More then likely a cam or crankshaft sensor or wiring issue. The oil light only comes on when there is no oil pressure. The light came on when the car died because there is no oil pressure when the car is not running. That is normal. If the car ran fine before they touched it I bet its something to do with the cam sensor because they had to remove it to put the seal it.

 

So back to the engine options what would be the cheapest and the easiest choice to do since I can't fit a 03 and up 2.0L Sohc engine even though I think it is the exact same engine as the 1st gen.

I have heard of the SRT-4 swaps in 1st gens and while it is very difficult to do, people have done it and seen awesome results.

I wonder if it is better to find a DOHC engine from a 1st gen or get another SOHC engine from 1st gen. If I had to go with SOHC I would really like to find a ACR tuned magnum SOHC engine (150 HP) with 5 speed manual and acr pcm and swap those into my neon since the body of the car is still pretty decent with limited rust by the right rear wheel well and tip of hood. Hell I would even try to get the post 2001 R/T engine swap

 

A whole motor wont solve your issue with a sensor. You can use any motor you want. I am serious. People bolt in older turbo dodge swaps with very little modification. Is your car a manual or auto? Were you looking to get more power out of it?

 

It has the dreadful torqflight 3-speed automatic so I need it to be faster. I wanted more power and better reliability from it because I can't trust this current engine especially because of the smart ahole scammer who conned me into this car.

Hell if I wanted to be outrageous I would try to swap in a Mitsubishi Mirage/ Eclipse engine the 2.0L 4G63 and turbocharge it or even throw in a 1.8 B16B vtec honda civic engine inside the car. But I need it to be reliable no matter what the engine was. not sure if this sohc is worth keeping because I am sure the previous owner never did maintenance on time etc...

 

The car will never go fast with the auto, they don't hold power. The 5 speed compliments the engines a lot. You would need to do a 5 speed swap. I have done a 5 speed swap in a neon from a donor car and it was a lot of work. Not sure how much you like the car and how much you plan to stick in it. Plus you will need to set some goals of what you expect. But me on the other hand I am looking for any clean first gen neon to do a 2.4 n/a swap with srt-4 internals shooting for 450whp. I am going to try to build the auto transmission to hold up but the tranny has a lot of weak points that may be hard to upgrade. The only reason I am trying this is because I work in a transmission shop. I am willing to invest 5-6 grand in a 1st gen, are you?

 

About the gas spilling out when you try to fill the car: My 1998 Neon does that. I think the new pumps just pump gas faster than the old car can drink it in. (Problem started about 3 years ago, when gas stations here began replacing old pumps.) I squeeze handle, count to 3, release. Squeeze again, count to 3, release. Eventually, it fills. (Some pumps let me count as high as 6, but so far none have spilled gas with a 3 count.)
A friend can squeeze the handle just enough to trickle the gas in slow enough to prevent spills. I prefer the squeeze and count method. Holding that "just right" tension tires me more.
(I also replaced the filler neck about a year ago, because the old one rusted through and let gas sprinkle out during fill. Thought that might fix everything. It did not.)