1985 Chrysler LeBaron Problems: 6 Known Issues

On the 1985-1995 Chrysler LeBaron, the LeBaron's 2.2L/2.5L four-cylinder and 3.0L V6 engines are belt-driven overhead-cam designs with a rubber timing belt that has a finite service life (roughly 60,000 miles); the Mitsubishi 2.6L offered in early-1980s LeBarons uses a timing chain instead. The Chrysler 2.2L/2.5L four-cylinder engines are non-interference designs, so a snapped or skipped belt leaves the car stranded but does not bend valves. The belts age, harden, and can skip a tooth or shred, causing a sudden stall/no-start or rough running. The Mitsubishi-sourced 3.0L V6 in the LeBaron is the SOHC version, which has enough valve-to-piston clearance that a belt failure should not normally cause internal damage (only the DOHC versions used in other vehicles are interference engines). Because these cars are now decades old, many run on original or badly overdue belts, making this a leading cause of roadside breakdowns.

On the 1985-1992 Chrysler LeBaron, the turbocharged LeBarons (Turbo I, with a Garrett T3 on early engines and a Mitsubishi TE04H from 1988, and the higher-boost Turbo II) suffer turbo center-bearing and oil-seal wear from oil starvation at cold start and shutdown, and from coking when the engine is shut off hot without a cool-down. Worn seals let engine oil pass into the intake or exhaust, causing blue smoke (especially on startup or boost), oil consumption, and eventually a frozen or noisy turbo. The small-frame T3 is prone to burnt oil cutting a groove in the turbine shaft so the seals can no longer hold oil. Lack of oil changes and hard acceleration on a cold engine accelerate the failure.

On the 1985-1995 Chrysler LeBaron, the distributor pickup is a three-wire Hall-effect sensor (an optical pickup on the 3.0L V6) that tells the engine computer the engine is turning so it can fire spark and injectors. These pickups are prone to heat-related, intermittent failure: the car runs fine cold but suddenly stalls once the engine bay heats up, then restarts after it cools (heat-soak). The Hall sensor can fail without setting a code, and because the computer sees no engine-rotation signal, it cuts fuel and spark entirely. On the 3.0L, an intermittent no-spark can also come from the coil or ignition module, so the pickup must be confirmed with a scope/voltage test.

On the 1985-1995 Chrysler LeBaron, the Auto Shutdown (ASD) relay powers the ignition coil, fuel injectors, and (via the fuel-pump relay) the fuel pump. When the ASD relay fails, contacts wear, or its connector corrodes, the engine cranks but gets no spark and no fuel and will not start; failure can also be intermittent, causing the car to die while driving and then restart later. On many LeBarons the relay sits on the driver's-side fender/strut tower. Because the same no-start symptom can come from the logic/power module or the pickup, the relay should be swapped or bench-tested to confirm.

On the 1985-1995 Chrysler LeBaron, chrysler's throttle-body and MPI fuel-injection LeBarons use an Automatic Idle Speed (AIS) motor (idle air control) that meters air around the closed throttle to keep the engine idling and to catch the idle when the A/C compressor cycles or when the throttle snaps shut. The AIS pintle and its passage carbon up, and the motor itself wears out, causing a rough or hunting idle, idle that surges up and down, stalling when coming to a stop or when the A/C kicks on, and sometimes a high idle that won't come down. The symptoms overlap with vacuum leaks, so the intake and vacuum lines must be checked first.

On the 1985-1995 Chrysler LeBaron, the two-prong engine coolant temperature (ECT) sensor at the thermostat housing feeds temperature data to the engine computer for fuel mixture and to the cooling-fan and gauge circuits. When it fails or its connector corrodes, the computer mis-fuels the engine: the car runs rough or floods when warm, stalls once hot, and is hard to restart until it cools (a classic heat-soak no/poor-start). The temperature gauge can read erratically or peg, and the electric cooling fan may not turn on, leading to overheating. Note this is the computer's ECT sensor, distinct from the dash gauge sending unit.