oracle Posted September 20, 2012 Report Share Posted September 20, 2012 So I'm swinging back and will no longer tow the travel trailer with the Journey.. Reason being is that here in Western Canada I like to go to the Rocky mountains and the Journey is absolutely and completely tortured with the trailer that after filling the tank is already ~3200lbs + kids + clothes + food + (all other junk needed) I'm over the 3500lbs capacity so its a matter of time when I will kill it and something is going to give.. i.e. Tranny, Diff, engine, etc.. By the way when I had to floor it and let the engine go to ~5K RPM that engine roars so beautiful! Reminded me of a v8 actually! I'm really delighted with the exhaust notes of that engine, really-really nice! I had suggestions to upgrade to a more capable (from the towing perspective) SUV or CUV but for a 2010-2011 they're all in the $30's so I faced an financial decision: Sell the Journey for ~$10K + Loan for $20K = a used SUV like a MDX or just get a purpose specific pickup truck to do that. I chose the latter (In my head made more sense) cause I found one for $9K that is just perfect for the Job: F-250 5.4l (Gasoline) Super Crew So I've towed the trailer twice with the truck and there is no white knuckle driving anymore.. This thing is heavy and stupidly powerful, I can only imagine a diesel... It is an absolute gas guzzler but I only use it for camping/towing.. Now I'm actually thinking of getting a bigger trailer, with a truck the selection opens up completely which was so restricted before. Saying the above, the Journey is perfectly capable of towing but something lighter. And because I want to keep the journey until the wheels fall off it has been released from towing duties. Here's the new mule.. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtomatoman Posted September 20, 2012 Report Share Posted September 20, 2012 Probably for the best. I don't tow, but not only is the truck better suited for towing, it very likely safer for everyone. The Journey is for being able to tote people and gear around while still being able to rip around a little and get into those engine notes! Ya know what I mean? :shades: Peace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Windancer Posted September 20, 2012 Report Share Posted September 20, 2012 (edited) Saying the above, the Journey is perfectly capable of towing but something lighter. The towing issue seems to be a big issue with everyone, whether it be the lack of OEM hitches, the amount it can tow etc. I use mine for relatively light towing and have been very happy but I have never towed a heavy load so I can't speak to that. I have towed my relatively light 17' tri hull boat several times to the cottage and now I tow my very light 2 - 17' kayaks around. For me "It works" Terry Edited September 20, 2012 by Windancer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JourneysDone Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 I bought a 12' pop up trailer in the spring, one year after buying my 2011 Journey crew. Thought i had the tow prep package installed, but turned out it didn't have the wiring harness. I was assured by the dealer that it did have an Oil cooler, Tranny cooler (and power steering cooler) 'though. So just before i picked up my new trailer, i purchased the wiring harness for the journey, and had a hitch place install the harness and receiver. Once completed, it took some tweaking to get the brake controller to work properly, along with the pig tail connector. Seems the LED brake lights cause some problems for the connector etc. That all got worked out and we happily towed the trailer (dry weight of 3100 lbs) this summer about 6 times. In the 2011, i have the EVIC, which allows me to monitor the tranny temp, coolant temp etc etc. The tranny ran at around 68ish degrees without towing, nearing 70 to 72 on the hottest days. While towing, temps ran around 76 and creeped up to nearly 80 at times, but always ran "in the green" and power seemed okay. (i've never towed anything before, so it was difficult for me to determine what was "normal" behaviour during towing). Anyway, a week ago, i'm on the highway when suddenly the journey starts to sputter and cough, like it's running out of gas. Lasted for a minute or so and then stalled. Still had accessory power, but no power steering or brakes. Took it to my local dealer who determined that it blew a connecting rod. Hoping it's not related to towing,and pretty certain it can't be proven, but wondering if anyone else has had a similar problem whether towing or not? I hope it's just a bad part. I've also had the battery problem twice in 16 months. the first time was the software upgrade programming issue, the second time (recently) they changed the battery out. So far, I love my journey, but am very concerned over these issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtsr Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 Obviously you had it towed/trailered to the dealer after the problem because a blown connecting rod would not allow the engine to run. Most times it will destroy much of the associated parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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