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Comments
Can you describe the noise your old exhaust made? Was it louder when first started cold amd under load (e.g. accelerating from a stop)? How did your dealer diagnose that it was coming from the middle resonator/muffler? Did your tech guy tell you when/if they changed the exhaust system design of these performance LH's (i.e. R/T and 300M)? Maybe Otto could provide some insight here.
I would encourage you to check out other 300M owners & club sites as there are many dual designs (mostly cat-back) described. Borla has an aftermarket cat-back. It's rather expensive, but guaranteed for a million miles (or so they say).
I do not have "duals" on my 01 300M, although I love the look. On the other hand, I may be the ONLY 300M owner who would not mind a quieter exhaust system.
Jon
Now I know I'm not supposed to do it, and I know I'm an idiot for driving that fast and I know that you were in law enforcement and you want my [non-permissible content removed]. I was driving at between 130 and a 160 kicks per hour and I am shamey faced. But the "M" just wants to go. I was actually passed several times at this speed. It was a nice drive.
Otto and wire, thanks for the part numbers on the HIDs but those didn't compute at several dealers I called. I was told the assembly line numbers you guys use are different? Eventually one dealer mentioned only one dealer in the country had these parts in stock (4805914aa and 4805915aa). It was a dealer in Michigan. So I called them and I talked with the guy and asked him to open it up and see what it was......an HID ballast. Not the entire lamp assembly I was hoping for.
Anyway after a long chat, they had recently fixed a car that was damaged on the lot or truck somehow for a customer before final acceptance. He said his manager has "connections" with the factory and got the entire assembly shown in Wire's pics. They said the part numbers are hard to come by since so new and they haven't been billed yet, so they didn't know the cost. We left the conversation with he was going to get his manager to find out the cost (he needs to be able to close his order) and get back to me as they could use their "connections" to get some more in about 2 days. He was most interested when I told him I was part of a club of enthusiasts and some of us were considering an upgrade if the price was reasonable. I said, you might have a couple of sales riding on this, and I would appreciate some assistance, since my local dealer blew me off.
We're gonna follow up our conversation early next week to see what progress has been made. I'll share what info I find out.
jona57 - the noise atarted as a small noise and got worse over time, maybe 2 months. It was present cold, warm, or hot. It was loudest at 1,500 to 1,800 RPM. I 1st found the source while I had the car on the lift during an oil change. I'm lucky to have a lift available for my use. Anyway, engine running, someone pushing the gas pedal, and me walking under the car to find it. It was in that middle muffler/resonator. I think the 300M system is different from the R/T, or at least it was. Now? Who knows. The Borla has some very stiff shipping charges to Guam, they use Int'l shipping rates by AIR! Only choice they say. So that is why I'm asking if anyone has come up with a good single system that my local guys might be able to weld for me. As for the when did they change it, don't have an answer, but I think quite recently. Help??!!
http://communities.msn.com/Racefan9s2000Chrysler300m/homepage.msnw
real aluminum dash kit to go over all wood???
http://www.ritchiefamily.com/car/exhaust/
That help?
Here is the link to a Dynomax specification sheet showing the different "super turbo" mufflers.
http://www.dynomax.com/documents/super_turbo_specs.pdf
Mike
Doesn't bother me. I still think it is one heck of a value. And as always, a looker.
Besides the rear interior door panels a bit loose, nothing much to report. Gas mileage has improved to 22mpg-ish for my daily commute (predominately, at least) driving.
2500 miles of warranty left...
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
I appreciate any help you can give me.
Best wishes
However I did figure out something that helps. If you are idling at a light and you see the tach idling at around 5-600, give the gas just a slight tap as you keep your foot on the brake and you will find that it settles down to about 700 rpm and engine smooths out---
You could also put it in neutral or park if you will be idling for a long time--that also smooths out the idle.
be sure to join the Chrysler 300M Enthusiasts Club--lots of benefits and club meets--(as well as some neat caps and shirts and soon some nice logo mats!
Enjoy your new M!
it was either 'bad gas' or water, since a bottle of a gas additive helped a little, but what helped more was running it to fumes and filling up on 89 the next time (87 since).
my rough idle hasn't happened since.
don't know the particulars, but I hope in over a week you at least went to a gas station and refilled...
-m
sel714
I remember Otto saying the cars for shows and testings were built the first two weeks in November and they didn't start shipping until mid December.
I think it would be fair to say the Special tested was probably pretty low mileage and not fully broken in. I know that mine was tight for the first 1000 miles or so and is still loosening up at 2500mi. So that would have an effect on the performace numbers.
Also, so far, no rough idling noted in mine - very smooth actually. It has had a steady diet of 89 since new, and 99% of the miles have been freeway speed.
I was surprised when reading the performance numbers on this site, because I expected the "Special" to perform better than C&D reported.
Saw one in L.A. on a transporter in January when attending the Rose Bowl. Have to say, it is a great looking car. I looked seriously at the 300 before purchasing the R/T, but the price and dealer incentives sold me on the R/T.
=====================================================================
"Enthusiastic owners of the Chrysler 300M in America have united themselves in an official club, "The Chrysler 300M Enthusiasts Club". The members exchange experiences of owning and driving the 300M and provide tips on maintenance, modification and upkeep of the car.
The club also gave birth to a web site under the address www.300mclub.org
For anyone who has a Chrysler and has warm or soft spot in his hart for a 300M in particular it would certainly be well worth the time and trouble to visit this site.
Since its inception, there have been several hundred members that joined the club, and it was joyfully reported that one of those was from the Netherlands".
=====================================================================
I especially like the last two lines about 'being joyfuly reported" which really was true. Our club is a truly international one, and I'm quite proud to be associated with such a great bunch of people. The article had a screen capture of the club's homepage--way cool!
U R G E N T
A recent article on local Channel 7 described a problem with Generation3 seatbelts. A friend of mine here at the Bank saw the article and mentioned this to me as I walked in the door this morning. He seemed to think that the problem is with 2002 model year, but was not sure. Does anyone have any other information about this?
Regards to all,
Doc
I'm leaning towards blonda's Ractive (?) shiny oval one, but also like 300Michael's Yellow Borla tips--which BTW do they come in other colors? Also saw another type on someone's M here that had a little vertical piece in the center of EACH of the two 'pipes--does this sound familiar to any of youse?
Granted, this is NOT a big deal given what some of you have done, but for me, its a mod.
Doc
Regarding the engine being "tight," that might be a minor factor, but not enough to convince me that the Special is anything but roughly the performance equal of the standard 300M. Modern automobiles are built to such exacting tolerances that break-in mileage isn't, in most cases, factor in performance measurements. If you look at most long-term tests, there is generally less than a .1 second variance in 0-60 times between a new car and that same car 30,000 -40,000 miles later. Variations of that magnitude are equally attributable to tire wear, track conditions, and/or air temperature.
The more likely explanation is staring us in the face: the Special has only two more horsepower than the '99, it weighs 80 lbs. more, and the engine is working to overcome the inertia of a larger wheel/tire combination.
I love my '01 PHG, and I'd love to have a Special, if for no other reason than the HIDs, the nice wheels, and the styling updates. But, Chrysler apparently decided not to upgrade its straight line performance this time around.
Now, I don't remember if the stock system has one or two pipes running from the last muffler to the cut-out. If it's two you won't be able to use the tip that nc300m used. You'll have to find two smaller tips...one for each pipe...to fit in the cut-out. Also, the tips that michael uses are Monza Pacesetter tips, not Borla, and they only come in yellow. However, if you search around you can find similar in other colors (I've seen red and blue) by other manufacturers.
Mike
Chrysler is denying that this is a problem at all, but an independent testing lab that ABC employed found that the Gen 3 belt failed the standard auto industry test 100% of the times they tried it. Chrysler has stopped using this belt on some of their vehicles, but still use it on others and still deny any problem. According to the ABC News website, these belts ARE still used on all 300Ms, even the 2002!
I intend to look into what replacement belts might work for the back seat belts in my car. I'm not willing to wait to see if Chrysler does anything about this problem, not with my grandkids lives possibly at at stake! If I find any replacement belts that will work, I'll post the info.
Lynn Flowers
McKinney, Texas
check out: http://www.unsafebelts.com/
Lynn Flowers
McKinney, Texas
>require more power to get them rolling.
For a given car model, the tread diameter is virtually the same for all wheel sizes. Maximum tread diameter is determined by the clearance of the spring perch plate of the front struts. The larger wheels just mean less tire sidewall, (lower aspect ratio).
In effect, some tire sidewall (rubber and steel wire) is replaced with aluminum spokes and spaces between them for an overall weight savings and therefore less unsprung weight.
Here's one of many tire calculation programs available;
www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
I spoke with the other ding repair guy (The Detail Man) today. He's really nice and has been doing it for years. He was actually trained by the guy who runs "The Dent Doctor". He's doing to do my car and work on Tues. a.m. and has another customer in North County he's doing same day so is giving me a little better rate (he charges $30 more initially for customers outside of east county). If you're interested, he'd probably cut you a deal if you had him do your dings on the same day. Prices average $80 for first ding (but he cut my to about $70) then $25 for each consecutive ding. He is also going to buff out some paint marks on my bumper and maybe touch up a couple dings for me.
He just changed the name of his company to The Dent Devil:
www.thedentdevils.com
His old site has more detail:
www.thedetailman.com
If you decide to use him next week, tell him I referred you.
http://www.thedetailman.com/
What do those ground effects pieces weigh on the Special? 50 Pounds? That's going to make very little difference on a 3500lb car. There's something else going on. Perhaps C&D wasn't using premium gas?
This seat belt story... was this brought to us by the same folks who claimed Chevy C-10 pickups with saddle tanks exploded in side impacts? That was the one where the "journalists" rigged explosives on the truck to get the results they wanted. [Call me a cynic.]
Anybody here recall the arguments against air bags? Some believe they are more dangerous than they are good. It could be argued that improper deployment of airbags will cause more harm than inappropriate release of seat belts.
One of the reasons (or rationalizations, if you prefer) for buying the 300M is the performance allows me to better avoid accidents. And since it's a big car, it doesn't suffer the same mismatches as a sports car.
Igor
"F1 is the first of the 300/M series, built to serve. This robot is fully optomized for Office use."
I guess one of the programmers drives one. strange Huh?
I will find some other belts to replace the Gen 3 belts in the back seat of my 300m and I would advise anyone with an M to seriously consider whether their back seat should be used as long as these seat belts are there.
Lynn Flowers
McKinney, Texas
I have to be a little smug though if you conclude that the M with PHG is awfully difficult to improve. The exception being my BassLink--a lot of bang for the bucks. (Or is that bumpin' for the bucks?.) :>)
I'm heading for Galveston in a couple of hours with the manchild in the M (Roadtrip!!) My wife, daughter and her friend are braving the highway in the high mileage Grand Voyager, as they have to be back earlier for work and SAT's. Got my ZZ Top tape ready and my fishing gear packed!
Silver