YACT...Electrical problem or transmission problem?

[Wolverine27]

I have a friend with a 93 Chrysler Concorde. He's been having some problems he can't seem to figure out so I thought I'd ask you guys.

Sometimes when he starts the car he gets no lights on the dash...the tach doesn't register and the speedo doesn't move either even though the engine is running and the car is moving. When he starts driving, the car seems to be stuck in low gear and won't upshift. If he gases the engine aggressively enough, the car will shift up and all of a sudden the tach jumps up and the speedo starts working.

What could be going on?!?

 

[Wolverine27]

^

 

[rudeguy]

I had a '96 neon that did pretty much the same thing...minus the getting stuck in low gear...did your friend check his tranny fluid? Chryslers are famous for having bad wiring and losing his speedo and tach sounds like the connection at the back of the instrument panel...the learching sounds like low tranny fluid...but I am by no means a mechanic...just trying to give input

 

[Thegonagle]

It's electrical. It would seem that the computer isn't getting a tach signal or a VSS signal, until the engine reaches insane RPM. Perhaps a bad VSS (Vehicle Speed Sensor), perhaps a bad ground to the ECM (Engine/Electronic Control Module). That's where you need to start.

EDIT: I just re-read. You said no lights on the dash. It probably going to be a bad ground or loose connection behind the instrument panel. Cold solder on the instrument panel PCB could cause a loose connection, particularly where the wiring harness plugs in.

 

[Wolverine27]

Thanks for the input guys! I'll pass that info on.