Hello,

I have a 2000 dodge neon, that was/is a complete BEAST. I purchased the car for about $1000 8 years ago and it's been my beater ever since. It has been one of the toughest cars I owned considering the abuse it endured in these years. However a few days ago it stopped once at a stoplight, I started it again and it ran but not very smooth. After 5 minutes of driving it died completely and now it won't even crank. All the lights come on when I crank but nothing happens. I tried to check the codes using an OBD2 reader but it fails to connect. Here are the things I checked.
1. Battery-6 months old- tested and it has the correct voltage
2. Starter- i ran a wire directly from the starter to the battery and it cranks
3. ECU- I bought a used unit from the same make and model at a junkyard and swapped it but still no luck
4. Ignition- since the starter works I tried to swap the ignition assembly with a used unit from a pt cruiser (it had the same connectors) my ignition mechanism is a worn out, for example I can take out the key while the car is running
5. The car has fuel pressure, and fuel
6. Spark plugs were replaced recently
The only modification is an aftermarket radio but I had it for years and never had an issue.
Any tips on how to proceed or what to check next would be greatly appreciated. I'm completely lost and I don't want to junk the car. Any idea would be greatly appreciated.

 

Was there not such a wire? One of the two wires coming off of the positive side of the battery goes directly to the starter from the factory. Any corrosion issues on the power wires, engine grounds or in the PDC (power distribution center, aka the engine fuse box)? Have you checked the fuses? Have you checked the ASD relay for corrosion?

 

There is a wire from the battery to the starter but nothing worked, therefore I decided to connect it directly. It's definitely an electrical problem, maybe a short somewhere in the wiring harness? Battery terminals and wires are clean. How do I check the pdc? I suspected it might be at fault here but I have not idea how to see if it's working. I checked the fuses and relays inside the car and the ones above the battery, they all seem OK. Is the ADS relay in the same box as the other one? If there are others please let me know. Also i'm inclined to buy a new(re-manufactured) ECU since I don't understand why the code reader doesn't connect to it at all. Also do you think the coil might cause such an issue? Thank You so much for your help, I'm glad I can bounce some ideas with someone.

 

After a few days of trying to diagnose the problem, I discovered that I am able to **** the transmission in any gear while the car is stationary. It seems to me like there is a shift solenoid in the gearbox, that thinks the car is stuck in drive and does not allow it to start. Thoughts?