How reliable is a 95' Dodge Neon?

[iamwiz82]

nope, no electrical problems that i know of. Actually, i like the fact that the fuse box for the interior is easily accessible.

1995 was the first production year Neon. It was more powerful than 1996+ models, because it had a lighter pulley which caused less HP to be lost at the flywheel. It also had a better air intake than newer models, but, then again, no stock intake is that great.

 

[Wingznut]

I am originally from Detroit, but I've lived in Portland, OR since '77. I worked for both the local Dodge and Jeep dealers as a drivability/electrical technician for the last 10 years. (Damn glad to be out of that scene!)

BBD, which year/engine Eclipse did you have? If it was late enough, it might have actually had a Chrysler engine.

werk, which engine did you have? Most of the Sebring was Mitsubishi also.

Electrical problems with the Neon are VERY rare. I don't recall ever working on a Neon electrical problem.

Water leaks! I forgot about the trunk leaking water. That's real common on 1995's. Make sure that's ok, too.

As I said before, the first year ('95) Stratus/Cirrus were problem cars. No doubt.

 

[Cable God]

Unless he had it fixed already, I heard a lot of people were having problems with the rear main seal leaking on the older Neon's.

 

[bigbootydaddy]

Wingznut PEZ

it was a chrysler engine, 95, first year of the now replaced body style. (2nd gen??)

 

[loup garou]

My sebring has the 2.5L V6. I've also had problems with trunk leaks, too.

 

[geno]

I'd stay away from all the older (94-96) Chryslers all together. As much as I love ChryCo, the then-new "Cloud Cars" (including the Neon) were stricken with some bad problems. Try grabbing a 97 if you can...

 

[iamwiz82]

I have a '96 Neon, and i love it to death. Its just plain fun to drive. The 2nd gen neons are not nearly as fun as mine. I did add sway bars, and cold air intake, pulley, less restrictive exhaust. I think its the perfect car for me. The rear main seal breaks rarely in Neons. That diagnosis is a bad one, its really the head gasket leaking, most of the time. I had a mechanic tell me my whole black was cracked because of all the oil, took it to a friend of mine, who is a mechanic on the Minvan platform at the CTC, and he laughed at that other mechanic.

 

[nd]

<< I had a mechanic tell me my whole black was cracked because of all the oil, took it to a friend of mine, who is a mechanic on the Minvan platform at the CTC, and he laughed at that other mechanic. >>

The dealer mechanic said that the block was cracked because of all the oil for my '96 Neon.. they replaced nearly all of the engine (as said above).

Also, I forgot -- I had to replace the breaks. They were making a really disturbing smushy sound everytime I breaked for awhile, and it turned out they were shot.

 

[iamwiz82]

nd, where was the oil? If the head gasket goes, the oil gets into the coolant. YOu need a new water pump if that happens, and a radiator flush. Most mechanics check the coolant cap for oil, if they see it, they say &quot;broken block.&quot;

 

[Wingznut]

&quot;The rear main seal breaks rarely in Neons. That diagnosis is a bad one, its really the head gasket leaking&quot;

You hit the nail on the head, iamwiz! Most automotive technicians suck.

werk, that 2.5L is 100% Mitsubishi, same with the rest of the car. When it works, that's a damn nice engine.

 

[bigbootydaddy]

i dunno, but after all the problems i had with my mitsu i stayed away from chrysler. i loved the eclipse, but it was too much trouble.

 

[loup garou]

Yes, luckily I've had no engine problems. Just everything else in the car. :|