Armando G

So last week I got in my DJ, drove off, and within a block it stalled and idled really roughly. The CEL came on as well as the traction control light so I immediately made a u-turn (as it died 3 times while doing it) and headed back home at a high speed of 20 MPH since it would not go any faster. After the typical reaction of SOB!!!!, I grabbed my reader and hooked it up to the car. Reader showed the following codes - P0345, P0390, P0339, P0365, P0365p/d - and all I could see was money signs flying away from me. Like your typical DIY'er I got on the computer and started looking it all up and it pointed to the Camshaft Position Sensor 1 & 2. Look up the part and it is a very affordable part...NICE!!! Unfortunately, to actually replace that cheap little sensor (X2) you have to dismantle the car and remove the intake manifold...DAMN. Well, I figured I am at 91K miles so might as well do the spark plugs, coils, and anything else that is called for in the 100K mile service AND I wanted the dealer to do it since I have not had any issues in the 7+ years I have owned the car. So I make a call to the local Dodge dealer and almost had a heart attack (Esther, I'm coming!!! for you older guys). The quote to get it all done was $2092 that also included a visual inspection of the brakes, hoses, belts, and fluids. Told them to remove that stuff I can do that myself - price dropped to $1982. They also mentioned that it would take some time to get the parts, about a week. 
 
Fast forward to the next day after I calmed down - I got on the internet to see how much parts would be if I did it all myself using instructions from this forum and YouTube, considering I have rebuilt cars in the past. I have no warranty issues to worry about and feel very comfortable doing this type of work. Here is the 'Holy Sh!&' moment. As I was searching the parts, there was an article on another Doge car that stated, "Make sure the connections are clean and tight on the sensor before doing anything else. You are able to reach the connectors without removing anything else". Hmmmm...I have nothing to lose so lets take a look. Headed to the car, started it up just in case it magically fixed itself and still got all of the codes. The car was idling rough and would not make it down the street without dying. So popped the hood, found the sensors, and cleaned them up really good. There was a bunch of dirt and some other crap on the connectors, so I made sure everything was off of them. Plugged them back in, got my code reader ready, and started her up. No CEL and no traction control light. I put her in Drive and she ran as smoth as the first day (or at least two days ago). Drove it a couple of miles jsut waiting for things to go bad, and NOTHING. Came back home, hooked up my reader and no coeds at all. It's now been 5 days of driving the DJ as I would normally and there has not been a single issue.
 
I am writing this because I always tell people to start with the basics before assuming. Sensors can be affected by a dying battery or a bad connection, which one of my mechanic friends reminded me of a couple of days later. I jumped to a very expensive conclusion and almost dropped the car off, if it wasn't for a delay in getting the parts in to the dealer. I am so thankful it worked out this way and I am still really glad I bought my DJ. Now I am starting to buy all of the parts for the 100k service and planning on doing it myslef this summer. 
 

So last week I got in my DJ, drove off, and within a block it stalled and idled really roughly. The CEL came on as well as the traction control light so I immediately made a u-turn (as it died 3 times while doing it) and headed back home at a high speed of 20 MPH since it would not go any faster. After the typical reaction of SOB!!!!, I grabbed my reader and hooked it up to the car. Reader showed the following codes - P0345, P0390, P0339, P0365, P0365p/d - and all I could see was money signs flying away from me. Like your typical DIY'er I got on the computer and started looking it all up and it pointed to the Camshaft Position Sensor 1 & 2. Look up the part and it is a very affordable part...NICE!!! Unfortunately, to actually replace that cheap little sensor (X2) you have to dismantle the car and remove the intake manifold...DAMN. Well, I figured I am at 91K miles so might as well do the spark plugs, coils, and anything else that is called for in the 100K mile service AND I wanted the dealer to do it since I have not had any issues in the 7+ years I have owned the car. So I make a call to the local Dodge dealer and almost had a heart attack (Esther, I'm coming!!! for you older guys). The quote to get it all done was $2092 that also included a visual inspection of the brakes, hoses, belts, and fluids. Told them to remove that stuff I can do that myself - price dropped to $1982. They also mentioned that it would take some time to get the parts, about a week. 
 
Fast forward to the next day after I calmed down - I got on the internet to see how much parts would be if I did it all myself using instructions from this forum and YouTube, considering I have rebuilt cars in the past. I have no warranty issues to worry about and feel very comfortable doing this type of work. Here is the 'Holy Sh!&' moment. As I was searching the parts, there was an article on another Doge car that stated, "Make sure the connections are clean and tight on the sensor before doing anything else. You are able to reach the connectors without removing anything else". Hmmmm...I have nothing to lose so lets take a look. Headed to the car, started it up just in case it magically fixed itself and still got all of the codes. The car was idling rough and would not make it down the street without dying. So popped the hood, found the sensors, and cleaned them up really good. There was a bunch of dirt and some other crap on the connectors, so I made sure everything was off of them. Plugged them back in, got my code reader ready, and started her up. No CEL and no traction control light. I put her in Drive and she ran as smoth as the first day (or at least two days ago). Drove it a couple of miles jsut waiting for things to go bad, and NOTHING. Came back home, hooked up my reader and no coeds at all. It's now been 5 days of driving the DJ as I would normally and there has not been a single issue.
 
I am writing this because I always tell people to start with the basics before assuming. Sensors can be affected by a dying battery or a bad connection, which one of my mechanic friends reminded me of a couple of days later. I jumped to a very expensive conclusion and almost dropped the car off, if it wasn't for a delay in getting the parts in to the dealer. I am so thankful it worked out this way and I am still really glad I bought my DJ. Now I am starting to buy all of the parts for the 100k service and planning on doing it myslef this summer. 
 

So far we have heated leather seats, 8.4 uconnect, factory alpine amp and sub, bluetooth, and auto dimming mirror all installed and functioning. I have the backup cam installed but image is afu. I will be ordering a new camera to hopefully fix it.
 
I still have the heated steering wheel, 120v inverter and auto climate control to get working.
 
Not bad for a few minutes,,err umm hours,,, well actually days invested. I probably have 16 hours total involved at this point. That is pulling the parts from the wrecked Journey and installing into our Journey. I work slow and an hour or two here and there. I am sure someone more agile than me could cut that time in half.

Hands Free Works !!!!!
 
Factory Bluetooth can be installed!!!!
 
It's not easy but so worth it for my peace of mind. I did the whole harness but looking over the wiring diagrams you do not have to do the same. I believe with the module, mirror, male to male usb cable and connectors you can wire it in yourself. You may need the black connector for the radio as well. If you have the backup cam you should already have it. Grabbing the dash harness would be nice but not at all required.
 
I installed the hands free mirror and headliner harness for the mirror and humidity sensor. Ran power to the fuse block. Activated hands free present in two places with Alfa. Just type "hands free" in the search box and alfa will show the 2 settings that need changed.
 
And...
 
It would not connect. Journey showed the phone icon. It said it was in pairing mode. The car appeared to work as it should. Our pixel phones could not see the uconnect system. I checked AlfaOBD on my pc to see if there was another item to change. I noticed uconnect showing up there as a bluetooth device but not on our phones. After some Google Fu I downgraded the bluetooth drivers in our cell phones to 1.4 and they now work as they should. It can send and receive calls and it appears to be factory installed.
 
The UCI USB is a diagnostic port for the usb system. That is why I didn't remember where it went. It didn't go anywhere. You can ignore that connector at the module all together.

I guess I hit a 10 mb upload limit. I have some pics of the body harness before and after. I removed all the air bag, lighting and heater wiring. That was about half the body harness. I still have to get serious with the dash harness. Without a diagram it will be a little more difficult. I may break down and get one but that will a couple weeks. Seems Mopar is proud of the service manuals. I will remove one wire at a time from the bcm and fuse block connectors and merge the two dash harnesses. I hope to have just a handful of power connections and a few bcm connections. The body harness was easy in comparison. Since I have entire systems to add I think it's going to be problematic at times and will need some... well a lot of patience. The outcome will be a nicely equipped car to replace her old car. If it all works as planned.
 
I had half a day today with her car and spent it installing what I could. I placed killmat behind the amp. I used seat bolts to bolt the top of the amp. If you remove one from a donor get the clips that hold the top bolts from the body. The stud was already present for the bottom mount on the sub. It took longer to feed the wires through the grommet between hatch and body than any thing else. I finally used a thin long flathead screwdriver and taped the wires. Then slowly pulled them one at a time. Baby powder would probably have helped but I didn't think of it till now. Maybe next time.
 
I have all the rear seat work done. I will need to pull the front seats next session. run the body harness up next to the firewall and then down to the right b pillar to catch that door speaker harness. Then connect review camera. From there I will wire up what I can when I can.
 
I added the SRT pages and really like the added gauges. They will be nice if a problem arises down the road.
 
I changed the fog lights to stay on as well with brights. That has always annoyed me with modern cars.
 

My wife totaled her 2012 Mazda 6 just before Christmas. It was loaded with sunroof, leather, bluetooth, backup cam and sensors. Nice car but had a lot of miles. 5 days before her crash I bought me a 14 Ram to replace my 94 Ram. The month prior I was buying parts for my Mustang II as well as getting Christmas stuff for the grandkids. Our car budget was shot. Insurance gave us a pittance for her car.
 
A family member basically gave us a 2017 Journey SXT. It has 82k and well maintained. I know the history from new. Great condition overall. Needs tires and has a wiper washer issue. The bigger problem is it being a much larger vehicle to my wife. It is fairly basic. Cloth, 4" screen. No backup camera which is a must.
 
The goal started out as just adding a factory like backup camera. I worked out a deal with a local junkyard and was able to get the 8.4 with trim panel and heater control for $100. I called back to get the backup camera and was told I can have the complete interior for another $50. As well as a set of 19" wheels. All from a crashed 2016 r/t. We grabbed my go bag of tools and high tailed it to the junkyard and stripped that interior.
 
Here is where my wife will tell you she wishes I did not have a habit of making a minor project balloon into a major overhaul. I was adding the bigger screen to give her a backup cam. The junkyard basically giving me the interior changed that. I now have a heated leather interior. Everything down to and including the wiring harnesses. With sensors and modules attached. I even grabbed the TIPM and found the original window sticker. My new goal is to convert this car into a loaded model.
 
 I plan to correct the 22 degree issue by adding the complete auto temp control system. I will add the bluetooth system. Since I have it I will add the alpine system. The r/t came with remote start but has an aftermarket installed. I did not get the rf hub module so factory remote start is out. This thread will document my progress. 
 
This is her main transport and cannot be down any length of time. She works 10 to 12 hrs 6 days a week. I will have to do the project in small chunks. This prevents me from doing a complete harness change. I have culled a lot of the body wiring harness. I will overlay what I am adding and then tie it all into the existing harness.
 
I installed the 8.4 first. It is plug and play. Takes about 20 minutes on a cold day being very careful with trim pieces. The old radio had sirius so no need to replace the antenna. Booting it up it has the cannot unlock maps issue. Otherwise it works as it should.
 
I installed open maps and the nav mostly works. I had 2 maps on the usb drive but it only loaded one map. Northeast map loaded but midwest failed. We live in the midwest. I am now having reading usb issues. I will get back around to this problem at a later date but the nav mostly works. It cannot find every address locally but works well enough for now. I still get the cannot unlock maps prompt but pressing okay it works.
 
I then installed the heated leather front seats. It is plug and play wiring wise. I have not checked but assume the fuse block comes with heated seat fuse even when not equipped as I did not touch the fuse block yet. I used Alfaobd to set up the heated seats. Let car sit for 30 minutes and they work like factory. The dash airbags deployed on the donor so I was concerned the seat air bags might be an issue but they work fine. No airbag lights. The heater activates when it's below 40 degrees on startup.
 
Today I installed the sub, rear seats and rear backup camera. Changed out the rear cloth for the leather seats. I have the wiring harness run from the camera to behind drivers seat. I installed the side panel from the r/t which has the built in flashlight and sub opening. The backup sensor module is in the factory location. The wires to the sensors are cut where they penetrate the floor, I will eventually finish installing it after getting sensors and the wiring harness for them. I did not have access to the bottom of the donor car. I could not get the parking sensor parts outside the interior.
 
I found 12v switched power in the connector that would carry the camera wiring. It is in the white connector at the c pillar. I re-pinned the connectors at the c pillar to match. The hardest part of today was feeding the wires through the rubber tube between hatch and body.
 
I will keep this updated as I make progress. I hope to have everything working within a month. The only part I know I need is a clockspring for the heated wheel. The donor had melted wires at the airbag.
 
 

So last week I got in my DJ, drove off, and within a block it stalled and idled really roughly. The CEL came on as well as the traction control light so I immediately made a u-turn (as it died 3 times while doing it) and headed back home at a high speed of 20 MPH since it would not go any faster. After the typical reaction of SOB!!!!, I grabbed my reader and hooked it up to the car. Reader showed the following codes - P0345, P0390, P0339, P0365, P0365p/d - and all I could see was money signs flying away from me. Like your typical DIY'er I got on the computer and started looking it all up and it pointed to the Camshaft Position Sensor 1 & 2. Look up the part and it is a very affordable part...NICE!!! Unfortunately, to actually replace that cheap little sensor (X2) you have to dismantle the car and remove the intake manifold...DAMN. Well, I figured I am at 91K miles so might as well do the spark plugs, coils, and anything else that is called for in the 100K mile service AND I wanted the dealer to do it since I have not had any issues in the 7+ years I have owned the car. So I make a call to the local Dodge dealer and almost had a heart attack (Esther, I'm coming!!! for you older guys). The quote to get it all done was $2092 that also included a visual inspection of the brakes, hoses, belts, and fluids. Told them to remove that stuff I can do that myself - price dropped to $1982. They also mentioned that it would take some time to get the parts, about a week. 
 
Fast forward to the next day after I calmed down - I got on the internet to see how much parts would be if I did it all myself using instructions from this forum and YouTube, considering I have rebuilt cars in the past. I have no warranty issues to worry about and feel very comfortable doing this type of work. Here is the 'Holy Sh!&' moment. As I was searching the parts, there was an article on another Doge car that stated, "Make sure the connections are clean and tight on the sensor before doing anything else. You are able to reach the connectors without removing anything else". Hmmmm...I have nothing to lose so lets take a look. Headed to the car, started it up just in case it magically fixed itself and still got all of the codes. The car was idling rough and would not make it down the street without dying. So popped the hood, found the sensors, and cleaned them up really good. There was a bunch of dirt and some other crap on the connectors, so I made sure everything was off of them. Plugged them back in, got my code reader ready, and started her up. No CEL and no traction control light. I put her in Drive and she ran as smoth as the first day (or at least two days ago). Drove it a couple of miles jsut waiting for things to go bad, and NOTHING. Came back home, hooked up my reader and no coeds at all. It's now been 5 days of driving the DJ as I would normally and there has not been a single issue.
 
I am writing this because I always tell people to start with the basics before assuming. Sensors can be affected by a dying battery or a bad connection, which one of my mechanic friends reminded me of a couple of days later. I jumped to a very expensive conclusion and almost dropped the car off, if it wasn't for a delay in getting the parts in to the dealer. I am so thankful it worked out this way and I am still really glad I bought my DJ. Now I am starting to buy all of the parts for the 100k service and planning on doing it myslef this summer. 
 

Well, my 2015 DJ hit 90k on the clock this past week and I am still as happy with it as the day I bought it. She's carried my 4 kids on long trips, pulled a trailer when I moved my daughter, driven in the snow and ice, handled 120 degree weather, and been my 'get away' spot when I needed to just take off. She got a new transmission under warranty at around 30k miles and I just replaced the thermostat. Other than that I'm still on the original battery, original brake pads and rotors, and everything still works as expected. I do perform regular maintenance as advised, and don't abuse her (too much). My DJ has been a great SUV for me and even when I look at other cars to buy, I end up sticking with my DJ. 

Well, my 2015 DJ hit 90k on the clock this past week and I am still as happy with it as the day I bought it. She's carried my 4 kids on long trips, pulled a trailer when I moved my daughter, driven in the snow and ice, handled 120 degree weather, and been my 'get away' spot when I needed to just take off. She got a new transmission under warranty at around 30k miles and I just replaced the thermostat. Other than that I'm still on the original battery, original brake pads and rotors, and everything still works as expected. I do perform regular maintenance as advised, and don't abuse her (too much). My DJ has been a great SUV for me and even when I look at other cars to buy, I end up sticking with my DJ. 

Well, my 2015 DJ hit 90k on the clock this past week and I am still as happy with it as the day I bought it. She's carried my 4 kids on long trips, pulled a trailer when I moved my daughter, driven in the snow and ice, handled 120 degree weather, and been my 'get away' spot when I needed to just take off. She got a new transmission under warranty at around 30k miles and I just replaced the thermostat. Other than that I'm still on the original battery, original brake pads and rotors, and everything still works as expected. I do perform regular maintenance as advised, and don't abuse her (too much). My DJ has been a great SUV for me and even when I look at other cars to buy, I end up sticking with my DJ. 

Well, my 2015 DJ hit 90k on the clock this past week and I am still as happy with it as the day I bought it. She's carried my 4 kids on long trips, pulled a trailer when I moved my daughter, driven in the snow and ice, handled 120 degree weather, and been my 'get away' spot when I needed to just take off. She got a new transmission under warranty at around 30k miles and I just replaced the thermostat. Other than that I'm still on the original battery, original brake pads and rotors, and everything still works as expected. I do perform regular maintenance as advised, and don't abuse her (too much). My DJ has been a great SUV for me and even when I look at other cars to buy, I end up sticking with my DJ. 

This all sounds like a battery, but did you try to have it jumped before they towed it? If jumping it worked then that would answer a lot and give you an opportunity to drive it to get the battery tested - usually for free. The hard brake pedal happens and should not really be a concern. I hope you went with the tow truck to make sure they stay with checking the battery(?).

Reads like a very dead battery...it does happen

Most likely there is insulating (corrosion) on the battery B+ terminal to B+ (RED) cable connection OR you have a dying battery.  Poor  connections from COMMON lack of clean cable to battery connections will do mighty strange things to these cars!

How long have you owned this DJ and what level of standard MAINTAINENCE have you given it along with what size motor(4 or 6 cylinder)?
   Sounds like corroded(dirty) battery cable to positive of battery connection. YES these need to be gotten at (rather hard for a novice DIYer) but either that or an old and dying battery MAY be a strong possibility to your problem.

Welcome aboard. Enjoy the new DJ!!!

That kind of sound makes me think it might be a belt or per steering pump. Not sure if you checked the belts but take a look and take a look at your PS fluid. Otherwise, as stated above ☝

yes, that is normal, and it goes down right away if you noticed it,,hope you used the right oil filter and also didnt over tighten your oil cap as they are easy to crack the oil body
 

Man, I love reading your post. There's lots of great memories in my DJ as well and it's treated me really well. She's been paid off for a while now and no major repairs - well, out of pockets repairs... had my transmission replaced under warranty. I really enjoy doing my own repairs as well, but haven't had to do much of that at all - instead I took around on my kids cars. Anyway, welcome to the forum. 

I did a 500 mile trip this past week to Central Oregon with about 200 miles of frozen roads. I went from nice clear weather in CA to snowy, freezing weather in Oregon. This was the first time I drove my DJ in 20 degree weather with frozen roads, and it did not disappoint. I kept up with all of the big tire studded trucks and all wheel cars that were out there with me (I have the FWD model). Felt in full control the whole time and used the Autoshift option to control my speed and stops. I also dealt with 3 feet of snow fall on the 4th day with no issues at all. I was surprised that OR does not salt their roads like what I'm used to in CA - they use a gravel/sand looking stuff that doesn't really do much. Anyways, just wanted to give the '15 DJ a positive review and state yet again how happy I am with this thing. 
 
If you're wondering, I was helping my daughter buy a house and wanted my tools and car to help with the move in and install of her things (we closed last Wednesday). She's amazing and I'm very proud of her. 

I did a 500 mile trip this past week to Central Oregon with about 200 miles of frozen roads. I went from nice clear weather in CA to snowy, freezing weather in Oregon. This was the first time I drove my DJ in 20 degree weather with frozen roads, and it did not disappoint. I kept up with all of the big tire studded trucks and all wheel cars that were out there with me (I have the FWD model). Felt in full control the whole time and used the Autoshift option to control my speed and stops. I also dealt with 3 feet of snow fall on the 4th day with no issues at all. I was surprised that OR does not salt their roads like what I'm used to in CA - they use a gravel/sand looking stuff that doesn't really do much. Anyways, just wanted to give the '15 DJ a positive review and state yet again how happy I am with this thing. 
 
If you're wondering, I was helping my daughter buy a house and wanted my tools and car to help with the move in and install of her things (we closed last Wednesday). She's amazing and I'm very proud of her. 

Man, I love reading your post. There's lots of great memories in my DJ as well and it's treated me really well. She's been paid off for a while now and no major repairs - well, out of pockets repairs... had my transmission replaced under warranty. I really enjoy doing my own repairs as well, but haven't had to do much of that at all - instead I took around on my kids cars. Anyway, welcome to the forum. 

welcome to the group, feel free to read thur the forum for a lot of info, i would make sure your eng maintenance is up to date with plugs and coolant changes and also the transmission fluid and filter, i to have a 2014 crossroad with the 3.6 eng i have 136 k on it

Sorry... couldn't resist. 

I've been reading several posts about DIY transmission drain and fill. I research and complete all the oil, filters, drain and fills, etc. on my vehicles. The 62TE is very simple.  The key is to always do it at the same trans temp and therefore you only need to measure it once, making all future drains quicker. I always do mine on a Saturday or Sunday morning with a cold transmission. You will need a collection pan with capacity numbers labeled on it. Raise you vehicle and start to slowly take off the bolts to the pan. Once the fluid starts to leak through, give it some time to drain in your pain making it much lighter as you take off the remaining bolts. Remove the filter and make sure you empty any fluid in the filter into your collection pan.  The amount collected will be the amount you will replace with ATF+4 fluid. I believe mine was approximately 5 qts.  I replaced the OEM pan with the one linked below that has a drain plug making your next drain super EASY! The cost is around $55 but wow, your next drain and fill is so easy as you really don't need to replace the filter each time. I hope this helps and saves on your wallet! Fluid pain with plug- https://www.ebay.com/itm/131988506252?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=BNW6yhlYTc2&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=vH-iRHSVRXi&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
Filter and gasket- https://www.ebay.com/itm/264687707131?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=UnNZNrNtR8O&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=vH-iRHSVRXi&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY