DonaldR Posted June 30, 2018 Report Share Posted June 30, 2018 Hi, I am having a problem with my 2012 Dodge Journey SXT, it only has 60k on it and that's because I generally WFH. For the past 4 months I'm having a condition when I am driving in "D" around 84 - 100 km/h - suddenly the engine bucks/jerks. At the onset of this condition, it's just the lurching, but then as a few more weeks went by - the RPMs would go as high as 6000 and the engine would lose power as it obviously went to a lower gear like "3" but the speed of the vehicle was around 115-120 km/h. I called up FCA and opened a ticket (34113985), which they eventually got around the following week - but since my vehicle was out of warranty (5 years) - I would have to pay for a diagnosis. I would do this but when called up my dealer at Pickering Chrysler, twice and they never bothered to return the call. So I decided to go to a family recommended transmission shop in Woodbridge. The person there, looked at the transmission oil, drove it (not at the speed I have the problem) said to me that P0729 is a generic code and I should wait for a different code to drop. I plan to go to him next week and explain my rationale. When I use the autostick, I can easily shift up to gear 5 easily and reach 100 - 120 km/h, when I shift into 6 - it holds for several minutes and then drops into limp mode. While in limp mode I could see it changes to "D". I think it goes into 3 because the engine whines and I think this is because it's in a lower gear and it's literally braking the car. Now even when I'm driving the car on regular roads (40, 50, 60 & 80 km/h limits) - I feel as though the engine is sluggish when accelerating but there is no lurching or jerking. On the 401, at 110 km/h is slow to get to 120km/h and then the gear will infallibly drop. If I stay in 5 - I'm okay, but I'm sure I'm really burning more gas. I was initially thinking it was the solenoid pack, but if I can manually shift into 6 and it holds? Then I was thinking it might be the ECM, but it works for all the gears except 6. If its going defective, how would it signal to the onboard computer it's failing? I'm beginning to suspect I might have a physical problem in the transmission. However - that is going to be an expensive job. I don't understand how a car with 60k on it could have transmission problems. Is there anyone out there who has this same problem? If so, what was the bad (or good) news? I can't drive this car long distance and summer is here. If I posted this in the wrong section, my apologies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted June 30, 2018 Report Share Posted June 30, 2018 sounds like trans problem to me but i am not a mech. yes cars can have trans problems with even less than yours, stuff happens, you will be lucky if a transmission shop will work on it as most wont fool with the newer 6 and 8 speeds yet good luck and keep us informed.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonaldR Posted June 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2018 Quote Now even when I'm driving the car on regular roads (40, 50, 60 & 80 km/h limits) - I feel as though the engine is sluggish when accelerating but there is no lurching or jerking. After having the vehicle driven by a third party, they say I'm talking BS. So, there is no sluggishness below 80 km/h on speed limited roads. I'm guessing that the 6th gear does not come into play at this speed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonaldR Posted June 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2018 Also another piece of information that I left out (dunno if its even relevant) is that I park year round in my garage, and I always back in. I always back in when I'm parking anywhere. So I am using the reverse gear every time I drive the car. OhareFred 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armando G Posted July 1, 2018 Report Share Posted July 1, 2018 Instead of trying to guess, I would either go to another Doge/Chrysler dealer to have it diagnosed, or keep trying to get a hold of yours. I don't know how much weight I would put on any shop telling me to wait until something worse happens (in essence what they said), before doing anything. At that point it may become a very expensive fix while it may be a simple solenoid or valve at this point. Only way to tell is probably by getting it to a dealer and at least getting their diagnosis. jkeaton, 2late4u and OhareFred 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonaldR Posted July 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2018 Yes, I am planning to go to another dealership in Markham that's a bit more helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonaldR Posted August 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2018 I took my vehicle to Village Chrysler and you know what? They charged me $125+tax (including 1 hour of tech labour) to tell me they could not find anything wrong! They claimed they test drove it at the speed I described where the issues popped up - they said they could not duplicate the concern. On top of that, they wanted to do a transmission service ($240+tax) citing "it's more than 5 years" rather than looking at the mileage (61161 km) or the condition of the oil (still pinkish). I must have money to throw away, I want a diagnostic that shows what is wrong or give some clues not a "lets do a transmission service since you are here" - if I had done that - I would have spent almost $500 (taxes in) and still not know what is wrong (well, I spent $141 and still in the dark). All they did was flash the the PCM with updated software. I asked them for a printout of the diagnostics and they refused citing "Chrysler confidentiality" and privacy. WTF? I'm pretty sure this is a known condition within the Dodge Mechanic circle. I went to FCA Canada website and filed a complaint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted August 4, 2018 Report Share Posted August 4, 2018 well you should have let them do the trans service they are right 6 yrs old. i had my trans service down on my 2014 at around 70 k even tho it isn't supposed to be done till 100 k its called preventive maintenance, also when i get to about 90- 100 k going to have the plugs changed and the coolant changed out good luck on whatever you find out.just out of curiosity what engine do you have.3.6 or 2.4 if the 2,4 change out your plugs with org. factory plugs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonaldR Posted August 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2018 10 minutes ago, 2late4u said: well you should have let them do the trans service they are right 6 yrs old. i had my trans service down on my 2014 at around 70 k even tho it isn't supposed to be done till 100 k its called preventive maintenance, also when i get to about 90- 100 k going to have the plugs changed and the coolant changed out good luck on whatever you find out.just out of curiosity what engine do you have.3.6 or 2.4 if the 2,4 change out your plugs with org. factory plugs? Sorry, but what good is having the ATF changed and no problem fix? I'm not in the habit of giving away money when I get zippity do dah in return. I'm not doing the ATF service until this problem is solved. The engine shows only 1342 hours since genesis. In my line of work - I troubleshoot, test and evaluate, I deal in hard facts and not guesswork. I believe the folks at Village Chrysler don't know how the steps involving system troubleshooting. I've downloaded the 62TE Technical Service Information and having read thru this complicated document leads me to believe my problem may be electronic in nature. My line of approach is to start with the TCM, in fact a couple of online articles lead me to believe this may actually be the culprit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted August 4, 2018 Report Share Posted August 4, 2018 glad you are so smart on how to deal with your problem, i was just stating that your trans fluid was 6 yrs old, do what you want,i was just offering my point of view. hope you find out your problem.good luck. DonaldR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonaldR Posted August 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2018 Just now, 2late4u said: glad you are so smart on how to deal with your problem, i was just stating that your trans fluid was 6 yrs old, do what you want,i was just offering my point of view. hope you find out your problem.good luck. So you are telling me to go back to the dealer who can't (or won't because they might be able to string me along for more cash) fix my problem and hand over even more cash? I will go to my transmission guy to do the ATF change but not the dealer after this result. However, his advice is that the fluid is still pink and it does not smell burnt. However, I am a smart guy, because I read a lot - and I can read between the lines, so certainly I'll figure this out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted August 4, 2018 Report Share Posted August 4, 2018 sorry if i upset you Donald as i said i was only stating on how old the trans oil was, if you dont want to change it then dont. since you dont have a dip stick you might be low on fluid? as i asked what engine you had and you gave no answer. bad spark plugs can give some of the problems you seem to be stating, you are posting asking for help and i was only trying to give some insight but do as you please and i hope you get it figured out. OhareFred, DonaldR and jkeaton 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonaldR Posted August 5, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2018 1 hour ago, 2late4u said: sorry if i upset you Donald as i said i was only stating on how old the trans oil was, if you dont want to change it then dont. since you dont have a dip stick you might be low on fluid? as i asked what engine you had and you gave no answer. bad spark plugs can give some of the problems you seem to be stating, you are posting asking for help and i was only trying to give some insight but do as you please and i hope you get it figured out. Sorry - its a 3.6L, and yes it is a bit frustrating dealing with the service folks at the dealership and as well - it's summer and I can't take my kids on long trips because of this. Thank you for these tips - I will mention it to my mechanic. I do plan on an ATF change now, as it does break down after time. OhareFred 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonaldR Posted August 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2018 (edited) I had the transmission service done (oil & filter) and the problem went away. After carefully re-reading the manual, the ATF must be changed either 5 years or 102,000 km. I think a refill in my case should be done in the next few months. That 62TE has a total fill of 9 qts, the change today replaced only 5.5 qts. I am quite relieved. Sometimes taking advice in the face of logic is better. Thanks 2late4u for the solid advice! Edited August 10, 2018 by DonaldR 2late4u 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted August 10, 2018 Report Share Posted August 10, 2018 (edited) your welcome, also dont forget your coolant it ages and can cause problems with age. Edited August 10, 2018 by 2late4u DonaldR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonaldR Posted August 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2018 14 minutes ago, 2late4u said: your welcome, also dont forget your coolant it ages and can cause problems with age. Damn - it's true, that's another thing I will do this week! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonaldR Posted September 8, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2018 The root cause of the intermittent problems was the common "ring land wear", however the mechanics at Woodbridge Transmission were very surprised I caught it in the early stages. Peter said that most folks would not have realised it until much later. I would highly recommend these guys if you have this problem or looking for a rebuild (which was my case too). Their prices are very reasonable compared to Mr Transmission or any other places. They are family run and dealerships always use their services. When I dropped off the Journey, I saw a pretty new (maybe 2 yrs?) BMW X3 and a shiny new Benz SUV (looked 1 yr) up on the hoists. I don't nickel & dime, I simply ask for the price and compare it to others. The Journey drives quite well and the acceleration is smooth. I learnt another lesson as well when I had to drive it while it was suffering - if I kept my speeds between 100 - 105 km/h on the 401 freeway, my fuel economy was between 9.3 - 9.5 L/100km. If I kept to the legal speed on local roads - the highest it climbed was 10.3L/100km. Gas prices are CAN$1.30/L for octane 81. Lesson learned. 2late4u 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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