Apex87 Posted January 24, 2019 Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 Hey all, for those who replied to my last post of overheating. I was able to trace the coolant leak to the oil cooler/oil filter housing. It's an easy repair but will take some time. Now that I have that all fixed my car still seems to be running at a high temperature. For those who use the recommended/required coolant what is the ideal coolant temperature that a 2012 dodge journey should be running at? It used to run at about 120 degrees but I also had a different coolant. Now it goes up to about 185 and that was pretty high and close to how it was when it overheated the first time. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtomatoman Posted January 24, 2019 Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 I think mine was running at 188F today, if I remember correctly. Gauge right in the middle. I believe that's normal. Peace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtomatoman Posted January 24, 2019 Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 The temperature is set mostly by the thermostat, I think... Peace. OhareFred 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted January 24, 2019 Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 From the owners manual: 18. Temperature Gauge The temperature gauge shows engine coolant temperature. Any reading within the normal range indicates that the engine cooling system is operating satisfactorily. The gauge pointer will likely indicate a higher temperature when driving in hot weather, up mountain grades, or when towing a trailer. It should not be allowed to exceed the upper limits of the normal operating range Summer Solstice 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryl Posted January 24, 2019 Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 anything above 230* might be an issue- below that no issue Summer Solstice 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Carman Posted March 3 Report Share Posted March 3 Coolant temp on any engine should not run over 200 degrees. As a certified auto tech of 51 years, I remember when we had 160 and 180 degree t-stats. When we saw over 200 it was a problem. With the new cheap plastic and aluminum component engines today high engine temps are even more problematic. Warpage and cracking is a common issue. Common sense dictates the cooler and more consistent the engine temp remains, the longer your engine lasts. In point, a 2012 dodge journey with a 3.6 pentastar v-6, (piece of pure garbage) runs normally around 220 degrees. These engines with less than 100,000 miles, regularly have had thermostat, water pump, radiator, oil cooler, water bypass housing, heater core, head gasket, cooling fan and more overheating problems. Not to mention cam phasers, camshaft, roller rocker, lifter, pulled head bolts and a multitude of other engine related issues. Why ? Running too hot with cheap Chinese plastic and inferior aluminum componants. High temp thermostats are a wet dream of some youngster engineer to insure you always have to have your engine repaired or even worse replaced. But then again, common sense in today's engineering is non existant. It's all about getting you to spend more money. Build an engine with USA made steel and aluminum, with a 180 degree two-star and watch it go 300 000 miles! Wow, what a concept! Just a note, my 1994 k2500 with 454 just cruised over 355,000 miles. It's never even had the valve covers off, let alone any overheating, with a 180 thermostat. Oh, by the way, it also runs a whipple supercharger and has towed most of its life. Well, enough common sense for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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