Addicted to Dodge

Looks real nice. Especially the mirrors!

Yes Happy Easter Everyone! This is the day that my Savior Jesus Christ HAS RISEN! Amen He HAS RISEN Indeed!!!

Thank you Journeyman and Journey_SEXT. Happy Easter to you as well and everyone else on the forum!!

It appears that the electrical system will be shut down if you simply disconnect the negative jump terminal under the hood. From the manual:
08 - Electrical/8F - Engine Systems/Battery System/BATTERY/Removal REMOVAL WARNING: To protect the hands from battery acid, a suitable pair of heavy duty rubber gloves should be worn when removing or servicing a battery. Safety glasses also should be worn.
WARNING: Remove metallic jewelry to avoid injury by accidental arcing of battery current.
CAUTION: The negative battery cable remote terminal (2) must be disconnected and isolated from the remote battery post (1) prior to service of the vehicle electrical systems. The negative battery cable remote terminal can be isolated by using the supplied isolation hole (3) in the terminal casing.

Disconnect and isolate the negative battery cable remote terminal from the remote battery post.

Happy Easter Journeyman425 and to all!

Hello friends -
Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Easter! Traveling 250 miles tomorrow to see family. Don't tell 'em this, but I'm almost as happy to take a road trip in the DJ as I am to visit the family...
Had to hit it with the Miami Shine before the trip, of course!

The dealer replaced the front pads and rotors under warranty on my '09 Journey at 20k miles as well. I replaced the rear pads at about 35K miles with ceramic pads. About 60k miles on it now and all is still well. In the past I have owned Toyota's, Honda's, Subaru's and currently own a '92 Miata and a '03 AMG C32. Besides the relatively minor brake problem(to me) the Journey is one of the best cars I have ever owned.

Yeah, it's crazy how much more they are for the same or less vehicle as their competitors... That being said, a lot of people are loyal to the brand and will continue to buy them regardless.

Poor Chevy has been through Hell lately. And to top it off, last month the Ram sold more units than the Chevy Silverado (not including the GMC Sierra). I think Chevy's reign of being the top dawg are coming to an end. Plus, their lineup needs some updating. There cars have looked the same for way to long and they cost way to much for what you get, IMO.

I don't doubt that Chrysler takes customer service seriously. That wasn't my point. I think they have to do a better job of policing some of their dealers. Many of the complaints that forum members complain about can be traced to treatment from the dealers. The best training in the world doesn't guarantee a successful outcome. Part of the problem I believe, is some dealers spend too much time selling and pressuring customers to buy unnecessary services and that alienates consumers. That was one of the reasons I sought out another dealer from the one that I had purchased six vehicles from previously. I wouldn't buy any product but Chrysler, but I know many people who would just get turned off on the product and go elsewhere and there's absolutely no gain in that either. By the way I'm very pleased with the service my new dealer is providing. This good relationship has already paid off for them because my niece also bought a new car from them and soon two more members of my family will follow suit. Playing nice has it's benefits!

From what I can tell, the T rated tire is more than sufficient. Lets look at what the numbers actually mean...
The number is the "Load Rating". Your factory Kuhmos are 100H... The "100" designates that this tire has a load rating of 1,764 lbs per tire. Your aftermarket choice is a 102T. The "102" designates that this tire has a load rating of 1,874 lbs per tire (an improvement!). The letter in these label is the "Speed Rating" and the "H" designates a maximum speed capability of 130 mph where the "T" designates a maximum speed capability of 118 mph.
Since your concern lies in the safety of your child, I highly doubt you ever reach speeds beyond the capability of the "T" rated tire and see no reason why that wouldn't be more than acceptable of a choice for you and your family. Hope that helps.

On the Wrangler it does indeed seem to be the gas cap that caused the code in our case.

My experience with Evap codes is check the gas cap first. I've thrown these codes and checked everything but the gas cap. Only to find out it was indeed a loose/faulty gas cap. Not sure if all vehicles will do this but in my experience it has been the case numerous times.
Even if you don't plan on working on your car yourself I would recommend a scanner. Especially being so affordable nowadays.

That is all great, in theory, and that's how things are supposed to work. It's also great for marketing. But in practice, things are not always as they seem.
Did you ever have the plenum off your 3.8 with 200,000+ miles on it? The problem isn't seen on the TB, though a clean butterfly valve may suggest less of an issue.
People put them on their 5.7s because there is so much oil in the vapor that even from regular use, after a couple years there is so much oil build up in the intake manifold that it's hard to believe that somebody didn't just pour a quart of it into there directly. If you Google "hemi oil intake manifold" in Google images, you'll see plenty of examples as to why you need one in a 5.7. It took a few years of use after they started production before these issues were found out. It's around the same amount of time that the 3.6 has now been in use. That being said, I'm curious if we'll start seeing these same types of issues in the 3.6. You won't "see" a problem unless you pull the plenum. Eventually (with the 5.7) the problem becomes more obvious when you start seeing blue smoke on startup, and poor performance due to gummed up valves.
Time will tell on the 3.6. I'm not installing one yet, but I will be watching my oil levels closely. If it's down more than "slightly" between changes, it's throwing it into the intake, which means I'll be installing a catch can.
If you don't plan on keeping your vehicle more than a couple years, it won't matter to you. I'm not planning on changing either of my vehicles (and both have a 3.6) any time in the next 8+ years. If I start seeing oil issues, a catch can is going onto both of them. It could greatly extend the life of the engine.

You can please the people some of the time, but you cant please the people all the time. I myself think this guy is not entirely truthful and possibly even F.O.S.
For starters, The pentastar v-6 makes this vehicle the most powerful vehicle in its class. There has yet to be a test article referring to this as "underpowered'. This is the internet folks, don't believe anything you hear, and only half of what you see. I know my way around cars and have purchased many.....and the Journey is tops and a no brainer purchase based on many points in this crossover class.

When were the reviews for the 2nd gen Journey's any better? I always thought so called "experts" who do the reviews for American vehicles just copy and paste every year.....it wouldn't be considered trendy if they were to give any praise to a Chrysler product.

The newer Journey's are light years ahead of the older Journey's. Mine has been a real pleasure to own and I hope to buy another some day.
Good Luck!!

Welcome to the forum and sorry for your troubles. We loved our 09 DJ so much we traded it in on a 2013. Obsolutely love it.

Update at 2.5 months and 6000 km. Car is still perfect - not a single problem and I still love driving it (on the odd day when my wife lets me). Satellite radio rocks. Heated seats and wheel are awesome as it is still -15 C here some mornings (?!?!?). Efficiency is getting a bit better - we are seeing 12.7 L / 100 km over a tankful when there are significant highway miles in the mix, but I am hoping that that will improve further as the weather warms up. Did a bit of light towing with it and that was fine, but thank heavens for the backup camera because I couldn't see the trailer at all out the rear window. But with the camera I could back the trailer into the driveway very nicely thank you very much.
The 3.6 is such a nice motor, and I am now used to the slightly busy shifting behavior of the 6-speed. Keyless entry / start has made getting into our other cars seem like an inconvenience. How quickly we get spoiled! We did learn however that the locks don't work if the transponder is in the same pocket with a cell phone.
Anyway, just posting to say how pleased we still are with our new car. Will update every 6 months or so, or if any problems arise. Still keen to see how it handles the rough road into the cottage this spring.
Cheers!

In know, right? On a 4 year old vehicle?

Payments for 6 yrs????

Possibly a faulty cam phaser. I've seen similar symptoms in a couple of 3.6's - an early Journey Lux (nice car!) a Grand Cherokee and a Chrysler 200. All were 2011 models. Flashing electronic throttle light, engine light on or flashing, no power, sluggish shifting. Usually a key cycle will clear the symptoms temporarily. The problem seemed to be confined to 2011 models but, like the cylinder head issues, there could be some early production 2012's with the same issue.
Diagnostic codes will certainly be stored; there's probably a bevy of them based on your description. I realize that many of you are less than thrilled with dealer visits, but this issue should probably be dealer-diagnosed, and if there is service contract or warranty coverage, then surely.
These cam phasers are precision components that are engine-oil lubricated. Synthetic oil might be of future consideration if you do not use it already. It is the reason why I switched to synthetic oil in my Journey for the first time in any car that I have ever owned. The last case of a bad cam phaser that we had involved the GC that I mentioned above. The customer went 14,000 miles between her last oil change (she has a very legit reason) and the problem occurred a few thousand miles later. Could be coincidence but the FSM does mention contaminated oil as a possible cause of failure.
Let us know what the dianostics reveal.
08 - Electrical/8I - Ignition Control/SOLENOID, Variable Valve Timing/Description DESCRIPTION
The 3.6L engine is equipped with Variable Valve Timing (VVT). This system adjusts the timing of all four camshafts independently using solenoids and oil control valves to direct oil pressure into the camshaft phaser assemblies. The camshaft phaser assembly advances and/or retards camshaft timing to improve engine performance, mid-range torque, idle quality, fuel economy, and reduce emissions. The four VVT solenoids are located on the front of the cylinder head covers. The pintle should move freely within the solenoid body. Do not attempt to disassemble the solenoids, they are not serviceable. The solenoids are identical but should be installed in the same location as removed.

Abs experience the first time can be scary.
Pulling one way or the other is not the norm , on a uniform patch of
ice it should be straight as an arrow providing you have the steering
wheel in neutral direction.
The idea is that with the brakes lock full on you can steer in the
direction desired while ABS essentially pumps the brakes.
It is normal for the car to feel like it's going to shake itself to pieces.

Journeyman,
I must say that you are one good dude!! After working on houses all day I must admit the last thing I want to do is go home and talk houses with other people. You are obviously a caring person and I would like to say "Thank You" for all your dedication to helping people in need. We need more people like you in the auto industry these days.
Sorry to go off topic and sound a little sappy. Just giving praise where praise is due!!

It seems to me that Dealer negligence is the biggest part of the complaint. You can dig up stories like this on any car via the internet, not just Dodge Journey's. I love mine and will definitely buy another someday.