Dodge Repair: dodge neon 2002 overheating??, exhaust gas recirculation valve, exhaust gas recirculation

Question
My dodge neon stopped in the middle of the road after I went on a stop light and turned off. I tried to restart multiple times and it finally started back up then died out on me again after I made a stop. The engine light is on and the temperature gauge was maxed up. I tried to restart the car again and same thing happen 5 times before I was able to get home. I have not seen a mechanic yet but I would like to know if I can still fix this or just give up and get a new car. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

Answer
Hi Tony,
The decision about the future for the engine depends upon what is wrong, so don't jump to a conclusion. Had you noticed the temperature gauge was high before the engine died and wouldn't reliably start? If so, then that is the first issue to resolve. Did the fans come on when the temp gauge reached about 3/4 of full scale? Was there any loss of coolant or boiling over in the initial shut down? Have you been loosing coolant lately or seen any on the ground under the vehicle? Any excessive white smoke coming out the tail pipe when you start the car from cold? These signs would be of diagnostic help.
It may also be involved with an electronic control issue with the engine:
The best approach to diagnosing that sort of problem is to have the fault code numbers read out from the engine contoller. That is done with a code reader that plugs into a socket under the dash by the steering colum. You can get a free code readout at an Autozone or similar nationwide autoparts store. Ask for the numbers, what they mean, and what they suggest. Then let me know and we'll compare notes with the manual on the subject code.
It might also be simply an exhaust gas recirculation valve that is sticky and needs to be lubricated to close properly when you slow to a stop. That is a common simple cause for the engine stalling as you come to a stop and then being difficult to start.
I would check the coolant level in the radiator and the overflow bottle before you go out to get the code readout, and also call ahead to the parts store until you find one that will to the readout for free. An independent shop will charge less than $40 for the readout, or if you have a mechanic you trust it would be a normal part of the repair. It may be something simple like an engine sensor that is going bad when it gets warm, then when it cools it recovers. They cost about $50 and install easily. The fault code readout will tell you if that is the cause. Please tell me which size (L) engine you have.
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Thanks,
Roland