1998 Dodge Neon car died will not restart

1998 DODGE NEON
90,000 MILES • 4 CYL • FWD • AUTOMATIC
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AJGILLIAM
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car just died while pulling into parking spot. Will crank and acts like it wants to start but will not. Checked fuel pressure ok. Checked for spark and found no spark on cylinders 1 and 4, good spark on 2 and 3 cylinders. Changed out coil pack but still has no spark on 1 and 4. Need ideas on what else to check for no spark on dead cylinders 1 and 4.
Jan 15, 2009 at 8:48 AM
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JDL
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Were there any codes? I know you said there was no spark on 1 and 4, but, I would still have to do the basic tests. If that is a three wire connector at the coil pack, one is B+, the other two are grounds. One ground for each coil. The computer switches the grounds on and off to create secondary voltage. You can check for a pulse, to see if the computer is grounding the circuit in question. Take the connector loose from the coil pack, use an led testlite between the B+ terminal and the ground terminal, if you don't know which ground is for which coil, check them both. Have a helper crank the engine, the lite should pulse. If there is no pulse, the computer is not grounding it for some reason or there might be an open in the circuit.

If your doing alot of cranking and testing. You might disable the fuel system
Apr 16, 2021 at 1:27 PM
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AJGILLIAM
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thanks for the reply. Did not notice any check engine light and dont have scanner to check for codes. Will check ground circuits or pulses on coil pack. Do I have to use a led testlight or can i use a regular 12v testlamp?
If i dont get a pulse on 1 and 4 coilpack ground would you suggest replacing computer and where would that be located, under hood or dash?
Apr 16, 2021 at 1:27 PM
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JDL
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I don't believe the manufacturer recommends using a 12 volt testlite, for testing a circuit that goes to the computer, but, as long as the applied voltage is battery voltage, I have used the 12 volt lite.

You might disable the fuel system when cranking.

If there is no pulse on the suspect circuit, I'd take the proper connector loose form the computer and the coil pack, test for continuity on that circuit. If there is no continuity, either the wire is broken or a problem with the connector. While testing you might wiggle the harness and connectors. While doing that testing, you might take the negative battery cable loose, first. The computer should be on the driver side of the battery, under the hood.

If all tests lead you back to the computer, you should have somebody, at least put a scanner on it, try to make sure before replacing anything.
Apr 16, 2021 at 1:27 PM