EVIC (Electronic Vehicle Information Center) AC/AY overhead console: this option was available on the 1988-1993 Chrysler New Yorker, 1990-1993 Chrysler Imperial, and rarely available on the 1988-1993 Dodge Dynasty. However, any Chrysler corporation vehicle equipped with an airbag, before the 1996 model year can be equipped with one of these... and any other overhead console from another Chrysler vehicle. I have put one of these in a 1990 LeBaron convertible, and a 1995 Grand Caravan. All that is required is the vehicle has a CCD bus (you can tell if it does by the blue six-pin connector under the dash).

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Features:
The EVIC system is a conglomeration of many different components. These components communicate through the CCD bus, as does the PCM and TCM. Various sensors are wired into a box behind the grille that also controls the temp/compass settings.

The black box behind the grille is called the "engine node". It has the sensors for outside temperature, and the compass... it also wires into other remote sensors including: oil level (not pressure), coolant level (measured in the overflow tank, not the radiator), brake fluid level (replaces the rear fill cap), brake pressure (ABS only), and brake pad wear. I have hooked up the first three.

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The overhead console has the controls and the user display, it replaces the standard dome lights. There are two map light buttons in addition to the six information buttons.

1988-1990 models left to right... Time: this displays the time, date, and day of the week; Temp: this displays the outside temperature and the vehicle direction; Fuel: when pressed, this button displays DTE (distance to empty), when pressed again, it displays gallons consumed, Econ: when pressed, this button displays average MPG, whan pressed again, it displays instantaneous MPG; Info: This displays the vehicle monitor, it will show any fault from the various sensors; Set: this is used to reset the fuel pacer, and set the time and date.

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1991-1993 models are the same except the "ECON" button is replaced by a US/M button which changes the units from English to Metric. The temp will change from farenheit to celcius, and the gallons will change to litres. The "ECON" features are controlled with the "FUEL" button.

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The sensors that wire into the engine node are the only remote components that do not use the CCD bus. Basically, they just close a citcuit when a certain condition. Most are just a float switch, but others ate pressure, and distance switches.

Brake fluid level sensor: this is a float switch that replaces the rear fill cap on the master cylinder, one wire into the engine node, one to chassis ground.

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Coolant level sensor: this is a float switch that replaces the plug on the top of the coolant bottle, one wire into the engine node... one wire to chassis ground.

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The EVIC system uses all the computers in the vehicle to gather it's information. the engine computer is used to calculate fuel economy and consumption, the body computer is used for the clock and various warning messages, and the transmission computer is used for one warning message... "CHECK TRANS". It is displayed when there is any problem with the transmission, including low ATF level. When the headlights or parking lights are turned on, the display dims and the buttons light up (the buttons rarely light up due to age).

Warning messages are displayed regardless of previous view, After 5 seconds, the display can be changed again. Multiple warning messages can be cycled through quickly by pressing the "INFO" button, but will cycle automatically every five seconds.

"KEYS IN IGNITION" is displayed when the ignition is in the "lock" position, and the driver's door is opened before the keys are removed. The chime rings continuously until the keys are removed or the door is closed. The power door locks will not lock under this condition, but they will unlock. This information is recieved from the body computer (BCM).

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"EXTERIOR LAMPS ON" is displayed when the key is in the ignition, but not in the "RUN" position, and the driver door is opened. The chime rings continuously until the lights are turned off, or the door is closed. This information is recieved from the BCM.

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"LOW BRAKE FLUID" or "CHECK BRAKES" is displayed when reserve brake fluid drops too low. The engine must be restarted to reset the message. The chime sounds once to alert the driver. This information is recieved from the engine node.

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"COOLANT LEVEL LOW" is displayed when the coolant level in the overflow tank drops below two inches. The engine must be restarted to reset the message. The chime sounds once to alert the driver. This information is recieved from the engine node.

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"LOW FUEL LEVEL" is displayed when the fuel gauge reads less than 1/8 full, it goes out when it reaches 1/4 full. The chime sounds once to alert the driver, accompanied by a light in the gauge cluster. This information is recieved from the BCM.

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"ENGINE TEMP HIGH" is displayed when the coolant temp gauge reads above the second to highest bar (analog or digital), the digital gauge also turns red when this happens. It's still a relatively safe level (about 210 degrees), one of the only sensors that warn you before damage occurs. The "check gauges" light won't come on with this one.
12-5-06:
I was driving on I-4 today, and the data bus went nuts for some reason. It was spitting out warning messages like crazy, but no mechanical faults were present. It stopped when I restarted the engine. I managed to get this one, and also the voltage warning.

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"ENGINE TEMP CRITICAL" is worse than the lesser warning. If you see it, stop the fuckin car now! This is when the tamp gauge reaches the "H". The check gauges light will come on, and death will come swiftly to your car.
no picture yet ain't gonna happen.

"LOW OIL PRESSURE" is displayed when oil pressure drops below a set level (really low on the gauge, almost to the bottom). replace the sending unit (sensor) before you panic, they are usually the problem. The check gauges light should also come on.
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"LOW OIL LEVEL" or "CHK ENGINE OIL LEVEL" is displayed when the crankcase oil drops below a safe level (about a quart low). The chime will sound once... the vehicle must be re-started to clear the message.
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"CHECK TRANS" is usually displayed when transmission fluid pressure drops too low, most of the time caused by low fluid level. It will also be displayed if a control or internal failure exists, sending the transmission into "limp-in" mode (2nd and reverse only). The chime sounds once to alert the driver. This information is recieved from the TCM.
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"CHECK AIR SUSSPENSION" is displayed when a problem with the air susspension occurs, usually a compressor failure (no power, no signal, etc. It will also show up if the air susspension has been removed and not bypassed). The chime sounds once to alert the driver. This information is recieved from the BCM (originally comes from air susspension controller).

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"DRIVER DOOR AJAR", "PASSENGER DOOR AJAR", "LEFT REAR DOOR AJAR", ""RIGHT REAR DOOR AJAR, ("L/R REAR DOOR AJAR" on older models) is displayed when the respective door is oped after the car has begun to move, or opens while the car is moving. The chime sounds on occasion until the door is closed. This information is recieved from the BCM. Some cars (like mine) only say "DRIVER DOOR AJAR" no matter what door is open, I think it's because of the wrong BCM.

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"TRUNK OPEN" or "TRUNK AJAR" is displayed when the trunk is open, after the car begins moving. This only works on certain BCMs, the chime will sound once to alert the driver.
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"PARK BRAKE ENGAGED" is displayed when the parking brake is engaged... the arming conditions are the same as the door warnings, as in the vehicle must start to move.
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"FASTEN SEAT BELTS" is displayed for the first five seconds after the key is turned to the "ON" position, if the driver's seat belt is buckled, it will go out, if it is not, it will stay displayed, and the chime sounds on occasion until the driver's seat belt is fastened. This information is recieved from the BCM.

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"VOLTAGE IMPROPER" is displayed when the crarging system malfunctions. Too high (over 16 volts), or too low (under 9 volts) will trigger the message.

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"LOW WASHER FLUID" or "WASHER FLUID LOW" is displayed when the winshield washer fluid is already gone... a litttle earlier would be nice, but whatever. A light will also come on in the gauge cluster. No chime sounds with this message. This information is recieved from the BCM.
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"SERVICE REMINDER" showed up on mine yesterday (11-7-06), It's displayed at a set distance, (7,500 miles) or time elapsed (12 months), whichever comes first. It's reset by pressing the "SET" button within 5 seconds of pressing the "INFO" button.

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"VOICE ALERT DISABLED" occasionally appears on my buddy's LeBaron. It seems that it can appear on pre-'91 cars that used to have the EVA system in earlier models.
no picture yet I'll try to get this, it's definately not normal.

"SHIPPING MODE" is displayed when the car is first rolled off of the transport trailer. It's cleared by the dealer immediately after delivery, and is never displayed again. The air susspension system is deflated when this message appears, when the message is cleared, the susspension activetes.
no picture yet I don't think I'll ever get this one.

"TURN SIGNAL ON" is displayed when the turn signal (either direction) is left on after a set distance (I think 1 mile). The chime sounds repeatedly until the turn signal is turned off. It would be nice if all cars had this... I see it a lot. Sorry about the crappy picture, had to take this one while the car was moving...

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"HEADLAMP OUT", "BRAKE LAMP OUT" and "TAIL LAMP OUT" are displayed when the corresponding fault occurs, this message will only appear (the first time) when the monitored lamp is turned on. It will keep appearing until the bulb is replaced, even if the lamp isn't turned on. After replacing the bulb, the circuit must be turned on to clear the message.
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"MONITORED SYSTEMS OK" is displayed when no problems are detected.

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Time and date: this is displayed by pressing the "TIME" button, it displays the time in 12-hour format, with AM or PM after. It also displays the day of the week, the month and the date. This information is recieved from the BCM.

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Temp and compass: this is displayed by pressing the "TEMP" button, it displays the outside temperature in farenheit or centigrade. It also displays vehicle direction with eight cardinal points in word format... in other words, is says "NORTH" or NORTH-WEST", not "N" or "NW". The display can be changed to numeric readings (in degrees) by pressing the TIME, FUEL, and INFO buttons simultaneously, the temperature is not displayed in this mode. This information is recieved from the engine node.

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Fuel economy: this is displayed by pressing the "FUEL" button (on older units without the "US/M" button there is also a "ECON" button). Pressing the button again will change display mode, there are four in all.

The first mode is "distance to empty", it shows how far the car can go before it needs more gas. This information is compiled by comparing average MPG with the fuel remaining in the tank.

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The second mode is "fuel consumed" it shows how much fuel has been consumed since it was reset, it normally shows gallons, but on the newer models it will also show litres. To reset "fuel consumed only, press the "SET" button while in this mode. To also reset average MPG, press "SET" twice. This information is recieved from the ECU... it gets all the data from the fuel injection system, it does not read from the fuel gauge, so it doesn't account for fuel leaks and evaporation.

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The third mode is "average MPG", or litres per 100km, on older models without the "US/M" button it's displayed with the "ECON" button. This information is compiled by comparing the fuel consumed from the ECU with distance travelled from the BCM, it is updated every 16 seconds.

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The fourth mode is "instantaneous MPG", it shows the fuel economy at the time the data is sent... it is updated every two seconds. The information is compiled from fuel injection data and current speed. It is under "ECON" with older units.

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Page 1: Main page
Page 2: Engine rebuild/upgrades
Page 3: Power seat installation
Page 4: You are here
Page 5: Brake upgrades
Page 6: Susspension
Page 7: Hydraulic roller lifters
Page 8: Oil cooler instalation (engine/trans)
Page 9: Electronics (in progress)