Our 1999 Neon R/T has been with us from day 1 when it was delivered to the Dodge Dealership my stepdad worked at and when i got my license at 16 its been unofficially passed down to me to get to and from school and now used to take my happy *** to work at the age of 19 (:

The clutch has NEVER been replaced since we never pushed this car, we always treated it well, changed things on it earlier than suggested. She has just under 137,000 miles.

But im starting to have issues that i cant recreate when i try to explain them to my stepfather.

-Clutch popping. It seems to only happen when i go from a complete stop, as i start to bring up the clutch theres a loud TOONK. a metalic pop that sounds like you ran something over with your tire and it broke, you can KINDA feel it in the pedal when it happens and after words it wont happen again for a while. Its starting to concern me a bit as such a noise sounds unhealthy. I have the model neon with a non-modular clutch.

-Clutch Squeak. This only happens before the car is warmed and leaving my neighborhood, pressing the clutch results in a squeak kinda like a door squeak, but stops after getting down the road a bit. I dont think its the pedal its self as it sounds more internal.

-Thudding. this mostly happens in the lower gears, when pressing the clutch in theres a thud and it shakes the car if im not REEAAALLLYY careful and slow on shifting. by shake i mean like a slam. Like i hit a pothole. This also happens when letting off the gas at any speed. This makes me believe that even though the Engine mounts were replaced not too long ago, they could be torn again.

-RPM decel Idle. This ones hard to figure out, its strange. When coming up to a stoplight i usually either do 2 things, downshift to slow down and then brake, or i just push clutch in and coast before braking. This issue happens on both techniques and also is a rare problem but when it DOES happen it lingers for about 5 or so minutes. When i clutch in, the RPM's drop to a normal idle but then go to 1,100 ish, it doesnt fluctuate, it idles there no matter if im in gear with the clutch in or if im coasting in neutral, heres the part that confuses me, as soon as i hit 4mph or below, it fixes itself and drops to its normal idle. Revving the engine while sitting still will not recreate this issue. Revving the engine while coasting doesnt stop the issue either, car does not idle rough at all either. Could it be the computer?

Just trying to get a feeler for this issues thats been lingering around, any advice is great, Thanks.

Sidenote: the clutch needs to be replaced i know, but the labor cost is insane

 

Ok, well i am rather new here let me explain the problems with my 98 R/T.

-The motor and tranny mounts are shot, causing a thud and a shake.
- Also the front engine mount bracket stripped away causing a thudding sound.
- You don't have to replace the motor mounts, just buy polyurethane inserts. They fill the gaps and fix a broken mount.

- My intake seal just went in my car causing a cylinder misfire code (p0304)
- This makes my revs go up when decelerating just like yours. You can check this by spraying carb cleaner or starting fluid around the intake seals and vacuum lines, if the rev changes, you have a leak.

Hope that helps a bit !

 

This is actually good to hear, hopefully trying these will fix some of them, i was worried i'd have to dump a fortune into something expensive but im quite thrilled with this suggestion. Thank you

 

Do you hear any grinding noises from the clutch area? Could be a throw out bearing or clutch spring gone. I would check the motor mounts first.

 

Nope. No grinding noises. Havent had the gears grind since the first time i drove it.