95 Neon common failures?

I am just wondering, what other parts are common to fail on this car.
I have a 95 2 door Neon with SOHO. The car has 360,000km on it. So
far, the following has failed on the car:
front wheel bearings are gone
DRL (transistor melted)
Gas level sending unit is shot
AC compressor clutch sensor is dead
Trunk light will not turn off (when connected the same way my 2001
neon is)
Down shifting is difficult. (particularly shifting down to second of
first)
Both door windows have an air leak (passenger side is worse)
Engine idles worst then my Honda V-twin motorcycle
O2 sensor is shot and produces an engine light once the car warms to
running temp.
Oil pan leaks
I believe the head gasket blow sometime before I bought the car

Is there any other failures I should expect? I am going to be going to
the scrap yard in the up comming weekend.(as they have $45 all you can
carry)I whould like to get want ever parts I should expect to fail
next.

Mike
mlawrenc(at)rcc.on.ca

 

How many times are you going to ask this question?

 

I was asking if there is anything else that I should expect.
I didn't know about the day time running light module untill yesturday. I
was just wondering if there is anything else to expect.

 

I have a friend that deals in customizing neon's and being around them a
lot, I have never seen this type problems in a single vehicle.
By the way, ever stop and think the bad O2 sensor may have something to do
with the bad idle!! ???
If you have reason to believe the Head Gasket was blown before you bought
the car, then there is also reason to believe the last owner beat the piss
out of it and did not maintain it properly. With that in mind, you probably
got yourself a money pit!

 

Um... The first gen Neons where known to blow the head gaskets.

--
Thank you,

Michael Lawrence CNET/CNO

http://thehad.net

 

He'll be asking it at least until the fact there's no such thing as a
"SOHO" on a '95 Neon gets through his thick, lamebrained little skull.

 

Can you carry an engine and transmission?

 

Um, not as much a problem as some would believe

 

I think the head gasket issue in 1st gen Neons was an oil leak, not a blown gasket.

 

At better than 350,000km, you can expect just about anything. Depends
entirely on how it was driven and maintained.

I would be expecting to see CV joints getting sloppy any time now, and
your hard shifting is due to worn syncronizers in the tranny. Ther is
likely some bearing wear as well, both input shaft bearing, clutch
pilot bearing, release bearing, and internal bearings on both the
countershaft and constant mesh gears. The clutch is likely also close
to warn out - depending on your driving.

The starter is likely about ready for a set of brushes and bearings,
the alternator ditto. Your suspension struts are likely getting weak,
and suspension bushings, particularly the sway-bar lends and mounts
are likely pretty well done in. You may also be looking at upper strut
pivots on the front, and inner tie rod engs (in the rack). The rack
boots may also be cracked by now, and if so, expect the rack to have
some looseness - requiring replacement or rebuild.
The radiator core is likely very soft, with loose fins - causing the
engine to run warm. The power steering lines will also likely be
starting to weep where the rubber and steel join, and the lines may be
starting to develop some pretty advanced rust.
The fuel pump may be getting close to giving up as well - but as the
pump and guage are one unit (IIRC) fixing the guage by replacing will
also replace the pump.

The rough idle may be caused by the O2 sensor, or the injectors may
need servicing or replacement.

All in all, I'd say start looking for a replacement car unless you are
willing and able to do a lot of repairs yourself.
Neons are a dime a dozen, so it really does not make a lot of sense to
spend too much on it.

 

There is scarcely a 1995 neon around that has not had the head gasket
gone. It was a VERY common problem - whether pounded to death or
babied by grandpa.
If it lasted long enough for the updated gasket to be supplied (2
years more or less) it will likely last the life of the car. If not,
it was not uncommon to have the gasket blow the second time.

The syncros on the tranny were also a bit fragile, and did not stand
up too well to hamfisted shifters.

 

215,000 Miles has to be lifespan for a car as inexpensive as a Neon. The car
probably could be maintained indefinitely but it would cost more to do so
than the car is worth. Give that car a Christian funeral and buy another
one. You can buy 96 - 98 Neons all day long for a thousand bucks or less,
many with under 100,000 miles on them. Buy one with a 5-speed, change the
headgasket to the new one and change the timing belt, and you're set for
several years of driving for under two grand. That's unbeatable.

Ted Holden
www.bearfabrique.org

 

It's perfectly beatable, but I ain't specifying how, 'cause that'll ruin
it for those of us who already know! *smirk*