[blackwidow60]

1995 Dodge Neon loses power when being driven. No rattle from catalytic converter. Have put on new: cam position sensor and fuel filter. It does it mainly when going up a slope. No sulfur smell as far as I can tell. No dark exhaust. It loses power to the point of almost completely dying. Then once you pull over it seems to get a burst of energy and regains it's power. If any one can help me pinpoint the problem, please post away. Fixed income family with limited resources so cost efficiency is a necessity. Can't afford to have an analysis done as mechanics want $200.00 just to read the codes.Any and all suggestions greatly appreciated. No check engine light comes on, but could be a blown out bulb.

 

[ImperialCrown]

Welcome to Allpar. It has to begin with ignition, fuel or emissions system diagnosis. The codes should be able to be read for free at an auto parts store. The 1995 Neon is OBDII and has the underdash connector.
Can you monitor fuel pressure while driving? A gauge can be screwed into the test port, the hose run out the rear of the hood and the gauge pinned under a wiper blade for viewing. Make sure there are no fuel leaks before starting out on a test drive.
How do the spark plugs and wires look? Are they the correct Champion RC9YC? They may tell a story by their tip appearance.
A bad cat may not necessarily emit an odor or black smoke. The mixture may be going lean and not rich.

 

[chuzz]

Get under the car and tap that cat con with a rubber mallet. See if you hear any rattling. If so, it's probably clogged and you need to replace it. Does it look red after you drive the car? If so, then it's definitely clogged. I'm not smart like IC, and am not a mechanic, but it sure sounds like an exhaust blockage of some type to me.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

Could well be a failing head gasket. Check compression on all cylinders. Inspect oil and coolant for cross-contamination.

 

[NYBo]

It loses power to the point of almost completely dying. Then once you pull over it seems to get a burst of energy and regains it's power.

Although it could be something else, these are classic symptoms of fuel starvation. When you open the gas cap, is there a whoosh of air going into the tank?

 

[Rick Anderson]

I agree that fuel starvation is one of the possibilities. On my '99 Neon, and according to posts in another Neon Forum, it is NOT uncommon for the Neon fuel pump to fail slowly, only providing partial fuel pressure.

The adaptive engine control would adapt to low fuel pressure by increasing the pulse width of the injectors to result in the same volume of fuel being injected and thus the same amount of engine power. It can do this right up to the point the injectors hit their maximum pulse width, and if the fuel pressure is low enough, then less fuel than is needed will be squirted out of those injectors. Say like, flooring the accelerator going up hill?

The Neon (at least the later years) has a fuel pressure tap right on the rail over the injectors. Easy to put a fuel pressure gauge on it, mine showed pressure surging massively +/- 20 PSI from the spec 55PSI fuel pressure. I lived with it, then I started to loss power under high power/load conditions, then it got harder to start, then one day the engine took forever to start and when it caught it barely ran and flooring the accelerator just resulted in rpm barely going over idle and NOT having the power to move. I changed the fuel pump, and it does take a while to fill the reservoir in the pump, so it didn't start right away, it even died when I floored it on the test drive before it had a chance to fill the reservoir completely. But after a few minutes of driving it ran great, checked the fuel pressure and it held a perfect steady 55PSI, no surges, even when revving the motor a bit.