Hey guys I just decided to join the mopar world on sunday by buying a 1996 Dodge Neon 2.0L SOHC with 3 Speed automatic base sedan. Supposedly it has 66,660 miles on the car at least that is what the odometer says.

I am sure the previous owner wasn't telling me everything the car needed work on.

First I have an issue with the gas gauge and fuel tank.

The gas gauge always seems to be on empty, I put gas in the car thinking it was completely empty because the needle was right on the E part of the gauge so I went to a gas station and start to put gas in the car. After a little over $3.00 the gas overflowed out (almost like it spit the gas out), I didn't think much of it, so I kept fueling and at $4.50 it spewed out and then again at $5.60. I stopped at $6.00 because I was fed up with the car doing that; so I turned on the engine and the gas gauge ONLY went up to 1/4 of a tank. So I don't know if it is the gauge that is broken or the fuel pump or the sensor inside the gas tank connected to the gauge.

I took it to the mechanic and he didn't know anything about that and said it probably just a bad gauge so just be wary of the gas tank because it was full so that is why it spilled out.

That is the first problem that I don't know what to do.

The next issue I have is that the check engine light is on and I bought it with it on. The previous owner told me that it was because one of the spark plugs filled with oil due to a leaky valve cover gasket (which doesn't make sense), and a bad coil pack (the spark plug he drain the oil from was cylinder one (assuming that the farthest left one is cylinder 1, when looking from left to right). He replaced all spark plus with the iridium tipped ones, he replaced the bad coil pack, and he changed the valve cover gasket and also drained the oil out of the spark plug hole. I went to the mechanic and he just reset the code and said to come back if the light turns back on and it drove fine during the day because the check engine light was off, but on the way home at night the light turned on again, I was on the highway going about 65 MPH and I wasn't pressing the gas hard either. So I don't know why or what the code is (I will get the code read tomorrow). The car seem to run and drive fine but I did smell oil burning. But that might be residue from the leaky valve cover gasket, or maybe the mechanic didn't fix a sensor next to the oil filter after he did the oil change. But nothing was leaking on the street/pavement under the car.

The mechanic mentioned that it could be a bad head gasket but I hope it isn't because those are pricey and I've never changed one before. I've done brakes, and valve covers as well as oil changes and alternators, but I've never taken apart the block before.

I know the previous owner also changed the crank position sensor too.

I am sorry for making this an essay but also the code it had when I bought the car said misfire according to the owner who has a code reader.

So what other reasons could be why it turned back on. It has new oil, and oil filter, new coil pack, new crank position sensor, new spark plugs, and a new valve cover gasket.
So to recap the two issues I have right now is the Gas tank spewing gas out after putting about $3.00 in and the gas gauge only moving to the 1/4 tank mark and the issue with the check engine light being on and it smells like it was burning oil.

 

Sounds like your on the right track. When he said the valve cover gasket was leaking onto the spark plugs he meant to say the spark plug tube seals (which come with the valve cover gasket) were leaking.

Its either the gauge or sending unit in the tank messing up the fuel reading. More then likely the sending unit in my opinion. Let me know what that code is. Try not to overfill the gas tank, this will cause issues with the evap. The CEL could be from the fuel gauge not working but we will see.

The oil burning smell could be anything, just poke around and look for oil residue around the exhaust. Head gaskets were not common on 96's only 95's. Very unlikely the head gasket is out unless someone overheated it.

 

Thanks again for replying. The code is P0300 Multiple Misfire, I also spoke with the autozone associate and he said it could also be dirty fuel injectors, or the fuel pump and sending unit, which can be the reason why the gas gauge read empty. Also I noticed that my speedo doesn't work unless I hit/tap the plastic part hard and if it hit it in the middle the speedo goes to 60-65 and only max out at 65 even if I am going faster. So I hit it again until it registers it correctly, so it also might be a bad vehicle speed sensor or the gauge cluster itself might be bad.

Also I don't know what kind of gas tank I have, is it plastic or metal because there is a fuel sending unit, one for plastic tanks and one for metal gas tanks?

 

The fuel level sensor is separate from the fuel feed system, so the 2 wont be related. Yes the multiple cylinder misfire could be injectors, but could be other things also. I would check the fuel pressure and see how fast it bleeds down after the car is off. The issue with the gauge cluster is common. I will include a link shortly with a procedure to fix it. This may be also causing the fuel gauge issue. Yes this is correct about the plastic and metal tanks. 96's had some metal tanks, some plastic. Just crawl under and check. If the tank is grey or rusty its metal, if its black then its plastic.

I hate to say it the multiple cylinder misfire is common on the neons. I had this issue and changed everything on it under the moon besides the injectors. I drove it like this for 3 years and it ran fine for the most part. After changing all the tune up stuff I would check the cat make sure its not plugged. service injectors, check for vacuum, intake, or exhaust leaks. Check o2 switching to make sure there isn't a lazy o2 sensor. Make sure the plugs are gaped to spec also. Does the car run fine overall?


https://dodgeforum.com/forum/1st-gen...er-repair.html

 

Thanks again. The car runs ok, I lack some power on the highway and it doesn't always shift when I want it to (like it shifts when it feels like) I have the drabby old 3 speed automatic transmission NO overdrive. So I know I am lacking in performance in that part.

The issue I noticed which has to do with the burning oil smell is that today I was driving and I wasn't pushing it too hard.

While I was driving the burning smell got stronger and I immediately pulled into a gas station parking lot and I turned off the engine and I noticed that there was smoke coming from the engine bay. Most likely the oil leaking is burning up pretty fast.

I left the hood open and I went into the supermarket and bought 4 quarts of 5W-30 motor oil and after about 30 minutes or so I opened the oil cap and poured 2 quarts of the oil in there and let it sit for probably 15 minutes. Then I started the car and the smoking stopped and the smell went away.

I looked under the car and saw that the oil pan right next to the oil filter was black so it might have been leaking the oil and burning it up. NONE of the oil leaked onto the pavement. I saw that the engine oil level looked right under the max indicator on the dipstick and after I put the 2 quarts of oil in there it went over the max limit. I can't rely on the oil dipstick reading if the engine is still hot. But it seems that there might be oil leaking somewhere in that vicinity and getting burned off. I dropped my gf off at her parents house and the car was off with the hood open for about 20-30 minutes and before I left I checked the dipstick and the oil level went down. So I put in another quart and then drove it back to my parents house (about a 15 minute drive/ 5-8 miles).

I just got the oil change on monday at the mechanic so I saw him put about 4.5 quarts of oil into the car after he drained the old oil and the filter.

 

Ok I have never soldered before nor do I own a soldering gun, so is the next best thing just to replace the entire gauge cluster?

I also would like a gauge cluster with a tach since mine doesn't have one and it is so weird not having one since every car I have owned has a tachometer.

 

Thats what I do is replace the whole cluster. But sometimes they will have the same issue because its so common. Be careful with adding oil. You dont want to overfill it, this will cause oil leak. Even if the motor is hot the oil level should read between min and max. I would have a mechanic with a lift look over the smoke issue. If smoke was rolling out of the hood there is a safety issue. Oil can catch fire.

 

Hey thanks again so much for helping me out.

I took it to the mechanic and he found a lot of issues with the car.

The oil was leaking badly the main culprit was a very shoddy valve cover gasket which the previous owner told me he replaced and showed me the receipt, it leaks from the rear part of the block from the valve cover gasket, it leaks close to the oil pressure sensor, it leaks near the camshaft position sensor and the spark plugs (2 out of 4 spark plugs showed oil in the spark plug filler hole) So the previous owner screwed me over and I don't know how he got the receipt printed with his name on it and showed how much he paid for it from meineke. So the multiple misfire was correct. also I found out that the outer tie rods on the passengers side is really rusty and might snap, so they are replacing that as well. The total came out to $320.00 which is insane price, they made a hefty profit from me. Also things needed in the future is the driver's side tie rod, sway bar and bushings and the bottom of the car has considerable amount of rust. the gas tank is metal because it looks somewhat rusty. I am pretty sure the gauge cluster might be bad too, because if I hit the cluster the speedo works and other times when I am crawling it will indicate I am driving at 70 mph so that is confirmed bad. The vehicle speed sensor attached to the transmission is fine. Sometimes if I hit it too hard the airbag light turns on and goes away.

I just hope this will be the only hefty repair I need at least for another few years.

I knew the car needed repair when I bought it, but I didn't know it needed more than I thought.

 

Cam seal is 4 bolts and only like $5 for the seal. The oil pressure sending unit is like $10 and takes 15 minutes to put in. The valve cover gasket is like $20 and takes half an hour. Why would tie rod ends be changed from rust, I have never heard this before on a neon unless the car sat in a pile of salt. Sway links rusted? What a joke if they aren't broken and the bushings are fine don't touch them. Yes change the cluster, it will fix that issue. Sounds like the mechanic is maybe screwing you. The few things leaking oil can be done over the weekend by a novice mechanic, I would just do them yourself. The oil sending unit takes a special socket that you can pick up at the parts store. If it were me I would just change the valve cover gasket and let the rest go if its not leaving puddles. A little oil around the sensors isn't a big deal if its not dripping or pouring off. Most likely the valve cover is the main leak.

Lets go back to the rusted parts underneath the car. Sway links are not a safety issue, if they break you will hardly notice if it wasn't for the clunk they give off. For the tie rod ends... All tie rod ends have rust just like the rest of the suspension underneath older cars. If the rod is thinned out flaking away thats one thing, rust coating around the outside is normal. I would like to see pictures to confirm this for you.

The cluster is also something you can do yourself. You take out a few screws and pull up on the dash, take out the 4 screws holding cluster, pull cluster out, stick new one in, put screws back in. I can find you "How to" write ups if you decide to do the stuff yourself just let me know.

If your around eastern Iowa I would be more then willing to help. Just throwing that out there.

 

Hey I got the car back from the shop on saturday only to have it go back again.

After the oil leaks were repaired the seals and valve cover gasket replaced. I drove it ONLY about 5 minutes away from the mechanic shop and the car immediately showed more issues.

The car would get gas and start moving but then shortly after driving the car would lose power and stall/ stop moving and the oil light would turn on and the car would crank but it wouldn't start. I thought at first it was an oil issue and instinct kicked in and I immediately put oil in there assuming it was low on oil (bad move on my part, as I would waste a quart of perfectly good oil). But after I put it in, the car tried to crank for a few seconds but finally it turned over and it started to run again, but shortly after it turned over and I drove at least 30 feet from where the car stalled out or stopped at, and then the car did it again, it lost power and stalled out or just stopped and the oil light turned on. I thought I blew the engine pistons because it did it and then I had it towed back to the mechanic shop again and after the tow truck unloaded it, the car started up and ran again so the mechanic was able to drive it up the driveway where it stalled out and lost power and stopped again. So they pushed it into the garage service bay. Not even 5-10 minutes later the car started and was up and running again but I left it there because I know it would probably stall out or lose power on the road and stop again. When I last left the area about 35 minutes later the car was still running.

I definitely bought a POS moneypit. So now I am thinking just stick another engine in the car. I am considering the 2000-2005 regular 2.0L SOHC engine swap since it is the same engine, but part of me wants to do a 2.4L turbo srt-4 or even if I could find a Magnum SOHC 2.0L engine from the 99 ACR (I know I need an acr pcm), I would love to do that. Also get rid of the crappy torquflight 3 speed automatic for the 4 speed automatic or even do a 5 speed manual swap even though I don't feel like drilling the hole for the 3rd pedal. I just want to get this car to run decently and I think the current engine it has in it is a POS since I am pretty sure the mileage isn't true and the guy scammed me very well.

what would be the best combo?