I drove my Neon for the first time in 16 months!

[wnt2rd]

Those who have kept up in this forum know that I beg for help every week because I can't seem to put my Neon back together after dismantling it in an effort to replace the clutch and clutch cable.

Well, yesterday I got her back together and took her for a spin! Well, 100 feet of spin, and then the dashboard beeped at me as if it were trying to say, "I'm too hot!"

I don't think I did any damage to the engine--I only drove 100 feet away from my driveway, did a fast u-turn, and then parked it back in my driveway. The temperature gauge rose immediately to H as soon as I stepped on the gas. I let the car run for about 20 minutes in my driveway before test driving it and there was no overheating. Strange, yeah?

I replaced the coolant, changed the oil and filled the transmission with gear oil (manual.) I pray that it's not the water pump that's broken.

I'm going to flush the radiator out with some of that cleaner stuff and refill it with coolant. I think there might be debris or rust in the pipes somewhere because the test run was fine before the test drive. Strange.

Anyway, I'll post pics of the car ON THE GROUND (it has been on stands for over a year) as soon as I take some.

I'M SO CLOSE TO HAVING A CAR YOU GUYS! LET'S CELEBRATE!

[das2123]

Good to hear!!!!!

Could have had a bit of air in the system causing the "chiming", happened to me.

[neon_rt]

You realize that the manual transmission in the Neon takes a special Mopar semi-synthetic friction modified fluid right? The synchros won't last very long with a standard fluid in it. The fluid was developed specifically for the transaxle by NV (who developed the transaxle).

Sounds like the head gasket may be bad (corroded from setting so long).

[wnt2rd]

Originally Posted by neon_rt

You realize that the manual transmission in the Neon takes a special Mopar semi-synthetic friction modified fluid right? The synchros won't last very long with a standard fluid in it. The fluid was developed specifically for the transaxle by NV (who developed the transaxle).

Sounds like the head gasket may be bad (corroded from setting so long).

What's NV?

I don't realize that the manual transmission in the Neon takes a special Mopar semi-synthetic friction modified fluid. Dang! I just put whatever the guy at Checker told me to buy. Oh well. It's not that hard to change out.

Where can I buy the special Mopar semi-synthetic friction modified fluid?

[das2123]

Originally Posted by wnt2rd

Where can I buy the special Mopar semi-synthetic friction modified fluid?

Use the A578-specific semi-synthetic fluid (p/n 4773167) that's available at the dealer. It is specifically matched to the synchronizer material for good shifting, and has special friction modifiers to last a lifetime...You're on your own if you decide to use something else.

[neon_rt]

NV= New Venture, the manufacturer of the Transaxle.

[neon_rt]

It is scary when you go to a auto parts store and they sell you fluid that isn't compatible or not recommended for your application. You have to watch out for yourself b/c both mechanics and auto parts stores are notorious for destroying Mopars. They seem to have the attitude "it works on Chevy's" when things don't turn out right. Actually the Chevy Cavalier / Pontiac Sunfire use the same manual transaxle as the Neon. It makes me wonder if the fluid GM uses is the same as the MOPAR fluid.

[FemaleRacer]

Neon_rt has a good point about the head gasket! These are notorious for going bad on Neons. I had to replace mine on my 98--well on the first engine Did you or have you seen any leaking oil in or near the spark plugs/ tubes. This was one of the first things that happened when my head gasket blew. I'm crossing my fingers that this isn't the case for you.....it probably feels like you've replaced everything else at this point.

[wnt2rd]

Fixed the overheating problem! I'm not really sure why it was overheating, but it's fixed now. I drained the radiator (again) and put radiator cleaner in.

Here's a pic of me leaving my driveway on the first "real" test drive. My mission was to fill up on gas, inflate the tires and take it through the car wash.



Here's how the test drive concluded:



I got the gas, but the battery died in the line for the car wash. D'oh!

The battery is faily new. I have been putting it on a charger about once a week so it wouldn't die. I'm pretty sure it's under warranty, so I'll be taking it back to Checker. I hope it's not the alternator.