hard start, engine bogs down

[justnotthatpunk]

I have a 97 Dodge neon that is acting up. When starting, it takes a while to crank over (Longer than it used to). When I try to take off at first, the car bogs down and crawls, even with the throttle pretty much wide open. It eventually (takes a few seconds) recovers from this and is drivable (sometimes the recovery is accompanyed by a popping noise which sounds like a backfire). While driving it will occasionally bog down during takeoffs and acceleration and I notice a power loss when shifting gears. I also have engine codes: lean fuel mixture, and multiple cylinder misfire. In a new development, I now notice that the car will sometimes: surge (rpms drop) at constant speeds and noticably drop rpms at idle and the car is now showing a bad 02 sensor code. Also, while at idle, if you floor it, the car sounds like it is bogging bad and it takes a while for the RPM's to increase. I had somebody look at the car and they told me to replace plugs and wires. I did this and it turned the engine light off but did not fix the problem. The next day, the engine light was back on. Since then, I have checked the ignition coil, MAP sensor (both fine), and replaced the EGR valve, which have done nothing for the problem. The symptoms are making me think its the fuel pump, but I need to test that first and I am really hoping that I do not have to replace that. I was hoping for a little help from someone who may have had experience with a similar problem before I got too far into this. Thanks for any help and I am sorry that this is so long.

[skatendestroy]

i belive your timing might haveskipped a tooth

[justnotthatpunk]

I have had the timing belt skip a tooth before, and this doesn't feel the same. Also, when it skipped a tooth, I got a check engine code that said timing belt may have skipped a tooth. Thanks for the reply though and any other information would be helpful.

[justnotthatpunk]

The 02 sensor code is a new development compared to the problem. I know that the 02 sensor tells the PCM what air/fuel mixture to use but would a bad 02 sensor affect the way the car starts? I have a friend that says the 02 sensor has nothing to do with the way the car starts. I am unsure because I was thinking that the PCM would save the way the 02 sensor had been previously telling it to mix the air/fuel which would cause the starting problem. Can anyone help me out with this question?

[justnotthatpunk]

Got the problem figured out and fixed. It was the fuel pump. I took it into the dealer (that may have been a mistake) and had them diagnose it. They told me that it was only putting out about 14psi when it is supposed to be near 45. I was shocked that it even ran with the pressure output that low. Well, the job ended up costing me about 800 bucks at the dealer, but the car is running great now. I hope this helps anyone who may be having a similar problem.

[m2736185]

wow that is the exact description of the problem I am having right now, where is the fuel pump located? A $800 job is definatly not worth it on a $500 car

[das2123]

Originally Posted by m2736185

wow that is the exact description of the problem I am having right now, where is the fuel pump located? A $800 job is definatly not worth it on a $500 car

Fuel pump location depends on what year your neon is.

[m2736185]

1996