machm1970 Posted January 10, 2018 Report Share Posted January 10, 2018 My wife's 2012 died last night. She said the idiot light was on earlier, but she ignored it (Yes, there's a reason they call the lights that, lol). She jump started it and got it to start and run briefly. The battery is at least 3 years old, so that's due anyway. If that doesn't fix it I will do the alternator next. How bad is the alternator to change? Do I need any special tools? I tried looking on the internet, but I wasn't able to find much info. Any help is appreciated. Thanks, Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted January 10, 2018 Report Share Posted January 10, 2018 first off change the battery then take it to your local parts store(auto shack,orilleys,advance auto) let them do a check of your charging system to see what their equipment finds then go from there. good luck i changed mine out a few months ago best price on batteries i found was at sams but ended up getting a little better deal at batteries plus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted January 10, 2018 Report Share Posted January 10, 2018 2 hours ago, machm1970 said: My wife's 2012 died last night. She said the idiot light was on earlier, but she ignored it (Yes, there's a reason they call the lights that, lol). She jump started it and got it to start and run briefly. The battery is at least 3 years old, so that's due anyway. If that doesn't fix it I will do the alternator next. How bad is the alternator to change? Do I need any special tools? I tried looking on the internet, but I wasn't able to find much info. Any help is appreciated. Thanks, Matt Depending on what engine you have, the alternator replacement can be easy or challenging. I suggest you take a look at it and see if it is something you can do yourself. You only need basic tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
machm1970 Posted January 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2018 I have the 3.6 6 cylinder. I guess I was hoping someone on here might've done this recently and could provide some insight on what all I have to remove to get at it. I'm pretty mechanical, but I could always use some advice, shortcuts, special tools required or pitfalls. Looking online there isn't very much repair info on Journeys, especially considering how many are out there. I guess if I figure it out I will post info to help others. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted January 10, 2018 Report Share Posted January 10, 2018 9 minutes ago, machm1970 said: I have the 3.6 6 cylinder. I guess I was hoping someone on here might've done this recently and could provide some insight on what all I have to remove to get at it. I'm pretty mechanical, but I could always use some advice, shortcuts, special tools required or pitfalls. Looking online there isn't very much repair info on Journeys, especially considering how many are out there. I guess if I figure it out I will post info to help others. Matt look at where the alt is on the 3.6,,,, i was changing my oil this morning and i took a gander for it hell you cant even see it from the top ,dont look i would even want to try to get to it.... jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted January 11, 2018 Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 14 hours ago, machm1970 said: I have the 3.6 6 cylinder. I guess I was hoping someone on here might've done this recently and could provide some insight on what all I have to remove to get at it. I'm pretty mechanical, but I could always use some advice, shortcuts, special tools required or pitfalls. Looking online there isn't very much repair info on Journeys, especially considering how many are out there. I guess if I figure it out I will post info to help others. Matt One of those things you just have to dig into and figure it out. Make a DIY for it. You will be the first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yyz Posted January 11, 2018 Report Share Posted January 11, 2018 The alternator is a pain on the 3.6 .If you take the top approach you need to disconnect some heater hose lines I believe so drain the rad etc. There isn't much in the Journey alternator online I could find when ours died but I did find a youtube video of a pretty smart mechanic who shows an alternate method on a Caravan with the 3.6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armando G Posted January 14, 2018 Report Share Posted January 14, 2018 On 1/10/2018 at 8:23 AM, 2late4u said: first off change the battery then take it to your local parts store(auto shack,orilleys,advance auto) let them do a check of your charging system to see what their equipment finds then go from there. good luck i changed mine out a few months ago best price on batteries i found was at sams but ended up getting a little better deal at batteries plus Agree with 2late4u. I would not look for the best deal on a battery...I would look for a good battery. Interstate is great for these cars. Hopefully it is not your alternator, but if it is a video would be great. jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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