Yesterday my 1995 Dodge Neon I bought new back in 1994 with only 89K in mint suddenly would not accelerate and was back firing. Thank God I was 3 blocks away from home, was able to drive it at 20 mph. I was told it could be either the timing belt or the fuel pump. I have 1/4 of a tank of gas in it. What could be the problem??

PS I am a 51 year old female

 

Might be time for a nice tuneup. More than likely it's the spark plugs. When they go bad, then tend to cause backfire and poor acceleration when you press on the gas.

That neon looks nice for a 95! Great job keeping it so clean.

 

I got stuck near Pep Boys, left it there for diagnostic check. They said it is the Fuel Pump/Fuel filter...plus I have to replace the battery connectors. They didn not mention Wires/Spark plugs. Funny because when I got an oil change at the Dodge dealer they said I need to replace the plugs soon. Today my sister and I are going to bring it back home. I will not have them work on my car, they quoted $700.00! No way. I met someone in our apartment complex who owns a auto service repair shop and said he'll fix it for me. Didn't quote me yet but definitely way cheaper. Will keep you posted.

I love my Neon, that's why it looks awesome still after 17 years owning it

 

I would hold off on the fuel pump/filter change and have them look at fuses and relays first. Battery connections on the neon are very sensitive, so they need to be clean and free of corrosion. Again, I'd start with the spark plugs and/or wires.

 

* The spark plugs and wires were changed last year.So the wires/battery cables will be changed. But if PepBoys diagnostice said it's the fuel pump should I believe them? I am not having them work on the car, it will be taken off their property in a few days and we have to pay for the diagnostic check ($89.95). A friend of ours will flat bed it to his friend's garage to be worked on. The guy I mentioned a few posts back never got in touch with me so forget about him. Will keep you posted and thanks for your help!

 

Some places will diagnose the fuel/pump filter before checking fuses and relays and are just plain lazy.

 

Those mechanics are trying to rip you off just like typical franchised mechanics. I have never seen or heard of a fuel pump/filter causing a car to misfire. I have only seen them cause a car not to start or just stall out completely. I would say start off with the wires and plugs like DAS said and go from there. It seems to be a spark issue or timing issue more than fuel.

 

One other thing to note here jetdogy, is that you have a 1995 model year Neon. The one "nice" thing about it is that it is the ONLY year to have the external fuel filter. (Autozone FF875DL - $24, Advance F65039 - $24). It is located just behind and inside the rear passenger tire well under a cover plate. 2 bolts and the cover is off.

They are cheap to buy and EASY to replace. You only need a tool to loosen the bolt that holds it on. The gas lines have a quick disconnect that don't even require tools, so once you get the bolt holding it on out, it takes 2 seconds to swap out and put back on.

Just make sure to bleed the fuel pressure to avoid getting sprayed with gas. You can do that by pushing in the schrader relief valve on the fuel rail. Just put a cup in front of it so IT doesn't spray you in the face.

 

Excellent point bg1995redneon. Didn't think about that as well but she won't be doing any of the work on her own but she can pass the info along.

 

Has anyone ever mentioned how to do the "Dodge key dance" to you? It is the "poor man's" quick way of getting any PCM diagnostic messages.

If not, there is a sticky link in this forum that gives you the procedure on how to do it and what any error codes mean.

If you are getting an 11 error code, check the camshaft sensor and/or crankshaft sensor. they can cause a misfire too.

Any parts store (Autozone, Advance, OReilly) will give you a FREE OBD-II readout and will give you any error codes that your PCM may have stored. The 1995 model (thank you Dodge) went ahead and implemented the OBD-II codes in that year even though it was not required to do so until 1996. It is located just to the left of your steering wheel under the edge of the dash panel. It looks like a big plastic D with pinholes.

Just an FYI.