Plymouth Acclaim / Dodge Spirit/ Chrysler LeBaron / Saratoga
The Dodge Spirit and Plymouth Acclaim (also sold as one model of the Chrysler LeBaron and, outside the US, as the Saratoga) provided reliable transportation in a traditionally styled four-door sedan from 1989 to 1995. It was available with a variety of engines (really two basic engines with a variety of outputs): the 2.5, 2.5 turbo, 2.2 turbo, and 3.0 V-6. All but the (Mitsubishi) V-6 were made by Chrysler.
Click here for the EEK! forum, which covers the Spirit and Acclaim.
Click here for the Spirit, Acclaim, Lebaron, and Saratoga forum
Plymouth Acclaim and Dodge Spirit Reviews
- Click here for a review of the Spirit R/T
- Click here for a review of the standard Dodge Spirit
Plymouth Acclaim, Dodge Spirit, Chrysler LeBaron and Saratoga
The Acclaim provided a soft ride, and was used by some taxi services as an economical, fuel-efficient alternative to the ubiquitous Lincolns. Starting at about $12,000, the Spirit/Acclaim was a bargain for most of its life, as a family car, fleet car, and even as an upscale economy car.
Most people do not know that the Acclaim was the most reliable domestic car in 1991, according to J.D. Power - beaten only by the Accord and Camry.
The Acclaim was given a softer ride, and the Spirit was given a firmer ride with better handling. Other than the suspension tuning and the grille, there wasn't much of a difference between the Spirit and Acclaim.
The Spirit and Acclaim were probably not the best names Chrysler could have chosen. It would have been a good opportunity to drag out some old classic names, such as Valiant, Lancer, Seneca, or Sebring. Then again, if the Neon was also sold as the Scamp, would it have higher sales? (Okay, Spirit was an old AMC name, but it's not the same).
Like most Chrysler cars at that time, they were based on a stretched K (E) platform. The 2.5 was shared by most Chrysler Corporation vehicles, including the Daytona and Dakota. The V-6 was shared with even more vehicles: minivans, the Daytona and Shadow ES, and others.
While the AA-bodies were eliminated in 1994, in favor of the less-popular but cheaper to build (and more praised by reviewers!) Cirrus, Stratus, and Breeze, the tooling was shipped to China (according to Richard Winde, who continued:) so that the vehicles could be sold in China by the Beijing Jeep Corporation. Production was to start in June 1998 (info so far courtesy of the Saratoga site), but was scrapped due to budget issues by then Chrysler Corporation and Beijing Jeep. The Java "city car," made largely out of recycled materials and the clear inspiration for the new Ford "city car," died for similar reasons.
Spirit/Acclaim/LeBaron/Saratoga Performance
Ed Callway wrote:
I've done all the easy stuff (some from the FAQ!): a custom 2.5" CAT back system, platinum plugs, advanced timing, and ripped off the whacky air deflector in front of the engine controller for some cold air. This is all really easy stuff and it works very well for the low cost. The only simple stuff left is a bigger throttle body and better cold air duct work.
By the way, the ES 205/60/15 wheels and tires work much better than the stock Spirit 195/70/14 rubber. I had to put on some 195's for snows, and the handling difference is amazing, from rails to pillows.
My 3.0 is rated at 141 hp, but it is now rated at 150 HP. Does anyone know what changed??? There must be a million 3.0 engines waiting for this upgrade info! ...
The 96 Stealth has the same block, heads, cam, lift, duration, bore, stroke, valves, compression etc, but its SOHC non-turbo is rated at over 160 HP. Looks like it has a different intake manifold, a freer exhaust, a 60 mm throttle body, a cold air induction system, a knock sensor, and a different engine controller (Mitsu, not Chrysler). Their extra ponies come in at a 1000 rpm more than the Spirit, so I'm guessing it's the two manifolds. Will the Stealth intake manifold and throttle body fit? My guess is that it's a weekend bolt on. Has anyone tried this??
Bob Meyer added: The Acclaim LX and Spirit ES (3.0L/A604) were factory equipped with 15 x 6.0JJ aluminum wheels, 205/HR-15 Michelin EPX tires, and gas struts and shocks. Not sure if the Acclaim LX had the stiffer bushings of the Spirit ES, but I think a "touring package" was included with the LX. I've got 80,350 mi on my 1989 Acclaim LX....Runs great! ...BTW, the A604 is doing just fine.
Derek Birch of Toronto wrote: I own a 1992 Dodge Spirit ES Turbo, which came with the 2.5 litre Turbo engine and automatic transmission. It had the same look as the RT, available only in red, white or silver, and the alluminum alloy rims and grill were colour keyed to match the paint. The only difference in the apperance between the R/T and the ES was the lack of a rear spoiler on the ES. It even sported the same factory air dams as the R/T. It is a beautiful car, subtle and sporty all at once, smooth comfortable ride, and throws you back in your seat. This car is very rare, and I would like to see it mentioned here in your site.
On turbo models, the easiest performance upgrade is a turbo bleed. We will not pretend to be experts on this wonderful trick, but will refer you to turbovan.net.
On a more prosaic note, the common 2.5-liter Spirit with a three-speed automatic was not especially sluggish. From the forums, as collected in 2007:
I have a 92 Spirit with the 2.5/3 speed auto and I find the acceleration around town to be more than adequate. Like you say, you won't win any stoplight dragraces but you won't be the slowest car in traffic either. I find mine to be quite good too on hills, at 65-70 mph in lockup the engine is doing roughly 2800-3000 rpm, right into the meat of the torque band so you can usually ascend most smaller hills without downshifting. On some hills I like to tap the brake pedal ever so lightly to unlock the converter, the extra few hundred rpms might help get you up the hill a bit quicker. Now of course if you carry a full load of passengers then you'll be using passing gear more than normal but it shouldn't be too bad if that's the case.
My '89 2.5L Acclaim was a champ, both in-town and on the interstate. I crossed 3 passes on the way to Montana with an A413, and never missed a beat. Off the line isn't too bad.
My '92 and '90 Acclaims were just fine with the 2.5L. I don't recall any problems on grades unless I was heavily loaded. Mine would easily cruise at 70 mph without any problems - even with 4 additional passengers. In fact I drove my '90 to Blacksburg, VA (400 miles round trip) and averaged 68 mph for most of the trip and never had a problem going over the mountains on I-64. The 2.5L has a lot of low end torque so you don't need to rev it high to get the power need to launch. By today's standards it may seem slow but they were fine in their day. I think you'll find that it turns 2800-3200 rpms at 65-70 mph depending on whether it's in lockup or not. The AA bodies were good overall vehicles when they were in production - the 1991 was highly rated. They had decent fuel mileage (2.5's were rated 23 city/27 hwy), decent passenger and trunk space, easy/inexpensive to maintain, and were very nicely priced.
I had a 1990 Acclaim with the 2.5 and 4spd tranny. Never gave a problem at all. As has been said time and again, it won't win any awards for quickness, but it sure was reliable. Sold it over 3 years ago and I still see it cruising around. Hasn't given the new owner a bit of trouble, either.
I personally find mine to be more than enough most of the time. It can be a little sluggish on grades with a full load -- but I don't expect much more from an engine this size. It has been the most reliable car I have ever had though -- almost perfect. 220k and counting.
A413 is rock solid if maintained properly. Strong, durable unit. I installed a hitch and transmission cooler, and pulled a loaded 2,000 pound U-haul trailer from Mississippi to Arizona, and back, twice, with the Spirit, and it never left me stranded — never. Never overheated, even climbed the 8,000 foot altitude grades of New Mexico and Arizona....slowly, but surely. They are great cars but many of them are wearing out due to age. Expect to do minor repairs if necessary, and vacuum leaks can cause hair yanking frustration in finding them with the 2.5 engine.
As a current owner of a 91 Spirit 2.5, I concur with all the comments posted. These are amazing vehicles, although not very glamorous. I never thought I would be pushing 230,000 miles on an 'econo-mobile', but these cars just keep going and are cheap to maintain and operate. Even with all the mileage, I still have decent power and use less than 1 quart of oil every 1500 to 2000 miles. Quite often, I never add a quart between changes which are usually at 3500 to 4000 miles. I have never had any cooling system problems except one replacement of the water pump. I changed the head gasket when I confirmed a slight leak of combustion gases into the cooling system. I did change the fuel pump before it failed at 185,000 miles and I did lose the transmission at about 210,000 miles. Just a couple of months ago, I replaced the exhaust system for the first time.
Magnecore wires are part 45153 for all 2.2 and 2.5 liter engines except R/T models (45177); V6 models get part 6514. They should run $40-60 (more for V6).
Addco sway bars can beef up both front and rear to avoid creating a dangerous handling situation by only increasing the front sway bar thickness (since rear sway bars are harder to swap out). A strong sway bar helps handling by increasing the stiffness of the vehicle. The kit for 1989-92 models is roughly $155 for the front (part 748) and $150 for the rear (part 357).
Energy Suspension bushings are fairly inexpensive:
| Front end control arm bushing set | 5-3107 | $22 |
| Strut rod bushing set | 5-7107 | $18 |
| 1" front sway bar frame bushings | 5-5103 | $19 |
| Tie rod boot ends | 9-13101 | $4 |
Dodge Spirit R/T
The Dodge Spirit R/T section has been made into its own page - here!
Spirit/Acclaim Comments
Eric A. Bechtol wrote:
I think the one thing that is lost on the Spirit/Acclaim is the overall quality of the automobile itself. This car is a bank vault. No rattles or booming. And with the 2.5/3sp auto, the car is bulletproof. I have no money in the car except for regular service. The air conditioner still freezes like it always did. I love this car.
Hint-The ride on the Spirit is harder than the Plymouth/Chrysler, you stated that. Here is a big hint on how to help that out. My car (used, 50K miles) had a set of cheap tires on it. It rode worse than my pickup!!! I investigated further and found a good set of tires leaned towards a quiet, smoot ride (Goodyear Regatta). Man, what a difference!!! The car still handles quite well at about 80% with the tires showing their true colors at the limit. I use this car on long interstate trips so this is not a concern. (Joe Versaggi wrote: The Goodyear Regatta, while they are good tires, sang for the first 5000 miles, especially on smooth blacktop. So my second pair were the more expensive Goodyear Eagle GA, because I couldn't stand to hear all 4 of them singing.) (Webmaster note: the B.F. Goodrich Touring T/A and Comp T/A are less expensive and highly regarded).
Clayton Gosmeyer wrote about the FFV version:
I have a 1994 Spirit 2.5l flex fuel (4 high volume injectors - needed for alcohol - and a higher pressure pump/regulator). Seems to me it makes good power all the way up. MPG is 24-27 town depending on lead footed but I have gotten 30MPG freeway w/ cruise set at 75 (the Idaho I84 limit). I burn regular gas, not M85 but the car (had 53K when I bought it this year) was a government fleet and was run on M85 until now. This is an easy way to convert to MPI if you find a blown flex fuel engine.
AA Body Repairs
Sam wrote:
For those of you who have a frequent/infrequent leak in your trunk, the most likely source are 2 holes a little larger than a quarter in diameter, that are in the top portion of the trunk between the rear-window and the trunk lid. There is a piece of sheet metal covering it, but if you do what I did, and re-seal the bottom of the rear window, then seal the borders of the metal plate with silicone or some other waterproof sealant, the water will no longer be able to penetrate the trunk.
Dodge Spirit Production
(thanks to Paul Bicknell and Chrysler PR for the following):
Total 1991 Spirit production: 93,773
| 1991 Spirit Engines | Spirit | Spirit LE | Spirit ES | Spirit R/T |
| 2.5 Liter TBI | 61,654 | 1,368 | not avail | not avail |
| 3.0 Liter V-6 (Mitsubishi) | 18,053 | 6,245 | 5,676 | not avail |
| 2.5 Liter Turbo | not avail | 172 | 937 | not avail |
| 2.2 Liter 16V DOHC Turbo | not avail | not avail | not avail | 1,208 |
| Total | 79,707 | 6,245 | 6,613 | 1,208 |
| 1991 Spirit Transmissions | Spirit | Spirit LE | Spirit ES | Spirit R/T |
| A-413 3-speed automatic (with 2.5 liter) | 60,668 (TBI) | 1,367 TBI 172 turbo |
619 (turbo) | 0 |
| A-604 4-speed automatic (with 3 liter) | 18,053 | 6,245 | 5,676 | 0 |
| A-523 5-speed manual (with 2.5 liter) | 986 (TBI) | 1 (TBI) | 318 (turbo) | 0 |
| A-568 5-speed manual (with 2.2 Turbo III) |
0 | 0 | 0 | 1,208 |
| 1991 Special Emissions | Spirit | Spirit LE | Spirit ES | Spirit R/T |
| California | 5,611 2.5 884 3.0 |
31 2.5 TBI 18 2.5 turbo |
25 2.5 turbo | 0 |
| High Altitude | 1,850 2.5 270 3.0 |
10 2.5 119 3.0 6 2.5 turbo |
32 2.5 turbo 79 3.0 |
32 |
If you eliminate all 1208 R/Ts, you are left with only 1109 turbos, or a little over 1%. No wonder Chrysler dropped the motor, it was really a specialty item that must have cost them a bundle.
Five-speed V6 cars
Tom Popiel wrote: I've been selling for Florida Chrysler Plymouth Jeep for more than 10 years. I recall ordering a 5 speed LeBaron convertible with the Mitsubishi 3.0 litre 6 cylinder. It was Champagne. I remember the one time I got to drive it and it was a great experience. Plenty of power, smooth and easy shifting, almost shifted itself. (Proud owner of a 1989 LeBaron GTC Turbo Coupe, 2.5 turbo/auto - currently has 150,500 miles).
Brian Peter Mirabito added:
I personally own a 1991 LeBaron Convertible with the 3.0L V-6, and the 5 speed manual. Ever since the 3.0L introduction into the J-body in 1989 it was offered with a 5-speed. However at the end of the model run (after '92 or '93) Chrysler made the automatic and the V-6 the only drivetrain combination, as is mentioned on the web page. Yes, the manual and the V-6 are rare, even on the Daytona, and Spirit/Acclaim, but to a larger extent on the LeBaron. ... that drivetrain was also offered in the Spirit until Chrysler did the same thing they did to the LeBaron at the end of production and cheapened the car.
My father worked for New Venture Gear, as a product engineer for the last 35 years. New Venture Gear supplies Chrysler with their manual transaxle. I have also worked there in the same capacity as an intern. Being a couple of big time car guys, I can vividly remember the discussions with my father of how a great combination the 3.0L and the V-6 were going to make in the LeBaron. Maybe the talk about the 5-speed V-6 being made for employees only was because the only people who knew of its availability (great Chrysler advertising) were Chrysler employees, you weren't going to find one on a dealer lot ordered by a dealer. Chrysler employees like my father who get the company discount on cars or lease deals often ordered the cars, instead of taking what ever the dealer has on his lot like most people.
It's unfortunate that the V-6 5-speed is so hard to find, my dad saw mine advertised in a local Pennysaver, but not in the regular newspaper by the dealer when I bought it used from the dealer in 1996. It would be interesting to see how many were built.
Thanks for doing a page on the LeBaron.
Dodge Spirit / Plymouth Acclaim Specifications
Transmission
Description -- Hydraulic w/electronically controlled converter clutch
Gear -- Ratio
- 1st -- 2.69
- 2nd -- 1.55
- 3rd -- 1.00
Effective Final Drive and Overall Top-Gear Ratio -- 3.02 (2.5 liter); 2.78 (3 liter)
Other
(With 5 passengers)
Wheelbase -- 103.5 (2629)
Track-Front -- 57.6 (1463)
- Rear -- 57.2 (1453)
Overall Length -- 181.2 (4602)
Overall Width -- 68.1 (1731)
Overall Height -- 53.5 (1358)
Ground Clearance -- 4.6 (116)
EPA Cargo Volume -- 14.4 ft3 (408 L)
Curb Weight-Est -- 2862 lb (1298 kg)
Weight Distribution, F/R -- 63/37
Frontal Area -- 21.37 ft2
Drag Coefficient -- 0.40
Fuel Tank Capacity -- 16 gal (61 L)
Seating Capacity, F/R -- 3/3
Front-Head Room -- 38.4 (976)
-Leg Room-Max. -- 41.9 (1063)
-Shoulder Room -- 54.3 (1380)
-Hip Room -- 51.7 (1312)
Seat Travel -- 8.1 (205)
Recliner Range -- 34 Degrees
Rear-Head Room -- 37.9 (962)
-Leg Room-Min. -- 38.3 (973)
-Knee Room -- 2.9 (74)
-Shoulder Room -- 55.0 (1397)
-Hip Room -- 52.0 (1320)
EPA Interior Volume Index -- 111.2 ft3
Layout -- Transverse front engine, front wheel drive
Construction -- Steel unibody
Suspension-Front -- Iso struts w/integral gas-charged shock absorbers, asymmetrical lower control arms, coil springs,linkless stabilizer bar
Suspension-Rear -- Beam axle, trailing flex-arms, track bar, coil springs, gas-charged shock absorbers, frameless tubular stabilizer bar
Steering
Type -- Power rack and pinion
Overall Ratio -- 16.1:1
Turning Diameter (curb-to-curb), L/R -- 37.0 ft (11.3m), 39.0 ft (12.0m)
Steering Turns (lock-to-lock) -- 2.6
Wheels
Steel 14 x 5.5 JJ or aluminum 14 x 6 JJ.
185/70R14 Invicta GAL (yuk!) or 195/70R14 Michelin XW4
Spirit R/T: 205/60R15 Michelins (Mark Flory)
In 1995, the Spirit and Acclaim were replaced by the Chrysler Cirrus, Dodge Stratus, and Plymouth Breeze.
