very brittle. They can be replaced, but I figured I'd give you a heads up. Also, there *should* be a piece of foam looking stuff in the bottom of the air box where the PCV tube goes. Most of the time this thing is completely oil soaked and could be gone all together. Be sure to clean this area up and replace that filter. Now is also the time to inspect the PCV adapter on the air box. They have a nasty tendency to either break off or come loose off of the box. JB weld, super glue, other types of epoxy can solve this issue. As for the brand of spark plugs...that's opening a can-o-worms. It's really a personal preference. I personally like NGK spark plugs. Other swear by Champion or Autolite.

Soft top, man! You got a convertible for a reason! I just did a ~5000 mile round trip...90% top down! Wear sunscreen, though.

Automatic Transmission Controller.

I think you will find a small fue block over on the passenger's side of the car next to the ignition coil (assuming it's a 4-cylinder car), or just behind the ATC if it's a V6. I'm fairly sure the fuse is in there.

Ok, I found my pictures. Unfortunately because of where they are stored I'm not sure how to share them. Suffice it to say that the pin at 1 o'clock should be between the two "hooks" at 10&11 o'clock.

Yeah, I see what you are saying. Darn, wish I had the hard top off of my parts car here. Maybe I have pictures of when I did mine. Let me look.

I am looking for a TC Club member in the Puyallup, Washington area that has an '89 16V car. If anyone knows who this might be, can you please provide me contact information?

The latch doesn't look reset to me. I'm fairly sure that the hook at the bottom of the picture is supposed to be "grasping" the pin that's roughly at the 1-o'clock position to the manual release nut.

1/16" of play in any steering component will give you play. You need to replace that inner tie rod. As for the tilt wheel issue, if it's the one I'm thinking of where the wheel flops around like a broken video game, you have to take the steering wheel off, the turn signal plate out, and some other things. This does require some special tools, but they aren't that expensive and you can probably rent them from parts stores. Anyway, what happens is that the bolts that hold the tilting part of the column to the mechanism come loose. The best thing to do is take them out, but some Loctite on them and then reinstall them. I had to do this on my '88 Daytona Shelby Z. I ended up taking the entire column out and relubricating the bearings and such inside, too. It took me the better part of an afternoon.

Black is the interior color.

I suppose I should have been more clear. I won't be able to lay eyes on this thing until October and even then, I can't say when I'll have immediate access to parts. I have some ideas for using some of it, but not all, in my own car. I am willing to sell stuff from it, I just can't promise any sort of delivery time, plus I don't have pictures to show, really. I want to be fair to anyone I sell to, so I hope I didn't ruin anybody's day. I will ask my friend about removing the upper dash trim and those speakers (although the driver's side might be tough due to the broken windshield) and see what he says. I would let him have the sell, as he is storing the car for me and needs the money (not like I don't, but he'd be doing the work, too...gotta be fair to him as well). I'll get back with you, Millard.

I just picked up car 207705. Even though it only has ~22,000 miles on it, it got hit HARD in the rear and has a certificate of destruction. This means the car HAS to be destroyed. No problem...I need the parts! I'm hoping to scavenge most all of what is left good on the car, either for my own projects, or being sold by me or my friend who is storing it for me (I'm on the other side of the country). The interior is actually VERY nice and I've got a plan for my own car that is pretty unique I think. At least I've never heard of another TC done the way I have planned. This car also came with the optional CD player, and does have the gold plaque (car #299 I think). It is a V6 car. I did add it to the VIN registry thread. Another one accounted for...although it's short for this world.

I just acquired 207705. It got hit HARD in the rear and has a certificate of destruction. I will be parting it and then it will meet the recycler. Exotic red, black interior, can't take the hard top off to see the soft top, but probably black, V6. Has just over 22,000 miles on it. I think it was build 12/90 from what I remember being told. Has the optional CD player, and gold plaque says car #299 I believe.