'99 LHS questions
 

Newest of the newbies here. I have to start by appologizing for my ignorance. I am a VW guy, but I have always been a distant admirer of LH cars. Last year, a friend gave me a car with a blown 2.7, so I bought a 3.2 for parts. I was just about to drag them into the shop and begin learning their intricacies when I ran into a beautiful '99 LHS with a pranged RH rear suspension. I will bid on it, but curious about two things that I am hoping members here can set straight for me:

As I understand it, an LH is an LH (all 3 cars 99 model year). Am I safe in assuming that all 3 share the same rear suspension hardware?

On startup, the 3.5 blew a bit of oil smoke (220,000 kms = 136,000 miles). Is this normal at such low miles? If so, is it likely a ring or a valve guide issue - or some other glitch common to this engine.

Yes , absolutely normal, for 136000 miles.......But since when is that considered LOW MILEAGE"?? :confused:

You also dont know how long the vehicle has been sitting around. Concorde, LHS, Intrepid all share suspension design and parts are interchangeable(Im not sure of the span of years) .....Ive heard stories, but never actually seen one, that the Eagle Vision Can be added to that mix as well. To the best of my knowledge the Vision was cancelled at the end of 1995, and just prior to Eagles Demise.

In the VW world, that is about mid-life...far less for the diesels.

In this case, all are '99s, so I should be good to go.

Won the auction, and now am the proud new owner of a '99 LHS with a bent RR suspension...and apparently no other damage except some scratches on the front bumper cover.

Already, I am starting to wonder about the "autostick" option. What is it functionally? On what did it come? What is involved in the retrofit?

More heart and headache than you are willing to go thru......

trans modules are different (The actual part is the same for with /without, but once it has been programmed for use with either, it cant be changed) and swapping a module from one car to another , really isnt a great Idea, unless you have a connection with a dealership scan tool, wiring harness is different, shifter is different

Although they can be a fun little TOY, I find them to be more of a nuisance than theyre worth.

Thanks, Djinn.

I am anxious to get all of the broken down equipment home from jobsite in the North so I can get to work on this car. Other than some front bumper touchup, the bent RR suspension and maybe some oil use, this thing is absolutely beautiful. Never been smoked in.

Djinn (and other pros):

I need to get a domestic scan tool (I use Vag-Com, so no real benefit outside of basic OBD codes) since we have a mess of US trucks - and now these cars. I have been looking at the AutoEnginuity with Domestic Pack enhancements for big 3. Will allow me to add Porsche for only couple hundred more bucks.

Any experience/comments before I shell out?

The problem there is this....Outside of OBD codes, and maybe a few body functions, (SRS+ABS)...There simply just isnt a substitute for a factory scan tool... Pretty much the same way VAG-COM is primarily AUDI/VW/Porsche based....

For Mopars...You would be looking for a DRB3...But that is not something that you just go out and buy....and even if you were to acquire one...there is still the matter of Corporate support necessary to gain access to the "HIGHER SECURITY" features such as flash programming and the like.

:) You didnt think it would be easy ...Did you????:)

Vag-Com IS the factory stuff, and combined with Bentley manuals (also factory...and for North American models only...which is a problem for some of my cars) and having access to the VW international parts catalogues (ETKA) my life with VWs and Audis is easy....if not a bit complicated.

The "enhancements" at AE are supposed to be just that, factory level, but that is what I need to know from users. Is it really? What made it attractive is that they cover the Euro stuff, and the Porsche enhancement is peanuts and something I desparately need (no, my only P-car is too old for OBD, but my best bud has a mess of new and newish ones and they end up in my shop all of the time. When someone gives you a few hundred grand of neat hardware to play with...well....you know.

As far as I have been able to determine, the enhanced AE will NOT flash an EPROM, nor will it display scope screens, but SHOULD do almost everything else.

Exactly....And outside of VW/AUDI/PORSHCE..its useless, unless you want a Basic..generic code reader..

Ive worked with the snap on and Genesis tools, and one thing I can say...Even the high end software is severely lacking.. As compared to a factory counterpart.

The tell-tale point Im making is best described with ignition keys.....

It is literally 60 seconds of standing next to the car with a coffee cup in hand......And regardless of what setup you purchased, "Only my tool gets it done"... so you really have no choice but to outsource it to me in the end anyway...

I dont agree with it.....But Then again, I didnt design it either...

I am several commercial vehicle repairs away from fiddling with my LHs, and since I don't have too many other viable options, the AE stuff with Chysler "enhancement" is on the way. When it finally gets its turn, I will post here to compare notes with you to find out just what it CAN do (and, of course, what it can not). As I said, I am so spoiled by having the real factory stuff, I am a bit hesitant on aftermarket claims of equivalence, but there are not a lot of other choices out there.

Thanks for the input.

I think the 99 still has a separate tcm.

If so then what you would need is a tcm,shifter,and gauges.

Running 2 wires from the tcm to the shifter.


A junked 99 300m will give you what you need.

And you can keep the classier speedo!
lots more info on the LHforums,net.

Not a overly complex job and will not hurt the transmission actually

allows it to shift faster.

Neat, thanks.

BTW: do I need to "speak" to the TCU and ECU, or will they communicate the new TCU presence (or do they not care)?