Hello all , thanks for the excellent info in the forums. I have been lurking for a week now , looking at a local 97 sohc 2l , 2dr . Didnt think i had any headgasket issue because the HG was done at 130,000miles , and the car is at 189,000 . I was wrong. heres the skinny

The guy i bought it from said he didnt have any major problems , just did all new brakes , and hg was done (supposedly) at 150000miles. Not hard to believe.
so i paid him $950 for the car (being a local jap tuner , was fishy , but its a dodge , so i wasnt sure if price was a jack.). Had the car the first day , took it to valvoline because i dont have access to tools anymore to even unbolt my oil drain plug , they told my it was pretty messy under there and the oil wasnt bad. I notified them that it stalled a few times when cold , and i came to a stop . i just passed it off as a cold trany and an idler needing adjusted. they told me tranny fluid was ok , oil was grungy. Being high miles on a rebuild , i had them do MAXLIFE .

drove it for a day , came home . when my gf came home an hour later she came in yelling that i blew up my new car... come to find out i had a good quart of oil in my driveway. i figured the guys at VALVO screwed up , and resigned to taking it back the next day (yesterday) and having them tighten my drain plug (which the threads were stripped when they took my old one out , and they said that was the leak problem at first , OVERSIZE plug supposedly fixed it).

so i take it back there yesterday , and after some degreasing , against normal VALVO policy , the guy takes me under the deck to show me my "couple problems".

he proceeds to show me that there is about half a cup dripping out from what appears to be the rear main seal , and that my drain plug is still secure.
then he takes me back up top and cracks my radiator cap , and he didnt have to show me the green and white froth. grrrr.

so now my blood pressure has settled down after finding out theres no legal action i can take to get this bunghole to fix his crap-sale , so now im on my own until a small claims settlement comes through.


i am what i would call mechanically inclined. I understand thing like engines , for the most part at least. i have done headgaskets in oldmobile's , chevy's , honda's and toyota's . i have never pulled an engine or put one in by myself , let alone ANY dodge work. i really like my car , and it suprised me for having a 2.0 ATX ... so i dont want to scrap her...

depending on neccesary tools and supplies , i have 1300 total to get whatever i need from start to finish on the HG and possible main seal.
my questions are many , and may not be clear at first... if someone doesnt understand , please ask and i will describe better if possible (been on here all day looking for an answer , its 2:00am so please bear with me)...

Q1 : Could the "rear main seal" leak really be my HG leaking down somehow to be mistaken for the main seal?
- Does the engine need to be removed to access the rear main with reasonable ease?
- if i do need to do rear main , i have read some are press-fit. is it possible to do this without a $100,000 machine?
Q2 : The Stop-Stalling i noticed occaisionally (more often than "here and there" , at least once every half hour worth of driving time) is really irritating. Is it a simple fix? is it even fixable? should i address this problem while doing obligatory engine work?
Q3 : while doing HG , MLS replacement with mopar spray sealer is known. Are there any tips or trick to doing this as a first dodge rebuild ? im not worried about upping performance right now , i just want her to run. But if i have to buy something else beside HG , (ie waterpunp , oil sending unit , anything) , whats common to replace or upgrade .
Q4 : local dodge service department could only offer that "special tools needed " was a "pulley puller" ... im assuming this is the crank pulley that some on here have had problems with (and one acct of it breaking). Im limited on monies here , so i am hoping to rent one , or if someone knows who carries a dealer tool , let me know.

any information is greatly appreciated.

ps : im used to using ngk plugs in my japs , what is recommended for dodge OEM or better parts??

ps2: ATX shifter doesnt "click" in the places it should. is this a simple in-cab adjustment , or is this a sign of major drivetrain problem / mis-alignment?

thank you guys for everything so far and anything in the future.
jay hova
1997 sohc 2.0 atx white(chippy) 2dr neon

 

first welcome to the neon community, second it would be easier to get your answers if you post them in the first gen forum, about your spark plugs at the top of this forum there is a long thread about which plug to use and why, its good reading , ok head gasket you should be able to do with just a kit and your self i dont have time to do major fixes like that anymore with work being how it is lately so i paid for it to get done and only cost me 750 and about your rear main seal being the headgasket...i doubt it because thats what i thought too and about 2 months later car was in a shop gettting rear main seal fixed so its probably ur rear main seal leaking and that only cost me 350 to have them do it so you should be able to fix both the problems for under 1000 dollars

 

A1: It's possible, but the rear main seal is known for going out.
A2: The HG fix, may cure this problem
A3: You should change the timing belt, water pump, and tensioner pulley while you are at it
A4: You can rent it for free from Autozone but make sure you get a long insert. The one they give you isn't long enough.

ps1A: Stock Champion Copper plugs or copper NGK's are best
ps2A: try a fluid and filter change and adjust your kickdown band.

HG kit - $100
Timing belt - $40
Tensioner pulley - $35
Water Pump - $40
Rear Main Seal - $40

Tranny fluid and filter change with Mopar ATF+4 - $50

 

i would also just change the timing belt while your at it since its nearing 200,000. and the rear main seal are common places for it to leak so i doupt it...but could be wrong at which you'll just have to find out when u go to change the hg..

 

thank you all for your help so far. it is greatly appreciated. sorry for the discomboobulated post... its is kinda wacky , eh?

the replies helped calm my nerves immensely (along with some sleep).

now my only question is this : do i need to remove my motor to do the real main seal?

and also , since i have no idea what yahoozle did the motor work , should i go ahead and order new head studs? i know every car's head studs ive done work on so far were stretched so far it was a two gasket order (first one too loose , second one new studs).

other than that , im going to get my car soon , and possibly tools ,so i ask this of you gentlemen (and ladies) . are torque increments on dodges in ft lb/ sq in , or inch lb/ sq in?

and one last one , anyone own the AllData (or alldatadiy) information , if so , is it as accurate as they say it is (almost idiot proof?) ?

thank you guys so much.... i think im back in kansas now.... **sigh of relief**


btw : found the sticky on spark plugs , that why i asked...lots of conflicting opinions , ill stick with my ngk's since is a DIS system.

oh and one last q: i usually use mobil 1 synthetic for my japs , is 10/5 - w30 mobil one ok for the dodge even tho miles are so high , or should i let this depend on piston ring wear?
im just praying my cylinders arent gouged , but it hasnt overheated and i havent seen any blowby at all...so im optimistic...
4.5 qts oil correct?


thanks
Jay Hova (97sohc2.0)

 

personally Mobil 1 didn't do justice for my car when it had 210,000 on it... and it wasn't burning oil nor loosing compression at that point so i wouldn't waste your money but thats just me... and 4.5 quartz is correct

 

1)You will want to get new head studs.
2)There is another post recently where I posted the engine torque specs for both the SOHC nad DOHC.
3)You can use Mobil 1 oil, but not for the break-in.

 

the engine can be removed to do the rear main seal, but i usually use an engine hoist, connect it to the trans, then lower the trans through the bottom of the car, then slide it out....installation is the reverse.....

to replace the rear main seal:
you can use a small flat head screwdriver to pry the old one out.....then new one will come with an installation sleeve...you just push it in there, remove the install sleeve, then use your thumb to push it in the rest of the way...

go out and get a haynes manual....then you have all the torque specs at your finger tips when needed.....

hey, if you lived closer i would do it all for 400.00 plus parts.....i usually charge 200.00 for rear main seal replacements

 

so the main seal is actually on my tranny? i was under the inpression that it was the engine , but i was a little frustrated at the time , so i wasnt paying extreme attention.

the shop i took it to said the hay to remove the motor , so i wasnt sure if it was absolutely necessaty.

i got the chiltons service repair from my local library , and im skimming through now for any relevant information...not too much so far besides a bunch of valve specs that im hoping i dont have to piddle with.

another question that arises with recent clarity is my fuel system... could this be the cause(or one of them) of my intermittent stalling? i was thinking about getting a fuel pressure regulator tester to see if my fuel rail has the appropriate psi , and maybe that would help narrow it down a little... im asking because im on the verge of dropping this bad boy for 500 , and hoping to find something that doesnt do this.... but i really like the idea of getting to know my 97... so im torn. it will basically boil down to total cost and stress factors , along with local family/friends/ associates who can assist me in equipment (i believe i will need an OBD2 to relearn my valve and cam settings , is this true as well?) , along with possiblle installation...

i guess im just second and third guessing my own abilities... i know its not impossible , but i only have one shot at this if i take it on , and i cant afford to screw one thing up... i am going to have to do a lot of research in the next feww hours , along with some copying of manual diagrams , some rough sketching , and a lot of posting...

you guys are a life , and nerve - saver... thank you all so much ...

couldnt do it without you ,
Jay Hova

 

You have a test port on the fuel rail, check for pressure there. Should be around 49psi.