99 LH-series, what to do?

Just helped a friend pick up his "new" '99 Chrysler, I believe it
started out as a Concorde with a blown motor and an LHS that was
wrecked, it's now a frankencar with a 3.5 and all the interior from the
LHS but I believe it's still registered as a Concorde. anyway I told
him to have the tranny serviced ASAP with the correct Chrysler fluid,
anything else that should be done? The car seems to run and drive fine
and everything works, I just don't want to see him run it into the
ground, neither one of us are really that up on newer Chrysler stuff.

nate

 

Really the right AT fluid is what everyone usually blows on this car. Don't
trust peanut butter lube shops to use the right AT fluid. Have it done by
the dealer or buy the fluid there and change it yourself. Even the dealers
have to be told not to use any additives otherwise some might. Just the
right fluid. Nothing else.

 

Besides the tranny fluid like Art said, if the tranny has some rough
shifting (at certain highway speeds and when slowing to a stop), get the
TCM reflashed by the dealer with the latest firmware. There were some
shift problems that were fixed by a firmware version that came out after
the '99 MY - it solved some problems in my '99 Concorde - dealers
typically charge anywhere from $60 to $120 for the re-flash.

Other things to watch or check for:
(1) Window glass coming loose from the window regulator (the glass gets
all floppy and just about falls out of the frame when trying to raise or
lower it) - problem is caused by the clips (two per window) that attach
the glass to the regulator breaking. There is a TSB on this, and it is
a very common problem on '99 LH's - usually the driver's window because
it gets operated the most.
(2) In colder weather (on my car it was anytime below about 25 or 30°F),
the windshield wipers can start acting screwy (intermittently stopping
in thre middle of a sweep while running, not returning to home position
when turned off, etc.). Not sure when in what model year this was
fixed, but is a common problem on 99's - fixed by replacing the motor
(or complete wiper assy. out of a junk yard from later model - $75 - $90).

There are a couple of recalls that he might want to check on to see if
symptoms are exhibited - things like driver seat bolt problems - my car
hasn't exhibited any symptoms of the problems, so I haven't had any
recalls done. Although it's not my general philosophy, when it comes to
having a dealer work on my car, my motto is "If it ain't broke, don't
fix it - you're likely to invest time and end up with worse problems
than the ones they were supposed to fix." Posts on various forums by
some who had the recalls done validate that philosophy. However, if the
drivers seat appears loose, it ought to be done.

What condition are the headlights in? They usually get pretty hazy
after 3 or so years (or perhaps they were replaced already?).

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

 

I've had all the recalls done on my 99 300M. I remember 2..... the seat
bolts and the shifter. Both were done without problems except a bit of
grease left on a seat and easily cleaned with lighter fluid. On the
windows, keep the edge of the glass clean so they aren't glued to the
weatherstripping during the hot summer. I had my weatherstripping replaced
under warranty with improved weatherstripping. Made no improvement as far
as I can see.