[Bob Lincoln]

No code scanner is necessary. Use the procedure above that Imperial Crown posted in the first link, all you need is your key, and you can get the codes yourself. Please post here after reading them.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

Resistance decreases with cold. Cold causes condensation, which tends to short out marginal wires.

I agree, if the wires, plugs, rotor and cap have more than 50K on them, replace them.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

With all those codes and symptoms, I'm going to say I'm 99% sure that you have bad connections at the ECM. The contacts in the plug and on the computer side are probably dirty, maybe corroded, and the contacts may have spread apart a little. Undo the negative battery cable, then the plug to the computer, and clean all the pins and receptacles on both sides of the connection. Repack with dielectric grease (auto parts stores and Radio Shack have this). Reconnect battery. If you are diligent in this, I can almost guarantee the problem will go away.

And change those 22-yr old wires. WOW. You can't tell from looking. They will be marginal. I'd change the cap and rotor, too.

There are no vacuum lines to any Chrysler transmission. They are all hydraulically and/or electrically controlled. If that line goes to a small canister on the brake booster, it is a vacuum check valve for the heater control function.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

Radio Shack should have contact cleaner, or any store that has any electrical section. In a pinch you can use carb cleaner spray. If you can find anything like a dental pick or some such metal tool, that would be handy for digging out old grease and dirt from the female contacts.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

There's a code 51 and 15 there. While 51 might be from the wires, 15 can't be. So new wires would help, but not solve the problem.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

Fill both halves of the connector assembly with the grease. Its purpose is to block out moisture and contaminants. The wiping action of the contacts as they mate scrapes the grease off the contact area, so the pins conduct, but everything else around it is packed with grease.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

Sorry for your loss.Actually the FSM (Factory Service Manual) has been more useful to me, as it shows how to take things apart and put them back together; wiring diagrams and physical harness layouts; and all specifications.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

Code 42 1984 model injector circuit 1 open or shorted
1986+ models: ASD relay open or shorted
Code 43 Ignition coil driver circuit open or shorted

What condition were the pins and receptacles in? Was there any green corrosion? Any of the contacts have small pieces broken off?

If not the connection, then it may just be the ECM after all. But I'd give it a few more tries before condemning it. I'd also unplug and plug in the ASD relay a few times, in case there is a poor connection there. That could also give these codes.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

I use Belden wires from NAPA, because they were OEM for Chrysler and are good quality.

Do you have an ignition rotor? If so, replace it also, and the dist cap. I had a rotor that caused a sudden no-start with only 20K miles on it. Took me 2 days to figure it out. Usually I replace them every 15K miles, because the tip chars.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

For repairing those wires: I've never used liquid electrical tape, but I recommend 3M friction tape. It's far better than electrical tape, it sticks better and better the hotter it gets, and it holds great in the cold. It's basically the same tape that the factory uses to wrap the wires together.