99 dodge neon r/t don't know whats wrong

[vanhornslv]

I have a 1999 Dodge Neon R/T 70,000 miles. 2.0 L DOHC . The other day I went to replace the spark plugs. The guy at the auto parts store recomended platinum plugs. My car did not already have platinum plugs but he said that was fine. The plugs were pre-gapped. After I changed the plugs I drove the car about 25-30 miles and it started to miss. I called the auto parts store and they said that the plugs were pre-gapped at .045 but should be gapped at .050 so I re gapped them. I then drove about 15 miles and the missing started to get worse. I called a different place and was told that my car should have been gapped at .035. This time when I re gapped them there was a white sticky residue on the plugs that kinda smelled like candy. My car hardly made it home that night. I took out the new plugs and put in the old ones. The car runs perfect until the engine gets hot (it does not overheat and never has) Once the engine gets hot it loses all power. When I put my foot on the gas it seems like it wants to stall out and will if I keep my foot on the pedal. If I take it off it idles rough. I did a OBD II test on it and got the code p1492 which I was told was apl solenoid circuit malfuction or the purge solenoid. Could this cause the car to act this way. What other things could it be? I have money to get a diagnostic test on it but then won't have the money to fix it. Any suggestions would be helpfull. If it makes a difference it is a 5 speed and I also changed the spark plug wires.

[veilsidercng]

Look in your manual for the what the gap should be, and when you hit the gas and it wants to stall thats probably because its missing or not giving enough spark and just flooding out the engine. Just check the gap in your manual and set it and try it and keep us updated. I doubt its because you got platinum plugs the only thing I can think of besides gap is that there to hot of plugs.

[mi655321]

I also have a 99 RT with about the same milage. I've used platinum plugs since the first change at 15k. The correct gap IS .035. If it's off just a little then it can make a huge difference. I had one just a little shy (.028 or so) and it was missing badly while under heavy work (uphill driving) after regapping it worked fine. I have the Champion Double Platinum 7346 plugs. I wouldn't recommend the plugs with more than one electrode like the bosch 2 or plus 4 I've just heard too many bad things.

About code P1492 when I looked at alldata.com ($25 yearly subscription required for the good info) I found that this code is actually for "P-1492 AMBIENT/BATT TEMP SENSOR VOLTS TOO HIGH"
and gives this info:

SYMPTOM LIST
P-1492 AMBIENT/BATT TEMP SENSOR VOLTS TOO HIGH

TEST NOTE:
All symptoms listed above are diagnosed using the same tests. The title for the tests will be P-1492 AMBIENT/BATT TEMP SENSOR VOLTS TOO HIGH.

POSSIBLE CAUSES


BTS ground circuit open
P1492 BTS defective
P1493 BTS defective
Sensor signal circuit shorted to ground
BTS signal circuit open
BTS signal circuit short to voltage
BTS wiring harness intermittent defect
BTS wiring harness observable defect
P1492 PCM defective
P1493 PCM defective

If this is the code it has nothing to do with your problem.

You may want to try cleaning your combustion chamber (I've done it twice since my car was new). It's not hard to do, but takes an afternoon and a good stretch of road without cops (way too much smoke after cleaning). Change your oil and clean your spark plugs afterward. Don't be surprised if your car runs like crap right after you start it.

Here is the link to the info (BTW, neons.org is a great neon website for questions about your car-- these guys are pretty good with info).

http://neons.org/howtos/MoparCleaner.shtml

Good Luck.

[fredjacksonsan]

NEVER trust the store when they tell you the plugs are pre-gapped. Always check for your veh!

[vanhornslv]

thanks guys,for all the info,found out it had bad gas also fuel filter.