5rebel9

"young" devolves around WHO is doing the comparison..... I've got you by 2 DECADES! LOL

YES I also remember those days, BUT I was NOT of driving age yet and just a passenger ! And what about OPTIONAL installed seatbelts or even just what was an infant car seat back then ???....ROFL

You sir are still a youngster then! I remember buying my fuel at less than .60/gal, and was upset when it went up to .75/gal! And I drove air cooled VW's back then, the worst was my "bus" at 21mpg(when American rides were struggling to hit 16mpg)! I will leave any reference to politics of fuel cost increases of late left UNSAID, but will say that for our area, that electric cars will NOT work well for me!

I have to laugh about my son,. Now that gas is $3.00+/gal he complained last night about having to spend $52.00 to fill up the Journey on his way home. I reminded him of when gas was near $4.00/gal with his Neon and he'd spend near $40.00 to fill it to get not quite 10 gallons! And the majority of times WE gave him the cash for it! HE DID NOT RESPOND!....LOL

And I thought we had it bad as nearest gas station is 13 miles away!

Journey doing well with daily runs to work and home. SON is not faring as well on the return home leg, getting tired(12hr shifts)and forgot to stop and "tank up" the Journey and had to be at work again in the morning BEFORE any stations opened to get gas. Mom let him take her G6 and she took the Journey to work and got gas in it. For almost 5 years I've told him NOT to let it go below 1/4 tank, as ne never knows when something may crop up and gas stations were not open! Another rolling eyes "yes dad" reply. OH and mom said ...my the journey drives nice AND FAST without keeping an eye on the speedometer! Most of our normal driving is done watching hard for loose farm animals or wildlife!

I will climb out on the proverbial limb and take a stab at guesstimating that it could be a bent brake dust shield. Easy enough to check if you have a jack and stands to remove the wheel.

Ya know... the women folk ALWAYS get what they want. You can live peaceably with her with the 3.6 one or be HAPPY residing in the 2.4 one while parked next to your Avenger!...ROFL We have (but now "parked") a 98 Avenger that the wife drove .... UNTIL she saw an 08 G6gt sedan in HER color and with sunroof.

IF you've had the 2.4 Avenger ( ). then yes you'd be happy with a "bare bones" Journey. BUT for same price...all the other goodies of the 3.6 would sway me to it.

There is a collapsing snap ring for the CV joint end of the intermediate shaft that some have a problem overcoming to "pop" the CV off. I've found a sharp blow with a "dead blow" hammer to the joint's "tulip cup end will separate the shafts pretty well. NOT positive that the transfer case end has one. The seal is only as difficult as your lack of skills to do, for those that have done this work a lot it's not hard to do. Without looking it up, I can't answer the fluid type portion of your query.

Yes the carrier bearing "locks" the intermediate shaft to the trans. Also by your pic., that the seal is shot from the shaft "flopping" around with the carrier bearing gone. Looks like you've got a nice little "project" to do!

When you pulled the coils and plugs, was there engine oil on them.? If I'm not mistaken, they sit in deep "wells. And if the valve cover gasket and well seal leak oil thru can cause a misfire on affected cylinder(s). Also IF so and removing the spark plug(s), that oil would then leak down into the cylinder and would cause smoke as the oil was ignited(?) and passed thru the converter/exhaust.

Thanks', YES he is !

He has NOT wanted to listen to me for a long time now, as 99% of the time he finds out that I was correct in my suggestions to him and that he thinks times have changed so that HE knows differently. His crew all drive 5+ yr. old smaller cars and have a nicer new car for "out on the town". BUT they are "established" and my son is just starting out. And as for the job, he is the youngest they have taken "aboard" so they treat him like their own. He actually still looks forward to each day and is getting himself around much better than when he had "summer jobs" or classes when mom and I had to make sure he got going each day!

Thanks from the both of us. And about trading in...HE keeps talking about a TESLA as a good high school friend owns one. The train crew he's assigned to are great and share my same feelings about cars with him, MAYBE HE will listen to THEM !

6/7/21 UPDATE: Well a lot has happened thru the last of winter and spring around here, so thought I'd update about the DJ(and my son). shortly after the trans replacement we also replaced seeping trans cooler lines. NOT hard to do, but ran into a problem of one of the couplers in the cooler not latching properly. Another trip to my friend and pulled one from one of his parts cars. Then we had the radio module problem, VERY onerous to track down BUT easy fix. Now, quick jump to son's doings. He finished semester at college(on line due to Covid-19). Had a summer job lined up and ready to go as a lifeguard at 45 mile away theme park. BUT that changed when he got hired FULL time with 30 mile away railroad as a conductor/engineer trainee. This was his "dream job" after wanting to be a big time rock band drummer! He has been OTJ for 3 weeks now and other than the 12 hr shift requirement LOVES the job. GREAT PAY/BENEFITS. Back to the DJ As posted before that son not driving far or regularly and complaining about the MPG compared to his old Neon. With the driving doing now the mileage is improving noticeably AND the P0420 (cat efficiency code) has NOT reared itself since fixing the radio problem. FUNNY now that son has money, no more complaints of fuel cost/mileage, even with the rising gas prices. And has now been fully taken to the attributes of the DJ and agrees that the ride/space/looks are far above his old Neon! Stay tuned for further updates to this Dodge Journey's journey!

Not sure just what all is done for your MOT service, but this is a timing belt (not chain) motor. At 11 years old now, I would investigate the replacement requirements (Kms/years). IF belt were to jump teeth or break, it would do major internal damage.

Sorry for your predicament over there "across the pond". But that motor was not an option here in the "colonies". I've read on other forums of this problem with these diesel motors, and the 2 main faults that seem to happen is the boost pipe cracking or EGR valve fouling. IF mine, I'd start looking there. GOOD LUCK!

Intermittent loss would point to wiring problem at coolant temp sensor. Did this just start or has it been happening for some time? Are you sure that the coolant is full and no air entrapment that these motors are know to do when service work on it is done?

I can appreciate your predicament, I'm close to your age and have had 5 back surgeries, BUT am not a short person. I don't know that a passenger side power seat like the drivers was ever offered. But a shop could retrofit and change control switch sides for pass. side use bases. It is NOT a quick or cheap task to do such and probably more than you would want to spend. Since you say you don't drive anymore, Can I suggest using a foot step placed on the ground by the door to assist your entry/exit of the vehicle and have your "Chauffer" Place it and store it in the car for you. I've had to do this when transporting my aged mother with my Town&Country minivan.

IF they didn't look so darned good (inside or outside), I'd not looked more into getting the one we have('11 3.6AWD). As the car was going to be for our son and this Journey (although a bargain price) was more than what we spent for my T&C AND wife's G6 COMBINED! And yes, I don't mind "putting in the work" to bring a car "up to snuff" but the purchase price HAS to be right. That is the reason for the Lucerne cxl I'm now working on. Needs an EVAP canister vent solenoid and some broken wire work(no different than the DJ hatch). All for a $2 k purchase that has a selling price (with all things working) between $6 - $9k Back on track....The DJ DOES have NICE LOOKS and appointments for an SUV !!!

This is a situation with the 3.6 motor that is very common to have the P0306 code, the problem is that you've already done what most can do to try and fix it. There are a number of other things internally that can cause this in the cyl. head/valve train. AND even the coil driver circuit in the ECM could be a possibility. Your EVAP monitor is most likely from a separate issue OR something with O2 sensor reading way off from normal expected signals from the misfire condition.

Pretty sure you will find the under chassis structure of the Caravan a lot "beefier" than the Journey Engine and trans may well be the same, but that is NOT the only "criteria" for towing capability. A subject WELL discussed on the Forum here. NY rust gremlins and normal maint costs have finally forced me to give up on my 04 T&C(with factory tow package), I will mourn replacing it for a very long time.

Monitor your engine and transmission temps, I bet they will be LOW. FCA is notorious for preventing top gear or "lock up converter" till certain temp parameters are met. The Journey and a lot of the Avenger/200 get the lack of fuel economy GRIPE with the 3.6 motor. YOU with not even 5 miles(USA equivalent) one way are NOT even getting up to good temp. You might try a new T-Stat on the motor to try and help things out.

WELL...... Was just dreaming, on looking at posts of such "upgrading" I think I will just leave well enough alone and keep things the way they are. Everything is working as they should and I don't need to put more work into the car just now. I've got a 2010 Buick Lucerne to get fixed up and on the road to replace MY 04 T&C.