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Old 06-20-2011, 03:34 PM
Gratton Gratton is offline
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Location: Charlotte, NC
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Default Transmission or Speedometer?

I have a 98 Neon 2.0 4 door that has an issue with either the instrument cluster or (heaven forbid) the transmission, and am hoping someone can shed some light on the problem.

When I first got the vehicle a few years back, the gauges and speedometer were dead, so the dealership replaced the entire cluster with a used unit. It worked great for a time, and then the temp gauge died. Research led me to the connector solder point repair, and that fixed that without problems. A month or so back, I noticed that the speedo would suddenly decide I was going between 30 and 90 MPH, or doing 50 while sitting still at a stoplight. So, I pulled the cluster out again, and rechecked my work, cleaned out the connectors on the harness, and all was well for a time once more. Now, the confounded speedo starts up with the same issue, only this time, when pulling out from a light, or into traffic, not only does it go ballistic, but the transmission seems to be trying to shift into high gear at 15 to 20 MPH, which does nothing to prolong either it's or the engine's life expectancy.

I've replaced the cluster again, and the problem persists, so... does this point to sensor issues, or is the tranny on the way out? Once the speede settles down, the car runs great, shifts perfectly, and has never overheated, so I am hoping that somehow, the speedo going ape is making the shift issue appear.

Any help or ideas would be most gratefully appreciated. This is my wife's car, and I simply don't feel safe in letting her drive it in Charlotte traffic with this crud going on.
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Old 06-20-2011, 10:10 PM
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Stoga Stoga is offline
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I was going to suggest replacing the sensor, this is a known problem on these cars, especially with them getting to be a decade old or more.
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Old 06-20-2011, 10:30 PM
Gratton Gratton is offline
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Many thanks for the input, pretty much the same conclusion I'd drawn as well, since from what I've gathered, that particular sensor sends a signal to not only the speedo, but to the ECM as well, which, incidentally, does to some extent, govern the tranny's shift points. Hopefully, it won't be too big of a pain in the posterior to change out, and my local Pepboys has one in stock for a pretty decent price.

Been a MOPAR fan since the days of my first car, many many moons past. A '51 Plymouth coupe. Solid as a rock, ran like a top, but had pervasive problems with the electrical systems. As did my old 69 Charger, and the 70 Coronet 440 that I restored. I suppose every great has an Achilles Heel in one form or another.

Out of curiosity, noted you hail from WV. Mind if I ask from what part? Moved from Beckley to Charlotte over 20 years back, and still regret it.
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Old 06-20-2011, 10:33 PM
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Stoga Stoga is offline
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Central WV, out in the middle of nowhere!
I have a 99 Neon Sport coupe with the DOHC myself that I got from my nephew in law. I'm hoping to put it on the road this summer if no other unexpected kid expenses show up!
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Old 06-21-2011, 05:09 PM
Gratton Gratton is offline
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Replaced the VSS this morning, it had a hairline crack in the housing, and so far, no issues whatsoever, speedo is working great, and the car is back to running like the little workhorse it has been for the last few years.

Chances are, I've probably been either in, or near where you are, a number of years ago, I was a field engineer for the NCR corporation, and ran a territory that encompassed Wyoming, Raleigh, Fayette, Nicholas, Summers, and Pocohantas (sp?) counties. Places so far out in nowhere, they had to pipe the sunshine in. (grin) Sutton, Gassaway, Greenbank, Durbin, and places too small to even be on the map, but they had banks, so I serviced the systems as well as the multitudes of cash registers that resided therein.
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