I have a 96 neon and it has been giving me hell since i got it. the main problem that i have or at least one of them is that when it rains it leaks water really bad in the front driver and passenger side. I have no idea where it is coming from nor how to get the water out. I have been using towels to soak up the water, takes a long time and it stinks really bad after and it takes forever for it to dry.

next, when i excellerate and when i put it in reverse or different gears, the tranny jumps, i thought it was the mounts and i changed them twice and now i think it is the tranny that needs to be replaced but im not sure since i havent changed the plugs or gaskets not to mention i have no idea what or where those things go.

next, the chk engine light is on and when i first got the mounts changed, they must have done somehthing b/c the speed meter thing works when it wants.

also, i blew the fuse to the cigg lighter so i bought some and replaced it and now the thing doesnt work at all, everytime i put a new fuse in, it would blow and im not sure why.

last but not least, it takes baby D a while to pick up speed. I love this car and i just want it to work right so i can fix it up but if it isnt worth then i might as well us it till she dies.

so, if there is n e one that has good advice on how to fix all my problems or atleast one that hopefully will not be coastly or that i can do myself, please help.

Your window gaskets (the rubber around the glass) might be worn out and needs replacing which is why they are leaking.

If the tranny is giving you issues, I suggest changing the fluid or filter if it's been a long time (30,000 miles) or you bought it and don't know when it was done last. Meaning changing the filter and new fluid.

Your speedo cable may have been tweeked when you were down there messing with the tranny, see if you can adjust it.

Make sure the cig lighter is hooked up right. If say it's grounding, then the fuse willing blow everytime you replace it.

As for the speed. These are little 4 bangers. They take awhile to get up there unless you have modded out the engine. I suggest maybe looking into some stuff like spark plugs, wires and basic tune up items. That could possibly help.

Good luck.

i agree w/ chevygal. i had the same problem w/ my windows.but it wasnt water it was at high speeds the wind sound.. but replaced the rubber at the top where the windoe rolls allthe way up into. fixed that. my tranny has been slipping big time too. sometimes i can start the car put it in drve and it just sits there and revs like in neutral. i got a leak somewhere so i just put more fluid in it. make sure you have the right fuse for the cig lighter.. i have internal fuses on the inside of car then i got the external fuses under the hood.. check both.
ive also been driving and my speedometer..temp. rpm meter..and gas metter just go haywire and flash and jump up and down.. i had very dirty battery.. so everytime it would get a good spark from it it jolted all my gages. i havent had any problems w/ get up and go.. its just my top end im pissed about. but a cold air intake will push you quicker. do u have SOHC or DOHC atx or manual.

take it to the shop....

I have the same probs with my 95 neon. My leak in in the whole back seat, floor, and even trunk. The seal has been checked many times and it has nothing to do with it. Not about my speedometer: It NEVER works. Every now and then it will come on for about 5 mins. She has seen all the mechanics in my hometown and they have all attempted to fix it but yet it still doesn't work. FInally i was told that the manifold would need to be removed (which would cost a good bit) to figure out what was wrong. I'm fed up with all this crap, but i love my car....

AS for your leaking problems, check your tailight seal if it isn;t the seal around the doors, and even the trunk seal, my buddy had water in his trunk under the spare, on the floor boards, etc, all because of the tail light seal. If you have aftermarket tails, the seal may not be as good due to an inproper fitment!!!!
hope that helps

There is no speedo cable, its all electronic in these cars. Your conenctors behind your guage cluster are bad. Its common problem in neons. Just replace them with one you know work. If it still doesn't help then more thank likely you cluster is shot. But you can re-flow the solder points in the cluster most of the time that works. As far as your car leaking, its another thing with neons. Like they said, check the tailight gasket, and the window(s) gasket. The CEL doesn't just "come on" for no reason, your pulling coldes for something. Read the codes and see if you get anything. My trans always jumped.... but then again 10 months later it was in pieces in the street too, so you might want to change the fluid and filter quick like suggested to get as much time as you can out of it, but start to look for a new trans.