The starter in the 1998 Dodge Neon is bolted onto the transmission housing in a location that's not directly accessible. Getting to the starter without removing engine mounts requires access from above and below the engine. This makes replacing the starter for the Dodge Neon slightly more labor intensive and slightly more difficult than doing the job on the average compact vehicle. But even with a few extra steps, you should be able to replace the starter in your Dodge Neon with relative ease.
Lift the hood and prop it open. Disconnect the negative and positive cables from the battery with an adjustable wrench.
Remove the bolt that secures the battery to the battery tray. Lift the battery out of the engine bay and place it off to the side.
Remove the bolts that secure the battery tray to the fender well with a socket and ratchet. Lift the battery tray out of the engine bay and place it off to the side.
Locate the starter through the hole where the battery tray was. Use the replacement starter as a visual reference. Locate the top bolt that secures the starter to the transmission housing with a socket. Accessing the upper bolt in this manner precludes the need to remove the front motor mount.
Raise the front of the Neon and place it on jack stands. The rest of the removal requires you to be under the vehicle.
Locate and remove the lower mounting bolt for the starter. Pull the gear on the end of the starter out of the transmission housing.
Remove the bolt that secures the generator output wire and the positive battery wire to the back of the solenoid, which bolts onto the starter.
Disconnect the push-on wiring harness from the starter solenoid.
Push the wiring harness onto the new starter solenoid and bolt the generator output wire and the positive battery wire back onto the solenoid.
Slide the gear on the end of the starter back into the transmission housing and secure it in place with the lower bolt.
Secure the top half of the starter to the transmission housing by reinserting the bolt through the hole created when you removed the battery tray.
Place the battery tray back into the engine bay and bolt it into place.
Place the battery onto the battery tray and secure it with the battery lock-down bolt.
Reconnect the positive and negative battery cables.
