Piston Slap: Where's the LH-Love?

Randy writes:

Dear Sajeev, I’m a middle-aged man in love with a cranky mistress. My 1999 Concorde LXi has developed a thumping sound from the right front going over bumps with the wheel slightly turned to the right. It currently has around 94k miles on the ticker. I enjoy this car for no other reason than it is a large fwd American sedan that can cruise the interstate all day long and returns decent mileage with the 3.2 liter engine.

I bought it three years ago from an elderly couple in Topeka. They claimed it didn’t run well and I being slightly mechanically inclined determined the belts were bad and a failed a/c compressor was the main culprit. At that time it had 36k miles on the odometer. It looks good, no rust, original paint and wheels. I have had all the services done including the timing belts, tensioners and water pump replaced for preventative care. The transmission fluid has been changed twice now under my care.

I’ve been reading TTAC for years now and have seen nary a mention about these cars. It seems they have been largely forgotten, relegated to the scrappers. It’s a shame that with the right engine, fwd, leather interior and few electronic bits to break. So far I’ve had reliable service from it but I’ve turned up the Infiniti radio and I can still hear the thumping but not from the aged speakers.

My friends and another mechanic can’t seem to find the source of this noise and it’s driving me crazy. Is it a sign of bad things to come? Are major repairs staring me down? I like the car for it’s simple virtues and under the radar looks. I can buy a newer car but quite frankly what can replace a large fwd car such as this?

Sajeev answers:

I agree, a lack of LH-Love in a forum dominated by Panther Appreciation is disappointing. Then again, the LH’s awesomeness was marred by powertrain disappointment (be it engine or transmission) not found in many a mainstream-priced, non-Taurus sedan. But as my father signed the papers on one of the first “retro for no good reason” Chrysler 300C in town, I secretly pined for the black-on-black 2004 Concorde at the side of the showroom instead. Yes, really. The Chrysler LH car were…ARE a far superior vehicle from a styling, packaging and interior quality standpoint. If Chrysler’s quality control kept pace with their styling, the LH would be King by now.

I look past the LH’s flaws, for that is the Chrysler that should have saved the company, killed the Camry and put the American sedan at the forefront of automotive design. It was, on packing and aerodynamics alone, the logical extension of Ford’s (seemingly) endless goodwill from the original Taurus.

Wait, you had an actual Piston Slap question. Right.

Your description sounds like bad CV-joints, a problem that will get worse and easier to spot. Which is probably a good thing, as only you know understand your car at such an advanced level. That said, old cars get cranky, and little things add up like Chinese water torture. Its tough to love a vehicle to your extent (your letter is not written by the average car nut, that’s for sure) so get ready for more headaches.

My advice is to prep yourself for more troubles in the future: shocks, springs and certain high wear suspension bushings will get bad enough to scar the driving experience. So learn more (via shop manuals, forums) have a game plan for impending component failures in the future. Good luck!

Bonus! A Piston Slap Nugget of Wisdom:

Install a real nice stereo to drown out your mechanical sorrows. Take it from a guy battling Fox Chassis Ford deterioration on a (seemingly) weekly basis from four active project cars, that stereo is gonna come in very handy for years to come.

Send your queries to mehta@ttac.com. Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry.