Parts & tools required (For a 96. The 95 Neons use different parts, other years may as well.) Cruise control kit. Part # 82202270, $175. Switch pods. Part # PN 82202092 (grey), 82300626 (tan), $20. Steering wheel puller 3/8" Ratchet. 8, 10, and 21 mm sockets. Phillips screwdriver.

Installation of a factory cruise control kit for a Dodge Neon is not too difficult. If the car is in need of an overlay harness, in which case some experience of working with automotive wiring may be required before attempting the job. There are two ways to determine if the vehicle needs an overlay harness. If both of the following are present, then the vehicle does not.

1. Look near the drivers strut tower for a 4-pin connector that isn't attached to anything.
2. Disconnect and isolate the negative (ground) cable from the battery.
   1. Remove the little side pods on the steering wheel, and then the air bag. Be gentle with the big air bag wire and the air bag connector, and make sure you don't lose any of the screws, as specially-coated screws are used near the airbag.
   2. Use a steering wheel puller to remove the steering wheel.
   3. Remove the clockspring behind the steering wheel. The clockspring is the device that maintains electrical contact between the fixed steering column and the moveable steering wheel.
   4. Look at the dashboard end of the clockspring connector and see if a green wire with a red stripe is present in the connector.

Installation

The instructions were straightforward, and clearly written for the average enthusiast, although having a factory service manual available was recommended. One instance where having it was helpful was in step 2, which specified to remove the air bag, steering wheel, clockspring, and the steering column covers, lower driver-side dash panel, etc. The service manual is also the only source of troubleshooting information.

On the perticular vehicle this was performed on, an extra overlay harness had to be made to support the cruise functions. This was the hardest part, as taking apart the PCM connectors to add the new wires and getting them all back together right to be somewhat tricky. The connectors are hard to get off and even more difficult to disassemble. Unbolting the PCM to get more room is recommended. and even more difficult to disassemble. Treating them gently is a must, as the little tabs are fragile and break easily. Initially the 2 of the new wires had issues locking into the connectors, and pulled out enough to miss their contacts, however the troublehsooting guide and the PCM's onboard diagnostics pointed to the right circuit. The wires were followed until the problem was eliminated.

Working methodically, the entire procedure took about 6 hours, including an hour spent debugging. Had the car included the harness connections the entire procedure could easily be performed in less than two.