ive seen threads about the ones from autozone being bad right out of the box and being a cheaper brand name like duralast or valuecraft. i didnt cheap out for this reason so i bought the borg warner oem replacement from oreily's with a lifetime warranty.

 

talked to the dodge dealership and they said that there are 3 common problems with neons making them do exactly what mine does. they said crank sensor, cam sensor, and the pcm are all extremely common. the crank and cam sensors are both new so im thinking pcm. trying to get a code reader to see if theres any codes for a pcm issue on it.

it did have a code for a crank sensor before i replaced it and afterwards the code was gone so i would think its good. once i get a decent enough day i will go through and look over the wiring again in that common rub spot and check my grounds. thanks for the link to those pics.

but if i had a bad ground wouldnt it keep trying to start up and not start fine then run fine then suddenly die and loose spark?

 

i just convinced my buddy to let me borrow his code reader by leaving my $350 snap-on impact with him. and right now there are zero codes but the car has not ran since i put the battery back in yet. so tomorrow im going to put jumper cables on it to make sure it wont crank forever and kill the battery again. then once it starts and dies i will read for codes again.

im thinking pulling the battery clears the codes on these cars if i remember right.

 

You are correct.

 

ok, i got a code reader on it and go figure the car wont start at all now. but after a bunch of cranking i checked the codes and i got one.

P0118: engine coolant temperature sensor circuit high voltage.

 

just put the scanner back on to see if it would give me coolant temp, and luckily it did. the coolant temp is jumping all around from 70 degrees F up to 260 degrees F. so i called the dealership i used to work at for dodge. and the service manager said that its probably a grounding issue. somewhere. he said to check all my grounds and make sure theres no coroded wires or anything. so thats my next step i guess. so next nice day im free im going hunting lol. also going to test the sensor and make sure its getting a good ground and its 5 volt reference.

 

update............

today i unplugged the coolant temp sensor (cts) and checked to see if the circuit was getting a good ground and receiving its 5v reference from the computer. it did both perfectly, so then i plugged the harness back in and back probed the sensor. when doing this it had 2v on the reference wire. so i called my buddy at the parts store and asked him about it and he said that without the car running and being ice cold it should be closer to 5v or closer to zero volts and not right in the middle at all.

i just now talked to one of my teachers from college and he said that on a neon a bad cts can cause a no start or a stalling condition like my car has. he also agreed that the sensor voltage should not be in the center like it is and that it was bad.

so i got a sensor and hopefully once i get it in it will fix my problem.

long story short for those of you with a no start condition check your coolant temp sensor as it may be the problem.

 

well...............

got the coolant temp sensor in today and still just crank, no start

 

Im having this exact same issue. If i figure anything out ill post it.

 

You checked all your wires? Like the wire harness in it's entirety but pulling the cover off. Maybe it got a little too close the the muffler. My dodge dakota had a few of the the wire connections corrode apart. Neon wire harness branches off the cam/crank position sensors and use crimps.
My wire harness was a pain in the butt... Did you use a NEW crank sensor sensor pigtail or the old one? Did you just repair the damaged crimps? When I ripped my old pigtail apart and looked at the contacts there was corrosion.

I'd yank the wire harness, rip it apart and check everything. Have and it's worth it. You just built the car so I'm leaning towards a short. Mine wasn't throwing codes but the cps and the pigtail were both shot.

Have you tried a compression test?

Sorry to ramble. Just trying to help. I know how frustrating it can be man. Don't give up!