Another chrysler issue

[CamaroAdam73]

I don't know why i keep ****ing buying these cars. I swear to god i should have learned a lesson the first two times, but anyways.

The turd-furg in question is a 1995 dodge neon, 2.0l SOHC, not that it matters.

The problem? The ****er won't start. It won't even crank, as soon as you open the door, the turn signals/ brake lights/ interior lights / and dash lights start blinking in synchronization (same time). Turning the key to the START position just yields the same results.

It's my girlfriends car, and it was running fine 3 hours ago, its parked at her work right now. Any help/ advice would be appreciated, because i don't even know where to start.

This is just a stab in the dark, but could be the neutral safety switch? I hope to god this car doesn't have an anti theft system.

 

[1bad79]

Theft system going off try locking then unlocking the doors with the key

 

[DRIVEN]

What he said^^^
Must be aftermarket alarm. Neons didn't have factory security in '95. If you just need to get it home you can probably either jump it at the starter or at the starter relay in the PDC behind the battery. Most cheap alarms only interrupt the started near the ignition switch. One you get it home you can fix/remove the alarm system.

 

[pencero]

I've had this problem 3x

1) punching the steering wheel in traffic caused it one time and the ECM decided that the ignition wasnt perfectly in line. It took me weeks to figure it out, car would start 50% of the time, other 50% it would flash 'security' and short out on startup. Had to replace the entire ignition and have the steering column reassembled to factory spec on that one

2) sensor in door lock didnt register that I used the key to open the door - because the door never actually locked when i exited the vehicle it was broke. Therefore when I 'unlocked' the door w/ the key the vehicle thought I picked the lock because it never registered the door having opened and flashed security. On this one what I had to do is put key in and go to electronics while viewing dash. If security flashed, I had to get out manually lock the door, close the door, wait a minute, unlock the door w/ key, get in and go to electronics again. Sometimes it would flash security 5x before I got past the security system to get it started

3) aftermarket security system someone installed suddenly initiated by itself 2 weeks after I bought a car but was 'over-protective'. When I showed it to my stepfather who is a mechanic he recognized the alarm system and laughed. He said it was very defective system nobody uses anymore and said 'heres why' and destroyed it in 15 seconds by touching two wires to the metal plate behind the kick panel. I heard a loud POP behind the dash and the system permanently shorted out never bothering me again after a small whisp of smoke came out the vents

just some ideas. Thats a chrysler youre messing w/ though - good luck with that!

 

[CamaroAdam73]

................This car has so many problems though, first off the key only unlocks the driver-side door. Second the wiring has been played with, there's a toggle switched installed and i have no ****ing idea what it goes too. As well as a little red LED light (single) on the window columb interior panel.

Also, this MIGHT have something to do with whats ****ing up now. When we bought the car, the cluster gauges are sparatic, sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. The only one that would constantly work is engine temp, the others would work randomly at different times.


Where would this "security light" be anyways? didn't see one in the dash cluster.

Also, tried unlocking/locking the only door that i can with the key, nothing.



pencero, if this is a theft system issue then it's either 1, or 2 of what you listed. First i'm noticing i can't engage the key the entire way to the start position. Second, it's been cold as hell lately and her driverside car lock has been getting really stiff.

 

[DRIVEN]

First i'm noticing i can't engage the key the entire way to the start position.

So you have more than one problem? Seems unlikely that the alarm would act up at the exact same time as the ignition switch.

Does the key turn far enough to unlock the column and make the dash lights come on? If so, refer to my earlier post. The electrical portion of the ignition switch is on the left side of the column directly opposite of the key switch. If the lock portion won't turn all the way try another key. Does it look worn down? If you still can't turn it all the way, remove the ignition portion and actuate it with a screw driver. If it still won't turn all the way, the problem is in the electrical portion of the switch. If if does turn, the problem is with the lock cylinder portion of the switch.
The intermittent gauges are unrelated. Early Neons are known for this because the solder joints crack it the harness connection on the back of the cluster. There are several DIY posts online if you want to tackle this later but it won't affect whether it starts today. The car will start and run with or without the gauge cluster installed.
The toggle switch, LED, and flashing lights are all indicating an aftermarket alarm system is in place. THERE IS NO FACTORY SECURITY SYSTEM ON A 1995 NEON. There is no flashing security light on the dash. You either need to deactivate, disable or remove the system. You might try talking to a stereo shop about how to do this. It would be helpful to know what brand the system is.

The car drove to work so it'll probably drive home once you get this straightened out. Try not to blame the car itself. It sounds like your problems are related to aftermarket items. I've had a '95 for almost 15 years and 200K miles. It's really been a great car. One of the best things about it is the simplicity.

 

[CamaroAdam73]

I wouldn't go as far as to call this a great car. We bought it for 500$, the trans is on its way out the door, CV axles are bad because the engine mounts where left go bad. Multiple other problems, but i planned on just pretty much rebuilding the car for her, because the body is in excellent shape, no rust, dings, or dents. Good paint too. ANYWAYS

I can't tell if they key is engaging entirely to the START position, it does however engage to every other position, and yes it will lock/unlock the wheel.

Just to check, I'm also going to see if its spitting any codes by cycling the key to ACC on off-on off on within 5 secs.

I've got a remote starter trigger for working on cars by myself, I'm going to see if that'll get this car to fire up or not, if it does i can at least drive it home where I'm able to work on it.

 

[CamaroAdam73]

Fixed.

The after market security system is called Tri-power security.

Under the dash, driverside near the kick panel ( to the left of the steering column) is a wiring harness that doesn't look factory. I grabbed onto it to gently move it out of the way to see where it was going and right as i did that i heard a mechanical "click", when i let go the harness and it flexed back to its original position i heard another click, so i grabbed it again and again something clicks, for sh*ts and giggles i tried to start the car up and it fired right up.

So the problem is obviously the after market security system, and the specific problem is apparently bad connections. There's no best buy in the area I'm living at for now, so i'll have to search the web to find out how to un-install this security system.

 

[DRIVEN]

Glad it worked out.

 

[CamaroAdam73]

How many miles did you put on your neon driven? This car sits at 135k, if it will go as far as 300k then when the time comes i'm going to just rebuild it mechanically.