First, just so I hopefully don't make anyone mad, I understand that mopars are usually good cars, but for some reason when I drive them they have a ridiculous amount of problems that no one else seems to have.
Anyway, this is a 1995 neon, that sat for years but now has a new engine and wiring harness. Yesterday, I wanted to drive it on a 90 mile round trip. For about the first 20 minutes everything worked, then the speedometer quit working, then about 5 minutes later the tach stopped at 3k rpm. For the rest of the trip nothing else changed. Then it sat for 4.5 hours in a parking lot. When I left to drive home, both the tach and speedometer were working again, but the speedometer quit working from about 10-15 minutes. At about 20 minutes the headlights died, but came back on 30 seconds later as I was starting to pull off the road. Then about 10 minutes after that either the fuel pump relay died or the fuel pump circuit lost power and it came home on a flatbed.
I have looked for loose or dirty grounds already, etc but haven't seen anything. I know the wiring harnesses on those fall apart easily, before it was replaced the car would just die sometimes and you would have to move the wires in the injector harness around then it would start again. Any suggestions?
Are you getting any blown fuses? This sounds, to me, like brittle insulation causing shorting to ground or something.
No blown fuses, actually I don't think it ever has blown a fuse, even though it has had many annoying electrical problems during it's life. The engine harness is from a lower mileage junkyard car, but from what I understand that type of thing happens with 95 neons.
That's worse than the random issues I have had, and all in one shot, too.
Needs a cluster 
The cluster in my sisters 99PL has been repalced about 4 or 6 times (lost track) same crap, good somedays others not so much.
Good luck finding a good unit.
neon4891 wrote:
That's worse than the random issues I have had, and all in one shot, too.
It has had many other issues too, what I mentioned just happened last night so it was a good way of explaining how annoying it is lol.
Bad connections on the circuit boards behind the gauge cluster. Common problem with Chryslers of the era.
Pull cluster and re-flow solder on the connections for the wiring harness plugs and where the gauges connect to the boards. That should at least eliminate that as a source of the problem.
If it was just the speedometer, I'd say it could be the speed sensor on the back of the transaxle.
If it was just the tach and it was going crazy then it could be the ignition feed from the ecu.
Since it is both, then it likely just a flaky connector on the cluster.
First, make sure the battery terminals are clean and tight.
Look for green stuff on the cables. Not good.
Vigo
UltraDork
2/5/13 11:02 p.m.
I would check the terminals on the headlight switch for the headlight issue.
Im on my 2nd 95 neon and have not had any of these problems... although my current 95 neon did have an electrical FIRE in the steering column in the past.
All 95 neons have electrical issues here is the best way to improve the situation.
Your gauge problem is probably the cluster the instructions above are correct and pretty easy if you dont feel like doing it I sell reconditioned clusters for $45
Next take a look at the steel bar running from the battery box to the core support make sure its not rusted and that its there. next move to the pass side of the core support in the corner there is a spade connector make sure its there and the wiring is intact. Next take appart as many connectors you can and clean them (be careful with the main engine connector they tend to break inside)
thats a number of issues... Start with the basics.. Confirm you have a good battery, terminals are clean/tight.. Check that your alternator is charging properly..
If you get low voltage due it can cause all kinds of problems like that..
