Check engine light on and engine lacks power

Tiny
JASON A KRAUSE SR.
  • MEMBER
  • 1997 DODGE NEON
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • MANUAL
  • 14,900 MILES
Check light on starts up. Drives, however when shifting in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 gears works clutch pushes in there is hardly power. It lacks power have to rev it high to get it to go.
Saturday, January 23rd, 2021 AT 5:47 PM

3 Replies

Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 12,997 POSTS
Sounds like it is in reduced power mode from the check engine light being on. The first step will be to scan it for codes. For that you can buy a simple code scanner or see if a chain parts store like Advance or AutoZone will scan it, some places will but with the current situation they may tell you no. Depends on the store and their policies at the moment. Once you have the codes that are stored you can post them and have a place to start from. There are many issues that can cause reduced power and the codes are the starting point. Try to resist the parts stores advice that "This code means replace part XXXX" Most codes are not that precise and only a very few point at a specific part as the problem. As an example, say that the car has a code P0302, this is a misfire code for cylinder number two. Most parts stores will automatically say "Replace the spark plugs and it will fix that code". Could it work? Maybe, IF it's actually a bad plug. However it could be the plug is good but the coil has failed, or the injector or even an internal failure like a valve or similar. Many folks call it "Firing the parts cannon" in that you replace all of the possible parts and hope one works. However if you look at the parts prices that can get expensive very fast.
So start with the code scan and we can go from there.
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Sunday, January 24th, 2021 AT 12:54 AM
Tiny
JASON A KRAUSE SR.
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
Hello Steve, thank you for your info. I did go to AutoZone coded po120 po121 po122 po123.
Came up throttle/pedal sensor, I replaced that sencer, however looking more into it on back side I believe on transaxle and the speed sensor is not hooked up, also speedometer is not working. Don't even think speed cable in. Now the car since changed throttle sensor drives better but still lacks power to go, feels like i'm always starting in low gear when i'm really in first gear. Thank you for any of your help.
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Sunday, January 24th, 2021 AT 9:21 AM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 12,997 POSTS
Those are all TPS circuit codes, they do not normally mean the sensor itself is the issue, they mean that there is an issue with the signal from the sensor. That commonly means a connector or wiring problem. In this case it is showing the signal is going high and low from what is expected which could be as simple as a bad connector. Testing this shouldn't be difficult. You will need a simple multimeter that can show voltage. There are 3 wires that go to the TPS. One (Black wire blue stripe) is the sensor ground, The next (Violet with white stripe) is the 5 volt power feed to the sensor and the third, (Orange wire with dark blue stripe), is the signal back to the PCM. In operation the signal wire should show a voltage from zero to almost 5 volts in a smooth change as the gas pedal is pressed. For it to show the codes you have the signal line is sending a signal different than expected. I would first check at the connector itself for any corrosion or loose fit. Next I would use the meter to verify that the ground and power wires to the sensor are both correct.
https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-use-a-voltmeter

Then I would inspect the wiring harness from the sensor for any damage like rubbing through or broken wires.

The lack of a speed signal will also cause a similar low power issue, for that you will need to check to see if the wires that are disconnected are broken or damaged and reconnect them.
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Sunday, January 24th, 2021 AT 7:27 PM

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