i have a 2000 neon. the other day it just shut off while getting on the freeway. no spitting or sputtering. just shut off. now it will not start at all. also when it try and turn it over it sounds like it's struggling kinda like when your battery isdead. i put a new battery in it and it still doe the same thing. i checked the spark and i have it but it is very very week. i tried shooting some starter fluid in the engine and got nothing. i checked the timing belt thru the access hole and it has good tension.
i'm stumpped right now as to what it could be.

 

oh i forgot to put that the oil light had come on a couple of day's prior and i check the levels and they were good. then it went off and on a couple of times then stayed off.

 

How old are the plug wires and coil pack?

 

about 2 months prior to this happening i replaced the oil/ oil filter. plugs, wires, pcv valve, air filter, the coil pack is about 1 1/2 years old.

 

no one has any suggestions as to where to start?

 

Any codes?

 

my code reader was not picking any codes up. but i am going to get a different reader this weekend.

 

You can get codes from the cluster too.

Turn the key from the off position to the on position three times quickly, ending in the on position, and your odometer should say "done," followed by any codes.

 

I am real curious to hear what you find out, my nephew's 03 did just about the same thing, they were driving, car died, no indications that something was wrong before it died.

I helped him change plugs and wires several months before this, he said he hadn't had any problems with the car, in fact, they had a week before gotten back from a long road trip with no problems.

I am charging the battery right now, the car has sat for a couple of months now with no one looking at it so I figured I would look at it since I have a little time. This 03 has well over 200,000 miles, the one thing he did do to the car regularly was have the oil, plugs and wires changed, other than that I don't know what else has been done to it, it does need several other things done to it but nothing that would keep it from running. As soon as I get any codes from the dash I'll add them here to see if they help. The OBD II code reader didn't get any codes to pop up but that doesn't surprise me, I've had that happen on another car.

Thanks! Good Luck!

 

to add to what darthroush asked:
ANY time the check engine light is on, there's a code stored. even if you fix the problem the light will remain lit until cleared. after that a P1684 code will be entered.
the OP mentioned something that raises an interesting question.
what about the oil PRESSURE?