Chrysler Repair: EVIC: 92 Lebaron


Question
Hi Roland, I don't want to appear greedy because I just asked you a question, but as I am off for a week, I have a chance to work on my car all week, so here it goes:  I have a 1992 Chrysler Lebaron GTC 3.0L 4spd auto. The EVIC or electrical vehicle information center came as an option for only a couple years with that car. It has six buttons in two rows of three, and the fluorescent-vacumn display about 2"by 3" rectangle size. The display has blanked out. Again. The unit still functions, because I can hear the warning bells for low gas and such, and the dimmer lights work, but no display. I took the unit out and tested the voltage on the back leads: there is a red 12v, orange one I think is the dimmer because it fluctuates voltage as I move the dimmer switch up n down, and the other three wires... my memory says brown, green, and yellow all have electrical voltages of a low caliber...like 3.0v, and 2.6 volts, like that.  
All the wires have voltage. This is the second EVIC unit. The first used to work when you fired up the car, regardless of whether you have lights on or not.  I got (miracle of sorts!!) another EVIC, and as soon as I installed it, I noticed it only worked when the park lights or headlights were on. Further, I noticed that if I advanced the light dimmer switch to full on; the position you put it in to get the interior lights on, the EVIC would go really bright but show only one character, then as I slide the dimmer back, the normal display would return. Another weird thing. Sometimes the display just would not come on. I would have to take the EVIC out and disconnect the power coupling, then slide it back on and off with the power on (dimmerswitch on a headlights on) to "tease" it into coming on. I'm really stumped. Could it just be the display screen? The crappy part is, I'm trying to keep this car all original and restored, and I'm getting close to that goal, but the damn electrical gremlins still mess with me. Any help you can offer would be very much appreciated Roland,
Regards,
Rick

Answer
Hi Rick,
I have the '92 wiring diagrams for the LeBaron convertible but while I find an EVIC 'engine node' in the front of the engine compartment on the radiator closure panel, I can't seem to locate the readout for it. There is a 'message center' in the center stack but I don't think that is what you are describing. Where is the readout, what does it tell you information about, and what might it be called?
Roland