Hello all, I'm having a fuel problem with my Neon. It has just started showing a check engine light, the code is #51 ( fuel system lean). However, it is using twice as much fuel as usual and feels like it keeps dropping a cylinder. It has NGK Platinums in it (6 months now) and everything was fine until the check engine light appeared. When that happened, I replaced the wires (1 week ago) to no effect. I pulled the plugs and other than extremely sooty, they look ok. Fuel pump and filter are 3 weeks new. Any ideas would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

first off change your spark plugs back to the stock champion copper plugs... anything else is crap in a neon...

also... have you checked your injectors... maybe your wires are coming off and your injectors are just hitting every once and a while causing the lean condition...

 

The fuel rails on the older Neons can get goodies in them that deposit onto the backs of the fuel injectors. 95to96 is onto that. Also, depending on the mileage, when, if ever, have you changed the O2 sensors?

 

Thanks for the ideas, I'll swap out the plugs tomorrow and check the injectors as well.