Rochelle Hooper's 1981 Chrysler Imperial

Imperial Home Page -> Imperials by Year -> 1981 -> Hooper

I've had my Imperial for about 18 months now, mine is the only one in New Zealand and arrived here in 1987.. it's such a pleasure to own and drive (and clean).  Of course I always have a list of what else I wanna do, but I've already made the most significant changes (fitting of my Luxor 15" 80-spoke chrome wheels with gold centre-spinners, addition of 25% tint to windows, removal of 1 muffler for a very slight purr while driving).

My '81 is a Mark Cross edition, pretty much original, with the following features: Red Velour and leather interior, Electric moon roof, Electric seats, Heated wing mirrors, Digital dash (with built-in trip computer/calculations), 318 Electronic Fuel Injection, Luxor 15" 80-spoke chrome wheels with gold centre-spinners, 25% tint added to windows, 1 muffler removed, catalytic converter removed (by a previous owner).  I would like to have my Imperial repainted at some stage as the paint is a little parched/cracked/damaged in some areas, but not too bad for 20 year old paint (I think)!

Anyway the car is charming and drives like a dream except that after warming up -about 10-12 minutes into running, the motor shudders (or shakes) a little .. the idle is uneven.. this upsets me a little (especially not knowing much at all about motors, despite being a keen and enthusiastic 'American car girl'). I think when a friend of mine tested it he found the fuel mix was too rich. After disconnecting the Oxygen sensor the car still has this problem but not quite so much.  The other tip I found on the website that I think may be helpful is that similar problems could be caused by an air-leak. (I have no idea where this may be found, if this could be the case). I would like to take it to an experienced auto-electrician, however I hope they can find and fix the problem.. being the only 81 Imperial in New Zealand... and being such a electronically computerized motor.