Swerv

Hello everyone,

Sorry to be absent.

Took the car to a few places and lo and behold, everyone seemed to have the same opinion. Even had the luxury of taking it to the "family mechanic" a ways off and got the same response.

Final verdict - Thermo out, fan out, radiator cracked, overflow tank cracked, head warped, pistons fine and gaskets gone (obviously) and water pump.

They did not find any water in the engine so he advised not to replace the entire engine as I "roll the dice" buying a used engine. With there being no water he said all of the bearings and what not will be fine.

He said their diagnostics found a good amount of engine exhaust in the head which tells them the gasket is blown. He did say I could continue to operate but it is a potential hazard if it decides to heat up again.

At this point I am making the repairs and reaching out to Chrysler to see why no light was thrown and why my temp gauge never climbed higher than normal. Will keep you guys updated as best as possible!

Hey guys,

Last week I noticed coolant leaking from the front of my car. Figured a faulty or worn radiator had finally decided to give out.

Seems that the thermostat malfunctioned which caused the radiator to pop, cracked the overflow tank, warped the head and pistons and blew the head gasket.

The mechanic is a friend of a friend and said to replace the thermostat, coolant overflow tank, radiator, new head gasket, machine the pistons, new main belt and water tank was going to be between $3,400 to $4K.

I NEVER got any warning indicator light to say the thermostat malfunctioned or anything. The temp guage never went past half way ever....

Does this seem right to you? Should I have gotten a warning indicator light for faulty thermostat?

Does this price seem fair?

Should Dodge pitch in if no warning light was present?

Its a 2009 Dodge Journey SXT V6 with 60,000 miles. Always took care of her and ran synthetic. Did suspension on her and everything.

Please help

Thanks for the input guys! Larryl, can you explain to me what sort of tools i would need to do the change and check the fluid level?

I will let you know how the Amsoil works out

My old man is an Amsoil dealer and I just picked up engine oil and transmission oil. I usually have a guy do my engine oil... It's a shell gas station with a service hub and although some people have their opinions on these places... The dude has always taken care of me and i have never had a problem.

What is bothering me is i went to purchase a replacement transmission fluid filter and it seems a bit more complex than just changing the oil and oil filter. This mechanic has been doing this stuff for a while so i dont think he couldnt do it but i was just wondering if i should take it to the dealer or an exclusive transmission place?

Again i already have the fluid and filters but when my mom did her amsoil swap they charged her 200 just to change the fluid and filters :/

So i have been day dreaming over flat black wheels with a white lip... I cant find any and a friend looked at my wheels and said "Ya know you could just paint the wheels you already have and it would look sporty"

Thats not a bad idea!!!

I have done some research and found a lot of information. There are many good places on forums for tips, like this one:

http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=167906

So i am thinking of getting some dupli-color paint and trying this on my own. The only real problem with doing this is chipping. They say the better you prep and take your time the more life the paint will have.

If anyone has had any experience doing this please let me know. I am also considering powder coating but that can cost lots of money.

Here are some crude mock ups i did:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Dodge-Journey-2009-3-5L-Drill-Rotors-Ceramic-Pads-F-R-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem4cf4930f0eQQitemZ330520792846QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

Magnum Rotors & Pads

They have them for different model years too

Alright brakes and rotors are done! I feel a great deal of improvement in braking performance. No noise what so ever and my brake pedal feels so much smoother.

I will keep you guys informed of wear and if i have any other issues but so far so good.

When i looked at the old rotors and pads the mechanic said it appeared to be "Cheap Material" and said its the same stuff he pulls off all cars (stock parts) and showed me the wear pattern on the rotors.

So there you have it! After market rotors and pads by Magnum... All four for only $250 shipped to your door.

Page 406 of the 2009 owner's manual gives 95 ft lbs (130 N·m). To be safe double check your manual if you have a different model year.

I have my guy throwing on the new rotors and pads as we speak. Will post up some pics when the car is ready and give you a progress report!

*UPDATE*

Here are the rotors and pads out of the box... The weird thing was that the pads were wrapped in plastic and in a small box. The manufacturers box's for the pads were folded and shipped with the rotors. I figured they maybe just had a small box and big box so they got lazy... I dont think they shipped me bunk pads and they sort of look like the ones on the website.

Anyhow i emailed them about it so i will see.

PADS:

ROTORS:

Will do! Now does anyone know what the torque settings are for these wheels?

Couldnt take it anymore... Now one of the clamps has fallen so the breaks are squeaking so bad. I had done some research and spoke with the family mechanic and asked about Ebay grade parts.

After much research i found out that these Magnum rotors are actually pretty good and that currently no one has had any issues after years of use.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330513477981&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

I bought them today and they will arrive next week. Will post pics of installation and keep you updated on performance and how they hold up.

Price was $250.00 for 4 rotors and 4 ceramic pads... cant beat that.

I installed two 10 inch subwoofer in the cargo area of my journey. They sound great. The speakers I choose (ROCKFORD FOSGATE R1S410) are made for sealed inclosures, and that works best for the cargo area which is sealed (no air circulation). I was suprised to see that the trunk cover is made up of different materials on the inside. The cool thing about the speakers being installed this way, you still have full use of your trunk space with little to no bass loss. For deeper/better bass response, I added speaker insulation (quilt batting works great). It cleans up the bass and you can add more or less to get the bass range you want to hear and feel. I took as many pics as I could.

Update: I need to get a higher wattage amp because after doing all the math, the amp I bought is putting out 60 watt per channel (but it says 350 watts, why?) . The stock system is putting out around 60 watts also, so it is hard to tell what is the stock system and what is the subs. Once the new amp gets here, I will test it all again.

Latest Update: I installed the new amp, and all I can say is WOW!!! Installing the speakers in the trunk is the best way to go. These things sound great. I included a picture of the new amp I bought in the slide show. It is pushing a true 200 watts bridged. I have the speakers wired in series, so each speaker is seeing/using 100 watts each.

I wired it this way because for some reason with most amps, when wired as regular two channel setup, you can't use the LFE (Low-frequency effect) fuction.

Anyway, they sounds great. If you need your trunk space but want some extra thump in the trunk, install your speakers this way. Enjoy!

Very cool project! I have the 3rd seating row so i couldnt do this... but i do have the small storage bin that flips up so i might be able to install something in that.

Have you removed your exhaust tips? I can't see them in the photo.

The tips are there, i am in the process of having a custom exhaust system built so ill take some pics of that when its done.

Mine doesn't have the mini journey but a circular arrow with the x2 inside it. This is the remote start and you must press it twice.

Here is an example..

Question... mine has a picture of a mini dodge journey and it says "x2" inside of it...

what is that?

yah i tryed tinting tail lights ,didn't work,tryed the windows didn't work ,yah i think the pros can do it and to answer your question ,i got the k&n for the 3.5 avenger cai system,works great!

Does it matter what year or anything like that?

looking forward to see it, I wanted to tint mine too, I saw this site where I can buy pre-cut tints: http://www.rvinyl.com/

My buddy said the the pre cut kits can be hard to install as sometimes they dont give you enough and its hard to stretch the film. At any rate after watching him i am convinced this is a process best left to someone who knows how to do it or you will have a huge mess on your hands

Love the forum Name! LOL!

Coming from a LARGE 60's family that lived in Station Wagons in the summer, I find that the Journey is going to be

a nice change from Minivans and SUV's. Chrysler does seem to be able to create niche markets for some folks, and I

believe this is one of those.

Chris

I wouldnt trust any other vehicle to get my family to Wally World.

Nice ride and i am jealous of the Diesel model!

I have the stock Stereo that comes with the SXT. My question is i would like bluetooth control and navigation but should i go with Chryslers units or aftermarket?

Anyone that has Chryslers upgraded in dash navigation screen and the bluetooth module please advise if its a good unit or if its better to go aftermarket especially with how much the cost is on these units from Chrysler.

I am worried about finding them on places like ebay.

If you are using earth air in your tires don't forget that tire pressure can increase as the vehicle rolls along on hot pavement. Likewise, in cooler weather it will decrease. The only option to stop this fluctuation is using nitrogen. I believe most Journeys come with Nitro in the tires. Transport Safety recommendations as stated on the sticker in the vehicle that deals with the tire size and pressure is there for a reason.

Hmm, we have nitro in our RV tires because as the RV tends to sit for long periods of time when not being used the Nitro prevens tire wear while in storage and prolongs the life of the tires.

I will have to call a tire guy and have this conversation with him.

I don't notice much difference on my dark gray Journey. My brother has a gray Nissan Altima and he got his plastic bumper dented fairly bad. He took it to a paint shop, not his dealer, and they got the dents out but they had a hell of a time painting it. His car was in the shop four days just getting the paint job done. They said they had problems getting the paint to stick to the plastic for some reason. I hope this is not typical of those plastic bumpers.

Well there are different chemicals used in painting over plastic. It is said that sometimes the combination of the extra chemicals can give the finish sort of a yellow hue which is what i have. My paint guy did advise though that it looked like they could have done a better job matching everything so i am going to see if Dodge will encourage some of the cost to have it redone.

If you bought your journey used dont count on any support from Chrysler if you have this issue. You are pretty much on your own.

Oh dear....slipping tranny.I'm not sure if this has the same meaning in England as it does in the US of A. And its got nothing to do with cars......

Hmm i dont think the transmission is slipping. With low end accelerations i feel that the transmission just shifts rougher than quicker accelerations. I dont feel a slip but more of a slight jerk.

But if i really hit the gas it seems to shift smoother into higher gears. I believe its just the nature of the vehicle :mellow:

i read something about this in the manual that says for the 3.5v6 to perform really well is to use the second grade fuel.i'm gonna check it out again.

Mid grade is recommended and thats what i always fill my Journey with. Although it says you can go with Regular without any problems i am not sure how it affects the performance.

I haven't seen that done before. I have seen windows tinted but not taillights. What do those lights look like at night? Can you send us a pic?

I will take a pic tonight as my buddy is going to finish the job during the coming week and at least this way you can see the difference between a normal lense and one tinted.

I think the tinted tail lights are a great look for the car.

Remember though it is ILLEGAL in most states to tint tail lights so if you are going to do it make sure you use film that does not make the break lights impossible to see when you hit the breaks especially at night. I might leave the 3rd break light as it is just so there is less of a chance with running into some problems with the law.

However i dont think it will be a problem i know lots of people that have had their tail lights tinted for years. Just dont completely black them out haha.