Chrysler Repair: 93 Chrysler Imperial Pulsating Dash, proof screws, rear view mirror

Question
Hello Roland,
            My dashboard guages are not working. They light up very very dim and they pulsate up and down. The speedometer doesn't read at all. But once a week or so it all works just fine for maybe 20 minutes Then back to the same problem. Also the headlights only work sometimes. High beams always work fine. Occasionally I get a message on the display by the rear view mirror saying "voltage improper". Everything else works perfectly. Any ideas?

Answer
Hi James,
The low beam not working I believe can only be explained by there being a poor contact in the multifunction switch for the low beam 'request', that is located on the steering column. If you want to check that out, disconnect the negative clamp of the battery, remove the tilt lever,  remove the steering column covers. Then you need a screwdriver for removing the tampmer proof screws if you want to reach the pins of the connector. But another way is to use straight pins to probe selected wire in the harness to the switch and with the aid of an ohmmeter check for continuity as follows. For low beam selected you should get continuity between wires violet/white and light green, for high beam between red/orange and light green, and for the flash of high beams (optical horn) between red/orange and light green/white. I would expect the first one to not show continuity and the second and third continuity test to 'pass' if my theory about bad switch contacts is correct. It that is the case you could try spraying some contact cleaner in the interior of the switch body, or get another switch from a 92-3 wreck (any model except LeBaron or Daytona).
On the dash: because you got nothing showing up in the odometer window it means that either the dash isn't getting power or it is defective. I would check fuse #8  and # 13. The varying intensity makes me believe that the dash has an internal electronic problem but the only solution may be finding a used dash unless you are expert in electronic circuit troubleshooting. The flaching asterisk you saw in the past meant that the data for the gauges and the speedo were have trouble getting to the dash cluster, but it might mean too that the dash was failing at that time. Unless you can get the dash to respond to initiation of the self diagnostic test as I described it suggests the dash itself is bad.
Those are my best answers at present.
Please write back via Allexperts as my time availability to answer questions other than thru the site is close to zero due to pressing homework needs.
Roland

Hi James,
There is a self-diagnostic test for the cluster. I'll give you the first few steps and we'll go from there.
1. simultaneously press the trip and trip reset buttons
2. start the car
3. release the trip and trip reset buttons
4. observe the odometer reading:a) if 'chec' is displayed then press the us/met button and watch for 'code' to be displayed in the odometer window, followed in 10 seconds by a code number. tell me the number. b) if something else or nothing appears in the odometer tell me what is displayed or tell me nothing is displayed. Then we'll go on from there.
In the meantime, I'll check the headlight circuit to see what might be going on there. It sounds like you have a loose connection in the circuit that controls the low beams so I'll try to find some things to check.
Please try to reply to this message thru the site if I'm available, rather than by email.
Roland
P.S. Is there an illuminated asterisk that is flashing on the electronic dash?


The answers to your questions are as follows:
1) I have a digital speedometer
2)The gauge lights stay dim. The gauge bars pulsate up and down. It sort of looks like a graphic equalizer  on a stereo system as it pulsates.
3)It is the low beams that do not work. they don't come on and the louvers don't open. But if I turn the high beams on the louvers open and the high beams and only high beams come on. The lights actually worked yesterday until I shut the hood, then they went out. I checked the wires connecting directly to the bulbs they appear to be fine




Hi James,
This one is going to be a bit of a challenge because the '93 Imperial if I am not mistaken was the last year of the AY body models like yours and I don't have the shop manual for that year, but rather for the '92. I hope they were not changed significantly in that last year which was the year that Chrysler also introduced the LH body cars.
First, does your dash have a digital speedometer or a analog (needle pointer) speedometer. And are the other gauges electronic-looking or more conventional in appearance? And when you say "very dim...and pulsate up and down" do you mean the light intensity varies or the reading on the gauges varies?
When you say the headlights don't work, and I assume that you mean the low beams, but what exactly do they do or not do?
The 'improper voltage' is an interesting one: the body manual lists it as a valid message but then refers me to a powertrain manual which doesn't speak to the issue at all.
But lets give this a try. Please send answers to my questions and if I am shown as maxed out drop me a message direct at rfinston@hotmail.com or by using the comment section of "thank and rate" response.
Roland