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.

Thanks Hankster, I actually crawled under the spare tire area this morning to look at that location but couldn't see anything definitive. I'll have to put the rear end up on my ramps and look again. I wanted to make sure its falling off was or wasn't related to the work on the front wheels before talking to the mechanic.

This fell off my wifes 2012 Journey SXT. We recently had front wheel bearings and lower ball joints replaced and it looked like a wheel well heat shield to me, but I don't see a comparable shield in either wheel well. Any ideas as to where this shield goes?

EDIT: I started up the SXT and the touchscreen display showed the Uconnect logo but there is no phone logo anywhere. Without swapping the entire touchscreen, can it be software upgraded? I imagine it would need additional hardware too? Not having the DVD is a pain. The lighter socket type of aftermarket device is sounding like the easier way. PS: The clock continuously gains time too, so is there any way for the owner to adjust?

My wifes 2012 SXT (bought used) didn't come with the owner DVD and doesn't appear to have any bluetooth hands-free phone capability. I'm thinking of getting her an aftermarket bluetooth hands-free phone kit that apparently will plug into the lighter socket. Looking for recommendations from others that have done this. Thanks folks.

Yesterday, I replaced the front rotors and brake pads on my wife's 2012 SXT, and reviewed some general on-line info beforehand. One source claimed that depressing the brake piston to fit the new pads wasn't a good idea unless you bled some brake fluid out of the bleed nipple. They claimed that not bleeding fluid could cause damage on ABS systems. I bled a bit just in case, but wonder what others have to say about this, particularly on the Journey (and Dodge Nitro). Also, I only have some GM brand brake fluid in the garage (Delco Supreme II DOT 3 conforms to GM-4653M CMVSS 116, SAE J1703) but don't see any issue with using it to top up the Journey's reservoir. However, before I do, I'll ask whether anyone knows if there is any issue with this.

I'm actually thinking of bending up some kind of flat spring type coil that will slide into the pocket in the dashboard just below the small screen. It's not anything near the top of my to-do list anymore, so plenty of time to think up some Rube Goldberg concoction.

The wifes 2012 SXT had the small screen, so we picked up an aftermarket backup cam kit and I installed it yesterday. It came with a windshield suction cup mount, but we're thinking of rigging up some sort of mount so that it sits just below the dashboard screen. Anyway, it works so for the most part it is off the to-do list.

I just joined the forum and one of the "mods" the wife wouldn't mind on her SXT is a back-up cam. I would prefer to have it integrated to the existing screen and read that it should already be capable (lockpick? wth). I don't know chit about what to buy and this thread has been a bit cryptic to decipher. What do people suggest, either OEM or aftermarket? There are lots of wireless aftermarket stuff out there and I realize that I could probably go to a dealer and have them install and activate, but I'd rather give it a go myself if it's worth the effort/savings.

Thanks all. I'm quite impressed with her SXT, very good value. I hope I'm not here in future with problematic issues looking for solutions, but I'm sure there are answers to be found here in that event. Sharing knowledge and experiences is what these forums excel at. Drive on!

Joining the forum as proxy for my wife who recently acquired the 2012 SXT. I trust I will find this forum very interesting and helpful.