Dodge-Plymouth Neon Starting/Stalling

virg15370

I've had a 96 Dodge Neon for a couple of years now, a problem that started last year and I've been fighting with is it keeps stalling and sputtering. I've replaced the O2 sensor, plugs and wires, fuel pump, altenater, just about everything I can think of. I replaced the O2 sensor because the first time it did this the engine light came on and the only thing that came up was the o2. But when it did it again soon after that, I started changing things, I'm starting to wonder if it is the relay to the fuel pump, because that is what it almost seems like is that it is starving itself for fuel. I was wondering if it could also be the coil pack? Really need to get this problem fixed before I have more invested in fixing this problem than I do in the entire car.

farout

virg15370: Had a very simular problem. The dealer found the two cam sensors were bad. Hope this gives you some help.

Farout

jed9

I have a 1995 plymouth neon with about 265000 kms. at x mas time i had a simular problem where i had changed everything u did but the alenator. it ended up being a power sensor modulator. 365 cdn for the part and 650 labour because they have to reprogram the computer after. as far as i can tell its the silver box on the drivers side by the battery. since then the car has ran like new again. last week i spit the tranny shifting into second. i have put new struts all the way around new controll arms at the back, all i have left to do is ball joints again, and tie rods and i will have a new car again, the motor still runs like brand new

teena78

I have a 99 neon and last night while driving it went from 45 mph to 0 and stalled when i stopped at a light. Now it won't start. It acts like it wants to crank but its not getting any gas to actually start

arcadefreak36

Check your fuel pump. This is how they go.

teena78

i had the fuel pump changed and it still wont start any idea what it could be

skibum1575

So about six months ago I was driving on the freeway to Seattle, and about one hour into the drive I pressed down the gas to pass someone, and I heard a clanking. If I removed my foot, the sound would go away. About five minutes later the car began to jerk back, and eventually stalled completely. I went to the dealer and he couldn't find anything. Two weeks ago I was driving down the freeway again, and the car stalled, and all of the electronics turned off, including the power steering. I started driving to the dealer but everytime I stopped at a light the car began to shake, and eventually stalled again, with the electronics and everything. The dealer said "it's the computer." They apparently fixed it, but two weeks later my car did the same exact thing. I took it back to the dealer and he said they didn't plug the computer in properly.

Today, I was parked, and turned on my air conditioning, and it stalled completely. Can someone please tell me what is wrong with my car? I'm tired of these dealers lying to me to make money.

dragonneon

i have spent alot of money on this neon
so far this year i have put 18"chrome rims with 215/35/18 on
lambo doors and i have full air ride on this car and a octane body kit.

this car is now 11 years old nad the own before never changed anything. so guess what.
i've bin changing this ever t month in this car.
but im having trouble with it stalling.
ive changed the plugs
wire. coil twice
2 new battery
3 fuel filtters. and still trouble
even time i slow down or stop at light my car will be fine until i push down on the gas. and theres nothing, no move ment no noise nothing. i have to tap it over and over again nad then slowly theres like a burp nad it slowly starts to move nad then the power kicks in.

and if it stalls i have to tap the gas pedal when turning it over....does anyone have an idea... i have it up on blocks right now so i can drain the gas out, and then in the morning im going to get a new fuel pump and hope to good it fixes it...
the only weird thing is the check engine light comes on and the codes tell me that its a throtle senor issues and a multpil cylinder miss fire.
and a injector miss fire...

so that changes things from what i thought but still they all need gas to fire so hopefully im right .... if anyone has an idea please let me know thanks steve.

arcadefreak36

Codes don't lie. As I was reading your problem I was saying "Throttle Sensor" because my 99 will sometimes want to stall after I've first started it on a cold or wet day and I've installed high performance wires on it. If you have the bucks, get it to a shop and have a diagnostics test done on it. Also it's not a bad idea to go to Autozone, PepBoys or Advanced Auto Parts and pick up the Haynes Manual for the 95-99 Neon. It's a great investment. A "Throttle Sensor" is what was called the "Choke" on the older cars with regular Carburetors.

dragonneon

i have that book it helps out alot.... but its just not on a start its when im driving also..... and when u hook a computerup to it it just gives you a miss fire error. thanks for your quick input thanks.. nad i have pro plugs and i put in a stage one chip too. which caused alot of problems for me. so i took it outand had to get my computer reset.

drake2

i have a 95 neon, i delt with the identical problem back awhile ago. what i did was go to a Junkyard and look for a new throttle body with the TPS connected, has run fine since, and that was a few years ago. plus the dealership was about 5x more expensive for just the sensor than the complete part at jy.

dragonneon

thanks man i'll try that after i put the fuel pump in...

if i start the car with out the filter pluged in nad gas should pure out it will for a bit then nothing. nad then the pump makes a howling sound and then starts up for a second nad then quites again.. so i have order a pump just waitting for it to come in nad try that if not im going to try what ur saying..... can anyone tell my how hard it is to change the timing belt on neon.

arcadefreak36

Standard timing belt change requires the removal of the water pump. They usually replace it when they remove it.

djk111

my neon will run for about 10 min, then stall out. it will restart but then just die agian. the longer you wait the longer it will run. on shorter runs it runs great. i replaced the o2 sensor but that did nothing.

lanie3

Try checking your EGR valve assembly. My 97 Neon was doing the same thing. It works by opening a small passageway between the exhaust and intake manifold to allow a metered amount of exhaust to flow back into the engine. This reduces combustion temperatures and helps control the formation of oxides of nitrogen. If it sticks in the open position or fails to close all the way, it acts like a vacuum leak resulting in a rough idle, hesitation and possible stalling. This is what my neon was doing. The valve was stuck open and would run great on short runs but not on long runs. The part cost only 80 bucks and it has been running great ever since.

mike889

I recently bought a 2000 neon es, 5spd 94k miles. The car had been well cared for and is in great shape. It drives and rides vgood. It does have one very annoying problem. Every once in awhile it is very difficult to start. I'd say this problem happens roughly 10% of the time you go to start it. I've replaced the plugs and wires. Two days ago after not experiencing the problem for about a week, I took it to my mechanic. He hooked it up to the computer which showed no problems, it started every time for him. I got into my car to drive home and it wouldn't start. This car is otherwise in great cond. and fun to drive. any ideas?

starclaws

Okay so my starter recently went bad had it tested... sure enough was bad... They usually go bad... No big deal. So I went and bought a new one... Stuck it in... Connected it all up... Still won't start.

Cleaned my battery connections so you can eat off them.
Tightened battery connections.
Tested 12v across the battery. Tested 12v across the starter. So I have power okay?

Noises when starting
I can hear the fly wheel and the starter clicking. I can also hear something else clicking... Like a relay/fuse near the driver side dash... But Im just thinking thats the starter relay engaging...

Now originally all that was wrong was a bad starter... So whats up? Need anymore diagnosis on the situation to help me? Just ask and I'll go check... Ive been without a car for over 6 months and I just want a car again

98' Plymouth Neon SOHC 2-Door Red... It doesn't work

arcadefreak36

Don't know if you fixed your problem but perhaps you bought a bad starter. Back in 1994 I had a 1980 Dodge 150 Custom pickup truck that also had a bad starter. They were easy to install so I bought one and did it myself. Guess what, it didn't work. :mad: I went back and told the parts guy and he assured me that the starter was tested before it was sold. So I had my truck towed the way it was and my mechanic told me the starter was no good and installed a new one. I brought the starter I bought back to the parts store and got my money back.

biggestbee

Try testing the battery voltage while trying to crank the engine. If the voltage drops way down,you may need to charge or replace your battery

bigo2

I HAVE A 96 PLYMOUTH NEON THAT STALLS AFTER YOU START IT. ONCE YOU PUT IT IN DRIVE OR REVERSE IT STALL. IN NEUTRAL OR PARK IT RUN WITH NO PROBLEM.

torisarah

I tried to start my 98 neon and it wouldnt, had it jumped drove it - went to start it again wouldnt and jumping it didnt work. The lights come on, headlights everything it just wont turn over - I have no idea, my mechanic thinks it is starter?

sawatzkd

I have a 97 Neon. When I start it, it starts fine but unless I step on the gas it stalls right away. It is fine to drive, but as soon as I take it out of gear it stalls. This will continue to happen until its been driven for about 5 minutes. No engine fault codes. Any ideas?

hollyh

I was wanting to know if anybody could tell me why my neon rolled in park? On saturday we had went to my mother and father in laws home to look at the brand new 2007 truck they had gotten that day. I parked my car pulled up the emergency brake and left it running to get out and look at the truck. The car stayed there in park for a good 5 minutes. Then I went back to the car to get my 3 kids out of the car and go in the house. As soon as I turned off the ignition the car started rolling and hit my father in laws truck. It drug me and my 6 year old son down the driveway. We are ok,but my car is having a transmission tear down now. I was just wondering if somebody could tell me some possibilities as to why this happened. The car was in park with the emergency brake up the whole time I am 100% sure of that.

tattoosgurl

i have this identical problem. i have a new o2 sensor, new egr valve, and replaced my crank sensor.... nothing has worked yet. It is so hard to find anything online to help, i was wondering what you did djk111 to fix your problem?

keiaut

We just spent hours looking for this problem and it wound up being the crank sensor. Relatively inexpensive and easy to change, it is down by the fuel filter, only one bolt and one plug. However it did break when taking it out so had to drill a small hole in the center and put in a screw to extract it.

rkerico

This sounds crazy but my 1998 plymouth neon has recently started this unique stalling problem. Car was recently tuned up (new wires, plugs, gaskets, etc.)and was running fine for a few weeks. However, it now seems to stall out when making a right turn. Runs just fine when going straight or left. Has anyone ever experienced this?

craig53

I have a '96 Neon that recently developed a problem. It runs fine until I have driven a few miles, then it begins to miss, "bumps" (much like a bad plug). This gets progressively worse. Then, if I slow down, turn a corner, etc. it completely dies. After sitting for a few minutes, it finally can be started again. "Service Engine" light stays on. It coded as a "Primary Coil" problem. Coil was replaced. It still acts up. This tends to be worse when it is in the '80's outside (?). Fuel line pressure checked out okay. Any ideas? I need the car! Particularly for the gas mileage.

oilcan3

Craig53, I have a 96 Neon and I am currently experiencing the same problem. My coil and cam sensors have been replaced the problem is still there. There are no codes that register. It's going into the shop tommarow again for the 3rd time. It sounds like the same problem you have, have you gotten in figured out yet.

craig53

Hey oilcan3, actually I had the car at the mechanic's a third time. He removed the code and has had me drive it for a week or two with the new coil. I don't drive it over 55-60. I have driven it to work a few times (16 miles each way)with no recurrence of the problem so far. This problem seems to occur with no regularity. Very frustrating. I changed the air filter and was going to change the PCV, but couldn't find it. I wish you luck with your car. Let me know if you find out anything. I'll do the same.

andres3

I don't think Donald Trump could have afforded to keep my 95 Neon running much longer than I did exhausting my financial resources taking it to 65K miles!!

jgrumbrecht

Im having the same problem now didyou find out what it was

rkerico

No. Have not yet determined the problem. Had a diagnostic test but the readings detected no fault codes nor any during the drive test. I continue to drive car occasionally and it still stalls out periodically. Crazy, but only happens when making right hand turns and not accelerating thru the turn. Please let me know if you ever find out the reason. Thanks.
link title
:mad:

craig53

After several more incidents I believe the problem may have been fixed. The last time (about two weeks ago) the thing stalled out 6 times in about 2 miles! The mechanic replaced the Crank Sensor and I have driven it for a week now with no stalling, no hesitation and no Warning Lights. Hopefully this is it. You may want to try this.

afd2506

I have a 2000 Plymouth Neon that dies and loses all electrical. If I let it sit for awhile it will come back to life. I've had different opinions from everybody I know - anywhere from plugs, wires, coil to battery, alternator, electrical shorts to O2, cam, and crank sensors. Today the check engine light finally reared its ugly head. What is the general concensus on this one? :sick:

glenn13

I went throught fuel pump and wiring and found out that a condensed that is supose to stop engine noise for the car had a dead short. It would run great then while driving just stop, or try to start the car and it would pop the fuse. Come to find out it is attached to the back of the engine and got hot and runs a dead short. I removed it tapeed the wire no engine noise on the radio and no fuse poping. I still idels a little rough but i think it may be dirty fuel injestors.

june_clemons

Hey I developed a problem with my 97 neon 5 speed 2.0 single over head cam. My car wouldnt fire on 1and 4 but if you remove the cam sensor all 4 would fire and run for a second. I replaced the brain,cam sensor,coil pack,and crank sensor all of this cost me 500.00 or more. No one not anyone could figure this out. Not to messtion it would not get any right code on a machine. After spending alot of money trying to figure this out and takeing it into the shop I finally took it to someone who knew where to look at the problem. Even Dodge it self couldnt figure it out. I feel Dodge needs to remberse me for this problem because Im not the only one this has happend to. Heres what happend and it was fixed with a 1.50 part plus 99.00 an hour to figure it out. It was the pin inside of the cam that was broke.

gratefulallie

While driving on the freeway my 96 Neon (Manual Trans) turned off and back on (almost like a surge) when the cooling fan would come on. At one point the battery light came on but when off again. When I got it home (luckily) and turned it off it would not start again. Power is really dim. I think its the alternator but would like some advice before I start throwing money into it.

Also on a side note I put in a new battery about 5 months ago.

iroc85

I have a Neon that when you turn the key the starter turns over very slow and then it finally starts the car. I have tested the battery and alternator and both test good. I haven't taken the starter off to test it because I think it is a electrical problem. The reason for my belief is that when I put the car on a car charger and use a 50 amp boost the car turns over just fine. This is a on again and off again problem. Is there a starter relay that goes bad that needs to be replaced?

andrle97

HI i have a 95 dodge neon and was running fine and about a week ago i went to the store and came out and tried to start my car and it died right away. tried to start again and it didn't thinking th car was flooded i wait and tried again after about 5-10 tries it started and seemed to run fine so i didn't think anything of it. Went out later that night to start the car and the same thing happened.
so next day i go to bring the car into the shop and when i got it started again it seemed to run fine but now when i hit about 20 mph it has a surge almost like a hard shift and then runes fine again doesn't do anything when slowing down the mechanic hooked up and found codes p0122, p0340, p0351, p0352d, p0422, cleard them out and the check engin light went off it has not cam back on yet but still have the surge at 20 mph and ideas were to starte looking they couldn't tell me with out charging and arm an a leg to replace the the seners the the computer said were bad Thx in advance

leich2

My 96 neon was doing the same thing and I kept getting codes that didn't make sense.after all the trouble shooting and parts swaping I found out it was the external fuel filter on my plastic tank ( dodge part #4546610 $46.00 ) According to dodge this IS NOT A REGULATOR. It is a bypass filter that when your car does not need the amount of fuel that the pump is pumping it will bypass inside this filter back to the tank because this car does not have a return fuel line to the tank from the engine. ( cut mine appart and was plugged to where the car would hardly run) It"s stainless steel and is located on the top of the fuel pump/sending unit. The fuel line exit's this off of the tank just in front of the pass. rear wheel. You can change it with the tank in the car but it's a pain. If you look at a new one first you'll see a tab on the side of the filter you have to depress and then rotate the filter counter clockwise about a 1/4 turn and slide it out.

crakerg

I just purchased a 1996 Neon which has the same issues. Stalls frequently but only when making right hand turns. Did you ever find out the problem?

rkerico

Crakerg,
Sorry to have taken so long to reply. Also sorry I can be of no help. Gave up on the car and traded it in. Figured the car dealer could handle it better than me. Wish I had better news, I kind of liked that car and really wanted to keep it but the problem was driving me nuts. Hope you have better luck.

lionfish37

Did you ever find out what caused the power surge mine just started yesterday doing the same thing.

Scott
lionfish37@hotmail.com

lionfish37

Did you ever find out what caused the power surge mine just started yesterday doing the same thing.

Scott
lionfish37@hotmail.com

chevygirl99

I have a 96 neon, sometimes when i am driving it will just turn off. The oil light is the only light that comes on. It ususally happens when im slowing down or when i am idoling. I thought maybe it had to do with the amount of fuel going into the engine, so i had my fuel filter cleaned and my fuel pump checked and everything checked out fine. I was just wondering if anyone else has had this problem or knows what i can do to fix it...

rileyfinn112

My 96 neon recently started to stall out while idoling, and then would have issues restarting. I noticed the 'charging system light' would come on right before the stall, and a few times, by revving the engine, or just giving it gas to go, it would stop sputtering, and the light would go off. Any advice or experience in this problem?

andrle97

i have not found the problem yet but now that the weather is getting better i can pull the car out and dig into it if i find any thing i will post it here.....

ronc59

Hello everyone, I'm new to this forum.
I have the same problem with a 97 2.0 DOHC. It will run gr8 for 2 or 3 days then boom. I've been working on this car for 2 months now. When it stalls, if you don't turn the key off but try to start it, you get no rpm,cam or crank sensor readings on a Snap-on scan tool, no spark and no injector signal. but if you turn the key off (for 5 min.) it will start and run gr8, till it stalls again that is. I've changed the cam and crank sensors, egr valve, pcm (reprogramed it) asd relay, battery terminals, pulled and cleaned all fuses inside and out,and cleaned the throttle bore. I've checked the tps, map, repaired the crankshaft sensor wiring under the exhaust, and cleaned the contacts at the pcm. I'm running out of ideas. If anyone has run into this problem I'd like to hear about it. Fuel psi and ignition are fine. There are no TSBs on Mitchell's on demand about this problem.I'm hoping it's something stupid that I'm overlooking. If you didn't figure it out yet, I do run a small independent repair garage and yes this one has me stumped. sorry this was so long.

june_clemons

Hi my name is June I have had a number of problems with the same my 97 dodge neon. I have put it in the shop a number of times only to find out that the brain might be whats wrong. I do have an extra brain there hard to find if you go to a parts store you will pay almost 300 dollars for one. If your interested please contact me june_clemons200412@yahoo.com. I also have contact with a person that specializes in dodge neons. I spent well over hundres of dollars trying to figure out what was wrong with mine I can give you some input.

june_clemons

I have a 97 dodge neon single over head cam 5 speed. I had the same problem you are haveing. I replaced every censor just like you have except the wireing. Im not a eletrician when it comes to cars and several machanics said to me its the wireing. I even put it on a machine to find this out. After spending hours of my time and talking with dodge dealers and putting it in the shop I found a person that Napa gave me right here in my own town. He specializes in hard to figure out cars. Well as I was saying I changed everything. Even dodge was stuped and couldnt figure this out. You need to check your cam pin mine was broke and replaced it for 3 dollars lol yes the pin . Now my car is running perfect. But like I said I do have 2 brains one for a automatic and one for a 5 speed and they are hard to find.

ronc59

THIS PIN I KEEP READING ABOUT, IS IT THE ONE IN THE TIMING BELT SPROCKET? I DON'T KNOW IF CAM TIMING WOULD CAUSE MY PROBLEM OR NOT CAUSE OF THE WAY YOU HAVE TO TURN THE KEY OFF FOR AWHILE BEFORE IT WILL RESTART, BUT AT THIS POINT I'M WILLING TO TRY ANYTHING. ALSO I DID PUT A NEW BRAIN IN IT ALREADY.