Hello,

I purchased a 1997 Dodge Neon last night. The good news is it appears to be in fine mechanical condition, and in fact had close to $1,000 work of done a week ago for normal upkeep things such as new battery, struts, spark plugs, etc.

As with any used car, there are some minor issues. The tail lights don't come on, nor do the lights inside the car (the dashboard, gear shift, etc.). This, I know, is a simple fuse issue, as all the brake lights and turn signals work.

A bald tire..no problem.

One thing that has me slightly baffled is that when driving at night, after a period time the headlights will systematically flash. A slow blinking would be more like it. At first, I thought it was a warning as I had the dome light on to compensate for not being able to see the dashboard indicators. Still flashed. Now, when I push the lights off, wait a couple seconds, and turn them back on, they hold steady for anywhere from 10-15 minutes, and then flash again.

My father in law says it's a fan belt issue, which makes sense as a lot of work has been done, and the mechanic may simply have forgotten do tighten it.

Is that a valid suspicion, or could it be something more?

There's also an oil smell coming from the hood, but we checked things out before buying it, and I'm choosing to believe that some oil was spilled, as it did just undergo an oil change. It smells just like my first car did when a bunch of oil was spilled.

Nothing overheats, and the pickup is fine. The car runs beautifully otherwise. Brakes work, etc. After we buy a new tire, it should have no issue passing inspection.

Thanks in advance!

 

the neons do not have belt driven fans, but i do understand what concept your describing....if any of the belts were loose, then you would still have power from the battery..if there wasnt enough power then the battery light would pop on....
i would think it may be more of a problem with the headlight switch or a ground issue..

good luck with the car

 

I agree there are drive or "V" belts, one for alternator and one for PS and AC and the fan/s are electric. You can check belt tension by pushing on center of the belt, it should deflect not more than 1/2". The Alternator belt is a PITA (IMO) to adjust as it requires you to loosen the two pivot bolts (one at 12 O' Clock and one at 6 O' Clock on face of Alternator) and then the adjustment bolt which is located above the alternator and goes through a metal spill shield. The issue is getting to that bolt (I have the scars to prove it). I was able to reach up from below and get a ratcheting box end wrench on this bolt (I just replaced the alternator in my '98) that bolt. First trry this (if you haven't already) get volt meter out and set to 20 VDC, then with engine off take a voltage reading (should be at 12.0 VDC (this is battery voltage, then do the same thing with engine running (should be at 14.0 VDC and this is alternator voltage). If all readings are good then I would not suspect a loose belt on the alternator.