Hi all, Im new to these Forums and came over here with a problem with my Neon, you guys seem pretty clued up on this stuff so i'll throw this one out to you all..

My car is a 2003 Dodge Neon Sxt. Standard (Auto) 4 door, no mods or anything, i bought it 2nd user from my local Dodge dealer in May 2005 with 53000 miles on it. Its now done 66000.

My problem is a little strange but it started happening yesterday leaving work. When i started the car and put it in drive and pressed the throttle nothing happened. let off the throttle and pressed it slightly again and it jerked a little and i was on my way as normal. All the way home after that i noticed that if i was braking and the car went below roughly 25mph it would jerk like the thing was having trouble finding 1st gear for half a second, this now hapens ever time i deccelerate and it reaches about 25mph.. any ideas? the issue on startup only happened once. this morning the car had no trouble selecting drive, just when im slowing down braking or not it Jerks at roughly 25mph? Could this be the kickdown cable as ive read up about? transmisson fluid need changing? apart from this the car runs flawlesly.. any help would be gratefully appriciated.. many thanks.

 

It would be worth changing the fluid as some of the symptoms sound like a torque converter that may not have the correct amout or type of fluid in it. This can happen if the tranny is low. This may not be the most likely fix but will certainly be the cheapest if it solves the problem. That's how I approach these things when the problem is not life or citical part threatening.

 

Thanks for getting back, im going to take your adviceand get the tranny fliuds changed tomorow, theres an EZ lube around the corner from me. One question though you say its not the most likely fix, what would be the most likely fix for my issue? or did i just read your post wrong? im hoping i dont need a new tranny as its only doing it there and not when accellerating.. everything else is running smooth so im hoping its nothing too serious...

Thanks again

 

before that just check your fluid level, it sounds like its just low, and when it sloshes foreward it just drops out. *check it while it's running*

 

Please excuse my ignorance here as im not really a car type person which level would it be i need to check as i know theres more than one, whereabouts is it located?

i'll check this when i get home tonight..

Thanks

 

there should be a trans fluid dipstick somewhere to the right side under the hood, maybe someone who has one can tell you exactly where, but start the car, while it's idling open the hood, find the dipstick, pull it out and wipe it off, put er back in all the way, and pull out to check. If it is low it takes Dextron III Mercon (or spelled something like that), and fill it right down the dipstick tube. sorry for the late responce, Friday, you know.

 

Hi all,

So just in case i went and got the transmission fluid flushed and replaced today and the problem is still the same.. could anyone point me to the next step. I fear taking it into a repair shop will costa lot of money, is there any other simple things i could try before i bite the bullet, i gather a new transmission is around 3000$ ..

im praying

Thanks for everyones help so far

 

i had the same problem for the past few weeks. if getting the fluids changed doesn't help, change the spark plugs. i changed mine out two nights ago and it runs as smooth as ever.

 

Hi,

So Princess you had exactly the same problem? To me mine doesnt seem like spark plugs because its happening at exactly the same point every time i brake. But having said that i am willing to give this a try because i'll do anything to avoid a tranny replacement. i cant afford that right now anyway. A few spark plugs seems the cheaper option.. Also im not sure if the tranny fluid helped or not but last day or so its been feeling a little better, the jump isnt as bad for most part. its still there everytime though

I shall get some spark plugs this weekend, if anyone else has any other ideas would be gratefully appreciated

 

Most of the time some transmition conditionig fluid will help.You can get it at most parts stores.Ask someone for the right stuff for your car and just put it in the dip stick tube .Also it might be worth new plug wires if the plugs don't do it ,as they do funny things at low rpms if cracked,causing my car to hesitate and stumble a bit.