Screening out leaves from your Plymouth, Chrysler, or Dodge Neon
One of the interesting shortcomings of the Plymouth Neon (or the Chrysler or Dodge Neon) is a tendency for the fan to make dit-dit-dit noises as it hits a stuck leaf. There is an easy way to fix this - adding a screen to the cowl cover. The built in cover is supposed to screen out large objects, but it doesn't do this well.
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Start out with the right parts - socket wrenches and a thin flat-bladed prying thing, along with the handyman's secret weapon
and a small amount of house-window nylon screening. This is sold in rolls at hardware stores; it's light, easy to work with, and durable, and you may need some for your house someday, too.
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First, take out the clearly visible bolts that hold down the cowl cover. Next, remove the wiper arms -
Remove the black plastic cowl cover - carefully, so it doesn't scratch anything on the way out - or crack - lift it up and out.
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Flip it over and you can see where to attach the screening: wherever there are openings to the outside world (not over the big round thing, though). Clean the underside of the cowl cover.
Use the duct tape (or are better tapes for this purpose) to support the mesh wherever possible. If you really want to do it right, use glue to give the nylon some serious support; duct tape is for the guy who wants the whole job to take ten minutes, glue is for the guy who wants it to last ten years. I kept the Dodge Neon for two years after doing this and it was fine at that time with just the duct tape. I wish I still had it now.
![Image]()
Do not overtighten the bolts when you reattach everything; the cowl bolts in particular don't need a lot of force. The wiper arms must be lined up carefully and pushed on firmly but straight, and with the grooves lined up. (they seem to design the grooves to give up long before the wiper linkage, presumably in case the wiper hits an immoveable force.) This is where marking the position earlier pays off; mis-aligning by a small amount probably will not matter, but it's best to stick to the original settings.
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One of the interesting shortcomings of the Plymouth Neon (or the Chrysler or Dodge Neon) is a tendency for the fan to make dit-dit-dit noises as it hits a stuck leaf. There is an easy way to fix this - adding a screen to the cowl cover. The built in cover is supposed to screen out large objects, but it doesn't do this well.
Start out with the right parts - socket wrenches and a thin flat-bladed prying thing, along with the handyman's secret weapon
and a small amount of house-window nylon screening. This is sold in rolls at hardware stores; it's light, easy to work with, and durable, and you may need some for your house someday, too.
First, take out the clearly visible bolts that hold down the cowl cover. Next, remove the wiper arms -
- Mark the position of the wiper arms. Leave the car sitting under a tree for a while and wait for the tree goop to mark the edges of the wiper blades, or use chalk or a grease pen.
- Use a fine-edged screwdriver or other tool to carefully pop off the plastic covers. There is a clear indentation to make this easy.
- Use a socket wrench to get the bolt off.
- Carefully but firmly pull the arm straight off. The threads on the coupling look fragile.
- If the paint has disappeared from the wiper arm, you can sand down the wiper arm, and repaint it.
Remove the black plastic cowl cover - carefully, so it doesn't scratch anything on the way out - or crack - lift it up and out.
Flip it over and you can see where to attach the screening: wherever there are openings to the outside world (not over the big round thing, though). Clean the underside of the cowl cover.
Use the duct tape (or are better tapes for this purpose) to support the mesh wherever possible. If you really want to do it right, use glue to give the nylon some serious support; duct tape is for the guy who wants the whole job to take ten minutes, glue is for the guy who wants it to last ten years. I kept the Dodge Neon for two years after doing this and it was fine at that time with just the duct tape. I wish I still had it now.
Do not overtighten the bolts when you reattach everything; the cowl bolts in particular don't need a lot of force. The wiper arms must be lined up carefully and pushed on firmly but straight, and with the grooves lined up. (they seem to design the grooves to give up long before the wiper linkage, presumably in case the wiper hits an immoveable force.) This is where marking the position earlier pays off; mis-aligning by a small amount probably will not matter, but it's best to stick to the original settings.
- Neons at Allpar (with more repairs)
- Get the Neon to tell you what's wrong (Neon error code list)
- Funny Neon noises
More Neon articles right here at Allpar | ||
|---|---|---|
Home •
Engines •
Reviews •
Chrysler 1904-2018 •
Upcoming •
Trucks •
Cars
Spread the word via <!--Tweet or--> Facebook!
We make no guarantees regarding validity or accuracy of information, predictions, or advice - .
Copyright © VerticalScope Inc. All rights reserved. Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler, Ram, and Mopar are trademarks of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
