WHEN IM DRIVING MY 2000 NEON ES, IN SECOND GEAR MOSTLY, BUT IN EVERY OTHER GEAR ALSO AT LOW RPM IT JERKS, FEELS LIKE A MISFIRE OF SOME SORT, I REPLACED THE PLUGS AND WIRES, BUT IT IS STILL THERE. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF ANY ONE HAS HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. THANKS JOE

 

replace the coil with a MSD unit from summit racing. they are on sale for $67. i just put one on this weekend and love it. i had the same misfire in every gear at low rpm and open throttle. change the plugs and wires with a good set like Accel or MSD. bosch platinum plugs are the best bang for the buck. they're about 1.50 each.

 

I would seriously advise against using Platinum plugs. They are a known problem with most Dodge vehicles. Few have been known to work fine with the platinum's but I wouldn't chance it. Also, I'm not sure if the coil is your problem, it sounds more like it's a problem with either a motor mount or your transmission fluid is low. I know that I had problems with my Neon jerking when it was low. If it's a motor mount it will occur while shifting or while turning. If you're doing straight driving, and no shifting, a motor mount won't give you any trouble.

If the problem were the distributor coil, it would be a near constant problem, your engine wouldn't perform at all like normal and your exhaust would probably smell heavily of gas or an abnormal burn.

Let me know if any of this sounds like it describes your car.

 

i had a simmilar prob when my flyweel got wet. took a few weeks to get the clutch and flywheel to resurface itself back to normal. felt like it was misfireing everytime i grabbed a gear. especially 1st and 2nd

 

i never had any problems with the platinum plugs. i have 35k on a set that i installed at 5k on the odometer. as far as a motor mount, i would think that the feeling is different than a miss, more of a clunk and bind. does he have an auto or man. trans? i just replaced the coil in my car because it had a miss under load that mimicked a slipped timing belt or broken valve train. the stock coil is junk after so many miles of intense use, which i have done recently. my miss would not occur during opperation above 4000 rpm. i was getting horrible milage and it was running like it had a briggs & stratton 5hp under the hood. a trip to summit and a new coil turned my car back to when was like new. no part throttle miss or backfire through the intake. when it backfired, it sounded like a gunshot! i scared many people walking by the car on the sidewalk. so far, so good with the little neon.

 

Believe me, when it misfires, you will know it. Our 2000 Neon had misfired (BANG) and it turned out to be the plugs and wires.
Your case might be carbon buildup in the intake. I'm sure you have likely checked your filter?
If you manually shift at a higher RPM do you still have the problem?

 

Having a jerking problem with my neon also..
2004 SE Manual 45k
At standstill and idle the engine seems to jerk about every 10-15 seconds.
While the defroster is on the engine jerks about every 5 seconds.
While driving, when going from n to 1st the car jitters.
Under heavy acceleration the engine seems to jerk in any gear
I have changed the coil to the MSD and I have the MSD wires from modernperformance
Have the stock champion spark plugs , with the appropriate gap
I was thinking it was a clutch problem. But When I push the clutch in, the engine will still jerk
And i do not smell that burnt clutch smell. jerks around corners
and on straights. I have looked at my motor mounts and they seem to look fine
but i am not exactly sure what i am looking for. The rubber inserts seem to be there. I am about to change
the clutch because that is the only thing I can think of.

any help would be great

 

man trans, i think the jerknin is coming from a misfire of some sort, because it dose it at idle somtimes, and when i start off in 1st i feel it, and definetly at lor rpms in almost every gear.

thanks for all the input
joe

 

I too have experienced this, and I have an ATX so it definitely would not be a clutch. Have changed out the wires (considering another change to MSD) and the Plugs. Took the car to a shop and spent a few hundred and for diagnostics and cleaning the injectors cost me around 200.00. Next I will look into replacing the coil. As always your thoughts greatly appreciated.

 

Another area to look at is the TPS. if that is incorrectly calibrated or faulty, the engine will not run properly. check your fuel pressure also. a faulty fuel pump can cause many problems. there's so many things that will cause a jerk with the motor, so check the basics like plugs and wires. look for vacuum hoses that are loose or disconnected, air filter, fuel level, MAP sensor, o2 sensors, IAC valve, and the list goes on. When a coil goes bad, it will cause a misfire under load. Usually when accelerating and when letting out the clutch. Mine was so bad that it bas backfiring through the intake. After I switched the coil, the misfire was gone under any throttle position.