mechanical-idiot

We have a 2012 RT AWD and our bulbs are LEDs. Are you sure that they are not LEDs? mechanical-idiot

Not yet. I had a Pontiac Grand am that burnt some wires under the dash. Something wasn't working and a mechanic traced it to burnt wires under the dash. I almost lost it. Scary feeling. Better get it fixed in case it does burn. Hopefully not in your garage or driveway, or at the local gas station! mechanical-idiot

Whoever created a backup cam that constantly draws battery power should be shot. The unit should have come with some type of switch or hookup to the ignition wiring. I'm a mechanical and circuit idiot and even I know better than that! I watched a youtube video the other day that showed how to check a battery for a parasitic draw. Lady called GearHead Diva. Not hard to look at and she knew her stuff. It was a great video. I think I searched for "how to use a multimeter" and she showed up in the search. Glad you found the problem. I hope it works well for you now. Best of luck and enjoy your Journey. mechanical-idiot

https://www.lesschwab.com/learn/article/replace-all-4-tires-on-your-awd-vehicle This answers my previous post. I guess this idiot should have Googled it first! Thanks for your patience with me. Mechanical-idiot

Thanks for the replies. What specifically happens to the AWD system that screws it up when you use tires with different thread depths as discussed above? mechanical-idiot

Same thing happened to our truck at work. It was a mechanical issue inside the door. Something was not connected properly. Go to YouTube and look up how to take the door panel off. mechanical-idiot

Disclaimer - I know nothing about mechanics, other than what I have learned on this forum. I have a friend who had this exact same problem with a Pontiac SUV. It was his transmission that was fried, but that does not mean that it is not your engine in your situation. As jkeaton said, better get that one checked out at the dealer. I wish you luck, and please let us know what the outcome is. mechanical-idiot

We followed a Durango through the city tonight. We like the Durango, but we all agreed that we like the back of the Journey much better, especially the tail lights and brake lights. Maybe we are bias, being Journey owners, but we really think that the Journey is a much nicer looking vehicle than the Durango, especially from the back, but I guess it is a matter of personal preference. Any questions, comments or rude remarks? mechanical-idiot

I was told that you have to be careful when you install used tires because if the thread on one of them is worn down more than 1/2 the original compared to the rest that it can screw up your ABS system. I was also told that if you need to replace a tire, make sure that you purchase 2 new ones for replacement - if they are both worn down to about a third or so. The reason being that it will throw off the ABS system having one new tire on the front and one worn to 1/3 of useful life left on the other side. (back as well) I hope that I am making sense in my explanations. Are the above statements true? mechanical-idiot

Although we love our Journey (despite a few problems since purchasing it 2 months ago - it is a 2012, so we expected that a few odds and ends would need repair) and totally love this site, I sometimes get scared to death when reading some of the posts here. I pray to God that some of these problems do not happen to us! It is great that people do mention them and others send in helpful information for fixes. It is great to be able to help others. Despite the fact that we love the Journey, our fingers are crossed too! mechanical-idiot

Fred, you forgot to take the price tag off that fish! LOL! mechanical-idiot

100 bucks a year is cheaper than a body job or a car payment every month. We do our vehicle every September when it is warm. That stuff creeps better when it is warm. We use Krown or Rust Check. Our last vehicle was 16 years old and had very little rust. I feel that it is well worth it. Yes, it is a bit messy, but you gotta take the bad with the good sometimes. I live in Eastern Canada, so we have lots of salt on the roads. I wish they would stop putting it on the roads, but I realize why they do it. mechanical-idiot

My dealer told me that they have to program the FOB for the specific vehicle, which makes total sense. They cannot program a used FOB. Purchase a new one only. Also, not all the FOB's that you buy can be programmed. They told me that they have been about 85% successful with programming them from ebay etc. If you get them to program it and it does not work, you still have to pay for the programming fee. I guess that makes sense. It is not their fault if it does not work. If you can fix it yourself, then way to go! I hope you are able to fix it for free. Best of luck. mechanical-idiot

Well people, it looks like this guy took your advice and sold the Journey. He only had one post and this thread was it. Great work by all who gave him the (correct) advice he needed. I wonder if the guy who bought his Journey became a member? Hmmmmmm................ mechanical-idiot

This sounds like a great job for someone who knows what they are doing! I am instantly excluded from that group. Thanks mechanical-idiot

Does anyone have a video on how to install the rear lower toe links? I have to get one replaced as well. I won't be doing it myself, but I find it interesting to watch what is being done to the vehicle, but I don't want to stand over a mechanics shoulder. Nothing on YouTube. Thanks mechanical-idiot

Back on the road and no thumping in the rear. Seems to be working properly. We purchased it 2nd hand, and my kids and wife loved it upon sight, so we took it. The AWD was a bit out of my control, but I will never buy another vehicle with it. As 2late4u has mentioned, it is just something else that can go wrong. That man has a lot of common sense. I hope that this thread is useful and helpful to others. mechanical-idiot

Parts finally arrived late this pm. Being installed tomorrow. I took it for a run yesterday afternoon and after about 15 minutes of driving, it started clunking like crazy on left and right turns, but not going straight. The transmission mechanic came with me for a run and confirmed that it was the bdorc 68058066AB Rear Axel Viscous Unit. Remember, it is a 2012 RT AWD. Front wheel drives don't have this part. I now feel much better about getting it fixed properly. I was a bit worried that the repair might not fix it, but he is absolutely positive that he has now pinpointed the problem for sure. He wanted to hear it before installing parts to make sure that he puts the proper parts on and doesn't charge me for parts that I don't need. mechanical-idiot

Here is one on ebay: https://www.ebay.ca/itm/New-OEM-Rear-Axle-Viscous-Unit-Kit-Journey-2011-2015-Chrysler-P-N-68058066AB/172587335165?hash=item282f01bdfd:g:CUgAAOSwYmZXMh54&vxp=mtr Lots of photos of the unit there. mechanical-idiot

Hats off to 2late4u. You da man! You nailed it right on! I have been reading several of your posts here (and learning) and you know your stuff! So, turns out it was this: bdorc 68058066AB Rear Axel Viscus Unit It is number 2 in the diagram. They are ordering the parts and it will be back on the road on Monday. In addition to the bang/thump/knock, there seemed to be a problem shifting when this occurred, so that is why they wanted to eliminate the transmission. Or, so I am told. I guess it makes sense, since I did notice myself that it seemed to have trouble shifting, which was probably stripped gears in the back? I had the vehicle undercoated about 6 weeks ago, and the guy pounded the hell out of it, so the leaky transfer case was difficult to spot. It was not a steady drip, just an oily look on the bottom of it, the same as everything else he pounded when undercoating. Still, I think the transmission guy probably should have picked it up sooner. I think that the service guy was convinced that it was the transmission, and he sort of had the mechanic thinking that maybe it was. After I spoke to him, he immediately went to the transfer case to inspect it visually outside and said it was leaking. The service guy and another mechanic said that it was just undercoating, but he made sure to check the fluid and determined that it was indeed from the case. I will let you know if this does indeed fix the problem. Hopefully it will. It is in the exact area that the sound was coming from. This won't be a cheap fix, but if it fixes it, then it will relieve a lot of stress (but not money wise stress). Have a great weekend everyone and don't forget to include the mechanical-idiot in your prayers!

I just found this article (even though it is a couple of years old) tonight. I searched the forum, but did not find anything about it here, so I thought that I might post it for you people to read. Interesting stuff. http://europe.autonews.com/article/20160621/COPY/306249996/fca-to-move-dodge-journey-output-to-italy-sources-say mechanical-idiot

Since we purchased our Journey we seem to be noticing them everywhere. I supose that they were always there, but we just didn't notice them. It seems like our kids are always saying, "There's a Journey!" We checked wikipedia for the production numbers. They must have shipped them all to Eastern Canada! We also learned where our Journey was assembled: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toluca_Car_Assembly The world map showing where owners are located here on the forum is really cool. Great idea! The kids and I had a great time, because they were wondering if there were any Journeys in Antarctica or the North Pole! Kids! Thanks for a fun family moment, Journey Forum! mechanical-idiot

The dealership had a transmission technician open up the pan and everything is ok in there. He changed the fluid and filter. No damage or filings. So, that has been eliminated as a possible cause. Not sure if it was necessary, but it is done anyway. He found a leak in the back transfer case (if that is what you call it), so a seal is gone. I saw it dripping out of the unit myself when I was there. The vehicle was on the hoist. He suspects that the front of the unit is damaged. He is going to pull it apart, replace the seal and inspect the unit in the morning. He figures that the front part of it needs to be replaced. He had that problem with another vehicle. It was making a similar noise. So, hopefully that will solve the problem. I pray to God that it does. All this stuff is not going to be cheap, but if it fixes it, then I will at least be happy and less stressed. I will keep you posted. If it fixes it, then hopefully this thread will help someone else with a similar issue. mechanical-idiot

Good for you! What a great story. It made me smile from ear to ear. That isn't easy to do today as it is not going so well for me luck wise! We love our Journey, bit of bad luck with it lately, but that is another story. Glad you decided to hang out in the Journey Forum. It is funny about the color, because ours is dark grey, first grey vehicle for us, but it looks sharp all shined up! Not as good as yours does, but you can't have everything! mechanical-idiot

Very nice! I love that color. Enjoy! mechanical-idiot