phoenix1151

That's a good idea, I'll try that if/when it loosens up again. I just tightened the nut down as hard as I dared with the linkage supported so as not to put the torque on the motor shaft.

The driver side wiper arm has stripped the splines in the aluminum? "spindle" of the wiper arm that engage the corresponding splines of the wiper motor shaft. Is this part replaceable or does one have to replace the whole wiper arm? There is a youtube vid suggesting to just clean the wiper motor splines but I doubt that would be sufficient to achieve an adequate connection. I can't find these "spindle" parts listed separately, so surmise it is a replacement wiper arm solution but interested if anyone has done a lasting DIY fix.

PS: I posted this exact inquiry on a U.S. automotive HVAC forum site and was abruptly told by two Moderators to throw this stuff away due to it having "sealant". It was also alluded that the oil is not an issue, with no further clarification as they were obsessed with the sealant. I asked further and the God-Mod locked the thread, pompous ass, lol. Anyway, the Nitro has a static pressure of only 10 psi so no liquid refrigerant and will need a full 1.12lb (18oz) recharge and the label says it has 150cc (5oz) of oil. Just adding a full charge (probably after N2 purge & vac pump evacuation) will add around 4-5oz of oil, essentially doubling the original amount. How can this not be an issue?

I was going to evacuate and recharge a couple of vehicle's A/C and I have canisters of "Interdynamics 307 R-134a Plus" Refrigerant. However, this has PAG oil and sealant in the can with R134a (11oz R134a + 2oz oil +1oz treatment additive), and without withdrawing existing oil I'm concerned about overloading oil in the system (one vehicle @ 1.43 lb and one at 1.12lb R134a charge). What's the best way to purge oil out? Blast with N2 into the low side and have high side port open then have to open drain plug on compressor while collecting any oil for comparison to labelled amount? Even then, having a 11/2 ratio of refrigerant to oil in new charge may not match specs. Alternative could be to return what I got and get plain R134a? Opinions welcome.

New adjustable rear upper control arms being installed tomorrow, here's hoping it will solve the issue.

Thanks for the reply. Their ballpark cost wasn't exactly what I consider "low buck" due to labour hours (parts pretty cheap) but I'm fearing what doing it "the right way" would cost, lol. I would prefer "the right way" and will see what the cost difference is, as "the right way" should eliminate issues for what remains of this vehicles life. It just sounded like a MacGyver cobble-up to me. Thanks again, these forums are great.

My wife's 2012 SXT had a 4 wheel alignment done in Oct 2020 but still showed issues on the rear end alignment printout, so we took it back and they did it again but said they ran out of adjustments on the back but did not suggest further action. Due to front clunking noises, we just had sway bar links and bushings replaced by a local auto mechanic, and the mechanic noted severe wear in the inside of the tires. They suggested tapered shims to be added to the rear wheels but this sounds a bit mickey mouse to me but I'm no gear head. They did a complimentary alignment check and the printout looked terrible for the rear wheels. From searching "camber" here, there's no mention of shims but almost universal mention of the non-adjustable upper control arm and suggestion to replace with adjustable ones. I will broach this with our preferred mechanic (not local) and ask for a thorough examination of the rear suspension, have parts replaced and another 4 wheel alighnment. However, my question is about the suggestion of shims. Is this a sensible suggestion to have made as opposed to other avenues like upper control arms, etc?

Here are some pics 1. shows the hole worked through the aluminum 2. shows a large washer under the aluminum 3. shows a large and small washer above the aluminum with a new 6mm-1 nylon insert lock nut

The 6mm-1 bolts securing the heat shields have a rounded "washer" to spread the compression on the thin/soft aluminum but I just found 3 locations where the "washer" has worked through the aluminum. I've cleaned up the remaining threads on the original bolts with a die and will put larger washers on with an additional nut as the original nut is rusted on.

Interesting and timely read as my wife's 2012 Journey has started exhibiting similar little "shimmies", slightly detectable on dry pavement but particularly unnerving on snow & icy roads making it feel like its starting to fishtail. Neither of us feel comfortable driving it on other than dry roads. I already told her to make an appointment with her favorite garage to inspect things.

OK, thanks for the replies.

Wife's 2012 Journey TPMS system alert intermittently comes on despite tire pressures not being low. Could this be caused by the sensor in a tire having a weak battery leading to low or intermittent signal or do these sensors just tend to stop altogether? My Dodge Nitro is 4 years older and doesn't show any such issue so I wonder whether sensor battery life is even a likely suspect. Does the alert just show when a tire is below pressure spec or would it also be triggered if say one tire was higher pressure than the rest?

I got her an Avantree stand-alone unit that clips on the sun visor. She likely won't use it often, but it's there if she wants it, especially now that the bubble-wrap politicians have increased fines for "distracted driving".

I put the Journey's rear end up on my ramps yesterday and having things more than an inch or two from my nose helped to see a lot better, lol. I dropped the spare, drilled and popped out the rivets that were all still in the plastic liner. I replaced the pop rivets with washer backing so they should last. Thanks again Hankster.