Hello- I am here at the Dodge forum for one very specific reason-my 2003 Neon has consistantly had extremely poor gas mileage- I have owned it since Sept 09 and initially had it in to the dealer where I bought it used only a few short months after that- then I was getting around 20mpg. An oxygen sensor problem was diagnosed as the problem and I had that fixed. Have had everything done to the car that mechanics believe may be the culprits but mpg has just gotten worse and worse. Right now I am getting a total of 12-13mpg and basically am going to have to park it because I cannot afford to drive it.
Any and all suggestions are welcome! Pease help.

 

Welcome to Dodge Forum!! Check out our Neon Section!!

Dusty

 

Welcome to the site. I moved the thread to the second generation Neon section,
FF

 

Welcome to the forum. I have a couple questions: What is your driving style? When was the last time you did a tune up on it (plugs, wires, air filter)? What octane gas do you use? What is your idle like? And do you have any codes? As far as suggestions, If you haven't done a tune up on the car in a good while, I would do that as well as throwing in some injector cleaner. If the idle is rough, it wouldn't hurt to check for vacuum leaks and clean the MAF with MAF cleaner.

 

Thanks for the reply. I would say my driving style is moderate-I don't often floor it or pass cars because they are doing the speed limit-I am not generally a speeder- a few miles over on the freeway. Had induction service in Oct 09- complete tune-up in Feb 10- Had oxygen sensor replaced and converter as well last summer which was caught by a code- The idle isn't rough right now- No codes, no lights, nothing on now. Mind you, this problem has been going on for a long time, months and months. My mechanic and the dealer can find no mechanical reason why the car is getting such poor mileage. This is insane.
What is an MAF?

 

Welcome to the site

MAF = Mass Air Flow

 

How many miles are on the car? Ever had a compression/leakdown test done?

Also, many wear and tear items need to be replaced on a mileage-based interval; not time.

 

Hi Thanks. There are almost 47,000 miles on the car- and no I have never had a compression/leakdown test done- is this something any mechanic can perform or is there special equipment needed?

 

Only 47,000 miles? Hmm. I was figuring more than that which is why I mentioned the compression/leakdown test.

• Spark plugs and wires were replaced. Are the plugs copper plugs, that were also properly gapped?
• The car's alignment is good along with proper tire pressure? Any removal of the struts, ball joints, tie rod ends or rear lateral arms will change the alignment.
• Air filter is clean?
• Throttle body is clean?
• PCV valve has been checked or replaced?
• Fuel filter isn't possibly clogged/overly dirty?

 

also, is there the possibility that your brakes aren't disengaging all the way? does the car feel sluggish when you take off?