what to do..Dash and Infotainment staying on

[5rebel9]

9 hours ago, John/Horace said:

I’ve noticed on wife’s Journey the driver and passenger door handles, with the car off and dash dark, can cause the full gauge cluster to light back up again very easily. Either pressing the button on either handle or even just touching inside of handle if the remote is within 25 feet. 
If remote is inside house far away, then just pressing door handle button can cause cluster to light up. Hatch back manual button will also turn on all the gauge lights if pressed without remote near by. Radio screen, ours 8.4 is not lighting up during this time. It takes about 25 seconds for the triggered dash lights to cycle back off.

I wonder if one of these buttons could be flakey and triggering the cluster. Could try electric contact cleaner sprayed into switches and some cycling. Just a thought.

Thanks for the observation of your rides actions. That does give a second opinion to door handle issue. DUMMY ME I did NOT try unhooking the handle sensor connector(which would disable them) when I had the panels off. It's not hard to pull them back off and try that as I'm still waiting on wiring diagram to arrive. 

    I was quite confident that my repair to broken wires in the handle(that gave EVIC message of Service Key) was a GOOD fix. But who knows what could have happened in the almost year since. 

[5rebel9]

2 hours ago, 5rebel9 said:

Thanks for the observation of your rides actions. That does give a second opinion to door handle issue. DUMMY ME I did NOT try unhooking the handle sensor connector(which would disable them) when I had the panels off. It's not hard to pull them back off and try that as I'm still waiting on wiring diagram to arrive. 

    I was quite confident that my repair to broken wires in the handle(that gave EVIC message of Service Key) was a GOOD fix. But who knows what could have happened in the almost year since. 

YUP and lovely Spring weather for working outdoors on the car! Was great weather for last posted work. BUT yesterday was all day RAIN (1.5") and today a cold front with temps in low 40's* with strong winds. Some SNOW forecast for tonight ;:( but Sat. to be about the best weather for the next 4 days. MAYBE tomorrow I can pull the panels AGAIN.

[5rebel9]

3 hours ago, 5rebel9 said:

YUP and lovely Spring weather for working outdoors on the car! Was great weather for last posted work. BUT yesterday was all day RAIN (1.5") and today a cold front with temps in low 40's* with strong winds. Some SNOW forecast for tonight ;:( but Sat. to be about the best weather for the next 4 days. MAYBE tomorrow I can pull the panels AGAIN.

Rains stopped but cool and windy. So I took door panels off and disconnected door handle sensors.... NO CHANGE except got the service keyless system on EVIC. 

[John/Horace]

What a weird issue. On our 2014 the radio screen doesn’t light up with handle signal, just cluster gauges. But it’s enough lights to kill a battery.

 

Maybe try locking door with physical keypad  and not remote and see if it does anything. 

Then try with either remote.

 

Is radio turned off before car is shut off, wonder if it is VSS(vehicle speed sensor for nav etc) signal from radio starting stuff back on again.

Some combination in play is triggering problem, that might help trouble shooting. 

 

 

 

Edited April 30, 2021 by John/Horace

[5rebel9]

Basic Mainstreet model. NO remote start, No nav. or blue tooth. Just 4.3 screen with single CD player below.

Last things to try are the screen and heater/radio controls  and the CD/radio "box". Problem is that I'm not sure that the "box" can be changed without code from previous vehicle messing things up. Still waiting for run/start schematic to arrive.

[5rebel9]

OKAY REAL PROGRESS!!!!!

   A NICE but "coolish" day today after night time SNOWFALL.  I can't explain why pulling the radio fuses did NOT help the problem. BUT I took the center stack components out and one by one disconnected the plugs to them. When I pulled the CD/radio box and unhooked it's sole wire modular connector, the start button and cluster lights SHUT OFF. Going to try getting ahold of my friend to try one from his 2 "parts cars". I may not be able to do anything until Monday, as it is the weekend and he needs at least SOME "family time".

    Stay tuned!

[5rebel9]

Wish there was a longer lasting EDIT function here.....

   Of course I failed to mention that NO heat or flashers or stability control buttons work with that plug disconnected from the radio/CD player. Along with any Infotainment screen functions. At least the start switch and cluster are turning off!

Edited May 1, 2021 by 5rebel9

[5rebel9]

END OF THE SAGA!!!!!    IT'S FIXED  !!!!!!

  It was a bad radio/CD player module. Got hold of my friend and went and pulled same 4.3" screened CD player module  from a 6/11 model for my 1/11 DJ and tried it. Radio and all functions worked with just "plug and play" AND with shut down EVERYTHING turned off and STAYED OFF (until I turned things back on). 

 

For me NO PARTS COST just LOTS of my TIME checking and trying anything related to possible cause WITHOUT having wiring schematics. 

 

I'm NOT new to the Journey anymore as my new member introduction posting said!!!!!   

Edited May 1, 2021 by 5rebel9

[2late4u]

great to hear this and also great it it cost you nothing ,,,,,But I  have to say you have the patience of Jobe

[John/Horace]

Great news glad you got it. It’s weird on some cars how they link everything through the radio. 
Makes trouble shooting a big night mare. 

[5rebel9]

Thanks to all who responded and offered suggestions. Just a little "post op" follow up....

   Lights stayed out overnight(as they should). My son will have to reset stations of his preference today.

I did notice that I've lost one or two infotainment screen features from the original unit. Like brightness control  and  door entry lighting. Must be a lower feature CD/radio box than what we had. Could not test it in the parts car donor as it was pretty much scavenged out under the hood. BUT am happy that it's working and all other features work properly.

     I hope this SAGA helps others in tracking down similar problems they may be having.

[5rebel9]

MY bad... Found the features in settings screen....I just was not going to the right sections and they were turned off. All back to the way we had them before the problem arose, Now just have son set his radio preset stations!

[5rebel9]

OKAY, was just doing some "dreaming" lately......

   The car that the radio module came from was equipped with auto headlights and fog lights(front end already used, fogs are gone) It also had wheel buttons for phone and Uconnect.  I am currently running with the BCM from this car, as it was too much of a pain to swap the original back in. Does anyone here think that swapping the headlamp switch(EASY to do) and the wheel switch would bring these functions to "life" OR are there other modules that would also be needed(and probably VIN coded)?

   Seems to me that I remember there being a auto headlight ON/OFF in the settings screen of the 4.3 infotainment head, which the "donor car" also had.

Edited May 11, 2021 by 5rebel9

[5rebel9]

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.

Edited May 14, 2021 by 5rebel9

[slowtyper]

Hi, just wanted to mention I too had been suffering from this problem for the last few years.  After the first couple times it drained my battery I just settled on staying by the car to watch the instrument cluster fully turn off EVERY TIME i left the vehicle.  Annoying yes but it worked.  I would say once every couple months the display came back on and stayed on.  Restarting the car solved it each time.  

 

I did read another post somewhere with someone who fixed it by replacing the radio unit as well, glad that you confirmed it!  The previous thread was by oldtimer1942

Edited April 15, 2022 by slowtyper

[5rebel9]

21 hours ago, slowtyper said:

Hi, just wanted to mention I too had been suffering from this problem for the last few years.  After the first couple times it drained my battery I just settled on staying by the car to watch the instrument cluster fully turn off EVERY TIME i left the vehicle.  Annoying yes but it worked.  I would say once every couple months the display came back on and stayed on.  Restarting the car solved it each time.  

 

I did read another post somewhere with someone who fixed it by replacing the radio unit as well, glad that you confirmed it!  The previous thread was by oldtimer1942

YES, I had read that thread AND a few others on this forum and looking for you tubes about the problem without much luck OR definitive yes this was the cure answers. Our Journey has been doing FINE sincew and just need time and weather to cooperate to replace the heater core it needs. For a ride with 210k miles, it is well liked in the family. Even though not quite as cargo/towing ability of my old Dodge/Chry. minivans (LWB models).

 

 thanks for responding!

[Nathang1996]

 I'm happy I found this thread. I've been having the same issue with my 2012 Dodge Journey SXT AWD, only difference is my radio isnt staying on its just Cluster & Button. I first had an amp meter testing for draw and i had about 1.6 amps. Started checking fuses and had several circuits drawing power. Exterior Lamps 1 & 2, ABS Valve, Sccm, and Cluster. There are other fuses aswell. All the wires were leading to or connected to the BCM. I've replaced the BCM and the issue is stll present. Any tips or things to verify before I go about replacing the radio?

[Nathang1996]

I've got the schematic as well for my journey.

[5rebel9]

1 hour ago, Nathang1996 said:

 I'm happy I found this thread. I've been having the same issue with my 2012 Dodge Journey SXT AWD, only difference is my radio isnt staying on its just Cluster & Button. I first had an amp meter testing for draw and i had about 1.6 amps. Started checking fuses and had several circuits drawing power. Exterior Lamps 1 & 2, ABS Valve, Sccm, and Cluster. There are other fuses aswell. All the wires were leading to or connected to the BCM. I've replaced the BCM and the issue is stll present. Any tips or things to verify before I go about replacing the radio?

I did not go as "technical" as you post of for further tests/checks. I just unplugged the connection to the radio/CD player module and the dash went out.  I knew that I had other radio modules available to try and replacing that unit fixed the problem. There are some other threads on the forum of the same problem and the same fix.

GOOD LUCK!