richburris Posted September 17, 2020 Report Share Posted September 17, 2020 Hey, new to the forum as it's my wife who owns our 2012 Journey with a 2.4 l engine but I have an issue I could really use some help with concerning the engine overheating. Originally I found the port where the heater core line runs into the coolant line was broken so I replaced that and refilled the coolant. However the engine still overheats but now when it hits 280 degrees the alarm pining stops and the display on the driver's console shifts to a thermometer showing <100 and seems to run ok but had a warning light that looks like ) lighting bold ( . I usually work on older engines so this is all new to me. My next inclination is to replace the thermostat but it seem there are 2 on this engine. Yes there is a check engine light on and when it is overheating there is the red temp indicator light . Any help at all would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John/Horace Posted September 17, 2020 Report Share Posted September 17, 2020 (edited) Welcome to the forum ! Are the cooling fans coming on when car is overheating. Aluminum engines very sensitive to over heating so need to fix ASAP. If there is still a small leak and air gets in system the pump can cavitate and overheating can still happen. Its possible thermostat is sticking (although usually they fail open) and it’s not expensive so worth trying, after confirming fan works, no leaks and fan belt decent. Edited September 17, 2020 by John/Horace VGall89 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5rebel9 Posted September 17, 2020 Report Share Posted September 17, 2020 (edited) All versions of the 2.4 engines use 2 T-Stats, replace them BOTH and keep an eye on the plastic housing for them. The O ring gasket likes to leak where it ,ounts to the motor. Also these motors are notorious to entrap air when refilling, don't just "fill and go", you'll need to let air bleed out thru the filler neck. Also if it has gotten as overheated as you report, the ECT sensor has also probably gone bad and needs replacement. The 2.4 in a Journey is not that difficult to work on spacewise...... The "lightning bolt" icon lamp is warning lamp for the ETC(electric Throttle Control ie the throttle body) and can come on when engine is running so poorly that computer goes into "limp home mode". Edited September 17, 2020 by 5rebel9 VGall89 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted September 18, 2020 Report Share Posted September 18, 2020 Welcome to the forum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VGall89 Posted November 14, 2020 Report Share Posted November 14, 2020 I recently had the same issue. The T's to the heater core busted. I replaced those and in the process found many other things physically broken, cracked or burnt. The engine is fine on cool days but in stop and go traffic gets hot and over heats. LS fan kicks in at 215 and drops to 190. Parts replaced due to over heating. Heater core hoses(both) Thermostat(both) Fan resistor Camshaft positioning censor(both) Valve cover gasket. The gasket was only replaced because one of the camshaft positioning sensors melted on to the valve cover so I had to take apart to remove. Only thing I haven't looked at is the water pump. Any suggestions? 2.4L 2015 Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John/Horace Posted November 15, 2020 Report Share Posted November 15, 2020 How many miles on pump? Look for signs of dry crusty glycol from weep hole on pump housing. This happens when seal starts to go, eventually bearing gets wrecked and you will get increasing bearing noise. System needs to hold pressure to avoid over heating. Could be bad clamp, rad cap etc allowing in air that gets trapped. Engines have a bleeder screw to remove air, if air keeps coming back you need to find why. Clear hose on bleeder will show if air is coming out. Overheating can sometimes wreck engine temp sensor, gauge readings then not valid. jkeaton and 5rebel9 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5rebel9 Posted November 15, 2020 Report Share Posted November 15, 2020 29 minutes ago, John/Horace said: How many miles on pump? Look for signs of dry crusty glycol from weep hole on pump housing. This happens when seal starts to go, eventually bearing gets wrecked and you will get increasing bearing noise. System needs to hold pressure to avoid over heating. Could be bad clamp, rad cap etc allowing in air that gets trapped. Engines have a bleeder screw to remove air, if air keeps coming back you need to find why. Clear hose on bleeder will show if air is coming out. Overheating can sometimes wreck engine temp sensor, gauge readings then not valid. Could not say it any better than posted! BUT will add that further "leak inspections" should be done(but was NOT posted of coolant loss). The 2.4 T-stat housing is known for numerous leakage points, not only of coolant, but of air entrance IF coolant has been lost. And definitely try a new rad cap! I was waiting for further info from VGall89 because no mention of coolant loss in the post made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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