1) The engine seems to have a clatter on start-up which lasts a few minutes and fades but i can still hear a slight clatter when driving around. What could this be?

2) I can feel the car has a bit of a rough idle through the vibrations. Also when i press the accelerator slightly the engine gets rougher but if i press down more the engine revs fine and sounds/feels good. What could this be?



Thanks

 

it sounds to me like the cam or cams are bad i had the same problem before..just a guess but im sure someone on here will answer if i am wrong as there is a lot of neon experts on here

 

Could be any number of things, 1)exhaust manifold heat shield, 2)throwout bearing, if its an MTX, 3)bad catalytic converter.

When was the last time you had a tuneup? Spark plugs, spark plug wires, PCV valve and so on. Motor mounts could be going out on you or maybe just a bad connection somewhere.

 

i forgot about the heat shield that covers the exhaust manifold that also causes rattling but idk if it would go away but you never know he is a neon expert

 

I dont know when it last had a service/une-up. I have bought some new spark plugs to fit. The noise seems to come from the back of the engine, below the windscreen in the centre of the engine.

 

It may be the rocker arms clattering. On a SOHC engine, the valve lashes are hydraulic and non-adjustable. When they start to wear, it begins to clatter (not too bad but definitely noticable) until the oil and engine warms up fully, then it gets much quieter. As the wear continues, the clattering gets louder and eventually does not shut up even when fully warmed up. The only way to fix this problem is to replace any rocker arm that has gone (is going bad). A SOHC rocker here in the US is between $40 and $80 depending on where you get it and which one is bad (intake or exhaust). Fortunately, they are not difficult to replace.

On a DOHC engine, you have the same issues, but a DOHC engine uses shims between the valve stem and the rocker and when it wears too much, you just replace the shim to meet the desired gap distance. Much cheaper to replace then for SOHC engines as the shims are usually a couple of bucks apiece and you can buy just the thicknesses you need - as you need them.

 

You know alot about them

I was wondering if maybe someone had put the wrong oil in, could that cause a clatter until it was warm? The person i got the car from said the oil had just been done. I know it needs 5W30, doesnt it?

 

Unlikely that it would cause your noise. But yes it does call for 5w30.

 

I am new to the forum but I know what your going through(or something close).My 96 dodge neon has had clattering trouble for years but can not find it.It clatters quietly while in idle but when you get on the gas it clatters louder.I ws hopping someone could help me find the issue.Sounds like it was coming from the driver side of the engine(have had injector issues there before but mostly with the wires we think.).

 

That would probably be one of your lash adjusters. Could be low on oil or you have a bad one.