Intermittently (although lately it’s pretty common, perhaps due to the Texas heat?) my car will take several seconds to start. It sounds like the battery is dead, i.e., it sounds as if it’s about to start but it straining, and then it eventually engages.
When this happens, I know that a) I won’t be able to turn on cruise control and b) I won’t be able to accelerate easily. at best I can get it to 60 mph
Similarly, even if I start up without a problem, and I’m cruising down the HWY at 80 MPH, the car will suddenly loose momentum and won’t go above 60 mph. And I can’t turn on cruise control (cc shuts down, in fact, if it was on).
This is a 2005 Neon, by the way.
I have replaced the battery and cabling to the battery to no avail.
Was the check engine light on?
Is the check engine light on?
Is the check engine light flashing?
Is your engine oil level correct?
How many miles?
Are you up to date on maintenance?
Have you had the fuel pressure tested?
I have this same car and had this same problem. I believe its your camshaft position sensor. Relatively easy to change, its on the side of the head on the battery side.
My advice is buy the Mopar version even though it costs significantly more than the knockoffs.
I did a lot of unnecessary shit trying to go with a knockoff (I might have tried two or three). Finally, tried the Mopar one and it fixed it. So either Mopar published bad specs, or the knockoff versions are slightly out of spec, because sometimes they would work for awhile, then fall back into gimp mode, or limp mode with the 60 mph limit.
+1
This may well vary from one make or model to another, but I was under the impression that the trans will not shift past 2nd gear when a vehicle is in limp mode.
