Hi all,

This is my first post on a car forum, because it's the first time I haven't been able to find my answer from someone else's post on a forum. Your forum is the one that stood out the most, so that's why I'm posting here.

Anyway, I purchased a used '02 Base Neon with a little over 100K miles at the beginning of the summer. I've put about 1,400 miles on it and I recently had the timing belt changed.

I finally got around to changing the burnt out bulb behind my instrument cluster and noticed that there were no bulbs behind the fog lamp light and the "lightning bolt" indicator. I'm not sure if it was like this from the factory or the bulbs were removed by one of the previous owners.

I put working bulbs into them and the fog lamp indicator did nothing, but the "lightning bolt" stayed on steady. It turns on when I have the key in the "on" position and when the engine is running. The manual doesn't even have the lightning bolt in any instrument cluster diagrams. I've only found it mentioned by some RAM owners.

Was this instrument cluster just used in other cars, or does the lightning bolt indicate a problem with my car? I don't have a check engine light and my car passed inspection (although I'm not sure if the light was on at the time as there was no bulb in the socket).

Thanks in advance!

I've attached two pictures of the light. Both were taken at night; one with the parking brake on, one with it off.

 

I think the lightning bolt thing is for the alternator? It's there on all the clusters...it just is not a common thing at all to see it (I have never seen or heard of it lit up on a Neon). Might test the alternator real quick.

 

Should I just take the alternator to Advance Auto Parts, or do I actually have to bring the car in to the dealer?

I'm not sure if the light means anything on the Neon. There was no bulb in the socket for the lightning bolt when I got the car and the manual doesn't mention it.

 

That's true. I wonder if any of them had a bulb there? Perhaps that's why I've never seen or heard of it lighting up. Does the battery hold a charge? If so, I'd just take the bulb back out.

 

Yeah, the electrical system works perfectly. I'm planning on taking it to the dealer anyway to get the motor mounts changed, so I'll just mention it then.

 

Electronic Throttle Control light – briefly enabled when the driver starts the engine, the indicator shows a malfunction in the Electronic Throttle Control system

Here is the website:
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/ho...ghts-1370.html

Number 28.

 

The throttle on these cars isn't electronic. Never seen mine come on during start-up either...well, ever. Just saying.

 

So I got a new cluster from an sxt neon for my sister's SE neon (wnated the tach), and it does have a lightning bolt in the cluster, however there is no light in the socket to light it up. Must be a generic thing chrylser does for their guages.

 

That's what I was thinking. Did you happen to put a bulb in there to try it?

Also, I had been debating on putting a cluster with a tach in my Neon. Does the mileage on the cluster change, or does it still read the car's correct mileage? Also, was there anything you had to do or does it work out of the box?

 

A new cluster is PnP, but the mileage is stored in the cluster, so you'll lose the correct mileage.