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Dodge/Plymouth Neon

1773 messages,  Last post on May 23, 2013 at 7:30 AM

You are in the Dodge/Plymouth Neon Forum.

What is this discussion about? Dodge Neon, Plymouth Neon, Sedan

Messages Page 104 of 178

#1026 of 1773 Finally got my Neon. by acuraowner

Nov 06, 2002 (12:32 am)

I went and picked up the 99 Neon I was looking at and am quite happy with the purchase. Its a 99 Dodge Neon Highline Coupe, DOHC, 5spd with 52,482 miles. I got it for $4492 after TTL.
 
I am very happy with the car. The build quality is outstanding, as far as NVH it is much better then the 2000 Honda Civic EX Coupe I test drove.
 
The drivetrain is very moody though. It starts real rough compared to other fuel injected vehicles I have driven. Also it does suffer from the hesitation/stumbling feature which comes standard on all 1995 to current Neons. It seems to be a huge problem according a Neon forum on the internet.
 
Other then that its a great car. The frameless windows seal pretty good (the drivers window did get sucked away from the seal when I was driving in the draft of a 18 wheeler), there are absolutely no squeaks or rattles, the handling is outstanding and it can move.
 
I did get the most recent headgasket design too. Apparently the most recent headgasket was introduced in Nov. 98, my car was built in Jan. 99.
 
This car is way too much fun, it is actually more fun to drive my Neon then my Integra. Its more mature, but still just as fun.

#1027 of 1773 HEAD GASKET PROBLEMS by srockr

Nov 14, 2002 (6:05 pm)

I used to own a 95 Neon and then dummy me traded it in for a 97 Breeze. The Neon had it's share of oil leaks while I had it. Didn't know it was a problem then with so many. The Breeze did ok for a while then started to develop oil leaks as well as loss of power, etc. I just had the head gasket replaced as well as the timing belt and t.b. tensioner. This was all just done not more than a month ago. Guess what it is leaking oil again. I only have 59k miles on the car. I am going to go back to dealership AGAIN and hopefully get it fixed AGAIN and then get rid of this car. Never more will I drive or buy any Chrysler or Plymouth products. Hope everyone else has good luck.

#1028 of 1773 by acuraowner

Nov 15, 2002 (1:32 am)

Your head gasket should have been replaced with the new MLS head gasket if it was done a month ago (which is apparently supposed to be a permanent fix).
 
My 99 Neon has 53k miles and there are no oil leaks to speak of. It also has the MLS headgasket so I am not really that worried about it springing any leaks anytime soon.

#1029 of 1773 by 71charger

Nov 15, 2002 (12:20 pm)

It won't be permanent if they took any short cuts in the job. Did they resurface the head? If not the whole job was a waste of time. They don't want to take the time to remove the manifolds and run it to the machine shop then reassemble the manifolds. They have a bad habit of "eyeballing" the gasket surface and declaring it good enough. I was the victim of that myself last year. I did the second head gasket myself to make sure it was done correctly. I paid to have it done the first time as I didn't feel I had time to do it myself. That was for a 2.2 Turbo II. Those heads are heavy to lift when the manifolds and turbo are still attached.

#1030 of 1773 98 Neon troubles by 2917460

Nov 23, 2002 (11:42 am)

I got a good deal on the Neon when I bought it new but wish I hadn't. Ran great for 38,000 miles. When the warranty ran out the head gasket went with it! Common problem with Neons and then at 43,000 miles the air conditioner went out. $1000+ for each repair. I wrote to Chrysler about it with so few miles on the car and they wrote back saying they have made great progress in quality. I would hate to have an older Chrysler car if that is true.

#1031 of 1773 by bored

Nov 26, 2002 (7:21 pm)

$1,000 for a Head Gasket?!?!?!? Is this true? Also, what's a Valve Cover Gasket?

#1032 of 1773 Valve Cover Gasket by 71charger

Nov 27, 2002 (6:17 am)

The valve cover should, on overhead cam engines, be more properly called the cam cover. It's the top-most stamped steel or plastic cover on the engine itself. On mine it says 16 valve or something like that on it. V engines (V6, V8, etc) have two valve covers. The valves go all the way through the cylinder head. The valve cover covers (as the name implies) the stem ends of the valves along with the springs, retainers, keepers, rocker arms. And on many engines the camshaft or camshafts. I believe Ferrari refers to the part as a cam cover and one or two manufacturers refer to it as a rocker cover. Go with valve cover and the guy at the parts store will know what you're talking about when you go to buy a gasket.

#1033 of 1773 the new Neon SR-T by regfootball

Nov 30, 2002 (6:49 pm)

been gettin some good press.....what d'yall think?

#1034 of 1773 Reg... by vocus

Dec 02, 2002 (8:30 am)

I still have images of the old 2.2 turbos from Chrysler. I am sure they are alot better though.
 
The SR-T seems like a real butt-kicker, and with a low price to boot.

#1035 of 1773 Valve cover gasket... by vocus

Dec 02, 2002 (8:30 am)

I had one of those go in a car I had about 5 years ago. It only cost like $40 to replace.

Messages Page 104 of 178

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