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Login to post Forums » Grassroots Motorsports » 1997 Neon.. no power.

July 18, 2011 8:31 a.m. hotrodlarry Reader

1997 Dodge Neon, automatic, SOHC

Replaced the coolant temp sensor the other day, started the car up afterwards and ran it for a few mins to check for leaks. I shut it off and came back a couple hours later and I had no power. No dome light, no lights on the dash,no click, no radio,nothin.Thinking I left the door not shut tight I had the battery tested and it needed to be replaced. Installed a new battery and same thing... no power, no lights, no sound, nothing.

Now I know I have a couple wires that are questionable (corrosion, missing insulation in some spots) but this is weird.it's like the battery is not even hooked up.I have had the car for almost 2 months and had no problems with it starting until now. Could the alternator have just quit all of a sudden?
July 18, 2011 8:35 a.m. EvanB SuperDork

Could it be a main fuse or fusible link in the battery cable?
July 18, 2011 8:55 a.m. Duke SuperDork

I hate to sound like Capt Obvious, but my Neons were always susceptible to bad contacts at the battery and it would come on quickly like that. Cleaned your terminals lately?
July 18, 2011 8:55 a.m. 4cylndrfury SuperDork

make sure theres nothing inline with that sensor that is awry. Couldve cracked the housing enough to have made contact somewhere and now like Evan said, you have blown a fuseable link or a relay is shot etc...
July 18, 2011 9:06 a.m. N Sperlo HalfDork

Check your ground. I've had bad grounds destroy lots of batteries.
July 18, 2011 9:59 a.m. hotrodlarry Reader

New battery terminals...and they are super clean.

I triple checked to make sure the battery was installed correctly and it was.I installed it after a very busy, tiring day at work and even had a neighbor double check everything I looked at in case I missed something.The fuses looked good.I also checked the ground at the drivers side headlight which goes to the battery.That was cleaned and tightened down. I was told there's another ground that bolts to the bell housing. I am going to check that when it stops raining outside.
July 18, 2011 10:00 a.m. iceracer SuperDork

Besides the battery terminals check the main fuse or fusuble link as evanb said. CORROSION. there you go.
July 18, 2011 11:02 a.m. BoneYard_Racing Reader

Could be a bad ASD relay the middle one right side of the PCD behind the battery. Its a standard 5 pole relay
July 18, 2011 11:08 a.m. njansenv HalfDork

try running a jumper cable from the ground on the battery to a clean spot on the shell of the car.
July 18, 2011 11:18 a.m. N Sperlo HalfDork

njansenv wrote:

try running a jumper cable from the ground on the battery to a clean spot on the shell of the car.

+1

Could be a unidentifiable break.
July 18, 2011 12:55 p.m. Vigo Dork

I doubt it's a ground issue, personally. There are MANY MANY possible ground paths and the electrical system will use them until it literally burns them up. I think its on the positive side. You should basically have 2 or 3 wires on the positive terminal. 1 for the starter, 1 for the rest of the car, and possibly one from the alternator, although on a lot of cars that wire goes to the power distribution center (fuse/relay box). You almost certainly have an issue in the wire that doesnt go to the starter and doesnt go to the alternator.
July 18, 2011 1:02 p.m. njansenv HalfDork

Vigo wrote:

I doubt it's a ground issue, personally. There are MANY MANY possible ground paths and the electrical system will use them until it literally burns them up. I think its on the positive side. You should basically have 2 or 3 wires on the positive terminal. 1 for the starter, 1 for the rest of the car, and possibly one from the alternator, although on a lot of cars that wire goes to the power distribution center (fuse/relay box). You almost certainly have an issue in the wire that doesnt go to the starter and doesnt go to the alternator.

While you certainly might be right, I've had this problem on multiple neons. I had one that for two weeks had a booster cable under the hood running from the bat neg to the chassis until I could find time to run a new ground. Both times, the chassis ground (pass fender) was bad.
July 18, 2011 9:02 p.m. hotrodlarry Reader

There's 4 cables coming off the battery. On the pos (+) it's one to the PDC and one to the starter. One the neg (-) it's one to the radiator support and I think the other to the bell housing.

I know current will follow the easiest path it can, which should mean anything near the battery/PDC is where the issue lies. I could be wrong though.
July 18, 2011 10:22 p.m. Vigo Dork

Hooking jumper cables from the engine to the battery negative will confirm or rule out a bad ground connection between those two points. I would do that just because it is a quick yes or no. But after that i'd be looking at the one going to the PDC.
July 24, 2011 5:26 p.m. hotrodlarry Reader

think i found the problem.

this is where the positive cable goes into the underhood power distribution center. looks like somehow it corroded enough to separate that piece where the two studs are.

anyone know how i can fix it?
July 24, 2011 6:37 p.m. triumph5 SuperDork

You might want to give the good folks at Rhode Island Wiring (not the exact, correct name, but, googleing will get you the correct name and URL.). Painless Wiring, too.

.Two wires bolt to the posts, which then distribute the power through the distribution block? If so, sounds like the easiest would be to go to the dealer, after trying a junk yard. It's such a specialized part.
July 24, 2011 8:15 p.m. hotrodlarry Reader

Actually, one cable bolts up to both bolts. It sucks cuz I had checked the cable the other day, but didn't take everything apart until tonite.I didn't venture too far into tearing the power distribution block apart but maybe I can get just that piece. I'd hate to try to switch that block out with a different one.

Hmmm.. now that I think of it, the guys from Shelby East are just across town from me. Maybe I can ask them.
July 24, 2011 10:11 p.m. fasted58 Dork

The Druids would light new fires and paddle a canoe
July 24, 2011 10:55 p.m. Streetwiseguy Dork

Ignoring the obvious canoe, I'd head for the pic'n'pull for a new to you box, then dig around in it till you figure out how it comes apart. You can probably swap the lug into your box.

Hint: take a few photos of where all the relays and fuses are before you pop them all out.
July 25, 2011 12:25 a.m. Vigo Dork

Apparently i win again.
July 27, 2011 4:40 p.m. hotrodlarry Reader

Streetwiseguy wrote:

Ignoring the obvious canoe, I'd head for the pic'n'pull for a new to you box, then dig around in it till you figure out how it comes apart. You can probably swap the lug into your box.

Hint: take a few photos of where all the relays and fuses are before you pop them all out.

That's just what I did today.... minus taking pictures.The local yard hit me up for $15 plus I got to keep all the fuses in the box ( which were still good, bonus!)

At more than one point I thought I was in over my head, but after a couple hours, the car started... then wouldn't shut off. I had two wires crossed up and I knew those were the only two I had unclipped. I switched the wires back, and the car started again and shut off when I turned the key.

Here's what that little piece looks like.

I definitely do not want to change one of those out again.if I do, it will be for someone else and I'm gonna charge an hourly rate, lol.

Now off to figure out why my radiator fans still don't work.

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