I was driving a 98 neon dohc around 35mph and without sputtering smoke or warning the car shuts off - suddenly.
The engine cranks but doesn't seem to be getting any spark. It sounds like its turning over without rotating the engine. All electrical work and I had about 1/2 a tank of gas.
Any comments or suggestions on what the problem might be will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

Check the fuel pump fuse.

 

Make sure your battery connections and grounds are clean and secure.

 

the same thing happened to my car before but i have a sohc the timing belt snapped and the car would kinda try to start but wouldnt thats my guess..

 

The same thing happened to a friend's 95. Died when driving and no spark. It was the 15 amp engine ignition fuse that had blown.

If you can see the camshaft or rocker arms through the oil filler hole have someone crank the engine. If you see no movement the timing belt broke.

 

SOHC engines have a timing check plug in the cover you can remove. If the DOHC engines have the same thing, pull the plastic plug and see if your cams turn when the engine turns over. You can also see if it is still in time that way, so if the cams turn but is not in time, then your belt slipped some teeth and could cause the same symptoms - especially if it slipped a lot.

 

I had the same thing happen, it turned out to be the crank position sensor. It had fuel pressure but no spark.