13th Jun 2008, 13:58
I own a '98 Chrysler Sebring Limited that I bought back in 2000. It's been great until about a month ago. I was driving down the street & suddenly the car just turned off. It read "No Bus" on the odometer. The battery & alternator were checked and were in perfect working condition but we changed the battery, just in case. It ran great for a couple of days & then it happened again only this time, the car doesn't turn on at all. I took it to the dealership where they told me that the key may be bad... however, I have 3 keys and the car would not start with any. Since then I have replaced the Crank Sensor, put di-electric on the computers, replaced the PCM, BCM, and a couple of other parts. We've checked the wiring and connections. We even removed the after-market alarm thinking it may be causing a short or something. Does anyone have any suggestions?
18th Jun 2008, 23:54
My 1996 Sebring LXI was purchased new and until this month it has been a dream of a car. It has about 150K, mostly highway miles and only one driver all these years. My odometer/mileage is like everyone else; it comes on and doesn't without any reason. This is a major issue when it is time to get an inspection sticker in March.
Two weeks ago the car began bucking like a horse. I had it towed to a local garage resulting in the replacement of plugs, wires and a timing belt. For some reason the mechanic replaced the distributor which I plan to argue about when I go to pick it up tomorrow. The plugs and wires cost $533; the timing belt an addl $630 and I have not been told about the distributor cost as I had not approved it. I believe I will be hit with a bill close to $2K on a 1996...help. Any comments on the costs incurred or how you manage to get your inspection sticker without the mileago showing would be welcomed.
20th Jul 2008, 20:59
I was an owner of a '96 Sebring JX. from 98-2004. After reading all these posts, I find it interesting that there are not many original owners.
Anyway, I experienced multiple issues with the instrument cluster as well as the vehicle not starting.
I'm military and move about every 3 years, during my time in LA, my Sebring spent over 90 day, cumulatively, in the shop. I kid you not. Fortunately I had an extended warranty (with daimler/chrysler) with a 50$ deductible. Still, it got expensive and there were things (like the instrument cluster, ABS & airbag computer) that were not covered.
Wear and tear stuff - I had the top re-stitched primarily along the rain "piping" above the doors. The fabric separated from the rear window. Towards the end I knew that the top would have to be replaced as it was cracking in the areas that it folded at when it was down.
I love the form and curves of the Sebring, and trading it in was bitter sweet. I firmly believe that everyone should own a 'vert once in their lives.
28th Jul 2008, 20:23
Same problem as most others who own a 1998 Sebring Convertible, 2.5L. Only stalls, some times when it is real hot out.
I let it sit for about 1/2 hour to cool off, then it will start and I can make it home. I just replaced the fuel filter (What a job!) and the coolant temp sending unit.
I'm thinking about looking at the EGR valve, coil and distributor next. It has 106K miles and I bought it used at 103K. Stalling out must be why it was sold.
There are so many sensors that could be the problem, I figure I'll end up looking at each one over time.
Any words of advice regarding what else to look at would be helpful.
Signed:
An experienced backyard mechanic.
31st Jul 2008, 21:39
I've been playing with my '97 Sebring JXi convertible for the last 3 weeks. I know it's getting old but when it starts (Key... WHEN IT STARTS) I feel like I'm driving a new car, so I continue and try to fix the never ending problems.
I was blowing 20 amp fuses one after another when I discovered a loose nut at the starter. But I also cleaned the entire starter area with a electrical spray cleaner and that did the trick.
Just when I thought I was out of the woods, the car started stalling and failed to start at times. Being a banger from way back, I took my skill to the fuse box under the hood, gave it a whack and away I went.
But now when the car gets hot, it stalls and won't start until it cools off. DON'T DESPAIR previous writer. While letting the car idle today, I discovered something which may be a major breakthrough, or at least a start to solving our problems. Here is what I saw.
While idling, the vehicle eventually reaches a reading of 1/2 way up the gauge or (9 o'clock). Then the auxiliary fan kicks in. This is to cool the engine during city driving. Right at that moment, the car stalls and won't start right away. I'm thinking short and circuit breaker. Hope this helps.
10th Aug 2008, 23:14
Hey there, I just happened to stumble on this page, I have a 97 Chrysler sebring convert, and as I read, it seems many people are having a problem with their cars stalling. I'm not a mechanic or anything, but my car started stalling, has over 100k miles, was my mom's brand new before I got it, never had a prob before, took it to a mechanic, they couldn't find anything wrong with it after two test runs, eventually took it to an auto electrician, told him the symptoms, random stalling, not starting up at the get-go sometimes, etc. I can't remember what exact thing was wrong but for 216 bucks he fixed it, no problem. Runs great now. Might help if you haven't considered it electrical.
22nd May 2008, 09:02
I own a 1996 Sebring JXI convertible that I bought about 6 months ago. It had ~164k miles on it, and now it has 170k. I left the lights on and ran the battery down. I tried to jump it off. It would start and then shut back off. I had to disconnect the negative terminal before I was able to start the car.
Shortly after that, I started having problems where the car might start, or it might not. Also, the radio would shut off right after I started the car and then come back on, and the dash lights would dim.
I took off all the cables from the positive terminal (I think there were four), and used a wire brush on the lugs to remove any corrosion, even though they didn't look bad. Since then, I have had no problem with the car not starting, the radio cutting out, or the dash lights dimming. If you're experiencing anything like these symptoms, it's worth a try. Doesn't cost anything and is easy to do. Hope it helps somebody.