Motorweek; 1303

Next on motor week we'll show you what's new from Chrysler for 94. Say Happy Birthday to the Porsche 911 and a whole lot more to come drive with us next. TV's Automobile magazine. Your host for most of you John Davis. Hello and welcome to motor week. America's original automotive magazine for television. Glad to have you with us. Each year at this time we bring you a series of reports on what the big three domestic car companies have on tap for the coming year. We start this week with the comeback kid Chrysler after some rough years Chrysler is once again making real cars and real profits. It's

strongest new models are the stylish LH sedans where there's even more coming in 94. It's hard to imagine how Chrysler's good fortune could significantly improve over last year. The firm sell eight sedans minivans and Jeeps are selling faster than production can cope. But Chrysler is going to try and on no less than three fronts. The first by trying to do what no other domestic maker currently manages. Build a maid in the US a small car at a profit. This is the car that they hope will do it in 1900 for Dodge and Plymouth neon. Only the name and the odd headlights were kept from the original neon show car. The production neon combines some of the LH is cab forward layout with a rounded look up civics and Corollas wheel bases along 100 more inches. The result is an economy box sized car with the roominess of a mainstream family sedan dual airbags will be standard when it goes on sale in January. The power is up to speed too with a new 2 liter 16 valve

four cylinder that pumps out a very competitive 133 horsepower transmission speed manual and a three speed automatic maximum highway fuel economy is 37 miles per gallon. Chrysler estimates a manual 0 to 60 time of 8.5 seconds. Our initial driving impressions are sound. Showing the neon to be stable and highly maneuverable with a level of finesse that matches that of the LH cars. Speaking of which of these year old winners the Dodge Intrepid Eagle Vision and Chrysler Concorde as well as the Chrysler New Yorker and LH Yes have only a few alterations for fall but that does include variable assist power steering and a power moonroof output for the base three point three liter V-6 rises to one hundred sixty one horsepower. Number two is a bold attack on the last closely held white vehicle market. Full size trucks. The all new Dodge Ram took 22 years to get here but it was worth the wait. Looking more like a Kenworth than a pick up the RAM coordinates its brawny looks with a cab

and that is the most spacious yet also the quietest in its class. Ramel also offer something else on usual for a truck driver's airbag like others of its breed combinations of power trains with you and what will drive our endless. However no competitor offers either the Rams updated Cummins turbo diesel or gas fired iron block in the same size as the Vipers aluminum engine. The v 10 arrives in January. While ram Club camp is in store for next summer and other truck news the imported ram video has gone while the Dakota also dons an airbag a jeep and a virgin to fake would cause the demise of the grand Wagoneer after only one year. Three is a tenth anniversary freshening of the firm's dominant minivans Dodge Caravan Plymouth Voyager and Chrysler Town and Country. Unusual since an all new band design is due in 18 months. Regardless of the different versions now are easier to tell apart. Inside there is more change with a new engine from a panel and the first dual airbags in a minivan.

In fact these vans now meet on one thousand ninety eight safety standards. Top power gives a boost to 162 horsepower from a three point eight leader pushrod B6. Other improvements include emigrated child safety seats the now recline as well as protect 10 years old and still number one in small vans Chrysler continues to cut minivan competitors no slack. Changes in other car lines are limited. The Chrysler LeBaron is down to one body style now. This convertible while another convertible the Dodge Viper adds collars and factory here conditioning. Chrysler is Mitsubishi build import sedans and wagons sold as dodge and Plymouth Colts and Eagle summits jiggle engines in and a standard driver's airbag. Bigger changes adorn the slippery dots still new front facia trains retractable head lamps are neatly flush mounted one horsepower for the trendsetting arty turbo rises by 20 to three hundred twenty six speed manual transmission will help keep the turbo in front to and from behind is how more and more competitors are viewing Chrysler these days and it looks like the picture will be the same

for 1994. You know auto makers are always telling us how durable their cars are and they back up those claims by showing vehicles bouncing around test tracks or forging their way through the Urban Jungle Land Rover think that it's the real jungle that proves which vehicle is toughest. When adventure can be found in many exotic destinations but for the amateur for by for enthusiasm the ultimate stop is the Camel Trophy was long considered to be one of the world's toughest off road competitions. This year's event in Sabol Malaysia on the northern tip of the island of Borneo was no exception. Over the next 17 days two men teams from 16 nations will take land rovers to some of the

most challenging terrain known to man. It's a thousand miles of dense jungle treacherous mountain passes and leeches that drop from the trees above. Well we were right in this site about oh probably three or four o'clock in the morning. There's a large chasm behind an average washout. And those morning after a couple hours of sleep we got up at 6 o'clock. And created a route around Mother Nature's obstacles our routine on the Camel Trophy and teams are carefully judged on how well their team spirit holds up while tackling these tough conditions but points are also awarded for special tasks. These are preplanned events designed to test a team's driving and navigating abilities knowledge and use of vehicle equipment. And survival skills. We have a record at the rough morning that we're will be taking the route that we're putting together here down this track right here. And I've been writing a great putting together. It's really hot

and we're going to be going up close on the way across the river. Like. Leaving their turbo diesel powered Landrover discoveries behind Gene's truck on foot into the maleo basin or lost world. One of the densest parts of the jungle virtually uninhabited by man. Here they will erect a research station for conservationists interested in preserving the region's environment. The Camel Trophy is not for the faint of heart. Many of referred to it as the ultimate test of man and machine. And while it is a competitive event each team is quick to realize that no one survives the Camel Trophy unless all teams work together. Point right. I feel great. It's the first time America's ever won the second cup of coffee. For me I mean if you do something that we've worked really hard for me you know what.

Yes it was the culmination of a dream. It's time once again pre-packed gone and he just might have the Karkare advice that you need. This time Jon new products for do it yourselfers. First if you have a home computer and you'd like to learn more about how everything on the car works well here is a great computer program. It's called auto insight. This tells you all of the different systems how they work how they work together. They even have animation on a lot of the things so that you can see how one moving part affects another. It's all in color and it is really impressive. I'd highly recommend it and it's very inexpensive as well. Now for those of you who do your own work and you do your preventive maintenance one of the most important preventive maintenance items you can do is to flush the cooling system

that needs to be done once a year to keep everything going for a long time in the engine. But in the past it's been a problem to legally deal with the old and a freeze so you have to contain it somehow and get it to the recycling center. Well that was a real problem. But now the press stone and a freeze coolant replacement system takes care of that problem. Now what this is is a system with a series of adapters and this bottle and a plastic hose. You follow the directions on the packaging that comes with this. It tells you how to cut the upper radiator hose and how to go about the flushing process. Then how to flush all of the old coolant out into this container Once that's done you can then cap the container and take it to the recycling center and you've done it legally. You also have all of the necessary adapters to repair the upper radiator hose put it back together after the Flushing is complete. It really works well.

Now for those of you who change your oil yourself wow here's something that's interesting. This is the easy oil changer. It's a kit that moves the oil filter away from its original position and it and a remote drain system. Now the drain system of course replaces the drain plug in the oil pan and it's cable controlled comes up here to this remote adapter. Now it's designed in such a manner that you can't move the lever that would drain the oil unless you have taken the oil filter off. That means there's no accidental draining of the oil number one and number two you're prompted into changing the oil filter every time you change the oil. No way to drain the oil unless you do. Now it has some advantages in addition to being easy. The advantages are that it adds a larger oil filter to many cars and it adds a length of hose that gives more oil capacity and more exposure to the air around it this means cooler oil temperatures cooler oil

temperatures mean a longer lasting engines. Inexpensive works really well and if you have a question or a comment write to me. If I use your letter I'll send you a motor week to show that the address is Motor Week. Always Mills Maryland 2 1 1 1 7. Our car of the week is in 1067 Montserrat he mistrusts this hand-built beauty belongs to you gal L. U dean of Harrisburg Pennsylvania. Now if you have a possible car of the week send your color photos to Motor Week Owings Mills Maryland 2 1 1 1 7. If we've said it once we've said it a thousand times. Big American luxury cars are not dead but that doesn't mean that they haven't adapted to the changing times. Take for example Cadillac in their all new divel outside it's a classic Cadillac in both looks and size. Inside however things have definitely changed.

The Villas Cadillac's largest seller in fact it's been the best selling luxury car in the US for the last eight years. So in measurable amounts of careful planning went into its total redesign based on a stretch Seville chassis. There are two variations both with 4 doors for 94 the Sedan Deville is still powered by Cadillacs familiar 4.9 leader pushrod V8 power still blows to the front wheels through a forcemeat automatic with viscous clutch new for 94 is the de Ville Concorde combining the size shape and luxury of a Deville with the highly refined performance of the US. That means under Concours hood it's Cadillac's all aluminum Northstar V8 4.6 liter 32 valve unit is slightly detuned but still delivers 270 horsepower and 300 pound feet of torque. That's enough power to move the nearly two ton contour at a rapid pace. Our preliminary testing indicated an 8 second 0 to 60 result.

But the North star system isn't power alone electronically controlled chassis features such as advanced road sensing suspension traction control and speed sensitive steering are all part of the package. They make the Concorde genuine pleasure to drive and a car that handles far better than its size and appearance would indicate. Indeed this is a car with a split personality based soley on looks. It could easily be mistaken for a flabby luxo boat of yore. A broad egg crate grill and a long slab sided styling are certainly fleet would like. Indeed the bright cast wheels and very formal roofline are aimed directly at the older Cadillac buyer Deville and concourse styling will not be confused with the trendy or Seville and STDs. The broad cabin provides sumptuous well insulated space for six adults leather is standard on the concourse as is the real zebra a wood that stretches across the handsome dash to the door panels.

The driver and passenger side airbags form Cadillac's air bank system which protects all three front seat occupants. Cadillac says its customers preferred digital readouts rather than analog gauges and this driver information center can deliver 42 different messages. The Concours wide comfortable front seats feature power adjustments along with four way lumbar support seat heaters are an option. We wouldn't mind a bit more manual control over Cadillac's efficient climate control system but we love the sounds provided by the Delco Bose cassette and CD stereo system. You could almost set up housekeeping in the cavernous rear seat and the low lift trunk measures an impressive 20 cubic feet. It would be a very safe house for the Sedan Deville and concourse score very well on our safety check with dual airbags any lock brakes available traction control and 5 mph bumpers plus all 94 Cadillacs meet 97 federal side impact standards. We expect prices will start at around thirty four thousand dollars for the Sedan Deville and

nearly 38000 for the Concorde to call the Cadillac Sedan Deville and Encore a traditional American luxury car design would be inaccurate. Yes the styling is huge and the ride on earthly quiet but with its state of the art power train suspension and safety technology it is a renewal of the brain. Let's check in now with Lisa Barrow she has all the latest Motor News. This week we get a look at the 94 Ford Aspire a redesign of Ford's current mini compact the Festiva built by Korean automaker Kiya aspires larger lower and wider than key as well as diva which Ford has imported since 1987. Aspire will use the Festiva as current 1.3 leader four cylinder engine mated to either a 5 speed manual or 3 speed automatic transmission. In addition to this three door aspire there also will be a five door model something Festiva never offered and aspire styling is more rounded and aerodynamic than the boxy

Festiva aspire should be the least expensive US car with standard dual airbags antilock brakes will be an option despite the fact the Festiva was a quality car. It never achieved good name recognition with potential buyers and sales were disappointing. So Ford decided a name change was in order for DOS to double its many compact sales with the Aspire and it will still cost less than Ford's escort and that's it for this week's Motor News. Turning 30 can be pretty traumatic especially when your friends gather around you and point out how much you've changed over the years. But even with lots of changes few car models ever reach that Big Three Oh Gregg thing Haas recently attended a

party for one of the few that has. And we should all carry our aid so well. The year was 1963. And at the Frankfurt on the show a very special car was unveiled. This car represented one man's dream of the ultimate sports car. The man was none other than Ferdinand Porsche and the car was the legendary 9 11. So what portion of Jeremy invited this to the 9 11 30th anniversary celebration. We jumped at the chance. Joining hundreds of 9/11 owners from all over Europe. We made our way to the bro castle in Vicksburg for the kickoff celebration Concorde d'Elegance. If you ever want to do a history lesson on 9/11 this was the place to be. Almost every model year was represented from one of the very first chassis numbers

produced to some very contemporary cars that won't be seen here in America. Presiding over the celebration which Ferdinand ferry Porsche who gave his blessing to the post 9/11 Project and his son Bootsy who created and designed the car. I began working on this car 30 years ago. I didn't imagine that the 9 11 would still have its appeal to this day. It makes me happy to know that people have loved this car for 30 years. And love it. They do. Coming from as far away as Sweden and the southern tip of Italy these for sure files may not have a common language but definitely a common devotion. I think of these calls all the epitome of what real sports go should be a little room. And it is endorsed by the fact that in a recent survey the 9/11 was voted the greatest sports car of all time. So there must be something good about having an engine in the back of it. The money given is really the world's best sports go. It does everything you also that you'll drive it in

town one minute and have only open road and even take it to the racetrack and it does exactly what you want and it's such a thrill ride in the lead. And drive it. We did following the conquerors we travelled Germany's twisty backroads in a route a device for an unusual exercise on the skin pad. In a world of flashy engineering. The 9/11 remains the last in old world sports cars out living all its competitors with a firm commitment from Porsche toward the future. Thirty years is just the beginning. Pat Goss is one of the most popular members of the motor week staff. Every day he receives piles of letters from desperate viewers with a seemingly impossible car problems. They range from blown head gaskets the hidden oil leaks or they could be electrical like this little problem.

John the first person to realize the awesome potential for electrical energy was of course Ben Franklin. But most people today have no concept of how awesome the potential is under the hood of their cars. A lot of people realize that their engine is controlled by a computer but they have no idea how far it has integrated into the running of the automobile. I see lots of things today the air conditioning the suspension all sorts of things even the radios in some cars are computer controlled. Well computer controls can lead to all sorts of problems. But one problem that you need not experience and that is an unnecessary repair because somebody didn't check the basics first. You see you have to check the battery before you perform any kind of electrical system repair on the computer in the car. See computers are smart enough that well if a battery isn't capable of being charged the computer can increase the idle speed trying to recharge the battery and you could have a car that never comes off of fast idle and it's

diagnosed as a computer problem when in reality it's a battery problem. Now whenever you have any kind of an electrical system problem whatsoever Well you have to have the battery tested first. One of the things that we see so many times is a battery that looks like this car comes into the repair shop the battery is nasty and dirty. We see this battery uses chemicals to produce electrical energy and if some of those chemicals get spilled onto the outside of the battery. What you could have is a situation like this. Now if we touch anything on this battery other than the two metal battery posts we should have a reading of absolutely zero on our volt meter but look at this just in the dirt on this battery. There we have almost 10 volts of electrical energy. Well what that means is that this could upset some of the electrical systems on the car so the battery has to be kept clean. The battery cables must be clean and tight all the time. I recommend that you have a

technician do this because if you don't do it right you could damage some of the electronics on the car. You might also want to have the technician add some of these little felt washers under the battery cables they help prevent corrosion. If you want to do something yourself well you could use battery terminal protectant to protect the battery cables to help keep them from corroding by this in an automotive accessory store. Follow the directions. Spray it on to the battery cables. Now if you do all of this your battery will last two or three times as long as it would if you let it look like this one. But sooner or later the battery is going to go bad and when it does go bad how do you buy a new one. How do you compare you look at the different terms and everything. You know some of them are super power and high energy and all of these different terms that you can't compare. Well there's one common denominator and that common denominator is cold cranking amps CC ace. You buy the largest battery in

cold cranking imps that will physically fit in your car makes the battery last a lot longer. Makes everything electrical on the car last longer than about some of those computer problems if you have a real one. Well one of the most common areas for trouble is in the connectors at the sensors for the computer. Well those sensors and those connectors can be cleaned using a contact cleaner such as we have here or something that I found to be very effective in this small bottle is a product called stable in 22. This is a product that not only cleans the connections but it re-establishes their electrical conductivity as well. And if you do these things everything electrical on your car will certainly last a lot longer and work a lot better if you like your guy to work better. How about writing to me. If I use your letter on the air I'll send you a motor week T-shirt. The address is Motor Week always Mills Maryland 2 1 1 1 7. That's Motor Week Owings Mills Maryland 2

1 1 1 7. Be sure to join us next week for another edition of Motor Week. Look at what new chrome board 1094 find out how driving habits develop in the thinker's a proper brake bleeding from Pad GA and visit a very special car club. And John David will tell you that. To order a video cassette of this program call 1 800 4 2 2 0 0 6 4. Or send twenty nine ninety five plus $4 shipping and handling to this address. An expanded version of motor week's Porsche past present and future is available on video

cassette. It explores the history and future plans of the German automaker and that includes test drives of the Porsche 911 Turbo at 9:59. Do you use your credit card. Call 1 800 4 2 2 0 0 6 4 4 send 995 plus $4 shipping to Motor Week home video. Post Office Box 6 8 6 1 8 Indianapolis Indiana 4 6 2 6 8. I live Jon Davis on the next edition of Motor Week. We'll show you all that's new from

Ford for 1994 and introduce you to the latest ox wagons all Lisa Vero investigates the development of driving behavior while patent laws help you put on the brakes. Greg Singh Haas joins a very special car club. All this and more on the next edition of Motor Week.