Chrysler Repair: new yorker, distributor shaft, sensor unit

Question
I wrote to you yesterday and you told me to write back with the codes i got. I got 54. So what ever that means?
Also it is a turbo engine, seems that you said that makes a difference. I did not find a sticker for the engine, just a map of the vaccumm system. Any help is appriciated and Thanks much for the tip on the codes. Please let me know. Thanks Tracie.

Answer
Hi Tracie,
The 54 code with the turbo engine means that the electrical signal that times the fuel injector pulses in synchrony with the position of the pistons which would cause the engine to falter. The signal is provided by half of the hall effect sensor unit located in the distributor housing.
It has two plugs on the ends of short wires that come out of the distributor. You could check the wires and the plugs to make sure there is no melting or damage of the insulation of the wires and than the plugs have clean internal contacts and are connected together firmly.
If that proves to show nothing unusual and the engine still dies, then I would suggest that you buy a new hall effect sensor unit and install it in the distributor. It is easy to do: remove the soft plastic splash shield (2 screws), remove the distributor cap (2 screws), lift off the rotor from the distributor shaft noting which way it faces,  and then lift out the sensor and its two wires noting how the wires are fitted thru the opening in the side of the body of the distributor. Then install the new unit being sure the wires are positioned the way the old ones were,  and reverse the steps. There is no need to remove the distributor from the engine,  and doing so would require that the timing of the spark be reset with a timing light. The timing should not be affected at all by simply replacing the sensor unit. When you finish, disconnect the negative post of the battery for about 5 minutes, then reconnect it; this will erase the 54 code from the memory. Then if any code reappears later it will reflect something new rather than the past situation of the bad sensor.
Roland
P.S. The vacuum hose sticker should have a box in the corner that state which engine you have; it is probably a 2.2L turbo, but in any case the procedure is as I described it. Let me know if this solves the problem. The unit is probably going to cost in the range of $50-75.