1997 LHS Alarm and Electrical issues...

I don't know the leather quality of newer models, my the leather in my '86 Fifth Avenue have NO cracks and still feels like new! Of course, routine feedings with Lexol and a mink oil cleaner must've helped in that regard.

Pick up some Lexol and give them a good soaking, and then wipe them down with a soft, dry terry cloth towel. They'll feel wonderful and won't crack anymore. Touchups on the cracking can be done with colored boot polished chosen to match, available at any western tack and apparel shop. Melatonin seems to have the widest choice of colors. The dye in the polish will cover the white of the leather and provide some protection, as well. Just be sure to buff it out after it dries!

save your breath, Boob- they all killfiled you, you're a troll- no one is replying to you anymore

(laughter...)

you've been OUTED, with prejudice !

BWAHJAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Yup, Lexol is what I've been using as well.

What's been hard to find is something for the vinyl/plastic in the car that doesn't go on shiny and greasy. Eagle One seems to make a decent product I just picked up today called "Nano Protectant". Dries to a deep satin, rather than glossy, look.

Thanks for the tip!

John

Sorry, John. I seem to remember now that melatonin is a neurotransmitting enzyme in the human nervous system. The brand name of the boot polish is "Meltonian!" How's THAT for an odd mixup of names??

That would be it... It was just a thought on my part, as knowing that it was down there, I want you to be aware of it...

Thank you for the effort. I haven't had the opportunity to inquire about one as of yet. If you do come across one, let me know. What is the going rate for those things? There is actually a number of items I need that I haven't been able to come across.

The local yard here is about worthless for anything. If they do have something, they charge an outrageous price for it. I believe it's about 50% of the price of a NEW item, price based on dealer price. I can go to a local auto parts store and get the stuff for a few dollars more, but at least it's new!

Yes, as stated a previous post, this is the airbag controller... Unfortunately, I can't provided any further advice here, as you are further along than I have ever been, so I have no advice about how or what to do in your current situation... :-(

Agreed, very strange...

The only issue that comes to mind is that the evaporator unit in the heater box in these vehicles has a very high failure rate. You may find that once you try to get the AC serviced, that that might be your weak point. If that's the case, you would have to tear out your dash again, but to a more advanced point, where you will need to physically remove the heater box in order to replace the evaporator...

I don't know of any reason why this might have been pulled, unless the actual speed control unit was bad. I don't know of any other issues that would warrant this. And no, that relay is strictly for the speed control and nothing else.

Saturday, I ended up having to remove the screws from the carriage of the air bag controller and pull it down about half an inch and then it still took a further 30 minutes to convince that center floor heat adapter that it should give up it's cozy little spot and come free. I think it took another half an hour after that to slowly work the final screw out of the corner of the mode actuator. Once that was free the new one went into place in a matter of seconds before I had to spend another hour getting the screw and heat adapter back into place. I'm sure there would have been a tool somewhere to make it easier to get that screw out but it's all over with now and no more error codes.

Yesterday I put all of the seats back in but for the front passenger and today I put the dash back together, finally, 3 weeks after tearing it apart when I started his adventure. Tomorrow, after I get the new tracks/motors on the passenger seat I'll bolt that into place.

Then the car will go for a full mechanical check and we'll see if anything is lurking there. I, also, want to get all the fluids changed/flushed to be on the safe side.

Yes, I've read about this issue. Assuming the evaporator is okay now, will going without the AC for a while affect it negatively? It'd certainly be wiser to fix the AC now than wait and have a much higher bill later, if that's the case.

I'm not sure I want to advance any further into that dashboard. LOL I might have gone to the half way point but tearing the second half of that dash out would probably drive me over the deep end. :-p

Okay, we'll just have to file that under 'trivial mystery' and see if any oddity comes up. I had a relative once that had her Cruise fuses/relays pulled because she was irrationally scared of the feature and didn't want anyone else using it in her car, either. :-p

Thanks for all your help, so far. It's been quite a resource in dealing with a few of these issues.

I don't suppose you have the removal/install instructions for the door latches in the driver side doors (front and rear)? The driver door seems dead and I can hear the rear passenger door latch just spin when I push on the electric lock switch. This is my final electrical issue.

John

Great news... As long as it works correctly now, you will be all set...

There would be no problems that I'm aware of. Only issue would be that the you would be missing out on the drying effect of AC when you use the defroster. Not much of a loss in my opinion.

I hear you! I've done a heater core before on my '86 Dodge Lancer. It's the same relative setup. You have to remove the heater box to change it. Differences were, you loosened the dash on one side, detach it on the other. Drop the steering wheel down, and swing the passenger end out. Pluses were, no airbags to deal with, and fewer electrical wires and connections. Minuses, one solid dash (not split like LH line,) Lots of vacuum lines (vacuum controls doors), I forget what else...

Kinda odd... LOL

Not a problem... Your scans are in the mail! Only scanned stuff for front door trim removal. Rear door is basically the same, but easier...

Yeah, it's been ages and ages ago but as I recall she was kind of odd all the way around. :-D

Thanks! The one part I'm confused about is the connector for the power window switch panel. In the Intrepid/Concrdes/etc the switch plate is removable from the driver side of the panel and you can disconnect the the connector before removing the panel itself. In the LHS this switch plate seems to have screws holding it in from the inside of the panel.

John

I never replied to this, as I could not find the info I was looking for. I have now found it, and provide accurate data...

The sensor on the back of the mirror only deals with the mirror, and has nothing to do with the auto headlamps. There are three wires going to the mirror, Power, Ground, and a feed from the reverse lights. There is no communication between the BCM and the mirror in order for your theory to be correct.

According to the service manual, the Sun Sensor is what controls when the BCM turns on and off the headlights when in the auto mode. Below is a quote from the service manual:

"The Ultralight system turns the instrumentation and exterior illumination lamps ON when the ambient light levels are low and OFF when light levels are high. Ultralight is controlled by the Body Control Module (BCM). [SNIP] Ambient light levels are monitored by the BCM using the automatic temperature control system Sunload Sensor, located on the top of the instrument panel cover. [SNIP]"

I've only had the drivers side apart once of my vehicle, no other doors. If I remember correctly, I had just pulled the panel off, and there was enough slack in the wire harness to allow me to disconnect the plugs on the trim panel. If memory serves my right, there were a total of 4 plugs, mirror switch, window switch, door light, and speaker. I pulled the speaker (though not required) prior to removing the panel, so I didn't have to worry about that one.

When I removed the panel, I was unaware that the switches cold have been removed prior to the panel, so I never did. I was still able to disconnect them once the panel was removed/loosened. I don't think there is any other way around it for your vehicle.

There is a small section which covers variations between the main setup (in Intrepid, Vision, and Concorde), and the LHS and New Yorker. There is no mention of any variances with the door procedures, with the exception of the removal of the stationary glass in the rear windows, which I believe the LHS and New Yorker have, and the others don't.

That's quite weird. In the '94 LHS that I got my 'new' ATC from, someone had taken the window switches from the driver door. In the process they had pulled off that plate/cover and broken it. I could see the screw posts in the rear of the panel where it had been connected. :-/

John

Another small issue here but I think I can guess the solution...

When setting the headlights to Auto, they will come on and stay on even in daylight. I'm getting no error codes from the BCM or the ATC at this point so assume the sun sensor is functioning fine. When I replaced the BCM it came from a 97 Intrepid, which I *think* did not have the Auto-headlight feature. The BCM itself had the same model # as the one out of my LHS, however.

Do I assume correctly in thinking that this is something the dealer simply needs to 'switch on' as an option in the BCM?

Thanks, John

Hi John...

FeMaster and I disagree on what device "triggers" the lights on/off; but I'm pretty sure that we'll agree that whatever it is thinks it's dark enough for headlights long before us humans do... :)

And it's pretty heavily damped... driving out of an underground parking lot (where of course they come on) into full heavy sunlight takes quite a while before they turn off...

Take care.

Ken

While we do disagree on this, I'm only going by what the service manual and the wiring diagrams in the manual tells me. This also correlates to what I have read in other forums, such as those at DodgeIntrepid.Net. Here's a "How-To" the mentions it:

While I'm not sure what type of vehicle you own, it may be possible that your vehicle does use the sensor on the mirror, however, everything I have come across points to the '93 to '97 LH-series vehicles using the SunSensor.

I'm pretty sure that there is no option in the BCM to "turn on" the feature. I believe the feature is always present, and only needs the proper wiring to make it work.

Does the SunSensor have a clear view of the outside? It's been said before that if the windshield wipers don't "park" in the proper location, that they will block the sensor's view. Service manual also states that the sensor needs to stick up from the dash approximately 1/4 of an inch in order to function properly.

I don't have any specific testing data for the sensor. It is located in the "Body Diagnostic Manual", which I'm certain I do not have. (Would take some digging to know for sure, packed away in a box if I do).

Hi FeMaster...

Love a good debate :)

Have a like brand new loaded to the hilt 94 lhs, btw.

From one of the 3rd party manuals (93-97) which I hope is fair use:

"The sun sensor is used only on vehicles equipped with the Automatic Temperature Control (ATC). The sensor is mounted"...

And after some obvious, just to confirm your other message, in bold print:

"The sun sensor must protrude approximately 1/4 inch above the instrument panel top cover. This will ensure proper operation."

However, I'm old, long retired, with lots of time, so as soon as we (Winnipeg, Canada) get a nice bright sunny day with a good bit of thermal loading, I'm going to do some experiments involving the sun sensor, the mirror sensor, and a big chunk of heavy black cloth, and will be happy to share the results :)

Take care.

Ken

I don't have it either. I can say the sun sensor is pointed at the sky, but mine doesn't work any better than yours. I have two LHS's, and neither one can tell daylight from dark. I don't think it's unusual.

Interesting... One would assume they left the factory working properly... is there, perhaps, something in the sensor itself that might degrade over time and cause the expected action to fail?

I haven't had much time to play but the sun sensor does indeed seem to have a clear view and I did have it out in bright sunlight without any effect last weekend. It's been raining and cold most of this week though so no time to investigate further with it. :(