I have a 1998 Sebring convertible with just over 94,000 miles on it. All things considered, it runs pretty well and it’s been decently maintained. Two problems seem to defy resolution, though.
First - there is a creaking/clunking noise coming from the right front of the car when the suspension moves up or down (small bump, accellerating, braking, etc.). I don’t notice it on bigger bumps. My mechanic replaced the lower control arm on that side recently, and the noise seemed to go away for a little while. It’s back, however.
Second - Particularly in warmer weather, when waiting at a stoplight for more than a minute, the idle speed will gradually drop, eventually to the point where the oil pressure light comes on and the engine nearly stalls. Tapping the accelerator brings the idle speed back up to normal, where it remains for a minute or so before starting to fall once again. This problem doesn’t seem to occur as frequently if I have the air conditioner on. I have cleaned the intake for the throttle body and had the idle air control motor replaced. At one point a dealer scanned for codes and got a “low” reading from the throttle position sensor. Could this be causing the issue?
Inspect a all the bushings in the front suspension. You might consider spraying time with some sort of lubricant one at a time to see if you can identify the culprit. Check the hood supports too, the ones that the hood sits on when down. They might need adjustment.
I don’t have any ideas about the idle problem. A raw code for the TPS probably would be more useful than the dealer interpretation.
Thanks for the input! I’ve now got a weekend project.