ChrisPollard

There is a reason the hoses are flexible in the first place. If you put in a solid pipe, I think you'd discover failure far faster than in the cold conditions they keep blowing up in. Only two payments left on my Journey now ... it'd be great if it manages to not blow another line before that happens. LOL Luckily it doesn't seem to mind +30 and higher nearly as much as -30 and lower.

Figured I'd post an update on changes in mileage since going to the platinum plugs. Went for a 3,000+km road trip this month. Reset the fuel economy reading at the start. Over the first 200km or so, down a secondary highway between 90-100km/h and LOTS of big hills, we ran 7.5l/100km. That is the best mileage, highway or otherwise, we EVER managed from the Journey. One time on a long road trip, I managed 7.7 and was happy. Anyway, two weeks later, mixed city/highway driving (70-80mph average on the interstates) it was reading 11.5 when we got home. The 2.4 always was thirsty over 65mph ... but we used to run closer to 12l/100. So, so far, I'm not seeing any notable mileage hits from the change of plugs. YMMV.

Not yet, no. I just read about the full synth fluid solution this week. Several of the replaced lines have already been 'upgraded' vs. OEM though. Partly because at one point the OEM parts were so far backordered they had to find alternatives. It's on my service list for this summer though. Hopefully we won't have any -20 days until fall now. lol

I've searched for these "bad things" too ... but so far I can't find anything specific, outside of possible reduced fuel economy. No accounts of any specific negatives outside of that. Most of the comments end with, "Just go with OEM copper. The engineers said to." In my experience, the engineers are also told to reduce costs in all ways possible for mass production of a 'budget' vehicle. Hence why we have power steering systems blowing hoses like 4th of July fireworks every winter because they cheaped out on the PS fluid specs ... using ATF instead of full synth power steering fluid, which supposedly fixes that problem. And god knows I've gone through enough of those blown freakin' hoses in the last 7 years. Only ONE calendar year without one going so far. But that's a separate rant. lol

Our Walmart barely stocks oil anymore, let alone plugs. The automotive department is down to two short aisles, including all the camper/RV stuff, wipers, and stereos. About a third of what it was a few years ago when they added the grocery section and cut back everything else. And if our Canadian Tire had them, I couldn't find 'em on the wall. Worst case, if the platinums as are horrifyingly terrible as you say, I'll order some coppers from Amazon. But it was running just fine on them last night. Certainly better than what was in there!

Honestly, couldn't even find the copper ones. We'll see how they fare over time, but I've never had issues with platinum plugs in the past. Get to start the mileage test next week on the road to Indiana. (Although mileage has NEVER been the Journey's strong point...the 2.4 has always been a pretty thirsty little thing.)

Had a meeting cancelled tonight, so had time to change the plugs. Let the engine cool for about an hour and a half .. hood up, engine cover off. It was still warm, but I could lay my hand on the engine for a good 30 seconds without getting hot. I upgraded the old plugs from the stock V-groove copper to platinum, ($11/pair) took her for a drive, no more jerking on hills, nice smooth downshift when it needs extra power. Makes me very happy to have this fixed so cheap - and before we do about 2,000 miles to kick off June with a little vacay and to bring our daughter home for the summer. Makes me even happier that it was a $32 fix, including the anti-seize and di-electric grease. w00t! WAY better than the $3k I'm putting into a transmission rebuild for my old truck this week.

Yeah, I don't think it was 25 minutes ... that included spreading anti-seize on the threads and adding some di-electric grease to the electrical connections. EASIEST plug job I've ever done, and I used to think the old 1960s inline sixes were da bomb for plug changes. Upgraded the old plugs to platinums, took her for a drive, shuddering problem is gone. I'm going to have to check my service records, but I'm suspecting these were the original plugs.

Picking up new plugs tomorrow after work. Might not get to actually touch them until Thursday though ... committee and board meetings won't give me time to let the block cool down, and I'm told changing plugs in a hot aluminum block can go badly. Last time I changed plugs in a car was a good old cast iron block ... and it didn't much matter back then.

My initial thought when it happened was maybe plugs or wires. Can't recall when the last change was, dealer will have records though. Was planning on a scheduled change in 4000km anyway, so maybe we'll just kick that up a little and see if it makes a difference.

I had this issue with our 2012. They ended up completely replacing the stereo under warranty. It was a defect in the unit ... which of course includes all the HVAC controls too, so you can't even put an aftermarket stereo in these things.

Randy - did you ever find the cause? Sounds a bit like what we have happening with our 2012 CVP. Except there is no knocking noise ... just a jerk in the drivetrain when going up a hill in 4th gear.

Wondering if anyone has any thoughts on something new/weird that is happening with our 2012 Journey CVP (2.4L/4spd/151,000km) recently. When we're travelling along in 4th gear, and come to a bit of a hill, if we just gradually push on the throttle (vs. giving it a kick to force a downshift), it will very noticeably jerk. (In the old carbureted engine days, I'd have called it lugging.) It's like it's trying desperately to hold 4th gear, even though it should really drop to 3rd, and the engine is getting overloaded at the lower RPMs. I have a BlueDriver OBDII code reader, connected to my phone for live readings (and stored code readings/clearing codes), and had it running real time while driving the other day. There are NO codes being thrown whatsoever. Nothing. The ONLY thing that I saw when it happened is the reading for the Engine Coolant Temperature dropped to nothing at the moment of the 'jerk'. It almost looked like there was an electrical issue. But it is very consistently ONLY happening in 4th gear, when going up a hill and slowly pressing the throttle vs. punching it. Anybody ever run into something like that, or have any suggestions before we sink a bunch of money into random things that may or may not fix it?

We bought our 2012 Journey CVP in October 2011 ... we have had ONE calendar year without a power steering hose replacement. ONE. It's been in twice this year - although the second visit was due to them not fully tightening the hose on the first visit. Or so I'm told. Seems to me if they KNOW that the fluid they designed the system for - and still use/recommend upon every single repair - cannot be reliably used, they should recall them all for a fluid flush and replacement. It was annoying AF when it was under warranty, but it's bloody ridiculous now that I'm paying for these things out of pocket. In all my 40-some years on the planet, I have NEVER owned or even KNOWN OF a vehicle that consistently blows up its power steering system on an annual basis. In fact, I've never known a vehicle to suffer blown PS lines at all until this one! Even 20 and 30 year old vehicles I've had NEVER blew a PS hose! Then again, every one of them use power steering fluid, and not transmission fluid. Maybe that should have been a sign from the get-go. We really like the Journey, and it's been relatively problem-free outside of the power steering lines. Heck, we even managed over 140,000km out of the factory brakes! (Sure, they probably should have been changed a good 10k earlier ... but they still weren't making any noise.) Not really looking to get into another car payment right away ... but we're debating it just to get out from under the steady flow of power steering repairs. I wonder if FCA would pay to replace the chunk of pavement in my driveway that's soaked in transmission fluid from all the leakage?

I own a 2012 CVP with the 2.4L and it's a fine engine. It's not going to move mountains, and if you're a lead footer, you'll be disappointed. If you're doing it for mileage, don't. The difference between the 2.4 and 3.6 is minimal at best. BUT if, like me, price point on the vehicle is a consideration, the 2.4L is FINE. Perfectly fine. It has no problems doing 80mph on the interstates, or zipping around town. That said, if price isn't a factor, and you CAN move up to the Pentastar, I would. But I wouldn't lose sleep over taking home the 2.4 either. I love my Journey ... even with that "anemic" little 4 banger under the hood.