RebelPanda Posted March 1, 2022 Report Share Posted March 1, 2022 (edited) Hi there. Just to let you all know, I have visited the forums before but I have never posted so if I posted in the wrong area, I'm sorry! I have a 2014 Dodge Journey Limited with the 3.6L. It just tripped 200,000 miles yesterday. Here is the problem I have. The oil filter housing started leaking really bad. I ordered a new one and replaced. It came with all new gaskets and a new o-ring. After replacing, it didn't fix the issue. I went to the dealer and bought all new gaskets and o-ring (comes as a set). Replaced the gaskets and o-ring and it's STILL leaking. Added UV oil dye, It's leaking at the o-ring. Might be leaking somewhere else as well, but I don't believe so. I haven't taken the upper and lower intake plenums off again to go over the entire unit with the UV light. Figured I would ask here before doing all of that again. How do I get this o-ring to stop leaking? Honestly I'm at the point of either buying the Alum Dorman one (I didn't do that because the vehicle has 200,000 miles) or trying some RTV to seal it up. I have a another set of gaskets and an o-ring but I hesitate to change the o-ring out again because I honestly think it will just continue to leak. Can anyone enlighten me here before I push this vehicle off a cliff??? I took the liberty of including a picture pointing to the leaking o-ring. I don't want to start bad mouthing my Journey, after all it's got 200,000 miles on it! I know some people complain about Mopar, but I have spent less than 2 grand in repairs since 2014 on it. Edited March 1, 2022 by RebelPanda Left out engine size Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John/Horace Posted March 1, 2022 Report Share Posted March 1, 2022 Welcome to forum. Sounds like a weird problem to have. I replaced this unit on my wife’s 2014 journey at about a 100k miles 3 years ago. No sign of cracks or damage on heat exchanger that some people have reported. Although it was probably only a seal failure, like your self I bought a complete dealer oem unit. Fortunetly it has been ok since that repair. After the part change I have watched the oil pressure more closely and have always stuck to 5W20 synthetic oil ever since. The oil pressure on these cars is the highest I have seen on any car I have owned. But after checking on forums, the variable pressure pump was designed this way and mine is within range. IMO is should be a double oring design with the 100 psi plus pressure on cold winter starts. With out seeing the car it’s hard to know what is causing your problem. I doubt rtv will help, a single oring in a properly machined housing can handle way more pressure. Rtv is good on valve covers and oil pans and other low pressure applications. It could just be an out of spec unit ; which should have a 12 month warranty. Because it wasn’t “professionally” installed dealer will probably refuse replacement. I would still ask for a replacement unit and see what they say. 2late4u 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted March 1, 2022 Report Share Posted March 1, 2022 agree with john , i would say the part is defective if you have tried 2 different times with new seal,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,where did you purchase it????????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebelPanda Posted March 1, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2022 I appreciate the responses. So I'm just going to get yelled at sooner or later over this lol. I bought it from eBay 2late4u. John, the oil pressure DOES run high. Always has. I use 5W-20 full synthetic as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebelPanda Posted March 1, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2022 I appreciate the responses. So I'm just going to get yelled at sooner or later over this lol. I bought it from eBay 2late4u. John, the oil pressure DOES run high. Always has. I use 5W-20 full synthetic as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John/Horace Posted March 1, 2022 Report Share Posted March 1, 2022 No yelling, just sympathy only. We all like to save a buck. Bricks and mortar places always charge more because of the overhead, they have to. Its easy to clean off a plastic part with engine cleaner to make it look new. Then sell on eBay; tough times and some people do desperate things. Might be a micro crack or other molding problem with the part they sold you. NIB from a reputable vendor aka probably dealer is the way to go. Mopar has lots of on line parts sites if you are really isolated. Too much labor on this type of repair to roll the dice IMO. When I see Mopar and China on parts bags sometimes , it makes me cringe. But it’s made to Mopar specs with probably more quality checks. Even with 200k it is still worth fixing; used car values are through the roof right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsteves5 Posted March 1, 2022 Report Share Posted March 1, 2022 @RebelPanda A few months ago, I used an aftermarket oil cooler and had issues with that exact same port that you identified. In my case, the diameter of the port was too wide and it wouldn't seat properly. I had to grind it down with a Dremel to get it to fit and seal properly. It's been working fine since then. 2late4u and John/Horace 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebelPanda Posted March 1, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2022 TSTEVES5, that worked out well for you then! I thing mine is the opposite. To small. 2late4u 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebelPanda Posted March 1, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2022 TSTEVES5, that worked out well for you then! I thing mine is the opposite. To small. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebelPanda Posted March 1, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2022 I don't get why my posts show up twice. Anyway...... I bit the bullet. $ 280.00 later, I have a new one from the dealer. I will post here if it actually fixes the leak. Probably won't change it out until Saturday. 2late4u and John/Horace 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agm2112 Posted March 3, 2022 Report Share Posted March 3, 2022 Isn ´t there any kind of sludge, scratch or debris on the engine side ? It is leaking on the oil pump exit, high oil pressure. I solved my problem by using a Dorman aluminium housing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebelPanda Posted March 6, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2022 Ok. I have an update for your all. First, thank you once again for all the advice, experience shared, and suggestions. I did purchase the OEM unit and got it in today. I drove it at highway speeds for awhile and I see no new oil leaking so I think my nightmare is OVER. I had added UV dye to try and determine where the leak was. Looks like the leak was from at least one of the round plugs that are "welded" in place Which happens to be almost right over top of the area I had circled (and also the red arrow pointing to). It does look like it was leaking from that place as well. So this is the end of my thread. Thanks everyone!!! Summer Solstice and 2late4u 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted March 6, 2022 Report Share Posted March 6, 2022 i hope you try to get a refund on the defective unit.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebelPanda Posted March 6, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2022 38 minutes ago, 2late4u said: i hope you try to get a refund on the defective unit.... . I'm definitely going to make the attempt. But just let me say, if anyone comes across the thread and has plans to buy an aftermarket oil cooler (from anywhere including ebay) don't. Not unless it's the Dorman Aluminum unit. Go with the OEM. I know it's expensive, but it will save you a ton of aggravation. 2late4u and John/Horace 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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