05 Neon starting problems - PLEASE ADVISE
Professional
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 128
Likes: 0
From: Mount Desert Island, Maine
RE: Same Problem
I am no expert and not really sure if I know what the problem with your car is but I had the same type of problem for a bit after a car wash. I have a 2000 and because i am modding the car I went ahead and changed the coil pack to a MSD brand along with Wires and new plugs and then started perfect every time...knock on wood.
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
From:
RE: Same Problem
ok, after that last post, i got my car back from the dealer on june 7.
it worked great until june 30. then i experienced a similar, but different problem when starting the car:
when i turned the key, it would go thru all 3 positions, and nothing happened under the hood. it was as if i had turned the key to the 2nd position; i had headlights, i had radio, i had all the lights on the dashboard, but nothing under the hood. the starter didn't spin, the battery did not click, NOTHING.
this happened twice and then the car started. i mentioned it to the dealership when i took it in on july 2 for my 30,000 mile tune up. he said it must have been a fluke and to monitor it to see if it happened again.
i got new spark plugs, engine tune up, tranmission flush and tires rotated with the tune up.
yet july 4, july 6, and july 10, i experienced the same thing where it wasn't starting. on the 10th, it happened twice in one day, and the second time, i wasn't able to start the car at all. so i called a tow truck. the technician used jumper cables and the car started. but she immediately turned it off and started it again, and the car started just fine. so she determined that it's not a battery problem. plus, i had radio and lights.
so i took it back to the dealership on july 10th. they kept it until july the 13th and weren't able to verify anything, or reproduce the problem.
i drove up to the bay area on the 14th, came back the 16 and had no problems the whole weekend. until i got back to santa barbara and got stuck in the albertson's parking lot w/ a car full of groceries, again.
i just kept turning it off and turning it on, over and over again until it started. it took about 10 tries but it did eventually start.
yesterday, the 17th, the car acted up twice and each time took between 10-15 attempts to start. i stopped by the dealership after work and sat there with the service manager, starting it and turning it off for almost 45 minutes. and of course, every time it worked perfectly.
it's still under warranty, but i'm at 34,400 miles and pretty soon it won't be. of course the dealership will honor it, but i'll lose my free towing.
i'm beginning to think this car is just a piece of crap and i'll never fix it.
if nothing else, the dealership manager, service manager, the receptionist, and every tow technician at Thomas Towing, now knows me by name, and has been really nice!! [sigh]
it worked great until june 30. then i experienced a similar, but different problem when starting the car:
when i turned the key, it would go thru all 3 positions, and nothing happened under the hood. it was as if i had turned the key to the 2nd position; i had headlights, i had radio, i had all the lights on the dashboard, but nothing under the hood. the starter didn't spin, the battery did not click, NOTHING.
this happened twice and then the car started. i mentioned it to the dealership when i took it in on july 2 for my 30,000 mile tune up. he said it must have been a fluke and to monitor it to see if it happened again.
i got new spark plugs, engine tune up, tranmission flush and tires rotated with the tune up.
yet july 4, july 6, and july 10, i experienced the same thing where it wasn't starting. on the 10th, it happened twice in one day, and the second time, i wasn't able to start the car at all. so i called a tow truck. the technician used jumper cables and the car started. but she immediately turned it off and started it again, and the car started just fine. so she determined that it's not a battery problem. plus, i had radio and lights.
so i took it back to the dealership on july 10th. they kept it until july the 13th and weren't able to verify anything, or reproduce the problem.
i drove up to the bay area on the 14th, came back the 16 and had no problems the whole weekend. until i got back to santa barbara and got stuck in the albertson's parking lot w/ a car full of groceries, again.
i just kept turning it off and turning it on, over and over again until it started. it took about 10 tries but it did eventually start.
yesterday, the 17th, the car acted up twice and each time took between 10-15 attempts to start. i stopped by the dealership after work and sat there with the service manager, starting it and turning it off for almost 45 minutes. and of course, every time it worked perfectly.
it's still under warranty, but i'm at 34,400 miles and pretty soon it won't be. of course the dealership will honor it, but i'll lose my free towing.
i'm beginning to think this car is just a piece of crap and i'll never fix it.
if nothing else, the dealership manager, service manager, the receptionist, and every tow technician at Thomas Towing, now knows me by name, and has been really nice!! [sigh]