A throttle position sensor reports the position of the throttle to the engine computer. When one goes bad, it causes problems ranging from stalling to speed surges. You can replace the throttle position sensor in a 2000 Dodge or Plymouth Neon in about 15 minutes. The key things to know are where to find it and how to properly connect the replacement to the throttle position shaft.
Unhook the negative battery cable by loosening the bolt with a wrench and then sliding the connector off the post. The battery is located on the right side of the engine compartment and the negative cable is black.
Unplug the throttle position sensor. It is attached to the front side of the throttle body with two screws. The throttle body is bolted to the air filter box on the right side of the engine compartment. Squeeze the tab and pull to remove the electrical connector.
Unscrew the two screws holding the throttle position sensor in place and remove the sensor.
Install the replacement throttle position sensor. There are two tabs inside the hole on the back of the sensor. Make sure that the shaft in the throttle body fits between the tabs. Position the sensor so that it is rotated a bit to the left, and then rotate it clockwise to line up the holes. There should be a slight resistance. If it is difficult to rotate the sensor, the shaft is not properly aligned between the tabs.
Attach the sensor with the screws removed earlier, tightening until they are snug.
Reconnect the battery cable and tighten the bolt.
