Rep Power: 676

we've all heard about it.. well it happened to me.
my 4 door 97 dodge neon is done for, and our mechanic says it costs about a 1000$ to fix it. anyone know where i could get it cheaper? waaay cheaper i mean.
Its the common neon head gasket problem from what ive heard.

 
Rep Power: 0

go to summers auto. they can get you a price much cheaper than that! trust me.. my motor mounts went on my riveria, i got quoted 500 each mount, plus 600 labour. they did it for 550 including mounts and labour! check it out. Summers Auto

 
Rep Power: 0

go to www.neoncanada.com and go to the forums. There are alot of info and if you post in the tech area there will be people who can either help you do it, give you info on somewhere to get it done. There is also the possibility of buying a head in the for sale and making sure you get the MLS gasket from the dealer and then dropping that in.

 
Rep Power: 647

1000 for fix, you better of just swapping in a used engine for about 800 bucks installed

NeonCanada.com - For The Neon - SX 2.0 - SRT-4 Enthusiast - Supported By Mopar - NeonCanada you can find engines cheap on there, swap in a dohc if you dom't already hae one

 
Rep Power: 637

I have a suggestion. You have a 4 door 97 Neon, motor pooched. Heres my suggestion....drive it somewhere remote, light a match, run away and report it stolen. I had a 96 2 door and between wheel bearings, head gaskets, bad suspension etc. etc. etc. the thing was a money pit. If your car has more than 170000k on it torch the thing and take the loss.
If your budget is $500, go find a dodge shadow v6 or daytona they are twice the car if you plan on just leaving the thing stock. I bought a 92 shadow v6 for $800 and driven for over 40000k (it now has 230k) no problems at all and it is quieter, quicker, better cornering and all around a better car than any of the first generation neons.

 
Rep Power: 636

Dude,
go here, ThanhDo Auto -- Tune Up Your Car

he may charge you around 200-300 labor + part around 200 from dealer.

Then you are all set. The guy is complety professional

 
Rep Power: 632

my friend that has one hes the same problome . n he said its not woth it 2 fix i could buy a neon in better shape 4 the same price

 
Rep Power: 0

How many Km's on that neon? If it's under 150k Chrysler will pay for it.

 
Rep Power: 637

Chrysler will not cover any repairs if the car is over 5 years old unless they are car safety related recalls issued by the government. Also, to get fixed the car has to be registered to the origional owner, as the warranty is not transferrable to second owners unless car is under 5 years old or 100k.

Many garages will fix the gasket for under $400, but that is not the extent of the job. Trust me, I had this done and went throught the pain of it. If the head gasket goes, 8 out of 10 times the head will have to be "planed" as they will warp, if not totally destroy the head. Also, from running anti-freeze through the oil and/or oil going into the water pump, the pump should be either rebuilt or replaced as it has to come off anyway (about $70-80). The head gasket itself needs to be replaced with the "sandwich" type to avoid the same problem, as the newer style gasket uses copper and formed aluminum alloys that resist the cracking (about $120). Now, since you already have the timing belt off the car, if it has more than 80000k on it replace it too because if it goes, these are tolerance motors and will destroy the motor. Good belts are about $65.00. Next, the spark plugs usually get damaged from the anti freeze burning, and need replaced. (about $14 for 4). Finally, the thermostat is ruined if the oil went into the cooling system, replace that too. $9. If the garage is going to buy all these parts, do all the required labour properly, and replace everything I mentioned for $400 to $600 and you are positive the work will be done, go for it. If you skip any of these steps you are going to have much worse and more expensive problems later. TRUST ME, I WENT THE CHEAP ROUTE AND MY MOTOR WAS POOCHED COMPLETELY AFTER 25K. PAY THE $1000 TO A REPUTABLE GARAGE, GET RECEIPTS, ASK FOR ALL THE USED PARTS BACK TO PROVE THE WORK WAS DONE AND YOU WILL HAVE NO TROUBLE FOR AT LEAST ANOTHER 100K. Or buy a running car for 500, lots of those around.