cbeja Posted October 15, 2020 Report Share Posted October 15, 2020 Ok please help! I have a 2012 Journey SXT AWD. It started overheating today almost to the red after coolant was put in the reservoir. Parked to let cool down and then came home. When I got home and let car cool went down to check and there was no coolant in the reservoir. Added the rest of the coolant (1 gallon today), i saw it go into the reservoir and then was gone from it in about a minute. Checked under the car and do not see a leak. Please help! I am in nursing school and really need a car! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5rebel9 Posted October 15, 2020 Report Share Posted October 15, 2020 (edited) First thing to offer is some other places to check for possibly where the coolant went to find a possible cause of the overheating. Check the engine oil, both on the dipstick AND on the fill cap. You are looking for brown "milkshake" residues and high (overfull) dipstick reading. Next look inside the coolant reservoir and see if there is red oil in it. These will determine if a major problem in the engine or transmission has happened. You didn't state mileage of the vehicle, and so there are a number of reasons overheating can happen, from minor to major expenses, like a bad rad. cap or thermostat to engine oil cooler failure to blown head gasket or bad radiator. If you are not a DIY'er, Have it TOWED(by FLAT BED due to being an AWD vehicle) to a reputable repair shop for a good diagnosis and proceed from there. Good Luck. Edited October 15, 2020 by 5rebel9 JohnnyRevs, NavalLacrosse and jkeaton 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhareFred Posted October 15, 2020 Report Share Posted October 15, 2020 Which engine do you have, 4 or 6 cylinder? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5rebel9 Posted October 15, 2020 Report Share Posted October 15, 2020 39 minutes ago, OhareFred said: Which engine do you have, 4 or 6 cylinder? Re read the post title...3.6 AWD model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbeja Posted October 15, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2020 @5rebel9 the reservoir is completely empty so no oil in there either. Checked the oil and it does not look like a milkshake. Does not look like there is a leak from under the car either. My husband put coolant in it yesterday when it started overheating and didnt know about the making sure that there was no air in there. I left it uncapped last night to help the air. I am nervous to add more coolant as we put 1 gallon in it yesterday and not even a minute after we put half gallon in it was in the reservoir and then gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted October 15, 2020 Report Share Posted October 15, 2020 is your dipstick showing way over the full mark? its either in the engine crankcase or leaking out somewhere, the engine is probally shot, sorry you have this problem OhareFred 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavalLacrosse Posted October 15, 2020 Report Share Posted October 15, 2020 (edited) Good Luck, That doesn't seem good. There was a story of a person who just had air in their lines. I'd take it to a corner mechanic and have them pressure test the radiator. Unrelated story: Mt ex-Gf's car: I had poured a gallon of coolant into the radiator without any leaking out the bottom, and without the reservoir filling...I added another gallon... and another gallon... That seemed to keep the coolant level in the radiator full... problem solved? The car wouldn't crank. I checked the Dip, and it was frothing out the top. The dipstick filler neck was filled to the same level as the radiator fill cap with coolant with a small amount of oil mixed in. RIP, 1998 Chevy Malibu! - I figure one gallon when to the radiator, one gallon when to the cylinders, and the other gallon to top off the oil reservoir. Edited October 15, 2020 by NavalLacrosse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5rebel9 Posted October 15, 2020 Report Share Posted October 15, 2020 Like the above post's story...Check the engine oil level for overfull reading(coolant in the crankcase). IF OK then refill the res.and see if it drains away or leaks out somewhere. Take off the top motor "dress up" cover to look for leaks on top of the motor. Yes when overheated air doe get entrapped in the cooling system, let it set with cap off for at least 1/2 hr and recheck the res. level and top off accordingly. You STILL need to find out WHY it overheated and fix that, as I posted of the many possibilities of parts/components that can cause overheating. Good Luck! JohnnyRevs 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbeja Posted October 15, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2020 @2late4u which dipstick are you pertaining too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhareFred Posted October 16, 2020 Report Share Posted October 16, 2020 Engine oil dipstick..... 2late4u 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted October 16, 2020 Report Share Posted October 16, 2020 2 hours ago, cbeja said: @2late4u which dipstick are you pertaining too? engine oil dipstick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5rebel9 Posted October 16, 2020 Report Share Posted October 16, 2020 @cbeja I know you must be pretty "frazzled" with life and fighting a vehicle problem. But please respond with how things worked out and what was the problem and fix....for the benefit of the many fellow Journey owners here. JohnnyRevs and 2late4u 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agm2112 Posted October 21, 2020 Report Share Posted October 21, 2020 (edited) Go straight to that damned oil cooler. I had this same problem, almost destroyed my engine. I believe the 2012 model doesn't have that plastic seal, but the plastic may have cracked or something like that. Edited October 21, 2020 by agm2112 added images Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5rebel9 Posted October 21, 2020 Report Share Posted October 21, 2020 39 minutes ago, agm2112 said: Go straight to that damned oil cooler. I had this same problem, almost destroyed my engine. I believe the 2012 model doesn't have that plastic seal, but the plastic may have cracked or something like that. That had to be some failure! Yes I hit the point in my response to check for leak at the oil cooler(which uses radiator coolant) to be checked. Thanks for the "back up" and pic of a possible failure point for the OP. Sorry to have read your thread and what you went thru. jkeaton and NavalLacrosse 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbeja Posted October 22, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2020 @agm2112 had someone come and look at it today! You are absolutely right! It is the oil cooler and O rings. Any idea what cost will be looking like for us? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted October 22, 2020 Report Share Posted October 22, 2020 parts run from 100 for unknown quality part to 300 or more for a mopar OEM and also you can upgrade to the newer style oil filter housing as well that came out in 2014. vidios on you tube on how to install or pay labor at a garage your choice..... Armando G 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.