Questions and Answers

Dodge Neon Runs Cold, Hot, Knocks Q. I have a 1999 Dodge Neon with a 2.0 liter DOHC engine, 100,000 miles, ABS brakes, A/C and a manual transmission. A week ago I came out of work and there was a pool of coolant under the car. After checking hoses and hearing a whining sound I replaced the water pump which seemed to work. We had to remove a lot of things just to get to it. Now it stays cold after running for twenty minutes and then overheats.

When it is hot it also makes a knocking sound. Could it be a coolant temperature sensor? The on board computer says that it is running too rich. Could this be the knocking sound and if so what causes it?

Thanks,
James

A. You had to remove the timing belt to replace the water pump and it sounds like you did not get the engine set up correctly before replacing the timing belt.

I would go back and make sure all the timing makes are lined up correctly. The knocking noise you hear may be the pistons hitting the valves.