Hi everyone,

I inherited a 1998 Chrysler Concorde from my Uncle this summer. The entire time he owned it (over 5 yrs), the check engine light would come on. He took it to two different dealers, who did numberous repair jobs (including replacing both valve heads and all the timing belts, at a cost of $4200!!!), and the check engine light remained on. The very last record I have shows that after the valve head job, he took it in again and they told him he needed the PCM replaced, and quoted him over $800 to do it. He must have finally gotten disgusted and called it quits at that point.

Thing is, I suspect it actually is the PCM. The codes indicate a misfire problem, and if you clear the codes the check engine light comes on again if you get the engine up past 3500 rpm. So, before going and having the PCM replaced, a couple questions for anyone in the know:

Is it a good idea to try and get a used PCM and replace it myself? Not even sure where it is on the engine - I'm used to working on older cars, and the new ones are pretty complex.

Can the dealer "flash" the PCM or run some kind of diagnostic on it? I called them and asked them, and the guy I talked to kind of gave me the runaround. He claimed that they did that the last time my Uncle brought the car in, but after prodding him for a while he admitted that they probably just read the codes rather than run any kind of extensive test on the PCM.

Any help is appreciated. I'm unemployed right now and really can't afford to sink a lot of money into this car, but I also don't want to ignore the check engine light, especially if it's misfiring.

Thanks,
Nick