x_orange90_x

I get it. Like I said though, you say KYB and other people will say no lol. I've seen reports that they are also making their stuff in China... And they are SO, SO much more expensive. Who cares about the warranty if I still end up doing the job twice, right? Either way I can end up with twice the workload but at a fraction of the cost, or double/triple what I already planned. 😔 https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/s/qCLXDLi4gA Like that thread for example has replys just a couple of weeks old saying their quick strut assemblies are not good. I'm not keen on reusing my OEM mounts and springs either.. Not because I'm afraid of the tool, but because I feel like they are probably trash at this point (120k miles) of Michigan roads.

I need to replace the rear struts on my 2017 Journey 3.6L AWD. Struts are something I hate researching because no one agrees on anything. Every brand is great and every brand sucks. Anyway, my rears are SHOT at this point. Body roll is crazy and there's zero dampening anymore, so anything is probably better. However, I have the 3rd row seats so it's a pain replacing them and would suck to have to do it AGAIN. I put CarQuest Premium assemblies on the front last spring and they are already "meh"... I have a rattle over small bumps like my driveway and large cracks in the road, especially after a cold start in the morning (seems to quiet down after a mile or so 🤷🏼). I've also replaced just about everything else in the front, so I'm pretty certain it's noisy mounts. The only things I didn't replace are wheel bearings and sway bar bushings, but the bushings still "look" okay. All of that to say, I'm looking at either CarQuest again for the rear (I'll explain why), or FCS Auto. Both are cheap, but right now, cheaper than cheap. Right now the CarQuest Premium are on "wholesaler clearance" on Rock Auto listed as "Famous Brand" for only $125 for the pair. I cross referenced the part number to AAP website and they are exactly the same. Likewise, I found a brand new pair of FCS Auto on Facebook Marketplace for only $75. I could probably talk them down lower than that if I tried. So which of these 2 cheap Chinese products would be better? My theory is that because it's the rear it shouldn't matter nearly as much because there's half the weight on them as in the front.

Finished the job yesterday. It was a pain 😮‍💨 The Bolts in the rear hockey puck end were seized to the inside sleeves of the bushings. It took about 4 feet of leverage on the bolt to break them free, and the right side took an additional 1/2 hour of effort to get it out because it stayed tight the whole length of the bolt. I don't know who's idea it was to use 4 inch threaded bolts for this when all that's needed is 1 inch of threads on the end.. the extra threads just sit inside the sleeve and build up rust and debris. I did have to unbolt the end links to and move the sway bar, and also had to jack up the transmission to get the front horizonal bolt out of the driver's side control arm. In the end it rides much better, handles better, is quieter, and I feel a little bit more torque in the drivetrain.. Pretty sure I was losing some of that power in the rear bushings causing a delayed torque response.

Thanks for the reply! Also, I seen in a video they disconnected the end links to move the sway bar out of the way to get the control arm out. When I did the ball joints iirc there was plenty of clearance to NOT have to do that. In your experience did you have to move the sway bar?

So I've had clunking and shaking while braking for several months now and thought it was warped rotors. I just started looking into control arm bushings and found that those are usually the cause of this. I got down there with a pry bar today and started prying the rear of the control arm and can see the metal moves up and down while the bushing stays perfectly still. I can see how this would produce the symptoms im having, especially because I don't feel it in the steering wheel, but rather through the whole car. Last summer I replaced the ball joints and sway bar end links, but I neglected to do the control arms because I thought they would be okay. So now I HAVE to replace them. My question is, can I replace just the control arms? Or will I have to replace the ball joints again? I really, really don't want to do that job again because the press kit does not fit in the cavity of the knuckle.. So last time I borrowed the kit from the store I ground the crap out of it so it would fit. The store didn't say a word about the modification either, but I don't want to go through that again. Long term though, are the ball joints going to be okay if I separate them from the control arms and just leave them alone?

After going over what you guys have said, talking to a buddy of mine, and looking over the location of the coolant I am almost certain it's the oil cooler. It just makes sense. There's even coolant on the connectors that go to the oil pressure and oil temperature sensors.. also, I had the oil changed back in November and it never leaked before that. I found the aluminum one on Amazon for under $60 with all o rings, an oil filter, and even new gaskets for the intake. Pretty good reviews for being 1/4 of the price. https://a.co/d/5L49603

The prestone I linked to says Compatible with: OAT, POAT, HOAT & G05 So I checked twice with the engine warmed up and running and cannot see a single drip. The fact that the entire transmission is covered makes me think it's spraying big time, but I only added a little less than a half gallon back into the system to get it back to full. Also, despite filling the coolant back up and driving, the rear heat vents are still blowing cool air on Max Heat no matter what I set it to.

See, this is the coolant confusion I keep encountering. You say since 2013 it's OAT ORANGE. Everything I read online says OAT is purple. Mine looks reddish, but I seen a post another forum comparing the purple in different containers and it will appear red and even orange surrending on what it's in 😒 I need to get coolant right after work and top it off because it's well below the COLD line on the reservoir. I need to put something in there now. I think I'm going to go with this purple universal mix. Coolant on a paper towel:

Can I use THIS to top off?? https://www.walmart.com/ip/1223953210?sid=f890ad6a-9dfa-4908-b6be-f17fbdcd3a17

This is the driver's side, but you probably know that already. I watched a YouTube video of another guy with a Pentastar, I think it was a Grand Caravan or Town and Country.. But his leak was on the driver's side from sort of quick disconnect L-shaped fitting. It came as part of the coolant assembly that had a Y connector and other hoses. You could see it literally dripping in his video. I will wait until I get the engine warmed up and see if I can find it dripping anywhere. It's been ending up on the ground everywhere I go lately, that's for sure. Also, the coolant in the reservoir looks reddish in color. Is that the new "purple" coolant, or a discolored older orange? Finding very conflicting info on Google about the proper coolant.

Here's a couple more photos.

I finally was able to take a look. Didn't see anywhere obvious that it's coming from, but the top of the transmission is SOAKED in antifreeze. Does that give an indication of where it's coming from? Also, there is a puddle of oil under the filter housing, however it's been there for months. I know this because my buddy pointed it out when we were replacing a bad fuel injector. As for the spark plugs, I replaced them at 96k and also replaced the trans filter and fluid.

I will start looking for the leak today.. The temps have warmed back up into the 20s so I won't get frostbite 😏 I have an extended coverage plan through WYNN that has a few thousand miles left on it before it expires. Any idea if this would be a covered repair? I haven't even attempted to use the warranty because I've heard so many bad things about them 😒

Hmm. I DO have the rear heat.. But I noticed about a week or two ago that it's not actually working 🤔 no matter what I set it to (manual, auto, High heat, etc) it still puts it cold air

Okay I'm back! So since creating this thread I have had the code come back several times, probably once or twice a week. I just reset it and go for another few days. Well yesterday morning I was smelling coolant and so I checked it when I got home. Sure enough I'm losing some. The reservoir is not empty yet, but it's down near the bottom. I noticed a small puddle as I was leaving this morning. It looked to be centered under the front of the engine. I definitely need to investigate it further but we're currently under a Cold Weather Advisory with wind chills in the -20s, so I am not getting under there for a few days! What are the common areas that slow leaks spring up? Btw, I'm at 117k miles now. I read on another thread about the oil filler cap assembly and how disturbing it too much can cause a coolant leak...? Well I did just have the oil changed in November.