20 Most Recent 1988 Dodge Shadow Questions & Answers

How long has it been going on? You need to check if you have a bad head gasket. A compression test of the cylinders would tell you. Not saying that's what it is, but that can be a cause of overheating. And it can also be an expensive result of prolonged overheating. That's why mechanics caution against running an overheating engine. If you find the head gasket is good, it will give you great peace of mind, knowing the Shadow's engine warrants a few more dollars in repairs. Compared to the cost of a new head gasket and having the head checked for straightness and for cracks, other repairs for overheating is minimal. First check the coolant level and keep it full. It could be a worn water pump. Feel for pressure behind the coolant when you squeeze the upper radiator hose for a second or two. The engine needs to be warmed up and running, so the thermostat is open. Try to squeeze the hose closed, then let off and feel for a surge of coolant, and watch the coolant in the radiator for pressure pushing coolant on through the radiator. Kind of a rough test if pump is circulating coolant. You might also try a new thermostat. They are cheap and easy to replace. Clean the outside of the radiator of leaves or dirt. It should be checked for blockage. When upper hose is hot, the lower hose should also be hot or quite warm, just not as hot as the upper hose. If it is, radiator seems not blocked.Don't worry about having no heat at this time. When the overheating is solved, and coolant level is full, the heater will return.

Fix the problem and it shouldn't overheat anymore.

water pump is what it sounds like

Have to drop the fuel tankPump is on top

possibly a intake manifold gasket leak cuz if it sucks in air then it messes up air/fuel ratio cuz engine tries but cant account for extra air entering system...

Is it in the tank or back seat?

Check to make sure that the connector is in tight and also for broken wires .Make sure the ground is tight.If it still blows the fuse there is probably a short in the pump and it has to be replaced.

i have an 88 dodge shadow turbo with a five speed. the car will fall on its face at 5500rpm coming out of first gear. and its rpm range gets lover with each gear. the fuel pressure rises when it fall on its face. the car never dies just falls then picks back up and will fall again unless you keep it under the that rpm. then it is fine. what could be the problem?

I have found that starting problems relating to moisture can usually be fixed by a new set of good plug wires. get a set made for the motor, not a set of generic ones. and get a can of the spray moisture displacer stuff and spray it on both ends of the wires before you connect them. do one wire at a time so you do not mix them up.

This sounds like the electronics warming up.

The behavior of transistors varies greatly with temperature. The circuitry around them is designed to compensate for that, so that the behavior of the entire circuit is reasonably stable over the range of temperatures it is expected to encounter in normal operation.

As transistors age, their behavior can shift such that, when they are either quite warm, or quite cold, their parameters are too far off for the circuitry to effectively compensate.

The most frequent result of this in cars is for the device with the faltering components in it to fail completely at some point during the warm up phase, which, of course, is what you are experiencing.

If there is a separate electronic device that is responsible for the ignition (like the ignition module inside the distributor of a GM HEI ignition), I would suspect that first, followed by the engine's Electronic Control Module.

Sometimes the coolant sensor will cause this condition. It may be in advanced mode so when it's cool it wont idle properly. Also, try spraying the wires with a little silicone spray, the wires may have been affected by the powerwash. Good luck!

Brake Hose
FRONT BRAKE HOSE

1. Raise the end of the vehicle which contains the hose to be repaired, then support the vehicle safely using jackstands. Make sure to block the wheels still on the ground to prevent the vehicle from rolling.
2. If necessary, remove the wheel for easier access to the hose.
3. Place a drain pan under the hose connections. First, disconnect the hose where it connects to the body bracket and steel tube.
4. Unbolt the hose bracket from the strut assembly.
5. Remove the bolt to disengage the banjo connection at the caliper.
   

To install:

1. Position the new hose, noting that the body bracket and the body end of the hose are keyed to prevent installation of the hose in the wrong direction. First, attach the hose to the banjo connector on the caliper.
2. Bolt the hose bracket, located in the center of the hose, to the strut, allowing the bracket to position the hose so it will not be twisted.
3. Attach the hose to the body bracket and steel brake tube.
4. Tighten the banjo fitting on the caliper to 19-29 ft. lbs. (26-39 Nm), the front hose-to-intermediate bracket to 75-115 inch lbs. (8-13 Nm), and the hose to brake tube to 115-170 inch lbs. (13-19 Nm).
5. Bleed the system thoroughly, referring to the procedure presented later in this section.
6. Install the wheel, if necessary.
7. Lower the vehicle and remove the wheel block(s).

REAR BRAKE HOSE (TRAILING ARM-TO-FLOOR PAN)

1. Raise the end of the vehicle which contains the hose to be repaired, then support the vehicle safely using jackstands. Make sure to block the wheels still on the ground to prevent the vehicle from rolling.
2. If necessary, remove the wheel for easier access to the hose.
3. Place a drain pan under the hose connections. Disconnect the double nut (using a primary wrench and a back-up wrench) at the tube mounted on the floor pan.
4. Disconnect the hose at the retaining clip.
5. Disconnect the hose at the trailing arm tube.
   

To install:

1. Install the new tube to the trailing arm connection first.
2. Tighten the connection to 115-170 inch lbs. (13-19 Nm).
3. Making sure the hose is not twisted, connect it to the tube on the floor pan.
4. Again, tighten the connection to 115-170 inch lbs. (13-19 Nm).
5. Bleed the system thoroughly, referring to the procedure later in this section.
6. Install the wheel, if necessary.
7. Lower the vehicle and remove the wheel block(s).

Hope helps (remember rated this).

Depends on the swap you are looking to do. Nearly all of the transmissions that were standard in shadow will fit perfectly in the mounts (you may have to re-center the engine, tweak here and there).

The Shadow Transmissions were:
Manual:
A520, A555, A523, A568?(on a lot of 2.2 2.5 turbo cars)

Auto:
A413

Some folks over @ turbododge have had success with some of the more modern mopar transmissions (out of Neons, and the Stratus) it depends on how much fabrication work you are willing to do for mounting.

I'd recommend the A568. It's a tough son of a gun that you can find relatively easily and the mounts should line up alright. Please do a mockup depending on what kind of engine you're putting in. You can find a lot of folks on turbododge and cardomain who have managed to put a 2.4DOHC in their shadows (of varying years) and they tend to use the A568.

PLEASE use new mounts, even a stock 2.2 tbi can quite a bit of kick to it if it's not properly restrained.

Hope that helps!

First off, Congrats! Those beautiful cars are getting harder to find. What number is it?

To answer about future issues; Paint if not already. Be ready to do some through restoration work if you have any rust. Motor mounts can come and go depending on your and the previous owner's driving/shifting habit. Keep an eye on the boost gauge. If it's the original turbo you may have a rebuild in your future if it hasn't been kept up. I'd do a thorough tuneup, lube job and the rest just to get familiar with the car and see anything outstanding.

A gentlemen by the name of Russ Knize has a GREAT site with a through talk through and loads of resources for your car:
http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/

ATF 3 or 4