I purchased a 2005 Dodge Neon sxt about a month ago and really love the vehicle. I do have a couple of questions that I need answered, though.

1. The car had 119K when I bought it. I have no idea if the timing belt has been changed. Is there an easy way to determine if it has, or do we just need to replace it regardless?

2. I installed a set of HID headlights last week (9007s). They basically plugged in and worked fine. However, later that evening, I noticed that the dashboard lights were not working. They were working fine the previous day. All the gauges were functioning correctly and the radio (aftermarket Sony) was illuminated and working fine. Just the dashboard lights were not working. When using the dimmer on the turn signal, I could get the dome light to turn on, but nothing else. Is there a fuse specifically for the dashboard lights? Do you think the installation of the HIDs had anything to do with this?

Thanks for any assistance you can give me. I have already been able to get a large amount of information from the forum by just reading previous responses.

 

1. You can remove the timing cover and physically check the condition of the belt. At that point, you may as well replace everything just to be safe anyways. Can you not get a hold of the previous owner and ask (assuming it was a private sale), or the dealer?

2. On the interior fuse panel, it could be fuse 4, 11 or 15. I can't find an explanation of what each of the fuses controls (I know there's one somewhere), so I'm just guessing off of the shorthand on the panel cover.

 

Thanks for the response. The failing fuse was #15. Easy fix there. I did get a CarFax on the vehicle which shows a service by a dealer at 103000 miles, so I am going to contact them to see if the Timing Belt was changed at that time.

Again, thanks.

 

Nice on both accounts! Sounds like you might be in the clear on the timing belt, and your lights are working again!