[WSDave]

I was just given a 1989 LeBaron Convertible, VIN 1C3XJ55J6KG256863.

Its Black over Gray, with a Gray and woodgrain interior.

4 cyl. turbo w/ 3 speed.

Has a power seat, power windows, power mirrors, electronic dash, Infinity sound system, and a traveler/navigation computer (don't recall how many buttons).

How do I tell if its a 2.2 or 2.5? (No intercooler)

Does the Infinity system have a separate amp? (I seem to recall something about that, though I may be mistaken)

Thanks

 

[hotan80min]

In 1989 I believe the only non intercooled turbo available in a LeBaron was the 2.5 Turbo. It had 150 HP and about 170 lb ft Torque, if memory serves.

 

[bamman]

The vin number indicates that it is a 2.5 L

 

[mgill3]

The infinity system should have individual amp's for each speaker... the speakers kind of have the amps built into them, from what I understand.... do not replace any of the speakers, if you do, i think you would want to replace them all.... but mine sounded amazing in the Imperial I had, so i wouldn't touch them...

Edit: That being said, you can still replace the factory deck (i did) and it won't cause an issue, just remember to hook up the ground straps or it won't work.

 

[Oklahoma Wolf]

Keep the rear speakers - the 1988-1989 convertibles are the only cars I know of to get both an EMIT tweeter and 1" woofer voice coils in the rear speakers. They're rare as hen's teeth - I've only found three pairs of them ever.

Yes, the door and rear speakers have onboard woofer amps.

 

[WSDave]

Thanks for all the info.

I recall that it also has the electronic climate controls. Will that bite me later?

And it says in the owner's manual that a VERY adjustable "Enthusiasts Seat" was an option, with more adjustments than my 1992 version has. Can I assume these are rare and/or only available in the Coupe'?

 

[valiant67]

I can't speak for 1989, but I pirated white leather seats from a junked 1992 or so convertible for one of my 1994 LeBarons and got the Enthusiast's Seat. That is without a doubt the best seat I've had in all my cars. Incredibly comfortable, when I drove the car from Georgia to Ohio to sell it, I only stopped for gas. Never any need to get out and stretch, just adjust the seat a little.

In my case the install was simple, I got the seats and the driver's door switch (where the controls are in the 1990+ interior) as it required more controls. All the wiring was already in place in the 1994 GTC. You may or may not need extra wiring.

 

[Oklahoma Wolf]

The ATC can be a little bit of a pain if it fails, but in my experience they don't really fail that often. About the only problem I ever had with them was a sticking or dead aspirator motor for the interior temp sensor. When those go bad, the system tends to blast you with cold AC for a while, then suddenly crank up the heater without warning. Those aren't too hard to find though. A lot of the New Yorkers got the system in 1988-1990. Should be the same part. I used to have a few of them for spares, but I think I'm on my last one. The Imperial's original was intermittent, so it got one from a 1988 New Yorker with low miles.

Otherwise, some people have reported a broken blend door rod for the door that operates the panel vents. That doesn't seem to be all that common either. Neither of my high mileage New Yorkers had that one.

 

[David Rahrer]

My question is very similar so I thought I would try this thread first. I've got a 1990 Chrysler Lebaron Landau (also just called Sedan I believe), with the 3L V6. Whenever I look for a part online, particularly something cosmetic, I am asked to classify it as "Base, GT, GTC, Highline, Premium, etc." I can't find this information for my car anywhere. It looks just like this one right down to the wire wheel covers that are impossible to keep clean. There is no turbo and the sound system is the basic AM/FM Cassette. Interior is red velour and it has the A604 (argh) automatic transmission (rebuilt in 2003).

Is there some definitive way to find out exactly how to classify it? If it helps, the VIN starts with 3C3XA5638LT.

Thanks.

 

[David Rahrer]

Well I tried decodethis.com (which is pretty cool) and it says my trim level is "Sedan", but InstaVIN says it's "Base" lol. I'm thinking it's just the basic LeBaron Landau, so I'll go with base. I suppose it may make a difference when ordering some sort of trim or interior. I wonder if they made a sedan in 1990 without the quarter vinyl landau?

Sorry for hijacking the thread. The OP or someone else looking for specifics on what they own may get some use out of the free decodethis linked above. I had no idea my car was manufactured in Mexico!

 

[valiant67]

There were a bunch of models of LeBaron coupe and convertible in 1990. There was only one trim level of sedan.

 

[David Rahrer]

Thanks, Mark. I guess where I was confused was that I have a sedan, but it's also a landau and it's listed sometimes one way and sometimes the other. I'm guessing now that the landau version is just sort of like saying a sedan with a vinyle top, i.e. the landau is just a sedan option? Or are you saying that the landau the only sedan made that year?

 

[valiant67]

There was only one trim level for the Lebaron sedan in 1990 and 1991 (and it was a Premium trim level). It wasn't until 1992 that there were two trim levels, and LX (high time level) and an Landau (Premium trim level). I really don't know if they applied the Landau trim name to the earlier cars or not but the Landau vinyl roof was standard on them.

 

[B10alia]

My '92 FSM refers to the sedan as a "LeBaron Landau" IIRC. It's basically a gussied- up Spirit, in keeping with sharing one platform (or body, in this case) with all three divisions-- the Acclaim is the economy version, the Spirit is the sporty version (steering feel is tighter) and the LeBaron is the luxury version. It's one of the few bodies that did this, with Dodge sharing with both Plymouth and Chrysler throughout the late '80s and early '90s, but with Plymouth and Chrysler rarely sharing a body until the cab-forwards of the late '90s.

 

[valiant67]

Keep in mind during this time that Dodge was often separate from Chrysler/Plymouth dealers at the time. So the Dodge version (Spirit, Caravan, Diplomat, for examples) would often stretch from plain like Plymouth (Acclaim, Voyager, Gran Fury) to as almost as luxurious as Chrysler (LeBaron sedan, Town & Country, Fifth Avenue) while still trying to be sporty. It was a very schizophrenic approach.

 

[george w]

You have the "Premium" model, the top of the line. SInce you have the 2.5 Turbo I you have the top engine option that was offered in the LeBaron J body with the 3 speed automatic.
The automatic temp control usually works well but is much slower to react to temperature changes as compared to the instant change you get with the manual slide controls.
You'll find that these a/c systems work their best with R-12 and lose cooling capacity at low rpms if converted to R-134 or their equivalents.
I'd be surprised though if your electronic vacuum flourescent instrument cluster is working 100%. These seem to develop all sorts of odd problems, from simply going dead, to flickering or totally erratic displays, especially relating to the fuel and the multi-function gauge display. Maybe Jeremy Schrag will tackle one of these someday since he's done such a thorough and fine job with the radios and audio systems.

 

[David Rahrer]

You have the "Premium" model, the top of the line. SInce you have the 2.5 Turbo I you have the top engine option that was offered in the LeBaron J body with the 3 speed automatic.
The automatic temp control usually works well but is much slower to react to temperature changes as compared to the instant change you get with the manual slide controls.
You'll find that these a/c systems work their best with R-12 and lose cooling capacity at low rpms if converted to R-134 or their equivalents.
I'd be surprised though if your electronic vacuum flourescent instrument cluster is working 100%. These seem to develop all sorts of odd problems, from simply going dead, to flickering or totally erratic displays, especially relating to the fuel and the multi-function gauge display. Maybe Jeremy Schrag will tackle one of these someday since he's done such a thorough and fine job with the radios and audio systems.

Thank George, but were you replying to me? My 1990 LeBaron has a 3L V6 automatic. From what I read here in the other replies, the only trim level was "premium" but in reference to your other comments, my AC controls are manual. My digital instrument cluster has worked flawlessly until about 6 months ago when it started getting uniformly dim, but back to bright at times. I think this is connected with a failing headlight switch but I will know for sure soon as I am replacing it. Otherwise, I wil be in a real pickle if the cluster fails.

Thanks everyone for all the feedback! I'm about to tackle some repairs and maintenance but will post separately -- I could definitely use some experienced input from people who love these cars as much as I do.

 

[george w]

Dave,

I overlooked that fact that you have the 90 sedan. I was responding to WSDave and I was referring to the J body convertibles and in particular, the 89 model year.

 

[dana44]

You can verify the size of the engine to see if it is original by looking under the back edge of the block, right below the head gasket, there is a dot matrix pin print in the block, it will have some codes and in the middle is a 2.2 or 2.5 in the matrix.