1997 dodge neon, SOHC.

when i first start it in the morning, its hard to get it to run. cranks fine, no fire. after smashing down the gas it will start, if i dont feather the pedel it dies, once i start moving. its fine. CEL is on pulled codes using key, 12, 22, 55. the guage on the dash doesnt show temps. needle is down. when i smash down the gas to pass someone, it doesnt seem to pull at all. in the past 6 months i have put on a reman head (headgasket) timing belt, tensioner, watrer pump, wires, plugs, oil pressure sensor, rear main seal, front pump seal on tranny, and various parts (brakes.. etc...) do i need to yank the temp sensor as well? could that cause hard starting? (my 2003 chevy cavalier shifted hard cuz of an air temp sensor)

any input greatly appreciated.

 

bumpy bumpy.. its still doing it. and it still bugs me.

 

Yes, the coolant temp sensor can result in a hard start and poor acceleration. The PCM is going to assume an overheated engine and will run even richer than it normally does, probably with a massive amount of timing retard. Are the rad fans running all the time, even with the a/c off? That sensor is actually a 2-part deal. One output is a glorified idiot light and goes to the instrument cluster. The other output goes to the PCM and is used to adjust the fuel and spark curves, as well as turning on and off the rad fans. If the fans are turning on and off like they should, it probably isn't a faulty temp sensor. You can check the voltage at both of the ouputs as well. Wouldn't hurt to have a working temp gauge inside the car...

Best of luck!

 

thank you very much for replying and helping me out like that. Its good to know the community still lives strong. Ill give it a try and report back.

thanks again