samdontunderstand Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 I have a 2012 dodge journey sxt automatic v6 fwd. Weeks ago it started running hot and the.ac/heater wouldnt blow hot cold or hard,and my transmission seemed like it wasnt changing gears as it should, I tried to switch to manual but instead of reading a number to indicate what gear I was in it just stayed on D. after I shut it off a while I put some water in it. It was running fine for about a week then it started overheating again so I parked it. Following day I took it to get an oil change and have them check the fluids.the only thing that they told me was I needed a new battery and all my fluids looked fine. The next day I went to work I didnt have any problems all day. As I loaded up to leave my last job it wouldnt start, I got a jump and started my way home. About 10 miles in my car started overheating on the highway so I got off the next exit and before I can pull over it killed. A friend tried to jump me with no success. I had it towed to my house. The next day I walked with the old battery and got a new one from the store and installed it, pressed the starter and it wouldnt turn over. Got it towed to a mechanic who told me I needed a starter so I had him go ahead and change it. I tried to pull off and white smoke started coming from the exhaust about 2 miles down the street it overheated killed and wouldnt start. After about thirty min it started. I went back to the mechanic who told me I blew a head gasket and there was water in the oil. Also that I needed a new engine. I took it for a second opinion and was told to try k seal. Once I got home and parked I waited 24 hours and read the instructions carefully attempting the k seal method. Also no success ive had different ppl say different things that it could be waterpump,thermostat. I need help. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 Could be any of the things if you only continued to add water every time it overheated and not the proper antifreeze. Why not just go to a dealer? If there is water in your oil, it most likely is a head gasket or a cracked block. You need the help of a competent mechanic preferably a dealer. dhh3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woah322 Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 I don't see any relation to the car overheating and having a problem with the battery and starter. Sounds like a head gasket issue but try a different mechanic or the dealer as that mechanic seems to quick to change parts rather then disgonse the actual problem dhh3 and jkeaton 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryl Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 It is not helping that you continue to drive said vehicle with theses issues and find yourself a competent mechanic dhh3, jkeaton and Woah322 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhareFred Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 I agree that the overheating and battery are two seperate issues. It does sound like a blown head gasket BUT that doesnt mean you need a new engine. You need new head gaskets (replace both), check the heads and block, change the oil and filter, BUT you must find the reason for the overheat. A thermostat or bad water pump are very suspect. Check the waterpump while the head gaskets are changed. Id change the thermostat just because your doing all this work and t stats are cheap. Good luck! 11journeybama, priell3, jkeaton and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobitz68 Posted December 3, 2015 Report Share Posted December 3, 2015 I agree that the overheating and battery are two seperate issues. It does sound like a blown head gasket BUT that doesnt mean you need a new engine. You need new head gaskets (replace both), check the heads and block, change the oil and filter, BUT you must find the reason for the overheat. A thermostat or bad water pump are very suspect. Check the waterpump while the head gaskets are changed. Id change the thermostat just because your doing all this work and t stats are cheap. Good luck! Couldn't agree more. This^^^ dhh3 and jkeaton 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhh3 Posted December 3, 2015 Report Share Posted December 3, 2015 x2 ^^ jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanTacular Posted December 5, 2015 Report Share Posted December 5, 2015 Most likely the engine is toast. Happened to my old car and is the reason I bought my 2016 journey. If it happened weeks ago that means engine was running without oil for a longtime. White smoke was whatever oil was left in it was going past the piston rings and being burned which means they are toast or the cylinder walls are scratched and worn from running with lack of oil and toast also. In my car the crank bearings all went and the valve train is shot from the coolant leaking in from my blown head gasket and coolant was circulated all around the engine and washed the oil away. If the bearings or cylinder walls or piston rings are shot then you will spend a lot of money fixing the head gaskets to only have your engine die a few months down the road. Pulling the engine to replace rings and crank bearings is pretty pricey and might just be better to seak a used engine from a wrecked journey and have that dropped in. I really hope it's not but unless you catch a head gasket leak in a few days a bad one can ruin an engine very very fast. I'll pray for your journey! Lol jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dj cowboy Posted December 6, 2015 Report Share Posted December 6, 2015 I'm thinking more head issue than block. At least at first. I've heard of a few first year Pentastars cracking heads. Problem is, once it started using coolant, it should have been fixed right away. Overheating an engine absolutely kills them. I would bring it to a dealer, or a very reputable shop for diagnosing the problem. The white smoke from e exhaust is water, usually caused by a head gasket or cracked head. Either way, it's going to be expensive. The engine killing on its own might be the computer saving itself, if not, that means the engine locked itself from heat. If that's e case, the engine is junk. jkeaton and dhh3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtsr Posted December 6, 2015 Report Share Posted December 6, 2015 "I'm thinking more head issue than block. At least at first. I've heard of a few first year Pentastars cracking heads." 2011 model only and they sent all owners a letter extending the warranty to 10 years. dhh3 and jkeaton 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramfrank Posted December 6, 2015 Report Share Posted December 6, 2015 OP stated that the shop he went to told him his fluid levels were good. But then said that he had to top up with water - note that water won't kill the engine in the short term unless the engine is run hard or the coolant is allowed to freeze. White smoke is coolant, not oil. This could be as 'simple' as a head gasket, or it could be a cracked block or head - expensive at a minimum, very expensive otherwise. It could have been caused by a bad water pump - if the impeller failed there would have been no circulation, resulting in the overheat condition that in turn caused the gasket, block and/or head to fail, allowing coolant to be mixed with the oil. The cylinder walls and rings may very well be fine, but if there was coolant in the oil (the oil would be a milky white) then there is a potential for internal damage to bushes, bearings, rings and anything else internal that's normally oil lubricated. jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobitz68 Posted December 7, 2015 Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 White smoke is coolant, not oil... jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramfrank Posted December 7, 2015 Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 OP stated that the shop he went to told him his fluid levels were good. But then said that he had to top up with water - note that water won't kill the engine in the short term unless the engine is run hard or the coolant is allowed to freeze. White smoke is coolant, not oil. This could be as 'simple' as a head gasket, or it could be a cracked block or head - expensive at a minimum, very expensive otherwise. It could have been caused by a bad water pump - if the impeller failed there would have been no circulation, resulting in the overheat condition that in turn caused the gasket, block and/or head to fail, allowing coolant to be mixed with the oil. The cylinder walls and rings may very well be fine, but if there was coolant in the oil (the oil would be a milky white) then there is a potential for internal damage to bushes, bearings, rings and anything else internal that's normally oil lubricated. White smoke is coolant, not oil... And? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobitz68 Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 And? And nothing... didn't realize I wasn't allowed to agree with you. My bad. 11journeybama 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramfrank Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 Agreeing is fine - I was just wondering why you copied the statement without adding anything . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobitz68 Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 Agreeing is fine - I was just wondering why you copied the statement without adding anything . . . I wanted to sound smart? Didn't read the entire thread, just read where the poster made the statement that he was burning oil as indicated by the white smoke and hit reply... jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobitz68 Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 1. Steal Underwear 2. ????? 3. Profit You lost me... that went so far over my head I didn't even know it flew by. jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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