TCParts

Check the back issues of the TCA newsletter - almost any 1985 to 2000 Mopar radio interchanges with about a 10 minute installation.

I believe Karleen had somthing about this in one of the early TC America newsletters. Check your back issues. Larry

The dealer should still have them. If not, we do.

Join the TC America Club and order the back issues of the newsletter. For 2 or so hours of reading you can get ALL the answers to your questions and a lot more, including an entire page of sources for parts.

The guage and the sending units are common failures on the TC. First check to make sure the connection to the sending unit is clean, (the oil change place may have gotten oil on it) then try replacing the sending unit if that does not work. I have used Mopar and aftermarket sending units, with no difference in performance.

All TCs came standard with leather interior. I have a couple TCs with cloth, which had been done after the car left the factory. One looks as nice as a factory seat would, and one looks just awful. I was part of a leather restoration group at the Scottsdale, AZ TC America national meet a few years ago and worked on the restoration project for over a year. After realizing the time and energy it took to *properly* restore the leather, Karleen then purchased the ginger hides from Europe and sold them to fellow TC America club members. The burgandy interiors are the most difficult to maintain, but the easiest to restore. Of course, in warmer climates sheepskin seat covers take care of both the wear and hot surface issues. Anyhow, to answer your question, all TCs had leather, although a dealer could have converted them to cloth.

Have you checked the motor mounts? How about the struts?

A salvage yard in south Phoenix put a early '90s Lebaron front clip on a TC. It did not fit as a "bolt on", so they modified it to make it look better. It ran around AZ for a few years. Had the name the "Chryslerati", which our cars were often called. Have not heard about it lately so maybe it was the one sold on Ebay..... The Lebaron windshields are similar, but not the same. The TC windshield is FW0669, mopor part# 4371532. The Lebaron windshield does not have as much blackout material so you need to make sure you have good leather conditioner (like Leatherique) on the A pillar and defroster vent leather pieces to avoid degradation. Also, the TC windshield is *slightly* larger than a Lebaron windshield so make sure the installer puts enough extra of the sealant on to prevent air and water leaks. If your car is not in "collectible" condition you can replace it with the Lebaron one for less than $200 and the only thing you will notice is the lack of the pentatridents.

Rick, Thank you for spending all the time, energy and $$$$ to get these valuable 16v parts manufactured. I can't wait to get the new valves, guides and other goodies into my '90 toy! BTW, will these fit in both the common-block and '88 style 16v's?

The first thing any TC owner should do is join the TC America Club. Karleen, the CEO, formed the club 13 years ago to help fellow owners. She has over 1,000 members right now and the quarterly newsletters she publishes are more valuable than any information you could ever find elsewhere. These internet forums are nice, but so much inaccurate information is posted it is sad. You can purchase the back issues from her and in an afternoon find out more about the TC then you ever thought possible. Contributors to the newsletters include Henning Anderson,(a long time Chrysler Mechanic) Steve Lyons, (one of the moderators of this list) myself and hundreds of other TC owners. Performance upgrades are included in the articles. The Web address for the club is: www.ChryslerTCbyMaseratiClub.com Karleen's e-mail is TCClubCEO@aol.com There are a number of Dodge Shelby owners that own TCs and are happy to assist fellow owners in performance upgrades. Good luck with your new TC!

Ken, We have a supplier that professionally rebuilds the complete unit (not just two gears) for $175 plus shipping for fellow TC America club members. Larry

It would be a lot easier to remove a rubber piece from your current lid and put it on the new one!

This issue has been addressed many times in the TC America newsletters and at the National meets. The original porthole glass was not sealed properly so the perimeter let water, air and dirt in which clouded or made "bubbles" show up. Then Chrysler made the second batch of glass which did not bubble, but caused the burning on the rear carpet or anything else that may be on top of spare tire lid. Karleen contacted the Office of Defects Investigation at NHTSA (as did I) with no results so far. After Chrysler found that defect they produced the third set of portholes which are frosted around the edge instead of just beveled. These seem to work just fine. Anyone selling or buying "perfect" porthole windows should be aware that they may also be perfect for burning the rear storage area of the car. Out of my 68 TCs at least 10 of them have the burn marks. The easiest and cheapest way I have found to prevent the burns is to install tinted window film on the porthole windows. It does not need to be dark, as the "sputter" type film reflects just as much sun rays in both dark and light versions. To fix the carpet it needs to be replaced.

In case you don't want to drag your computer outside when working on your car, the blue 1989 manuals are still available from the dealer for around $80. Karleen also published the number for the official Chrysler publications order line a couple of issues ago.

Any automotive paint store that sells PPG paint (VERY common) can mix the color in-store. Your paint code is on the underside of the hood, above the ABS system. Here in AZ the minimum is a pint and costs about $30. Larry Carlson www.TCParts.com 928-386-0999 TCA# 1975

Replacing just the front motor mount won't prevent vibration. The left mount which attaches to the transmission wears out as well as the right side. Mid-way through the 1989 model year the right mount changed. Early builds are traditional, later builds have a little "shock absorber". Try http://www.polybushings.com/ they have mounts that are much better than stock - at least in my opinion. Your mileage may vary... Larry Carlson www.TCParts.com 928-386-0999 TCA #1975

You can adjust the brackets that the latches hook into, or you can adjust the length the latches go down to the bracket. There is no wonder why Chrysler stopped putting the side latches in during the late 1990 model and 1991 model builds. Unfortunately, the grommet is riveted in and cannot be removed without ruining the grommet and the fragile piece of metal that goes around it. On my personal cars I have bent the grommet and metal band around back into a round shape to stop the squeaks. On one particular car I have to reshape it every time I remove the top. As far as I know the grommet is not available from Chrysler, maybe someone else knows of a substitute from another model? Larry Carlson www.TCParts.com 928-386-0999 TCA #1975

Actually, I was responding to Bob's note. In your case, you can adjust the length of the side latches to correspond to what will hold them in place. There is a slim possibility that they were adjusted too tight from the factory and the bracket that the pin latches into may have cracked, or the permanent rubber gasket has distorted, broken or has been removed. You will need to remove the top and see if the metal bracket that the pins lock into are loose or not or if the black rubber gasket is distorted. Let me know if you need additional instructions. Larry Carlson www.TCParts.com 928-386-0999 TCA #1975

Many times this happens because the housing on the pull-down motor cracks. The cracking is usually caused by the pull-down assembly being mal-adjusted or the operator latching the front hardtop or softtop latches before operating the pull down. As the softtops age, they usually shrink. If the pull-down assembly is not adjusted to compensate, too much pressure is put on the housing and it cracks. I have complete diagrams and instructions for replacement that Karleen printed in (I believe) the June 2003 TC America newsletter. Larry Carlson www.TCParts.com 928-386-0999 TCA# 1975

Joe, The Teves system is really not that bad. The ABS system on my Crown Vic was $1,900, the complete Teves system with a 3 year warranty is only $550. There are very few real TC windshields left. The Lebaron ones fit, but they do not have all the blackout (forgot what it is called) around the perimeter so the leather is not protected as well as with the original windshields. For a "daily driver" it is no big deal, but if you have a collectible car the imposter windshield will devalue the car at least $1,200. The black interiors seem to suffer the most warpage when the wrong windshield is installed. The cars that leak around the windshield are usually the ones with the Lebaron glass. This may be due to a number of reasons: 1. Poor installation 2. Not perfect fit. 3. The original ones don't leak because they have never been replaced so there was never an opportunity to mess it up. Hard to tell what the reason or combination of reasons are. The Royal Cabernet cars with the Bordeaux interior are the most difficult colored leather to keep perfect. The Reattas have the plasticized leather like the 1991 TCs, but the 1989's and some of the early 1990's had the softer natural glove type leather. Looked and felt better in the beginning, but is more difficult to take care of. I was part of a leather restoration team that worked for a year before the Scottsdale TC America national meet attempting to find the best products to use to maintain and re-dye the TC interiors. Leatherique by far worked the best, especially on the early builds, and the re-dying of the bordeaux interior was a nightmare to do *properly*. The cloth interior was probably the result of someone's frustration with the leather. Personally, I keep real sheepskins on my 89's and black interior cars. It also helps to prevent leg burns here in the desert! The TC is not as technically advanced as the Reatta. Cars with alarm systems seem to be the ones with most electrical problems. The Spanish made wiring harness is really quite simple, but a bit delicate. I have driven a lot of "parts cars" across country and have not been stranded yet. Of course I always send my box of tricks in advance that fits nicely in the trunk. According to one of the project managers, Chrysler lost up to $30,000 per car on the TC. No way to verify, but that is the cost of a "halo" car. Good luck finding a good TC. Karleen at the club is by far the best person to contact to purchase a car - she knows many of the original owners, and from my experience those are the ones who have taken care of the cars in the manner that is respectful of the marque. They are the ones who put out the big bucks in the beginning and could afford to properly maintain their vehicles best and still view them as $30,000 cars. A newsletter will be published at the end of the month so she can let you know what is for sale. Usually you can find a competent owner nearby to inspect the car for you - it really helps. Larry Carlson www.TCParts.com TCA #1975

Hello, forum, I've watched many TCs on ebay, and have always been fascinated by the cars. Could those of you with lots of experience with them give me a basic breakdown on what YOU wished you had known before you bought your first one? Particularly, here's what I would like to know: 1. What years would you recommend for purchase? What, if any, years would you recommend I avoid? Why? Joe, Mike from BuickReattaParts.com is a good buddy of mine - he knows both the Reatta and the TC, so could help you compare apples to apples. Depending on what you like, the 3 different versions of the TC are VERY different. The 90-91 V-6 engines are the most reliable, have better torque and can go easily to 250,000 miles without any major engine problems. Drawback - Ultratow.... opps... Ultradrive (A604) transmission was not finished being engineered when released (according to the engineers) so pretty much have a 100% failure rate. If the unit was replaced with the *updated* factory Mopar remanufactured unit the new transmission should last a lifetime. The 16v 4cyl DOHC Cosworth-Maserati head 5 speed models by far are the most fun, most powerful and command the most dollars both now and most likely will appreciate the most in the future. Rick Diogo with Results Driven in FL has gotten 500HP out of the 16v engine. However because of the rarity, engine parts are harder to find and it can be a little difficult to work on since the intake manifold has to be removed for a tune-up. The 8v 4cyl turbo is the most common - anyone can work on the engine and a number of performance upgrades are available. Drawbacks, reliable but uninspiring 3 speed automatic transmission, most engines will need to be rebuilt by 150,000 miles if synthetic oil was not used. Even with performance upgrades sluggish off the start with 1988 engines - the common blocks are better. 2. Any particular mechanical or electronic problems the cars are prone to develop? If so, what age or mileage do they usually develop these problems? The car has the same Teves ABS system as the Reatta - if it is not taken care of properly and flushed every 2 years the new unit costs $549 and an hour of your time to replace. Not a big deal, but it is nice to have ABS in front wheel drive cars. 3. I'd like to get one with a factory airbag. Do these systems have any unique problems? Only the 1990 and 1991 cars have airbags. So you would need to find a 1990 16v or a 1990 or 1991 V-6. No 4cyl automatics had airbags. The system is reliable and has no problems. To date, the TC America club knows of no fatalities in a TC. (moving already dead bodies is another story) 4. Any special appearance items that develop? I've already read about the portholes that seem to want to crack or fog. Anything eles? If the porthole lenses are fogged it is because the seal leaks water and dirt between the two surfaces. Some people have done poor jobs at removing and reinstalling the center rubber and metal pentatrident. If you are careful you can fix them *and* have them look good. Karleen sells the back issues of the newsletters, so I recommend every TC owner buy them. A lot of misinformation or outdated information is available on internet TC forums, so be aware that not everything you read may be 100% accurate. Karleen checks for accuracy the best she can so the information is the most reliable in the newsletters. 5. Any particular parts becoming hard to find? Headlamps, stainless steel, and body side mouldings are available on e-bay and at salvage yards, but are difficult to find in excellent condition. Basically if you want a show quality car you get what you pay for. Make sure you purchase the headlamp, cornering lens and turn signal protectors from Karleen at the TC America club. 6. What is the one problem that would cause you to walk away from a used TC for sale if you saw this problem on the car for sale? Any TC that has visable modifications including non-original windshield (the Lebaron windshield is different but does fit) cracked headlamps or dinged mouldings will cost a lot to repair and you could probably find a better car out there for sale for less than repairing a modified one. 7. And now, the BIG question for any convertible: Are they water-tight in the rain, or do they all leak? If so, where should I look for the leaks? Are the parts (weatherstripping, etc.) available to fix the leaks? The Lebaron windshields are similar to the TC windshield but not the same - they have the most leakage problems. Check for the pentatrident logo in the lower center of the windshield. The rubber gaskets around the hardtop and softtops have been unavailable for a number of years, but one-sided insulation takes care of most of the problems. You need to make sure the drain holes in the tonneau area are clear so water drains out of that area and does not flood the trunk. I know the Buick Reattas and their problems. I've also owned a '95 Lebaron convertible, and a lot of the time I wished I still had it. Thanks for your help. Joe -------------------- BCA #35668 I have 68 TC's so I have a lot of personal experience working on, restoring and also disassembling them. If you have any questions feel free to give me a call or email me. Larry Carlson www.TCParts.com 928-386-0999 TCA #1975

If the transmission was a remanufactured MOPAR unit (which I always recommend because of advise that one of the engineers gave at one of the TC America national meets) it should still be under the factory 3 year 36,000 mile warranty, as it is transferable to the next owner. It could be the clutch pack, controller or a number of different internal issues. Larry

According to the Kelley Blue Book: LeBaron GTC Convertible $20,116 TC $33,550 Larry Carlson www.TCParts.com 928-386-0999

The wood trim came standard after about VIN# 1,500 - however many dealers installed the faux wood trim and real wood shift knob via a kit from Chrysler to the earlier builds. Larry

Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2005 23:50:16 -0500 From: Rick Diogo <rick@ceostaffing.com> Subject: 16v Head - New Valves A colleague of mine and I have been doing some pretty extensive research on the 16v Maserati head lately and we've come to find out that the vast majority of the heads we've pulled apart (and certainly all of them with any kind of real mileage on them) have some issues. As some of you may already know, the Maserati head comes (from the factory) with cast iron intake guides and bronze exhaust guides. Well, after checking nearly 20 used heads (all with various hours/mileage, some were off dyno motors from Chrysler and Roush's reliability test/facilities, etc..) I've determined that the intake guides seem to be pretty decent overall. However, the exhaust side is completely different. Almost every *single* exhaust valve I've checked has had excessive guide play (with the exception of the very low mileage heads I have or dyno heads that have very little time on them). In any case, approx 70-80% of the exhaust valves I have checked have been bent. Some as much as .013" (as in the case of the head off my personal GLHS). In fact I just pulled apart a head yesterday where the exhaust valves ranged from .002 to .008 across the board. Now if the valve is bent ..002 or less it can typically be "cut out" when a precision valve job is done (by a competent machinist). However anything greater than that and you may want to consider replacing that valve or valves. And quite honestly you should NEVER re-install a bent valve. The problem however is two fold: Number one - where are you going to find new replacement valves? Number two, if you are lucky enough to find some un-bent (straight) valves, and you replace them they are sure to bend again in a very short amount of time due to two things which we feel are contributing factors: First off, we feel the guide material they chose for the exhaust valves could be substandard - we are looking into this now. Additionally (and more importantly) we feel the quality of the alloy used in the makeup of the valves is marginal for the type of heat these valves typically see under boost - and this leads to thermal fatigue. Because these valves are no longer available from Chrysler (or Maserati for that matter) we've decided to have some new valves made in a much higher quality material. Luckily, technology in valve material has made great strides since 1988/1989. I am working with a company called Ferrea which is considered one of the *world's* leading valve manufacturers. For those of you out there who have heard of them I think it's safe to say you are aware of their reputation in racing circles. What we've decided to do is to have Ferrea make up new valves for not only the exhaust but also for the intake as well. And being that the price is the same for either making them in the stock size or in an oversize, we have decided to make up some larger valves while we're at it. I spoke with their lead tech today and I did bring him a complete Maserati head about 6 months ago so he could take a very close look at its design. We've been studying it ever since. Bottom line, we need a minimum of 19 people to step forward and agree to purchase a set of oversize custom valves before we can begin production. I myself will purchase 3 sets (one for my head and two sets for the shelf) and I know my colleague in California will buy one set, and the rest we are looking for interested parties. So basically we need 15 more people to step forward. The deal is this: If we make up anywhere from 1-299 valves the cost (per valve) is $55.00. If we make up 300 intake valves and 300 exhaust valves (hence 19 cylinder heads) the cost drops to HALF that amount! For the quality of the valve they would be creating this is an absolute fantastic deal!! The only reason I am able to accomplish this is because I happen to know someone there who is willing to give me a major price break. I will say this: If you own a Maserati TC with a 16v head you undoubtedly have bent valves in your cylinder head. Don't believe me? The next time the head is off your car take it to any good machine shop and have them chuck the valves up in the lathe and test them with a dial indicator. Once you find out, let me know how bad they are bent. Depending on how many miles are on the car the results will vary. I can assure you that your exhaust valves are bent much worse than the intakes. What does this mean? It means the car is not making *nearly* as much power as it should (could) be. Will your engine self destruct tomorrow? Chances are slim, but your power will certainly suffer as a result and eventually the problem will worsen until something catastrophic occurs. The reason we haven't seen too many failures thusfar is because the vast majority of these cars have relatively low mileage on them. And before anyone sends me an email saying they have a Maserati TC 16v with 100k miles on it that still runs, keep in mind....it may still run, but put it on a dyno and let me know how much power it's making. Or better yet.....pull the head and check the valves for straightness. If you have even ONE exhaust valve that's less than .004 bent I'll be absolutely astonished. Who would benefit the most from something like this? Someone with a car that has high mileage on it and/or someone looking to make the most power possible out of their 16v Maserati engine. We are looking to make both the intake and exhaust valves in a 1mm oversize configuration. This is good for a number of reasons, but most notably: 1) when the machine shop does the valve job they will be grinding on a "fresh" part of the seat and this allows the valve to not "sink" into the seat as deeply as it used to......this is good for maximum power and efficiency. 2) the oversize valve will allow for increased cylinder head flow, especially if you plan to have the head ported. Can these valves be put into a head with no portwork? Absolutely. We will have them manufactured in the stock stem size (so they will work with your factory guides, seals, retainers, springs, and keepers) The only thing that will be different about them will be (of course) the head size will be 1mm larger and the composition of the valve itself (alloys) will be completely different. They will be made to withstand extreme EGTs (2,400degrees) and 40psi of boost (which no one on this list or myself will probably ever see, but it's nice insurance). I will recommend that whoever decides to get in on this group buy with us also changes at least their exhaust guides - once again as I said due to the fact that we believe they are made of a substandard material. Guides can be made up pretty cheap, here again as long as we get 300 or so made up. I can get a price on them for interested parties. And here again, this is NOT a requirement, but something you might want to consider - I know I'll more than likely be changing mine. The exhaust valves will be made from a material classified as a new "Super Alloy" and are comprised of a mixture of both Nickel and Chromium. This is the same material used in Funny Car/Top Fuel race cars. Why go to that extreme? Why not. It costs a little more but the additional cost is worth it. You should never go to this length to save $5/valve by using an alloy that can't stand the heat. The intake valves will be made from stainless steel and will contain Chromium, Nickel and Tungsten. Another nice thing is that we'll have them designed with an "undercut" at the base of the stem (nearest the head) for increased flow. This "undercut" is known as a "SuperFlo" valve. They utilize a special roller process to reduce the stem diameter *safely* in this area unlike some of their competitors who use a machining process in an attempt to arrive at the smaller stem area. Ferrea has pictures of this process in their catalog which shows (on a molecular level) how their process is superior. I'll close by saying this: Whoever wants to get in on this buy-in please get in touch with me ASAP. If I don't get at least 15 people in the next week I'll call them and let them know to go ahead with the original plan which is to make up only three sets of these valves at the higher price. One way or another I am getting them made up for my car. If you want valves for your Maserati head now is the time to speak up. Just be aware, if you choose not to get in now, and your car needs valves down the road you will be screwed. The window of opportunity is right now. Any questions or concerns feel free to email me directly or reply to this email for all to see and/or discuss. Regards, Rick Diogo Results Driven Inc. 1987 Shelby Charger GLHS-16v 1989 Maserati TC 16v 1990 Maserati TC 16v 1992 Dodge Spirit R/T 16v