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Since my dipstick broke near the top, I was able to get it out by drilling a small pilot hole and then put a small screw in there and then pulling that out. the trick is to do it while the engine is hot since that is when it is the most "stuck" and you will have no worry of accidentally pushing the dipstick further down the tube. Then after you put the screw in, you wait until the engine cools down. Then pull on the screw and the dipstick will come out easy. It is important not to drill all the way through to the other side as there is a possibility of getting plastic bits into the engine oil. You just need to drill enough so that the screw threads catch onto the plastic.
When I put in the new dipstick, I was surprised at how much more "loose" it was when pushed all the way in. I haven't done this yet, but I bet that it would have no problem being pulled out when the engine is hot... maybe they changed the diameter of the plastic due to all the broken dipsticks.

It's a satellite equipped antenna.
I always wash the car by hand and have never gone through a car wash.
I got it replaced at the local mechanic.
Thanks.

Just a couple of days ago I noticed that somebody had busted my radio antenna. It's basically broke from the base, so the antenna mast needs to be replaced. Is the antenna easy to replace? it's a 2009 dodge journey SXT.
Thanks.

Since my dipstick broke near the top, I was able to get it out by drilling a small pilot hole and then put a small screw in there and then pulling that out. the trick is to do it while the engine is hot since that is when it is the most "stuck" and you will have no worry of accidentally pushing the dipstick further down the tube. Then after you put the screw in, you wait until the engine cools down. Then pull on the screw and the dipstick will come out easy. It is important not to drill all the way through to the other side as there is a possibility of getting plastic bits into the engine oil. You just need to drill enough so that the screw threads catch onto the plastic.
When I put in the new dipstick, I was surprised at how much more "loose" it was when pushed all the way in. I haven't done this yet, but I bet that it would have no problem being pulled out when the engine is hot... maybe they changed the diameter of the plastic due to all the broken dipsticks.

Since my dipstick broke near the top, I was able to get it out by drilling a small pilot hole and then put a small screw in there and then pulling that out. the trick is to do it while the engine is hot since that is when it is the most "stuck" and you will have no worry of accidentally pushing the dipstick further down the tube. Then after you put the screw in, you wait until the engine cools down. Then pull on the screw and the dipstick will come out easy. It is important not to drill all the way through to the other side as there is a possibility of getting plastic bits into the engine oil. You just need to drill enough so that the screw threads catch onto the plastic.
When I put in the new dipstick, I was surprised at how much more "loose" it was when pushed all the way in. I haven't done this yet, but I bet that it would have no problem being pulled out when the engine is hot... maybe they changed the diameter of the plastic due to all the broken dipsticks.

Thanks for all the information. I will probably continue to check the engine oil when cold. I usually do not fill to the top of the full line but to the 3/4 line instead.
Thanks to Fred for confirming that this problem is not unique to my engine.

This is probably the first vehicle ive owned that has a dipstick that would not come out while pulled. So the natural reaction would be to twist it slightly while pulling to get it moving. Since you have a 2011, I don't expect you to understand... Maybe try uncorking a bottle of wine the old fashioned way and observe what you're doing, your probably twisting while pulling.
Now, after doing a Google search it seems like other dodge vehicles have this same problem. So I'm guessing that for the 2009 3.5L engine, it is normal for the dipstick to be stuck when the engine is hot.

long story short, the POS plastic dipstick broke when I tried to pull it out to check the engine oil after a 20 min drive.
Here's where I'm confused, do you check the oil when it is hot, warm, or cold? All my previous cars I've checked it when it was cold and had no problems. for some reason, I decided to check it hot this time around, but I found that the dipstick does not come out so I had the stupid idea of twisting it out, and that's when it broke.
Is it normal for the dipstick to not come out when the engine is hot?

Check the oil when the engine is warm. Probably not hot, it would read low, I believe. Twisting is incorrect. You may break your dipstick. Ha!
Seriously, have you had a vehicle that had a twisting dipstick? I have never seen one. My 2011 dipstick comes out easily when the engine is hot. I suppose the last person to reinsert it may have forced it into a place it didn't belong. Who changes your oil?
Peace.

I'll have to check when I get back to the car. If it is a stuck caliper, then it seems that both sides are stuck as they are both consistently hot.

Actually no I don't do any of that. I've been through a couple of dealer brake jobs due to the undersized brakes so i know they are weak. As such, I try my best *not* to put myself into a situation where heavy braking is required under normal circumstances. So I coast to stops instead of stopping at the last second, I gear down when descending hills, etc. etc. You could say I baby the brakes more than I any other car I've owned.

Interesting timing on your problem since I have the exact same thing happening to my car within the past couple of days. Although mine is not leaking as bad as yours, I have noticed that while stopped at the traffic light, small amounts of white smoke coming from the engine bay. Upon opening the hood, I also noticed a strong smell of antifreeze. I could not find the leak right away, so I drove it home. When I crawled under the vehicle, I noticed that the underside was wet in certain places. Then I noticed that there are 3 radiator hoses connected by a T connector which happens to be very close to an exhaust heat shield. Although the plastic T connector does not look wet, the hoses connected to it somewhat looked wet. I noticed that the exhaust heat shield had dried splatter marks on it as well. I couldn't tell whether the connector was cracked or whether the metal couplings holding the hoses to the connector are failing, but I have an appointment with the dealer on wed. and they can confirm that this is the issue.
My guess is that the connector is cracked and the pressure is forcing some radiator fluid into the exhaust heat shield causing it to burn. Hopefully it is just this and not something major.

I don't get any pulsating feeling when braking. I just notice that when I get out and walk towards the front of the car, I can feel the heat coming from the front wheel. So I stop and place my hand near the wheel and can confirm it's damn hot. I don't notice this from my other car. Just curious if this was normal or not. Maybe I'll go out and buy one of those IR thermometers and check the temp but even if I do I don't even know what a normal reading would be.

Just wanted to confirm that after a somewhat long drive (1/2 hour), the front brakes get awefully hot. What I mean by that is when you put your hand close to the brakes, you can feel the heat radiating from it. As a matter of fact, even if you just walk past, you can feel the heat from the wheels. On my other car, on the same drive, the brakes are nowhere near as hot, but that is a passenger car though so not as heavy. Reason I ask is because my gas mileage is around 15L/100km (16mpg) and I'm wondering if the brakes have anything to do with it. I don't think I have ever achieved Dodge's claim of 12L/100km city.

Okay. Good news! I got a call back and they were able to provide some assistance, so the final cost is significantly lower than what the dealer wanted to charge me. My faith in Dodge is partially restored. The unknown variable I must face now is how long the new PTU unit will last... I fear that at the first sign of leaking, I may have to get rid of this car.
Maybe if I understood what caused the PTU unit to leak and inevitably fail would give me some idea on how to prevent it? Any ideas?
I would like to especially thank Journeyman425 for the assistance... my hat's off to you.

Have you had the repair done yet? If so, have you picked up your vehicle yet and paid the bill?
Regardless of the answer(s) to any of my questions, you may be entitled to some warranty assistance if the basic warranty or powertrain warranty has expired on your Journey. If, in fact, you do have documented PTU leak concerns that were not addressed and now you are facing PTU replacement, I would contact the number that I provided for you above and inquire about getting some assistance for this repair. You have absolutely nothing to lose and may only be faced with a co-pay which may be significantly less than the quoted repair amount. There are several factors - year and mileage of your Journey, are you original owner, maintenance history and records, etc - that come into play when determining goodwill assistance. Give it a shot.

I have the SXT AWD version with every option except leather and nav so I have the trailer tow package. I negotiated the hitch when purchasing the vehicle and they installed it with no problem. Mine looks different as they had to cut the bumper to make way for the 4 or 7pin connector. At the time, I didn't know what the difference was between 4 and 7 pin so I just went with the 4 pin as the only thing I would be towing is small trailer and a bike rack. The difference is the 7 pin has extra connectors for trailer assisted braking if the trailer is equipped with this functionality. The 4pin has connectors for the brake lights only. Just saying so anyone who has no clue will know when they read this.
Anyway, I also got the mopar verticle to horizontal (L shaped) 2 inch receiver and I must say that I'm a little disappointed with it. It fits in the hitch but it is loose... meaning that there is excessive lateral movement. This may not be of great concern when towing a trailer, but when you have a bike rack hooked up to it, it's a bit unnerving to see your bikes sway back and forth in the rear view mirror while you make turns. Plus, the drivers behind you keep their distance as they too are nervous that something will fall off. I have not found a solution short of putting shims to keep it from doing this. Do you have this problem Sprout Car?
I will take some pictures of my setup and will post.

Okay, here's an update. I reset the oil change light the first try. It's kind of confusing because it doesn't tell you when you've successfully reset it so I'm sitting there wondering whether or not it actually worked or not.
Anyway, here's the exact procedure I followed:
1. Insert key. turn to ON position. Watch gauges do their self test.
2. Press accelerator pedal all the way down until it hits the stopper. Do this 3 times... one second apart each time. You do not need to slam the pedal.
3. After you've pressed the pedal for the third time. Wait a second.
4. Turn key back to Lock position.
5. Sit and wonder if it worked. take key out.
6. Put key back in, start car. check to see if oil reset indicator shows up.
That worked for me.
OBDII scan tool is a device that hooks up to your vehicle that can read any problem codes that are generated by your car's computer. Codes that normally show up as a check engine light on your dashboard. The scan tool has the ability to clear the codes, which resets the check engine light. If the problem is not fixed, however, the code will be thrown again, which will cause the check engine light to come on again.
As for the oil change, it's probably the easiest one I've done in a while. The oil filter is in a super easily accessible location. My other car, a japanese model, has the oil filter in an extremely hard to access location. Below the intake manifold and just above the exhaust manifold. Hence, I have to wait until the car cools down before I can change the oil. And because it's hard to access, some of the oil drains out of the filter while I'm trying to snake it out of the engine compartment... creating a huge mess. Argh!