<p>Hello,
My 21 year old son is driving across the country by himself to California for an internship. The car (a 1995 Dodge Neon) is running hot. He has turned off the air conditioning, turned on the heat, opened the windows and added coolant.The car is still running hot. He is about 15 miles away from Cheyenne, WY.</p>
<p>Does anyone know of a decent repair place in Cheyenne? And any ideas about what might be going on with the car? Thanks for help and suggestions! I am panicking right now!</p>
<p>yorky…
when we drove from CA back to the Midwest a number of years ago, we had a problem in Wyoming, too. Turns out the elevation (approx. 6500) had something to do with it…and car ended up with “vapor lock”… I think had something to do with the air filter or fuel line (sorry–memory fading)
Flagged down a Highway Patrol…eventually had a tow truck appear.<br>
Good luck to your son…keep us posted…</p>
Water pump and/or thermostat would be my guess. Could also be that the channels in the radiator have become clogged. Make sure it is not low on oil.</p>
<p>The Dodge Neon from 1995 onward was notorious for overheating because of a blown head gasket. Of course check the coolant level to see if it is at the correct level. When the car cools off, start it up and turn on the air conditioner. With the hood up, check to see if the electric fan behind the radiator is running. If the fan isn’t running, check the fan relay fuse. If the fan is running and the car still overheats, it could be a bad thermostat that failed in the closed position which will not let the coolant flow through the radiator. </p>
<p>If a garage determines that it’s a blown head gasket, repairs can be made…but it will not be cheap. </p>
<p>I used to have a Dodge Neon, I think it was a 96 – and I had repeat problems with the thermostat – so I’d start with that. It was a fairly easy repair.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone for your kind replies! He is staying in Cheyenne tonight. The temperature of the car appears to be OK at 65mph or so. It creeps up to high as he approaches 75 mph. He is driving around Cheyenne tonight to see how the car behaves and will make a decision tomorrow. He has some elevation ahead of him and, of course, the hot salt flats of Utah.</p>
<p>He does have AAA, a credit card and an ATM as well as a good cell phone. My hubby thinks he is OK but I, of course, am nervous. I would like him to get a mechanic to look at the car but my son wants to push on. I guess I will wait and see what transpires tomorrow.</p>
<p>The CarTalk (Click and Clack) auto mechanics list has good reviews of </p>
<p>Ars Inc-Automotive Repair Specialists
305 East Fox Farm Road
Cheyenne, WY 82007-2452
(307) 635-2886</p>
<p>I have used the CarTalk mechanics list several times and have always had good luck. I have no personal knowledge of mechanics in Cheyenne, other than the mechanics at the UP Steam Roundhouse. Since the Neon is not steam powered, I’d go with ARS. And it’s probably a good idea to get it checked out before heading west into even more sparsely settled territory beyond Cheyenne, IMHO.</p>
<p>I suggest he have the car checked before heading onwards since there’s a lot of lonely open hot country ahead of him. Here are the more likely causes (for a normal car) - </p>
<ul>
<li>Coolant level low (if he added coolant and it’s low again he may have a leaking radiator hose or water pump)</li>
<li>Fan belt to water pump slipping (if it was broken he’d have been stuck by now)</li>
<li>Thermostat not opening fully (not likely but possible)
(The above items are the most likely and s/b cheap and quick)</li>
<li>Radiator clogged (i.e. needs to be replaced or at a minimum flushed - flushing is inexpensive but may not help if there’s another issue with the radiator)</li>
<li>Fan clutch (worn out so fan isn’t engaged properly - this isn’t that expensive)</li>
<li>Water pump not pumping efficiently (i.e. needs replacing)</li>
<li>Head gasket leak (expensive)</li>
<li>Too much back pressure in exhaust system (i.e. needs a new catalytic converter or muffler)</li>
</ul>
<p>While he’s at it make sure he checks the oil level as well.</p>
<p>I agree with interesteddad, sounds like the engine thermostat needs changing. Easy and cheap fix if dealt within time and have an honest mechanic. Good luck!</p>
<p>And the saga continues…
The car behaved well at city speeds last night. We decided to get the radiator flushed this morning so he had that done at Cheyenne. He got on I-80 and, 15 miles west of Cheyenne, the car started running hot again so he returned to Cheyenne and is having the car looked at by a AAA-recommended repair shop right now. (Thanks for the AAA list !!!)</p>
<p>Ugh! car problems! The poor guy! This is his first time driving across country and he is stuck in the middle of nowhere. He sounds annoyed and stressed. Well, if he has to, he can fly to California from Cheyenne and rent a car. It will be expensive for us but better safe than sorry.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone again for replying. It really made me feel so much better!!</p>
<p>Dang…Diagnosis is blown head gasket!!! We are going to pay for the repair (ugh…$1600) and cross our fingers. Hopefully he will be on the road by tomorrow afternoon. I am sure my son is completely frustrated and worried. Poor guy!</p>
<p>Ughhh! I hope the mechanic who diagnosed this is competent and honest although it’s not that hard to be certain of a head gasket issue and it was on my list of causes (the one I said ‘expensive’ next to). The worst of it is that it’s hard in his position to shop it around for a better price and he may not have the experience to just do the work himself.</p>