1997 Chrysler Sebring Convertible JXI from North America - Comments

I have a 1997 JXI convertible, 115K miles. I have experienced many of the issues identified by others including:

a) 20Amp starter fuse - replaced starter and fixed problem (previously a mechanic diagnosed it as a loose grounding wire but that was wrong). Until I replaced the starter I put in a heavier fuse, I think 30 amp. b) lights on tach/odometer - first attempt was having dealer resolder cold solder joints and replace bulbs, this lasted 6 months. I replaced the circuit board myself with a new OEM board for about $250 from Bremerton Dodge and resolved all issues with dash. c) oil light - tried replacing pressure sensor but still lights up; seems like 5W-30 oil keeps the light off. d) transmission - will not drive in reverse after sitting for several weeks without driving; if I put car in forward and drive a few inches car will then shift and drive in reverse (seems like flushing transmission fluid helps).

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.

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.

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.

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.

My 1997 Sebring convertible has intermittent problems with the directional signals - any solutions.

I have a 96 sebring convertible jxi 2.5l V6. I have the same problem of stalling that was mentioned in '28th Jul 2008, 20:23'. The car only stalls when it gets really hot. If I let it cool off, it will run normally again. This is more common in the city than on the highway since engine doesn't get so hot on the highway.

Also, I am having codes P0300 (random engine misfire) and P1296 (air fuel mixture). Even after clearing the code, the engine will misfire a couple of times after running for 20miles or so and then not misfire again, but the service engine light will stay on.

I haven't tried to replace anything yet since I don't want to spend too much money on these repairs bcz the worth of the car isn't so much anymore.

My wife and I bought our 1997 JX convertible new and are still driving it (230,000 miles) and yes I have performed most of the repairs. To address some of the common repairs: Water will fill the inside floor board if the door and chassis drain holes get clogged by debris such as tree leaves etc. Just keep them clean and the doors & chassis will drain properly. The odometer/tach problems are caused by a production flaw mainly cold solder joints on two resistors in the dash PC board. There is a guy on eBay that has them already modified for sale or its not that hard to fix if you are handy with a soldering iron. (there is a step by step instruction posted on the net somewhere) We did have to replace the top however that was due to hurricane Ivan. Right now I am working on replacing the transmission differential berrings however, with the mileage on the car that is expected. What ever you do, do not let your timing belt break on the 2.5 litter engine or you will destroy the entire engine.

I just brought my 1997 Chrysler Sebring Convertible and the car is sweet looking :)

The owner before told me had no big issues with this car, and in the week I've own it I haven't had any either, but he told me when I purchased the car that the odometer display won't work when it's light is out, but if you wait until dark, you can see it very faintly. That's the only issue I have so far. It won't rain until Tuesday here but I do keep the care VERY clean. The car is love of my life being I am a single man :)

Also it's expected to have brake jobs done on any make of car about once every 6 to 12 months, depending on how you use your brakes, maybe sooner. Instead of racing up to a stop light and slamming on the brakes, how about you let off the gas and ease into the stop? The owner before me said he only did the normal brake/pad change when it's scheduled, and he too was not a rough driver, so I am sure I will not have too many brake/pad issues.

I bought my 1997 JXi Convert 2.5L since new and it has been the love of my life... Have driven it over 120,000 miles I have had minimal or no problems... mostly simple wear and tear.

Replaced timing belt and engine mounts at around 110,000 miles, and I have no brake pad issues since with the Auto stick I downshift instead of using the brakes coming to a stop and softly braking.

A recent issue is the Service Engine Light stays on and it stalls from time to time. When starting up I let it idle now for a few minutes. Although Idle Control was replaced... it sometimes has a fast idle or high RPM... wants to accelerate when the brakes are on.. I suspect it is electrical in nature, wiring shorting out or touching metal. Computer says it's Idle Control Module, and although mechanically inclined, I'm not familiar with auto problems. Searching for some feedback, email: signart101@yahoo.com....thanks.

I've got a '97 JXi with 271,000 miles on it, that I've owned since '99. A couple of hints I've picked up is that the odometer/tach problem is caused by cold solders between two large resistors in the instrument cluster printed circuit board. It took me 90 minutes to fix, 4 years ago. There are 4 layers to the cluster, and naturally, the PC board is the very last.

One other little hint is that there is apparently a sensor on the cold air intake that will tell you when the air filter is dirty. This indicates by lighting up the "check engine" warning. Replacing the filter, (a $7.00 item at Walmart that takes two clips) turns off the light. I hope this helps someone.

Oh, and the top leaks...

I own a '98 Sebring Convertible JXI, and am having SERIOUS problems with the flooding (like most others...). Can someone please explain in thorough detail where exactly the drain holes are on the passenger side? I'm a little confused about where to look.

Also, the very first time my car flooded, it blew the amp and those bizarre noises were heard. The amp drained my battery and that could be an explanation to why the lights are dim if your car makes those eerie noises.

I am at another problem with the amp though. When the amp was making those noises, I unplugged the fuse to the radio/amp and now I cannot receive any music via radio or CD player because the fuse is undone. Is there any way to re-fuse the radio to bypass the amp so that I can turn my radio on and hear something?

My 1997 Sebring Convertible has 89,000 miles on it and has the usual wear and tear of a 12 year old car, however it does have a few things going wrong that have stumped my shade tree mechanic's mind.

The running lights stopped working, but all the fuses are good, the horn stopped working as well as the power receptacle. The illumination of the dash instrumentation and controls do not work. Anyone have any experiences with this lot?

I have a 1998 Chrysler Sebring Convertible JXI. I bought it used and was told that it only needed a new fuel pump because it would jerk at 70mph. So for awhile until I could get the money to replace it, I stayed under that speed. Well even after replacing the fuel pump, I have had a problem with it not taking off and basically "stumbling" at idle and up and go. When it starts gliding and going it's usually fine, but if you have to stop it dies and then restarts, but it jerks for you to finally go.

I have owned it just over a year, and have replaced the fuel pump, fuel filter, crankshaft and camshaft sensors, catalytic converter, both O2 sensors, Spark plugs and spark plug wiring, fuel injectors, new valve cover seals, new spark plug seals, air filter, oil filter and finally a new wiring harness. Yet it is still having the same problem. Any suggestions?

98 Sebring JX - battery needed replacing and when I finally got to its location (under the left front fender, behind a difficult to remove piece of plastic) I unfortunately found a lot of rust from a leaking battery sometime in the past. What a mess! The paint has pealed, and the rust has invaded the seams and layered sheet metals. I am still trying to get the plastic battery tray out (very difficult) and will try to use rust stopping solution to arrest the rust. Do they actually work? What a shame on an otherwise very good car. Any ideas on how to keep the rust from getting worse? I would like to keep this car for a long time as it mainly sits in the garage to drive on sunny weekends, and eventually, it would be fun to take to car shows when it is old enough.