Ok here is the deal, i have a 95 neon, it starts up very hard first of all, you have to crank at least 5 to 6 times before it starts, when idling it idles ruff, when you give it a little gas it clears up but when you give it to much gas it sputters bad like its miss firing, also when you go to put it in reverse it almost dies. Sputters going down the road also only if you try to give alot of gas, Spark plugs and wires are brand New, it did this prob before new wires and plugs so thats out of the picture for defect.

Could it be cam sensor? it would not run if it was bad would it?

no ideas?

yea i dont know either b/c im havin the exact same prob w/ my 95 neon right now and we have no idea what the prob is. So if ne one knows plz reply.

sounds like you timing belt might have skipped a tooth give the car a key dance and post if any error messages come up

Check your connections at the ignition coil.
The 3 wires going into it and the wireing going back.
My 95 had the same problem once and I found that the wires had been cooked by the heat coming up from the exhaust manifold.
I cut the plug off. pulled the contacts out. Cleaned them and soldered new wires matching the same color on but longer.
I then re-routed them away from the heat.
also look at my site at http://www.techknowman.com/Dodge%20Neon/Dodge%20Neon.htm I have some information about the PCM there that might also be of use.
The PCM also could cause this. When it happened I got no code ether.

no codes, cam shaft sensor wouldnt cause this would it?

If the cam sensor was bad or even flaky. You should get a code.
the PCM is "very" sensitive to cam timeing. it can sense the position change of one tooth on the timing belt. if the signal was intermitant it would be a very big chang and would most definatly cause a code.

Have you also checked fuel delivery?
One way to make sure that there is enough fuel going to the engin is to
use a valve stem tool to remove the valve stem from the fuel injector manifold rail. then connect a piece of hose to it and place the hose in a fuel safe container. then turn the ignition key on. the pump should kick on for 3 or 4 seconds then cycle off. Once it does, turn the key off and look at the amount of fuel pumped. if its very little, less than a 1/4 cup or so, then you may have a delivery problem. If its more than a 1/4 cup then its probebly delivering ok. But you would need to check the fuel pressure.

ok i took the valve out and put a hose on it, turn the key on and only like maybe a 1/8 of a cup came out, pump or filter you think?

ok here is another thing, i tried turning it over with hose in bottle and it starts pumping fuel but im not sure how fast it should.

Well its pumping that a fairly good sign.
and turning it over makes it pump more, that means that its "seeing" the crank and cam sensors.
one last thing to try is to see if its developing pressure.
you can use a regular tire gauge to measure the pressure.
(Make sure to wear protective eye gear)! It could and might spray you.
This is a little bit of a crazy way to do it but its cheap and tells you a lot. Also don't Smoke!!!!!

If you get a good deal of pressure the only other thing I would check is the coil its self. Take it off and look closely at it to see if you see any signs of arc etching or the likes. leaving it loose off the engin with all the wires connected. In the dark see if you see any arcing or sparks if you do you have a bad coil assy.

I am having the same problem.... when i stop at a stop light my car will just shut off, its real slugish when i put my foot on the gas.. i have no idea what the deal is... I am a 20 year old girl who knows nothing about cars... could it be my fuel filter? how long do those thing usually last?

The 95's fuel filter is easy enough to get to and change.
as long as you don't mind getting a little gas on you.
Its under a silver metal cover on the bottom of the car in front of the rear passenger tire. (kind of under the passenger rear seat.
You can jack the car up pull the cover off and you will see a metal can with 2 hoses coming off of it. the filter can be bought at autozone or pepboys. it comes with new fuel connector fittings. buy the new filter first. then play with the connectors to see how they work. this will help you figure out how to remove it.
Its best to chang the filter when the tank is below 1/4 tank. (less chance for a lot of fuel to flow out.
FIRST OF ALL YOU WILL BE SPILLING FUEL!!! TAKE ANY PRCAUTIONS YOU WOULD WHEN HANDLING GASOLINE. DO THIS OUT DOORS FOR GOOD VENTILATION AND TO PREVENT BURNING DOWN YOUR HOUSE OR WORSE KILLING YOURSELF IF SOMETHING GOES VERY WRONG. PLEASE HAVE A FIRE EXTINGUISHER, EVEN IF ITS A $9.00 CHEAP ONE. THE KITCHEN TYPE SHOULD BE FINE AND THEY CAN BE BOUGHT AT WALLMART. SECONDLY GET A CHEAP $4.00 OIL CATCH PAN TO CATCH THE MAJORITY OF THE FUEL THAT WILL LEAK!. NOW DISCONNECT YOUR NEGATIVE CABLE FROM THE BATTERY. There are wires where you will be working. This prevents a electrical fire ignition. I know its a pain to lose your clocks and radio presets but its for safety nothing else matters!! Period! Don't use a battery to hold the radio and PCM no voltage at all!!!
Now raise the passenger side of the car put it on proper jack stands. pull the cover. remove the one long screw holding in the old filter. now have the connectors and filter handy and ready. quickly dissconnect replace the connectors and re connect the fuel filter.
Now before you put the mounting screw back in and cover. pull at each connection to make sure they are fully engaged. then start the car let idle and check for leaks. The new fuel filter has new o-ring already installed in the connectors so it should not leak.
If there are no leaks. button everything back up.
(FYI) where the fuel filter connects is also where the fuel pump and tank level sensor are. you will see a big 4-5" circle. thats the access to the fuel pump. well its actually the pump. that ring will have a rubber (nitral) plug over one of the plactic tubes coming out. Thats the tank drain. Inspect it well. I have seen a lot of them dry rot and start to leak gas. first as a drip then it quickly worse. especially if you live in a large city where ozone is bad like i did.
This all may song like a lot but it is really preaty easy. or just buy the filter and take it to one of those oil changing places.they should do it fairly cheap. If they don't know where it goes, you now know where to show them ;)

well i forgot to mention also yestarday i took the big line off the fuel filter and nothing came out, even with car in run position to prime, is that the return line?

well i forgot to mention also yestarday i took the big line off the fuel filter and nothing came out, even with car in run position to prime, is that the return line?
well the pump will only run for about 3-4 seconds when the key is turned on. it won't start pumping more until you try to start it. then it should try to pump more.

well guys your not gonna believe this!!!!! I dont know why i decided to do this but i did, i took the wires back to autozone and said they were defective, they gave me another set and my problems are fixed!!!!!!!! The other wires were only a week old lol. Thanx alot guys for your help, exspecally you laveryt you threw a bunch of stuf out there for me. Just got veird away from the wires because i said they were NEW, just like i did.


ERIC