1998 neon auto help

[dampontiac]

My GF just bought a 98 neon dohc w/ auto tranny. when going like 65-70 down the freeway it just seems its not shifting into a higher gear. How many does the auto have is it only a three speed auto?

any help would be swell as id like her to keep the car for a while.

thank you

[ozzman87]

it's either a 3 or 4 speed. with a VIN it is pretty easy to check at any dealer or most parts places.

[das2123]

It has a 3 speed transmission. The downshift you feel at that speed is the torque converter locking up.

[ozzman87]

ya sorry. my bad. i guess the 4 speeds didn't show up till later.

[neon_rt]

The Dohc with Auto runs about 2800rpm at 60, at 70 you would be in the 3300 rpm range. If you were not in high gear, you would be in second at 4300 to 5100rpm (60 to 70mph). A lot of people don't like the 3-speed Auto, but for a 60mph to 90mph run in 2nd gear they perform well. If you don't mind hearing the engine screem, you can blow away most cars in a uphill race with these cars (starting from about 60-70 mph). Most 4-speed autos shift out of 2nd at about 65 to 70 mph and then don't have enough power to pick up any more speed in 3rd going up hill. Meanwhile you are climbing to 85-90 mph in second gear and all they see is your tail lights. We have a 1 mile long 6% uphill grade with a passing lane (the only passing lane in the area) and I have lived this experience many times.

[das2123]

Originally Posted by neon_rt

Meanwhile you are climbing to 85-90 mph in second gear

How are you getting to 90 mph in 2nd gear? It should kick into 3rd around 70-75 at WOT!

[neon_rt]

approx 4300rpm at 60 in 2nd gear
approx 6500rpm at 90 in 2nd gear
Dohc max HP is 150HP @6500 rpm redline with Auto is 6720rpm (to protect the torque converter), redline with Manual is 7200 rpm. The engine was made to turn that fast, so it doesn't hurt it any.
If you are trying to get max performance, shifting before 6500rpm would be less effective since the engine hasn't even reached it's peak HP.
If you leave the shifter in drive, the shift could vary from 75-90mph depending on the adjustment of the trans and the kick down cable. I usually put the gear selector in "2" after it has shifted down on it's own, because there is a bend in the passing lane and I have to let off some for a few seconds before continuing the run. If I leave the selector in "D" it will shift into 3rd when I back off the throttle for the bend and then it won't shift back to second (75to80mph at that point) to finish the race for the top.

[das2123]

^^Sou you are manually shifting the ATX?

[neon_rt]

I wouldn't say manually shifting the ATX per se. After it down shifts on it's own to 2nd, I put the gear selector in "2" so when I let off for the corner it doesn't upshift to 3rd when I need it to stay in 2nd until I floor it again. After I floor it coming out of the corner, I usually put the selector back in "D" and it shifts itself into 3rd at 85-90 mph.

[das2123]

^^^And you haven't had any tranny problems yet?

[neon_rt]

No. I wouldn't think that I would. I would think that if I let the thing shift itself back and forth when just letting off for a few seconds, then just to have to shift again when I floor it, would wear it out sooner. There is a point that manually shifting will cause more wear and a point that it will cause way less. If you do a lot of hot-rodding with a ATX you must put in a shift kit if you plan on having it last very long. I have driven 100's of thousands of miles over the years with various Mopars, most with Autos and I have always manually shifted them when appropriate and never had one fail. I drive 35-40K miles a year, it doesn't take long to have 100K + miles on a vehicle, even if I buy it new.
'68 Dodge Charger
'69 Dodge Charger R/T SE
'84 Dodge Rampage
'88 Dodge Shadow - piece of crap but the trans was still good at 170K miles
'96 Dodge Neon Dohc ATX Rental for a month
'98 Dodge Neon R/T not ATX though
'99 Dodge Caravan 2.4l 3-speed auto - my favorite uphill passing vehicle
does 85 in 2nd gear surprises people
because they can't keep up
'00 Dodge Grand Caravan 3.3l 4-speed Auto 130K miles totalled
'00 Dodge Grand Caravan 3.8l 4-speed Auto now has 130K miles
More vehicles but they are MTX

[das2123]

^^^More power to you