seanton

On 4/5/2020 at 3:51 PM, John/Horace said:

Losing coolant but not obvious where. What does engine oil look like. Is engine using much oil right now.

I feel like it's using a bit more than usual. However I think that might be a worn oil pan gasket.

sorry forgot to mention it's a 2.4...

I've also been losing a lot of engine coolant the past few months. However I just did a pressure check and didn't see any leaks. I quickly looked at the water pump but couldn't tell if anything was leaking or not.

55 minutes ago, John/Horace said:

How many miles on engine? Are there any  engine codes, check even if no light on.  The  2.4 is not the quietest  engine even when healthy, my daughter in law has had one since new and over maintained with dealer oil changes etc. It seems a little noisy too.

 

They timing chain and top end always seem more noisy than other cars. I think the main noise could the chain and tensioner getting worn, but you would be getting various  engine codes if it needed changing immediately. Like cam sensor codes that don’t go away with new parts.

 

There may be a knock mixed into the noise that could be water pump if you haven’t changed it yet. Usually you need an  engine stethoscope to isolate the sound. Or run engine with no serpentine belt for 30 seconds and listen for sound change. There is a weap hole on the pump that usually starts to drip when bearing seal starts to go.

 

230,000 km, the only code is p2006 (intake runner control valve)

Water pump hasn't been changed yet so I'll have a look. I've already used a stethoscope and couldn't isolate it to any location in particular.

1 hour ago, 2late4u said:

so i guess it is a 2009 or 2010 ,what size engine? get it worked on before it does major damage,  lifters?

 

it's a 2009 with about 230,000 km on it

It's sounded like this for a while. May just be getting old (11 years old now). I've attached a recording of what it sounds like. Seems to be coming from the top, maybe a bit to the left. Its very loud even from inside the cabin. Any idea what this could be? In the clip I've attached it's especially noticeable towards the end.

Thank you,

Sean

sean-journey.mp3

No I didn't have remove the whole knuckle

Thanks for getting back to me! I got it done a few months ago, one of the more difficult repairs I've done. The manifold came off without having to remove the head as well. It was a lot of work though, I was sore for a few days after!

Hello everyone,

I'd like to change my exhaust manifold on my 2.4l Journey. Current one has a nice crack in it, I tried to fix it with a jb-weld type product which only lasted about 300 miles....

I can't seem to find any how-to's or diagrams on how to do this. The service manual came up empty. Is it as simple as removing the entire exhaust then taking out the manifold? I'm a bit confused because on rock auto they recommend replacing motor mounts when changing an exhaust manifold which makes me think I might have to take the engine out (I hope not!).

Has anybody here every done this repair themselves?

Thank you!

The spring that gets out of place is in that part of the foot brake

If you're trying to reset your (foot) parking brake but can't pull out the cable that comes from the front of the car far enough to fit in the equalizer,  you might need to a look inside the parking brake. There's a little spring that gets pushed in when the brake is depressed, allowing the reset to work. Mine had somehow got out of place. Just push it back in place with a screwdriver and you're good to go. Took me a while to figure this one out. This worked on a 2009 SXT with the foot brake.

Yes. No more loud banging noise when I drive over potholes and the ball joint was very worn out so it was it's time to go.

I changed it because the wheel was rattling and there was a bit of shaking while driving.

I successfully did the job a few weeks ago, here are some tips if anybody else ever comes across this, I attached the service manual to this post, just follow it and look at my notes.

-I rented the ball joint removal press, an adapter set and the pickle fork from Canadian Tire. The ball joint press doesn't fit perfectly because of how the knuckle is shaped but using the adapters you can get it off/on

-You don't need to remove the speed sensor like the manual says, it won't really get in the way. Mine was kinda stuck so I left it in.

-Release of the lower ball joint from the lower control arm was done with a pickle fork (and not the special Dodge remover tool).

-I was able to use the press to put the joint back in about halfway, then I had to smack the bottom of one of those cylinders from the kit with a hammer to get it in the rest of the way.

ball-joint.pdf

Has anybody here had luck changing lower ball joints? I had tried to change one a few months back but the press I borrowed didn't seem to fit so I gave up. I'm heading on a road trip soon so I want to get this done asap.

The only videos I've seen that could help are for Avengers and they all seem to either smack it out with a sledge hammer.

Thanks

So after another inspection turns out it's actually the resonator that needs replacing. Suggested fix is to replace it with a straight pipe so I guess that's what I'll do.

Hi everyone,

my muffler needs to be replaced however after calling a few parts stores in town and searching online, it seems no one makes an OEM muffler for our journeys. My only option seems to be going to the dealer, and they only sell the entire assembly (for $800).

Has anybody here had any luck replacing the muffler with an OEM?

If I don't go OEM route can I just an aftermarket muffler (I want something quiet...)?

Thanks,

Seanton

I usually just get whatever part they sell at my local parts store, they're associated with Auto Value and always have much better prices then the Napa down the street. They seem to deal mostly with mechanics and garages so.

Should I actually start looking for certain brands of parts?

Here's more detailed post for anyone who ever encounters something similar:

So the noise was actually from two separate problems, bad wheel bearings and the alternator.

For the alternator:

Someone here suggested it might have been the idler pulley, however the noise was much louder than any noise a bad idler pulley could have made: With the hood open I had to scream to the person beside me to be understood.

It was tricky isolating the noise to the alternator though, when looking at the engine from the front you could tell the noise was obviously from the side with the power steering and alternator.

Taking the belt off and turning all the pulleys manually didn't help as none of them seemed bad. When running the engine without the belt on the noise left so it was obviously something attached to the belt causing the noise.

With a stethoscope the sound coming off the alternator was just a little bit louder than the power steering, so I sort of took a chance by changing the alternator (luckily I was right!). Mind you I had two mechanics (friends) look at the engine too and neither of them was 100% certain where the sound was from, however they both guessed the alternator.

Changing the alternator was very easy, there's a video on youtube, but basically disconnect negative battery terminal, take off the belt, take off the lower pulley, remove two bolts holding alternator in, disconnect wires, take out the bad alternator, and repeat process in reverse order. No more noise!

For the wheel bearings, I changed the entire hub and it went surprisingly well, I had to get a 32mm axle nut socket (which for some reason didn't fit snugly but 31mm nut socket's don't exist apparently), I took off the wheel, caliper assembly, rotor. Then I took off the axle nut using a normal socket wrench, and a pretty long tube to give more leverage. Then I had to deal with 4 15mm bolts, went very well too. After that I spent about 10min. knocking at the old hub (I took off a little shield to get more whacking room). For this part I'd loosely put the axle nut back on to make sure you don't mistakenly hit the axle.

After that sand the everything down to make sure you have a clean surface, get the new hub on, put all bots back on, get the nut back on (I read you should get a new one but I put the old one back on), then rotor, caliper and wheel and you're all done.

It was the alternator! I put in a new one and the sound is all gone. A big thank you to everyone here for your help!

Hey,

I need to change my bearings, so I'm shopping for a hub assembly.

I just came across this item on Amazon, by a company called GMB, at $100 it's half the price of similar part at Napa. Am I missing something here?

http://www.amazon.com/GMB-720-0039-Wheel-Bearing-Assembly/dp/B00P93JZS6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442453382&sr=8-1&keywords=720-0039

I used a stethoscope to try to isolate noise. Can't tell if it's coming from the alternator or the power steering but they both seem to be making more noise then usual.

I also took off the belt and manually turned everything to see if I could find the noise. The lower idler and the tensioner seemed a little worn so I changed them, with a new belt too, Sound is still there unfortunately. I'll bring the car tomorrow to a friends garage to see if he can help me figure out where the noise is coming from.

Thanks a lot everyone! I'll keep you updated.

Hello,

I have a 2.4l 2009 sxt.

For the past two weeks I've had a very loud noise coming from somewhere along the belt, I had first noticed the noise a few months ago. I can't pinpoint exactly where it's coming from although I'm pretty sure it's something along the belt (or even the belt itself).

When I start the car it's especially loud, idles at 1500rpm before going down to about 1000 after a 5 seconds. the noise also get louder when turning or going >50kmh. There are no vibrations or anything and the car seems to be driving as usual, just especially loud.

Anybody have any idea what it could be? I can post a clip of the sound if that could help.

Thank you,

Sean

Makes sense that the measurements are in metric, the journey's are made in Mexico

seanton,

With respect to the Power Transfer Unit (PTU), use only MOPAR Gear & Axle Lubricant SAE 75W-90 with a capacity of 0.8 metric liters.

The Rear Driveline Module or RDA will also take the same lubricant as the PTU however capacity is 0.6 metric liters.

***Keep in mind these are nominal refill capacities and amounts will vary slightly depending on your refill procedure.***

If you aren't sure about performing this service yourself, do not hesitate to get your Journey to your local Dodge service facility.

Thanks for the help!

Is there any documentation regarding how to refill them (and where they are?)

Thanks,