1995 Dodge Neon Clutch

Replacing the clutch is a major job. It will require you to remove the transmission from the engine. Flat rate for this job is aprox 7 hours for a trained mechanic.

If you decide to do it, make sure you purchase a good repair manual that has step by step instructions and pictures to help identify parts. Also, make sure the manual provides detailed steps for the hydralic system.

If you have specific problems or questions, let me know and I'll do my best to help.

Joe

I just had a repair shop install a new clutch.


Here's the story ...

I scheduled a week in advance to have the clutch assessed as it felt 'loose'. Dropped the car off at the transmission shop and they told me I needed a new clutch. 4 days later I got the car back.

As I was driving home - just around the corner from the shop - the service engine soon light came on. I called the shop immediately and they said bring it by and we'll reset it. I planned on going by the next day after work as they don't open at 6:30am when I leave for work.

As I was driving to work the car was sluggish - thinking it was 'just cold' I kept going. After it sputtering and losing power and nearly getting sandwiched between a transit bus and large SUV I prayed my way back home.

When my husband got back he drove the car to the shop and very animatedly explained the situation to which the mechanic responded "when Josiah rushes, he makes mistakes" (whoa, that really deflated any inkling of confidence I had in them!). So we left the car for them to look at.

Later that morning they called to say it was fixed - the engine coil cable had come lose so the engine was running on 2 pistons. Yay ... car running fine. This was Friday morning.

Monday evening on my way home from work the service engine soon light comes back on. We decide to take the car to our regular mechanic and make an appointment on Friday. Our mechanic has it all day and runs diagnostics ... nothing wrong other than the code pointing to the catalytic converter (which was replaced in Sept. 2011).

So, last night we take it to the muffler shop that installed the catalytic converter and we are told that there must be something else that is giving a reading of a 'bad cat' ... which if it doesn't get fixed and causes the cat to fail the warranty will be null and void. Which would then initiate a round-robin of repairs (what caused the cat to go bad? replace the bad cat and then whatever it was would ruin a new cat).

Now, back to what I just read on your post - about removing the engine to replace the clutch. Where could we look to fix this problem? I'll be going to our mechanic this afternoon.

Thank you for your time,

Julie