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.98 NEON: SPEEDOMETER MOVES, CAR WON'T!.


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letty29
New User

Oct 4, 2011, 3:27 PM

Post #1 of 3 (1939 views)
.98 NEON: SPEEDOMETER MOVES, CAR WON'T!. Sign In

1998
Dodge Neon (her name is Letty)
2.0 Engine
206,263 miles

About a month ago I was stopped at a red light right before getting on the highway. The Light turned green and I went to turn right: the car wouldn't go! It just made a terrible and loud clunking/clicking/thumping sound. Long story short Letty was towed to a nearby shop. Mechanic said my engine mount broke, a few other things were wrong, and until the engine was mounted he wouldn't be able to say if anything else was wrong. He quoted the fix at $860 plus and tried to buy the car from me for $250. I had the car towed back to my house...

...That's where she is now. I had my car savvy relative come look at the car. He mounted the engine on the right side (it's still currently mounted) and started the car. Basically, the car will start, the gas gauge goes to half a tank (that's how much I filled her up before the breakdown), and the speedometer moves when the gas pedal is pressed. BUT, the car goes nowhere; just makes that same terrible sound. The car savvy relative said by the sounds and looks of it my transmission is shot (it's obviously leaking transmission fluid). However, I'm wondering if this is truly the case. Would the speedometer move if the transmission was completely out? Is a car with close to 207,000 miles work fixing? If so, how much should I spend?

I've put the car on Craigslist for parts but I'm having second thoughts. I'm in my last semester of college and not having a vehicle is killing me! If Letty can be saved for no more than $500, I'm willing to do it.

Any help is greatly appreciated.


Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Oct 4, 2011, 3:41 PM

Post #2 of 3 (1913 views)
Re: .98 NEON: SPEEDOMETER MOVES, CAR WON'T!. Sign In

It sounds like maybe the engine shifted a lot when you accelerated and may have pulled one of the front axles apart. The mechanic that looked at it likely saw that.



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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.



Mr.scotty
Enthusiast
Mr.scotty profile image

Oct 4, 2011, 4:30 PM

Post #3 of 3 (1906 views)
Re: .98 NEON: SPEEDOMETER MOVES, CAR WON'T!. Sign In

I agree with hammertime, it sounds like that mechanic was trying to get over on you.
And it also sounds like a broken CV axle to me.
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