GREETINGS AND SALUTATIONS EVERYONE, I JUST BOUGHT A 1997 DODGE NEON 4-DR SEDAN 5-SPEED SOHC 2.0. SINCE I HAVE A DODGE RAM P/U I AM NORMALLY ON THE RAM POSTS BUT I WANTED TO GET ACQUAINTED WITH THE NEON SIDE AS WELL. IS THERE ANYTHING I SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THIS CAR? PERFORMANCE ADD-ONS! NOTORIOUS BREAKING STUFF? ETC. I JUST REPLACED THE CLUTCH AND BECAUSE MINE HAS THE LETTER "D" IN THE VIN IT HAD THE MOST EXPENSIVE CLUTCH KIT. IN DOING SO ALOT OF THE FLUID DRAINED OUT, WHAT WEIGHT GOES IN? THANKS!

 

5w-30 or 10w-30 will be fine. how many miles? and the pre-98 Neons are known for headgaskets. so check and see if it has the MLS gasket by looking under the intake manifold runners and seeing if u can see a flange of metal in between the head and block. if it is anywhere around 100k and/or you dont know if the timing belt and water pump were replaced, i would do that.

 

your talking MTX fluid right?

good reads for the first time neoner
https://dodgeforum.com/m_530310/tm.htm

https://dodgeforum.com/m_692727/tm.htm

https://dodgeforum.com/m_554034/tm.htm

 

YES I NEED THE WEIGHT OF THE MANUAL TRANSMSSION FLUID. I HAVE ALOT OF ROYAL PURPLE GEAR OIL BUT I NEED TO KNOW THE WEIGHT. IT HAS 117K MILES AND THE PREVIOUS OWNER STATED HE CHANGED THE TIMING BELT. WATER PUMP? I WILL CHECK THE HEAD GASKET BUT IN REPLACING THE CLUTCH I NOTICED THERE WAS AN OIL LEAK ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE MOTOR, IS THIS VALVE COVER RELATED OR THIS HEAD GASKET YOU MENTIONED? ALSO WHERE WOULD I GET A "MLS" HEAD GASKET? THANKS!

 

MLS, autozone, modernperformance.com

the oil leaking could be the rear main seal. thats a common area for the Neons.

 

they dont exactly make the "right" mtx oil any more... most of us just use atf+4 and change it about every 50k miles... works really well.. even in really cold weather...

 

i agree.

 

the Pennzoil Syncromesh works good too.

 

 

ASK POLITELY AND I WILL SMART ***.