Dodge Neon question

[JPSmit]

So, my son & his girlfriend bought a POS '98 Neon to drive home for the west coast is. Bad news is they had to get towed three times - good news is Dad got them CAA before they left. Now, they want to sell it on right away. (Did I mention my son who got his learners the day before he left did most of the driving and his girlfriend can't seem to master stick) These are the adventures of youth.

Anyways, the car screeches like a banshee when it starts - seems to go away after a minute or two. I assume power steering pump - am I missing anything else obvious?

 

[Deleted member 8987]

Fan belt. Start the car, load the battery down, often the alternator goes into maximum overdrive to recharge, and a loose belt HOWLS.
Could be P/S. Just change the belts. If serpentine, they need far more frequent changing it seems than V belts ever did.

Personal experience?
Neons (and PT Cruisers) of certain years seem to have a plethora of electronic sensor issues.
Don't believe me?
Every part you need is always in stock locally.

Dave

 

[JPSmit]

How hard to change the belt Dave?

 

[aeronca65t]

On a Neon, you need to take off the right front wheel. Then remove the inner plastic shield so you can see the belt.
Then pull off part of the air filter intake and (I think) loosen the power steering reservoir.

The alternator belt not a serpentine but I think the A/C belt is.

See picture below

 

[Deleted member 8987]

If they're gonna just sell it, see if you can tighten it. Should be able to do that without a lot of mucking around.

 

[JPSmit]

If they're gonna just sell it, see if you can tighten it. Should be able to do that without a lot of mucking around.

I agree - I tried it quickly and it didn't seem loose but I'll look a little more in the next day or so.

 

[JPSmit]

Nial - thanks for the diagram!

 

[Deleted member 8987]

Look for oil on the belt....just hook your finger under it, pull to check tension, remove and inspect finger for dead dinosaurs.

 

[bgbassplyr]

You might try a little belt dressing, available at your local FLAPS. This will provide a little extra traction on the pulleys and stop the squeel........

 

[sd80mac7204]

Best thing in my experiences with Neons.......RUN NOW!!!! PROTECT YOUR WALLET BECAUSE IT WILL TRY TO SUCK IT DRY!!! Evil little cars... Oh. If the timing belt breaks then every valve in the engine will be bent and might crack the pistons. EVERY under the hood job is a mess and hard to fix. But as mentioned it is super easy to get all the parts because all of them break.

 

[Deleted member 8987]

I got into a heated discussion on a train forum with a moron who has worked for Fiat/Chrysler/USGov for 14 years. His contention is they are just fine.
Even published facts and figures don't hold any water with him.
Often, due to design, a sensor fails it stops running....or limps home at 25MPH max.
Tow companies love them!

 

[aeronca65t]

Actually, if I were to return to NASA racing, a Spec-Neon would be my first choice.

They are light, simple and robust.....and obviously, cheap.

With minor suspension work, they handle very well.

Even cooler is the Neon SRT-4, which was the 2nd fastest car built by Chrsler from '02 to '04 (after the Viper). According to one magazine test, he SRT4 made 223 HP and 250 lb-ft of torque at the wheels. Car and Driver magazine reported 0-60 in 5.6 seconds, top speed 153 mph.

 

[MikeMcKay]

Hmm, amazing how bad all the Neons are.

I bought a 98 for a daughter and we finally let it go at 230,000 miles. Stupid husband let it go to 160,000 miles without changing timing belt. When they break, yep it gets valves. She now has a PT Cruiser with 140,000 miles. She changed a electric radiator fan out recently. Biggest thing with the PT is mpg is not great compared to a Neon.

I bought a 2000 for a second daughter. She is still driving it at 170,000 miles. Only glitch is a door lock that is slow to move when you punch the unlock.

I have a 97 Neon ACR I picked up from my brother who was original owner. Short of the 03-05 turbo Neon SRT4 it is the one to have. It is very light,fast and suspension is great as it is with original Konis. Top end is 130 mph with original computer. Plain white on the outside so it is a sleeper. A lot of V8s have been embarrassed by it.

Mike

 

[Deleted member 8987]

Kinda like an AMT Backup. If it works, it works. If it doesn't, you'll spend more than it's worth trying to fix it.

 

[waltesefalcon]

Buy full coverage drive it off a cliff.