Summer Solstice

First thing is to check the coolant level. Hopefully, it is low from a simple leak, such as a hose. That is the easiest fix in the long run but you do not want to drive if you do not have enough and/or the leak is bad. Adding water, for a short distance drive, is not a problem as long as you pay attention to the temperature. Take a few minutes under the hood and look around for evidence of an external leak and do check the oil, as JackB03 suggested, just in case. Look for any pooled coolant on exposed surfaces or evidence of flowing water in the dust and dirt under the hood. The hoses, especially around the clamps at the end, are the most common failure points. Did you notice any steam or the smell of coolant before shutting it down? Beyond that, you are entering into the realm of more extensive repairs, such as a radiator or water pump, best diagnosed in a better sitting than a parking lot at a hotel. If the coolant is not low, the next question is did it really overheat or were you getting false signals from a bad sensor? No point in speculating or worrying further until the simple and more likely is ruled out. If in doubt, a tow is cheaper, less hassle, and the pain subsides much quicker than the alternative. Good luck.

I have had to do the same one time in the last year. The pairing had become corrupted and needed to be redone. Much like rebooting a computer occasionally.

An update: I have reloaded the flash drive and am now running 68GB of Mp3 files. The flash drive is a 128GB drive and the default format is exFAT. All I did was delete all of the existing music files and left the drive operating files intact. I then reloaded all the files from a copy that I keep on a home drive. I do have the music divided by genre and album titles. I maintain a lossless format of all of my digital music at home and also keep a Mp3 copy of everything in a separate file for easy transfer to a portable drive. When I add something to the existing files, I also make a copy in Mp3 format and add that to a separate file for future transfer to the portable drive. The browse and search functions on the Journey make it easy to recall anything that I may be in the mood for. No more cassettes for me. Now all I need to do is convert the vinyl and put one of the tube consoles in the car.

You may consider doing the prepaid dealer oil changes. I can prepay for 2 dealer oil changes with synthetic oil, for $40.00 each. This includes tire rotation. I can also go thru the Mopar website and prepay for 4 oil changes, with regular oil, for $28.00 each. No tire rotation. I have not changed the oil myself in the Journey but it is supposed to be incredibly easy. However, given the time spent on labor, buying oil, and disposing of said oil, I have opted to let the dealer handle this vehicle. I also get a vehicle inspection and a maintenance record for any warranty issues. That, in addition to the fact that I am just tired of working on vehicles, makes the dealer offer worth it to me. YMMV. The biggest issue is whether you have a dealer local that you wish to interact with.

Out of curiosity, I did a Google search and found this on the Jeep Off Road Adventures forum: "MS-6395 (Material Standards 6395), is a motor oil certification issued by Chrysler and per page 108 of the 2013 JK Wrangler User's Guide is the recommended fill for the 3.6L Pentastar engine. A good number of oils meet MS-6395 but surprisingly Mobil-1 is not among them." Whether or not that still holds true today it is a good example to always check the Owner's Manual and follow the recommendations of the manufacturer.

Enjoy your families today and everyday. Bring a smile to those in need. Merry Christmas.

Here is a related thread. The issue did get resolved. Persistence was key but style of approaching the dealer matters too.

+1. When I questioned the fuel tank gage level and the mpg readout, the dealer replied that they are estimates only. I find them both to be reliable enough but the mpg can fluctuate depending on all the conditions that 2late4u stated above. The only reliable way to track mileage is the hard math way and being able to compare to past performance. This is not a bad idea in any vehicle from time to time. Then you have a reliable baseline. As the average comes back to normal with driving I would not be concerned, at the moment, and continue to watch it. Do check your tire pressures as winter cold will cause them to drop more than people realize.

It could be the water pump but that would not be my first thought. You don't say what the dealer did to diagnose the problem and rule out other possibilities. Does the vehicle maintain engine temperature? Does the temperature run hot, cold, or fluctuate? Has the system been pressure tested to rule out any leaks with the water pump, the radiator cap, or even a head gasket issue? The pump may have a leak or the cap may not be holding pressure. You could have a slipping belt. The head gasket is unlikely by what you describe but can not be ruled out at this stage. You need to rule out the other possibilities first. My first thought is that you have an air bubble in the heater core from flushing it out the first time. Been there, done that. It's not uncommon. Let us know what has been checked already as this may have already been considered.

Works on my 2016 R/T

"Fool's Bliss" I like that. I need that on my license plate.

The USB is not limited to 32GB, at least on the 8.4 system. The SD card is. The USB does have to be formatted in FAT32 and the music has to be in Mp3 format. I have been successfully running a USB with 60GB. Trial and error taught me the limitation as far as formatting. One thing to note...I had recently plugged my USB directly into a router to access it from computers in the house. This is something that I have successfully done before but it did not work this time. Also, as a result, a small portion of the music will not read in my Dodge now. On inspection, the router had added files to the USB that were not there before. The flash drive is currently waiting to be reloaded before going back to the Dodge. I am updating my home music files first before updating the flash drive.

As the title states, the Maximum Care Lifetime option was quietly discontinued as of November 30, 2018. Visit any of the warranty websites and you will find that the option of Unlimited is no longer available. The Ziegler website has a statement dated November 24, 2018 about the upcoming change. The current Unlimited warranties will still be honored.

See Journeyman425's answer in this related thread...

Don't forget to switch your wiper blade sensor from rain to snow for the winter.

I had a dead battery this past summer. The battery was the original one at 2 years old and 28000 miles. The diagnosis turned out to be a dead cell and it was replaced under warranty by the dealer. In the process of discovery, I had to call roadside assistance two days in a row. Before the vehicle was jumped, the battery had enough in it to cause the gauges and sensors to do all kinds of strange things but not enough to start the car. This is my first modern car and it was a real learning experience. Gone are the days of just "click, click, silence". Have it towed if that is what you are most comfortable with. Definitely have the alternator AND battery tested. Even though new, the battery may well have failed already. You could certainly pull the battery and take it in to the seller to have it tested. You don't say who installed the new one but, whoever did, should test it and cover it if it is at fault.

Thank-you for the input bramfrank. I had somewhat that impression from reading other blogs but was unsure whether the problem was the onboard memory or not. Not really an issue as the music sounds good and the system is set up nicely. Thumbs-up to the designers!

This is based on what I have found in my 2016 RT with the 8.4 system. The SD card slot will only work up to 32GB and must be formatted in FAT32. NTFS will not work. The card also needs to be a SDHC card. The 64GB SDXC card that I have will not read in the slot. I don't think, but am not sure, that a 64GB SDHC card, if you could find one, will work either. A better idea that others have done and I am doing myself - use a USB flash drive. The 32GB limitation does not apply to the USB port. I picked up a 128GB USB, on sale, for 20 bucks. I currently have 60GB of Mp3 format songs on it. It is formatted for FAT32 and it is working just fine. The only thing that I have not figured out yet is getting the artwork to show on all of the selections. This is a problem for a different day but it is not stopping me from enjoying the music. There have been some who have posted that they are using 500 USB Passports the same way. Something like that can be had for $50-60, on sale, but I have no need for that kind of space and I am concerned about the extreme temperatures in the wintertime here.

I can't give an opinion on the AWD because I have never owned one. I do think that, with the right tires, the front wheel drive DJ is a decent vehicle for normal driving, including average snow conditions. As bramfrank said above, it is more the driver than anything. Before I bought my current 2016 DJ, I was renting a Crossroad. I had plenty of opportunity to experience traction issues in all weather conditions besides snow. I was particular impressed with the wet traction. The front tires were Pirelli. My current DJ has the stock Kumho tires and they definitely underwhelm traction wise in the snow, as they have a reputation of doing. Traction control, as mentioned above, is worthless on the DJ as well as other vehicles for moments such as climbing a difficult hill. Otherwise, even with the Kumho tires, the DJ holds the road very well. I did consider a Subaru Forester and took one for a test drive. It was not the vehicle for me but I can say that the thing was absolutely planted to the pavement. The grip was impressive, so much so, that I did not care for the feel for everyday driving. As I told the dealer, if I lived in the Great White North, it would have been a no-brainer. I also watched the promo video the dealer had on hill climbing comparisons between the Forester and other brands. Hyperbole or not, the DJ and the Forester are two different segments. Front wheel or AWD will never compare to 4-wheel drive either. The only roll-over accident I have had was a 4-wheel drive was on black ice on the freeway. Before buying, rent or borrow. Compare the vehicles on your time. Many dealers will allow you to take a vehicle for the day. Try it under your conditions before you sign the paperwork.

A vacuum leak could cause that problem. A leak around the intake manifold would do it. The installation of the new manifold may have developed a problem or a vacuum hose, related to he previous work or not, may have a leak.

Click on the "Dodge Cares" name on the avatar. That will take you directly to the Dodge Cares profile. There you will see a red box in the upper portion of the page that reads "Message". That is for a private message. The window below that is for a public message.

This would tend to back up a theory that I have. I bought my 2016 R/T used in October 2017. Going in, I was aware of concerns from others about Full readings and "gallons per fill-up". Usually, when filling, I would get a needle just below full and it would drop a bit fairly quick. I also would get the "low fuel" light and rarely be able to put more than 15-16 gallon in on fill-up. I have drove well over 100 miles on the light a couple of times before putting in just about 17 gallons in a 20.5 gallon tank. Here is what I do now. I still get the low-fuel light and can only put 16-16.5 gallons in. I can live with that. I also slow the input nozzle down considerably for the first few gallons. It seems that my fuel gauge will read fuller, and for a longer period, if I take more time to fill. It also seems to read better if I fill before the tank reads under 1/8 - 1/4. I put almost as much in at this point as if I let it drop to the red line (with-in a gallon). My thought is there is an air bubble in the tank that needs to be slowly worked out. Can I prove it? No, that would require crawling under the vehicle and studying the shape and layout of the tank to see if that is possible. I don't find the issue to be of any concern anymore. My gauge works fine following this practice, my mileage is good, and I know that I have spare fuel in the tank if needed. If you are so inclined, and curious, try it. It would be interesting to hear feed back from others.

The trip is done and over. I drove 650 miles from Detroit to Western Tennessee, a few hundred miles around the area, and then back to Detroit. Most of the trip was well established major freeway. The Nav did a pretty good job on direction there and back. Only once, in each direction, did it steer me wrong. On the way down, it directed me to the right rather to the left. Though I thought it wrong, I did it anyway. 8 miles down the freeway, I was directed to off-ramp, overpass, and on-ramp. Retrace the 8 miles and then back on track. Oops! That one may be on me; I am not 100% positive. However, on the way back north, the Nav was clearly wrong at the right or left direction. I ignored it this time and all was well in a few minutes. In the local area, it did pretty good getting me around the countryside. While traveling some obscure, un-named roads, the Nav placed me as still being in a different location on a main road. Google Maps, on the other hand, showed the road I was on with the label "un-named road. At least I would have found my way home this way. The failure point was in the posted speed limits shown on the screen. These were off enough times by 10 or more MPH to be a concern and unreliable. A nice feature, but enough to get you a ticket if that was your sole source of information. The lack of accurate speed information was enough that I would give the overall system a B or B-. Nice feature but needs improvement. It still directs me wrong in the home town.

Guess I should have clarified that better. A transmission shudder is not a common complaint on my own personal vehicle. Yes, there are numerous threads from others that do have that problem.

I have a 2016 front wheel drive. I can not say that a shudder is a common problem. The transmission is a little quirky compared to older cars but it does not give a "concerning" shudder. Only occasionally, if taking off too quick from an incomplete stop, do I get a bit of a "thump" while it finds a gear. Otherwise, it runs just fine. Maybe the AWD has an effect on the feel?