97 dodge neon repair

Apr 05, 2006 2 Replies

I have a 97 dodge neon that hit the wrong side of the guard rail on the passengers side. The body is all fixed, but the frame was off by 2" lengthwise of the car. The frame has been straightened, K frame, A frames, and rack and pinion replaced, driveaxle on passenger's side replaced. When the steering wheel is turned to the left, and when the transmission is in gear, there is a noise that sounds like a *loud* chatter and the vehicle shakes. When not in gear, the steering "pops" when you hit a certain point. At first it didn't do it, but after driving up a slight incline doing a 3pt turn, it chatters every time. Any ideas as to what it could be? The dealer is confused but thinks the frame could still be out of alignment. The frame shop said the frame was straightened to 1/8" which is pretty close. Out of all of the cars I've owned this neon has been the worst to fix from a collision.



Motor mounts are good. The halfshaft happens to be the same thing as the driveaxle on the neon, which was fine when I replaced it. Driveaxle bearing on the tranny has been replaced also. I had the differential cover off, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary in there, the fluid was free of debris and no gears were over gapped. Tranny fluid is topped off also.

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