2005 Dodge Neon Won't start at all

STACI28

MEMBER
2005 DODGE NEON
2.0L
6 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
142,000 MILES

I was driving down the road, approx 45 mph and my car just died. I've checked the battery and the battery connection but it's all good. I get power inside the car but when I turn the key I don't even hear the fuel pump come on. So I'm thinking it maybe the computer? I'm not sure. I want to check all the ground wires but I don't know where they are all located. I did put a diag machine on it but no codes came up. Any help would be so much appreciated!

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,874 POSTS

It sounds more like the fuel pump failed. That would be unusual because it's GM pumps that commonly fail while driving. Chrysler pumps almost always fail to start up, but if they DO start up, they continue running until you stop the engine. The clue here is you need to check for spark.

My suspicion is you will have spark. That's because the fuel pump AND ignition system are powered through the automatic shutdown (ASD) relay, so if that is the cause of the dead pump, you won't have spark either. The most common causes of the ASD relay not turning on during cranking or running will still result in you hearing the pump run for one second when you turn on the ignition switch. Since you don't hear the pump run for that one second, it sounds like the pump failed.

Also, on some models the fuel pump is powered through the ASD relay like I said, but on some, it is powered through its own fuel pump relay, but that relay and the ASD relay are turned on together by the Engine Computer. I'd have to look at a wiring diagram to see which system you have, but it would be faster if you just look in the under-hood fuse box to see if there's a fuel pump relay. You can try swapping relays to see if that is the cause of the dead fuel pump, but they don't fail real often.