John/Horace

Yeah monthly is reasonable on a car you know with no ongoing issues. When I first get a vehicle it’s weekly until I trust vehicle. For a car to all of a sudden drink 3 quarts of oil out of the blue with no visual signs like oil slick in drive away or blue smoke billowing from exhaust or running like death...very unusual IMO. I think spark plugs would foul really rapidly if the oil is being consumed by engine in short time frame like a thousand miles. Catalytic converters on vehicle will also be toast really quick.

In the front the strut mount bearings wear out eventually, get noisy from corrosion etc. By the time you buy strut mount and cartridge and wrestle with spring might as well buy whole strut. You would also need a good strut compressor tool to do the job. Labour intensive job as well. I like KYB struts, not sure if they make ones for journey.

Another option is a nut splitter. It wrecks nut but doesn’t damage threads underneath. Princess Auto (Harbour Freight) and Canadian Tire carry them. Buying online from web site and pick up only, no store entry in my area, social distancing. Larger one is $25 at crappy tire regular price.

You are in the rust belt ...Ontario so corrosion in suspension parts is horrible. PB blaster or other penetrating oil and let it sit over night. If still stuck Yellow cyclinder of gas is MPS I think they call it; hotter than propane although not up to acetylene worth a try. Use a 6 point socket or wrench not 12 point, they seem to grab better on seizes stuff. Sawzall or zip blade last resort I guess.

I assume you have checked fuse F121 in the passenger kick panel. Its for the push button start, they call it wireless control module in owners manual. Put meter on continuity, make sure it beeps when probes across terminals.

It didn’t suddenly get a lot noisier in the last little while, it was gradual? Noisy high milage engine that leaks a bit. I usually go to a thicker oil like 5w30 or10w30 to quiet things down a little on this type of engine. Valve lifters and or timing chain are expensive repairs. Long term used engine from auto recycler like LKQ probably cheapest option.

Electronics items can have something called electronic crib death. In the first couple of mins of operation it’s the highest frequency of failure as components all heat up for the first time. Harness does have a converter unit in it, electronics of some sort. Often stuff is quality tested but there can be some defective stuff that slips through. China may have had a bad day.

If it’s a manual key start it’s easier to trouble shoot if you have two people. When the key is held all the way clock wise in the starter engage position, there should be battery voltage going to the small plug connection. One person holds key, other person uses multi meter. Large wire always has battery voltage. If there is 12 volts there and no reaction, starter could be toast. You can also test a loose starter by itself when it’s not in car. Jumper cables positive to large lug feed bolt, ground clamp to body of starter. Foot firmly on starter, jump power over to the positive small terminal on plug for two seconds, usually jump wire with clamps used. If should cycle the starter and cause pinion gear to throw out and engage. If it it only occasionally works when given signal, worn solenoid on starter normally the cause.

Probably not grinding, abs pump cycling on and off. Scan for codes always a good starting point. Even an intermittent issue will often store codes.

If the battery was changed last year it was probably salvageable, unless it froze from sitting when completely flat. Was it tested and replaced free in warranty ? You could have more than one problem happening, unless the funky transmission shifting was tied to tranny electrical voltage supply. Work on the starting issue first. You need a decent charged battery, measuring under hood on the remote terminals is tricky. You need to get good contact, scratch the meter probes until you have shiny metal and then get reading. Need at least 12.2 ish volts dc usually. Most new batteries have enough charge off shelf to start car. The click you were hearing was probably the contacts in the solenoid built into starter. Sometimes low voltage will do this. Trying to tap starter was good try, sometimes helps dirty contacts make better connection. Starter would still need replacing though. How about marking starter relay under hood, then switching it with another identical relay. See what happens. Starters don’t have fuses because of the high amperage surge under load. The relay takes dash push button signal and sends it to solenoid mounted on the actual starter. The large bolted cable on starter is straight positive feed from battery. The small plug is the signal coming from dash push button. How many miles, kms on car? There is a large 125 amp fuse for alternator you could check, but I think car will start even if it’s blown.

In the extreme cold full synthetic is a big help (I have family in Calgary) for starting , warm up etc. I used to switch from regular Dino to synthetic in winter and back again, when syn was priced like gold. Stick to 5w20 in winter if you stay with conventional, block heater becomes more critical. Stay safe out west, cheers.

Great thanks for the update. Being proactive and cautious like you are will save you money in the long run. My son is only interested in car repairs now that he is married and has moved away . Good to get them involved at an early age.

Is the check engine light on dash on. If so scan for codes. Are you filling tank and doing manual calculation or using dash indicator?

Would be nice to have functional sound clip. What he is calling grinding could just be surface rust clearing off a car for sitting too long. Try uploading clip on different site if you can.

I’m assuming all wheel drive R/T. Could check both c/v shaft boots on rear for visual tears, grease on outside of rubber boot. When water/sand gets in they wear out fast. However shaft can also get noisy even if boots still ok. Wheel bearing sound usually follows speed of car, so highway speed would be loud hum normally. Not strictly a reverse thing in my experience. Rear diff needs to have oil in it. Remove level check plug and make sure oil not contaminated and level is full. Could jack up each rear wheel and try spinning. Should free wheel with a little bit of brake pad noise. Has tranny had oil and filter changed yet.

The code is for the intake solenoid in this link, or the wiring leading to it. Usually makes car run rough and maybe stall; it’s probably not the main cause for the recorded noise. Not a timing chain related item. https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/dodge,2009,journey,2.4l+l4,1444145,engine,intake+manifold+runner+control+valve+/+solenoid,10776

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

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.

I’m thinking signal in journey itself, can you confirm it’s good. Am/fm amplitude frequency modulation radio is on a different antenna, not satellite based. Actually my name is not John or Horace; they were the Dodge brothers; both died in 1920 during an influenza pandemic, strangely enough.

What is it showing for signal strength. Must be in the menu some where. Antennas can have issues, not that expensive if bad.

Yeah great stuff. Especially on older high milage cars with sand blasted windshields that haven’t been changed out yet. Costco up north sell Michelin branded blades for $10 each that seem to hang together pretty good; wear item like the OP’s are saying.

These guys seem to use vin might help. https://www.dodgeparts.com/

Do you have a good vehicle history of maintenance. Tranny like some one mentioned should have had at least one oil change by now, glycol as well. Do you have a trusted mechanic who doesn’t look at you like a lottery ticket when you come in. Did the original owner have three teenagers beating on it for the 200k or was is driven normally. Do you have a million dollar ear (for squeaks and rattles) and a tight $ budget for repairs on an older car. Need to be able to figure out what a noise is caused by, then turn up radio if a non safety item like a sway bar link bushing. Some people don’t have that abilility; I’m referring to some of my family members right now, who will go un-named. The original OP is only hoping he is South America right now, for nicer warmer weather, like we all crave.

Remotes often have a panic button on them. I triggered mine by accident the other day. Was remote in pocket ? Is there a separate button? Manually moving lock mechanism from inside car when system is armed will trigger alarm if no separate button. panic button on remote. If alarm system is armed and door handle or latch activated from inside; car system assumes window was broken and someone without key is manually triggering lock mechanism. Alarm goes off.

I knew someone would appreciate good backyard exhaust hacking. Cutting through the license plate rather than removing it, classic.