Armando G

Ok, 45 minute ride home last night, not 1 flicker.  So I believe it's fixed.

Hey all, 
I wanted to give you a update on my headlight flicker issue. I did get it into the shop and I shared the TSB information in this thread. I’m happy to say that this did fix my problem, thank you everyone. 

So, I took some time today to open the engine bonnett and look at the hoses.  One is broken off completely and the other is cracked and hanging on by a couple of threads.  This is the problem!  They worked fine until we had the vehicle undercoated.  I suspect that the undercoater stuck his wand in these holes, since they are full of undercoating, and broke off the nozzles.  I can't be bothered fighting with him about it since I have ordered two new ones and they seem easy to replace.
 
I didn't get around to opening the bonnet until today because it has been -19 degrees celcius here etc  for the past week.  It went up to 0 celcius today (melting point), so I bravely sauntered out to the Journey to do my physical inspection.  Unfortunately, we are now being hit with a weather bomb and getting up to 25 cm (3/4 of a foot) of blowing snow and 100km winds.  Oh the joy of living in Canada!
 
Hope all of you are well.
 
Thanks for the help above.
 
Mechanical-idiot

Welcome to the forum. Don't be shy about posting pics of the new DJ (put the Camaro in the background too). You'll enjoy it.

Remember when this issue had maybe 3 or 4 solutions...the battery, the starter, the alternator, and maybe the ingnition switch? And most of the time you could jerry rig it and get it started anyway. Nowadays it could be those plus the neutral safety switch, the sensor on the engine, the sensor on the transmission, the sensor on the rear view mirror (you know what I mean), and so on and so on. TOO MANY ELECTRONICS!!!

Here's the site I used when looking at Durango's. Goes through every year.
 
http://www.nadaguides.com/Cars/Dodge/Durango

OK, a little input from a guy with 'four' kids that has owned both a van and a couple of SUV's. As far as cargo room is concerned (mostly on trips), I finally figured out it's best to use the roof rack with some sort of cargo box if I want any kind of comfort in the car. We used to fill every hole we could find, including the leg area in the 2nd and 3rd rows, and it wasn't very comfortable. We have taken short trips and very long trips, and ultimately I put the cargo box on with any trip with all of the kids. I have the X-Cargo sold at Sears. Much more reasonable than Thule and better quality than most of the other ones out there.
As far as price, I really don't think you will beat the price of a DJ, unless you buy something with a lot of miles already on it. If you do want something bigger (or more comfortable for the long trips) while staying within your budget, I think the Durango is a good option. Tahoe is pricier and not as economical, and Explorer is just pricier from what I saw when I was in the market to purchase. I don't mention the Pilot because i just don't like them. 
My kids are now older than yours, so loading into the third row is much easier, but the DJ and Durango seem to be the most comfortable. The Explorer is a little tight for the price you pay and the Tahoe is roomy, but not much leg room. Anyway, that's my piece of advise...mini vans are also out for us...and believe it or not (no need to comment guys) my wife is dying to get a Range Rover for her next SUV...OUCH!

with all the electronics on the new cars these days i dont offer anyone a jump anymore to easy to do damaged and not worth the risk...
 

Cold seems to be a nasty enemy of these cars with multiple sensors that keep the cars running. My daughters car (not a DJ) was having trouble starting last week and was throwing out some nasty codes and messages. After talking to a couple of machanically inclined friends a lot of suggestions led to starting with making certain the ground from the battery was secure, with no corrosion. We started there, and sure enough there was corrosion built up at the point of contact (not to mention the battery cable was ground to a painted surface). The cold caused some bad moisture build up which caused certain sensors to read incorrectly. It also caused the corrosion to build up quicker. After cleaning it up and adding some cable lubricant to keep the moisture out, it's been starting up like a champ with no error messages. We did take it in to the shop since she has a warranty and they ran a check on the sensors...no issues. Seemed to simple to be true, but newer cars have a double grounding system to support the sensors and starting the vehicle, so any break in that ground creates some crazy results. Just a thought to start with the basic and work your way from there. Good luck.

You can try resetting the Check Engine light and see if it comes back on. Or, just take it to the Dealership and let them connect it to the reader and tell you if there is anything wrong. Hopefully he didn't touch something with the cable after disconnecting from your battery, and hopefully he ground it to the correct port. Simple jump should not do anything.

What happened to just using mirrors to back up???

Cold seems to be a nasty enemy of these cars with multiple sensors that keep the cars running. My daughters car (not a DJ) was having trouble starting last week and was throwing out some nasty codes and messages. After talking to a couple of machanically inclined friends a lot of suggestions led to starting with making certain the ground from the battery was secure, with no corrosion. We started there, and sure enough there was corrosion built up at the point of contact (not to mention the battery cable was ground to a painted surface). The cold caused some bad moisture build up which caused certain sensors to read incorrectly. It also caused the corrosion to build up quicker. After cleaning it up and adding some cable lubricant to keep the moisture out, it's been starting up like a champ with no error messages. We did take it in to the shop since she has a warranty and they ran a check on the sensors...no issues. Seemed to simple to be true, but newer cars have a double grounding system to support the sensors and starting the vehicle, so any break in that ground creates some crazy results. Just a thought to start with the basic and work your way from there. Good luck.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone. Thanks for the help throughout the year.

where i live dont really have steep driveways. but my other car is a focus svt thats lowered and sits about 4 inches from the ground, so no big deal for me lol.
 
i bought the journey for more room and and  the reason i lowered it was for the stiffer springs/struts and a little negative camber. and because it looks better. it will never go offroading or anything rough. and because i like the way my focus handles its nice to still have a decent handling going to the journey.
theres less bounce, it corners better, and just feels so much better than stock. i also did moog tie rods and end links to help tighten everything back up. old ones were shot.
 
to be honest i almost didnt even want the journey, my wife did. but after doing some mods and making it fit my style better i actually really like it now.

Tough to try to pin down the leak exactly without looking at it, but after you drive it and let it sit for maybe five to ten minutes, go under the hood and see if you can hear a little whistling noise...like stream escaping. Try to be in a quiet location like a closed garage. Otherwise start at the top and work your way down. Check any caps to make sure they are right and the rubber is still in good condition. If you had trouble with that 'Y' hose, maybe get it replaced.
Sorry, but little leaks are a little tough to diagnose without visually looking.

I ran my wire to the battery as shown on the instructions. Having the dedicated fuse makes sense to me. I was able to run it through the rear wheel well just under the length of the doors and up through the front wheel well. All is hidden and works perfectly when towing. 

Two things...
Great product, mostly if you have a performance car that you want to monitor and tweak with the performance (had one previously). As far as having on a daily driver, for me too much information is sometimes not good. I personally start freaking out too easily when I see something not quite right, even though it is not a problem. Use it with a bit of discretion, but very nice to have. More importantly, your buddy offered you a free, pretty darn good item, and you got him to deliver it for free on top of that?!?! DAMN, he must be a nice guy...

Welcome and congrats on the New purchase. I suggest roof cross rails if you don't already have them. Great for tying things down and carrying equipment. Maybe a hitch for pulling a small trailer with your bigger tools.

Two things...
Great product, mostly if you have a performance car that you want to monitor and tweak with the performance (had one previously). As far as having on a daily driver, for me too much information is sometimes not good. I personally start freaking out too easily when I see something not quite right, even though it is not a problem. Use it with a bit of discretion, but very nice to have. More importantly, your buddy offered you a free, pretty darn good item, and you got him to deliver it for free on top of that?!?! DAMN, he must be a nice guy...

Thats got to be the funniest thing I've read all day. Your dealer is counting on you to be that clueless. 

The days of engine “break in”are long gone. Like 3000 mile oil change intervals. But, do what you want. 

I assume you will need to take extra care coming down driveways (I scrape the front every so often). Personally, I don't get the lowering of SUV/CUV's, but I do like the black rims.

UPDATE...he has the original DJ model. 40 mph is actually amazing...

UPDATE...he has the original DJ model. 40 mph is actually amazing...