Freerider, thats what I thought. I know it's relatively easy to drop a 00 engine into a 1st gen neon.

 

My Neon's coolant bubbled/smelled/smoked when I first got it. Drove it home and checked the radiator cap. About 9/10 of the gasket was missing, bought a new one for $6, hasn't done it again. Mine didn't overheat though (according to the gauge).

 

check the radiator its problably cracked