Testing the fuel injectors, on your 1996-1997 2.0L Neon, isn't hard. Especially since they are so easy to get to.
What's involved in testing the fuel injectors? A resistance test to see if their internal coil winding has fried. Since an internal coil winding that has suffered an open-circuit problem or a short-circuit problem would cause the fuel injector to stop injecting fuel.
Contents of this tutorial:
You can find this tutorial in Spanish here: Cómo Probar Los Inyectores De Combustible (1996-1997 2.0L Neon) (at: autotecnico-online.com).
Symptoms Of A Bad Fuel Injector
Having the fuel injector's internal coil winding short out is one of the most common type of fuel injector failures. The other is a clogged fuel injector that can no longer spray (atomize) fuel in a correct conical pattern.
Since a fuel injector injects the gasoline the cylinder needs to produce power, when one fails (or gets clogged) it'll have serious repercussions in engine performance. Here are the most common symptoms you'll see when a one fails:
- Rough idle.
- Lack of power.
- Hesitation when you accelerate your 2.0L Neon down the road.
- Misfire trouble codes:
- P0300: Random Cylinder Misfire.
- P0301: Cylinder #1 Misfire.
- P0302: Cylinder #2 Misfire.
- P0303: Cylinder #3 Misfire.
- P0304: Cylinder #4 Misfire.
The test I'm gonna' show you deals primarily with shorted fuel injector coil windings. But, I'll also offer you a specific diagnostic strategy to find a clogged fuel injector (in the next page, under the heading: How To Find The Bad Or Clogged Fuel Injector)
Where To Buy The Fuel Injector And Save
Check out the following links and comparison shop the fuel injector on your 2.0L Neon:
Not sure if the above fuel injectors fit your particular 2.0L Neon? Don't worry, once you click on the links and arrive on the site, they'll make sure it fits! If it doesn't, they'll find you the right one.
Checking The Injector's Internal Resistance
The factory fuel injector resistance for the 1996-1997 2.0L Neon is 10 to 16 Ohms (Ω).
To check this resistance your Neon must be at ambient temperature. In other words, the engine should be cold. Also, this resistance is checked with your multimeter in Ohms mode.
These are the test steps:
- 1
Disconnect the fuel injectors from their engine wiring harness connectors.
NOTE: To identify which cylinder the fuel injector belongs to, see the above illustration with the cylinder # id for the 2.0L Neon. - 2
Set your multimeter to Ohms (Ω) mode and:
Measure the resistance of the fuel injector across its two male spade terminals with the multimeter test leads (see the illustration above). - 3
Write down the resistance value that your multimeter records for the specific fuel injector you're testing. The illustration above will help you identify the cylinder # the fuel injector belongs to.
- 4
Repeat steps 1 through 3 on the remaining fuel injectors.
NOTE: The 2.0L Neon resistance specification is: 10 to 16 Ohms.
Let's find out what your specific multimeter test results mean:
CASE 1: Your test results confirm that all fuel injectors' resistances are within specification. This is the expected and correct test result and tells you that none are shorted or open internally.
If you suspect that you have a clogged fuel injector, which a resistance test won't find, take a look at the following section: How To Find The Bad Or Clogged Fuel Injector.
CASE 2: One of the fuel injectors registered a resistance value not within the specification. This indicates that the fuel injector is bad. Replace the fuel injector.