2010 Journey won't start

[Richard Rocha]

I can't believed what I am reading I have been having this problem for the last 3 years change so many batteries, change the alternator the starter the wiring.

What I used to do to start it when this 2010 journey sxt will not start (it will just "click" ) I will open the hood and remove the starter relay and connect a wire in there ( hot wire) with the keys in the ignition in the on position. And it will start most of the time and it will at least crank I will put the relay back and then will start normal. Many more things I did it so crazy This SUV are No bueno ??

To make this long story short I took it to a mechanic he charged me $350 but did not really told me what he did I think he said it was the computer and he also reset it or something but I dont know it could be another module and he just told me  the computer (he was a latino mechanic in the Chicago suburbs) it work for the last 9 months but now I dont know if it's a different issue or what but now it just dies the power goes out, I jumped it today and it was fine hopefully starts tomorrow if not maybe it could be a  relay?like a ignition relay? Or the fuel pump?, because before it gave me  symptoms it lost power it died when I was driving and it did not want to start, it was stalling. So I went to get my other vehicle got back with the journey and I was able to started. I left it there for 2 days went back to get it and it was totally dead, I jumped it and it started I took it home, I left it sitting for a week and again dead. So today I jumped for the second time and I hope starts tomorrow...

[jkeaton]

Get the battery tested. 

[Richard Rocha]

On 5/27/2020 at 6:48 AM, jkeaton said:

Get the battery tested. 

Ok,it's less than a year old and yeah the car is death again as yesterday. I got it tested 2 days ago at autozone but with the car running and it came out good as well as the alternator.

[OhareFred]

You can’t test a battery when the car is running.  All you will see is alternator voltage.  

[Richard Rocha]

3 hours ago, OhareFred said:

You can’t test a battery when the car is running.  All you will see is alternator voltage.  

Well that's what the AutoZone guy said the battery "Passed" Alternator passed "

[OhareFred]

The AutoZone guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about.  Car running will tell you if the alternator is good, producing a charge and what voltage to the battery (should be around 14-14.5 volts). To test the battery the car MUST be off, surface charge removed (turn headlights on for 10 seconds) then use an electronic tester (not the old carbon pile) to do a load test.  A good battery will have 12.5 volts and also pass the load test.

 

Go to a different place and have it tested properly.

[Richard Rocha]

Okay I will do that it's just that it is a pain In the butt to remove the battery from the journey thank you.

On 5/28/2020 at 1:14 PM, OhareFred said:

You can’t test a battery when the car is running.  All you will see is alternator voltage.  

Well that's what the AutoZone guy said the battery "Passed" Alternator passed "

[ponch326]

Hey,  I created this feed , due to a starting problem that turned out to be a bad factory connector to the starter . But here’s a trick that might help , the one thing that you can check with the  battery in ,is the alternator ... with the engine running, Carefully disconnect the positive  battery cable .... if the engine stops , then your alternator is toast, if it runs fine then the alt is good . 

[John/Horace]

That’s a 1980’s car test maybe, With all the electronics and computer stuff on new cars I would not want to try that.

 

Not to mention arc flash over a  battery, which if low can be producing hydrogen gas, explosive. I have seen the results of a battery blow up before.

 

 

[OhareFred]

You don’t have to remove the battery to test it.  You can test from the jump start points.  On my tester there is an option for testing in the car...

[John/Horace]

He is not talking about removing battery, he is talking about testing diodes in alternator by unhooking positive  battery terminal.

 

[OhareFred]

On 5/29/2020 at 2:28 PM, Richard Rocha said:

Okay I will do that it's just that it is a pain In the butt to remove the battery from the journey thank you.

Well that's what the AutoZone guy said the battery "Passed" Alternator passed "

Read above..that’s what I was responding to,  not the disconnect the cable while the car is running comment, which I agree, not a good move in a modern car...?

[Jax]

Same thing 2010 turn the fob and a click ..sometimes wiggle it or turn it around ....last time completely dead no lights nothing...charged and said it was full...replaced battery alternator starter couple months later same thing with the Fob...the mechanic swore it was FOB this time...I said bullshit it's doing the same thing before you replaced all that stuff....270$ fob and a week later same thing....started it the other day and half way rolled over and completely DEAD.....no lights no nothing ...takes forever to charge which tell something shorted out....the mechanic gave me a one year parts labor but it playing me on coming to get it and fix it.....lost my job because of it so now I'm going to jail for breaking his jaw ..

[William Burke]

Same thing. 2010 R/T. Works great mostly, then for no reason whatsoever, click - no start. In the shop now. Going to try replacing the cable from positive battery cable to starter. Am i barking up the wrong tree??

[Jax]

Not sure either but just took it to the Dodge dealer last week I explained what was already done so I didn't get double dippedfucked they said they found a couple lose wires and jumped it saying battery .....lmao I had 2 batteries put it from the previous mechanic! Hunted down where he got the last battery under warranty after the Dodge dealer put in a new ignition switch recall didn't fix the problem ....the advanced auto parts store called the everyone finally went to pick up battery to see if it was theirs tested battery and it was good after dodge dealer said it was bad ...he replaced battery even though .....took it to the dealer and blah blah blah same story it starts and I said everytime it gets worked on in starts for a few weeks then the same one click no start...$815, $500, $270 new key fob, new ignition recall (with 2 new key fobs) $235 at dodge dealer it still sits there since I don't trust it after they think they fixed it but remember dodge said the battery was bad and advance auto said it was good a July 2020 battery that they replaced anyway for good faith!!!!!

 

 

 

 

[ponch326]

I started this thread , and if you read all of the posts , you will see that my starting issues were due to a faulty connector at the starter . Hope it helps some out there . I had the connector replaced , no issues since ( at least not with that ) 

6 hours ago, William Burke said:

Same thing. 2010 R/T. Works great mostly, then for no reason whatsoever, click - no start. In the shop now. Going to try replacing the cable from positive battery cable to starter. Am i barking up the wrong tree??

 

[William Burke]

Thanks! Will check that out!

[William Burke]

Had cables and connectors replaced. So far, so good!

[Jax]

Had that done also, 4 diff mechanics over 2 grand, everytime I had it looked at and fixed it would start from 1 week to over a month, then same thing!!!! The dodge dealership tried to smoke me for a new battery saying it was bad, I said the battery is Less than 2 months  old advance auto went and took the battery after dodge took it out and tested it said battery was good but replaced it anyway! You name it everything has been done but tear the dash out!  Lmao..still intermitten one click start! They all seem to boost jump it and turn the key fob over and over till it starts the clock resets itself meaning battery disconnect!!! I swear these mechanics are con men they will keep charging when they can fix it. The last mechanic was a good family friend and he had no idea, he said $600 for a new dealer ship friend could do it but not guarantee it....I laughed MY assOFF THIS IS A DODGE DEFAULT ON MANY OF THEIR VEHICLES!!! They all say neutral safety switch, NOPE, Starter connect cable( been replaced) battery alternator,starter, nope, new ignition switch,nope,auto lights on, nope, been tested on every point on draw and drain! Cleaned cables by 4 mechanics and fuse box! NOPE!  ELECTRICAL ISSUES HARD CORE!

[OhareFred]

BCM maybe?  Heard of bad relays doing this as well.  New car electrical issues are a bear....

[ponch326]

With my issue , it turned out to be the small plastic connector that gets attached at the starter , not the whole wire , just the stupid little plastic connector . There was a faulty batch of them in the early Journeys . It’s a cheap part , but labor intensive to fix 

[John/Horace]

If  not starting from battery going dead remove fuse for blue tooth module, search site it’s a know issue.

 

If it’s just randomly stalling replace CPS crank position sensor, fairly cheap wear item.

 

If not starting but turning over and it’s fuel pump, pressure gauge etc will show this...TIPM module is possible.

Relay built into wire harness can be by passed or new harness section installed. Lots on data around.

 

https://circuitboardmedics.com/tipm-module-repairs/

[Crazy Canuck]

Hey Guys,

My daughter has a 2010 Dodge Journey SXT and it has been a great vehicle.  She has over 250,000 kms (150,000 miles) on it and the only thing we ever dealt with were tires, oil changes, brakes and rear struts.  This summer though, the alternator starting making some noise and all the lights on the dash were flickering so I went to Auto Value and got a new alternator so I figured I would replace the battery at the same time since it was almost 6 years old.  We live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and it is not unusual to have at least a couple of months of -20C to -30C weather and I don't have a heated garage so changing batteries when they are in the damn wheel well in mid-January is not my idea of fun.  The vehicle ran great until a couple of weeks ago just out of the blue the battery started dying overnight.  My daughter could drive it all day starting and stopping it with no issues but when she parked it overnight the battery was DOA in the morning.  So, of course, she would call me at 7:30 AM to come jump her battery so she could get to work on time.  Luckily the temperature has been well above normal, so I was able to get outside and do some troubleshooting on the vehicle.  Alternator was putting out 14.4 Volts and after a 15 minute drive battery was charged back up to 12.6 V so I eliminated the battery and the alternator as issues.  So, I tried doing a parasitic drain test using a 1 ohm 10 watt resistor in series with the negative battery cable to check voltage drain.  I had about a 45 mV drain on the battery which after some searching on the internet seemed to be within reason for some electronics and the TIPM.  I was at a complete loss about what was draining the battery for over 2 weeks.  It would run fine all day but if it sat overnight battery would be drained in the morning.  Finally, this morning I got up with my wife at 5:30 AM to help her get ready for work.  So, I went to the front door to remote start her vehicle and I look outside and the brake lights were lit up on the 2010 Dodge Journey SXT sitting in the driveway.  JACKPOT.  I went outside and pumped the brake a couple of times and the brake lights went out but the battery was dead.  I got out of the vehicle and walked around the back and just out of the blue the brake lights came on again.  I called the local Dodge dealership and ordered up a brake light switch and went and picked it up a few hours later.  $27 Canadian.  You can probably by them in the states for $10 knowing how they rip us off up here.  Installed the switch and tested it for a few minutes and everything seems to be working fine.  Drove it all day without issue, but the real test will be leaving it parked all weekend.  Might be worth a try for you guys to get a new brake switch and see what happens.  Maybe you will get lucky.

 

Hope this helps someone.  It is a really frustrating problem boosting batteries in the middle of the winter. 

 

Crazy Canuck

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 23, 2021 by Crazy Canuck

[yyz]

Awesome hope that solves your problems and maybe somebody else!

[drwood]

I just started having the same issue that ponch326 was having. My 09 Journey sitting in the garage wouldn't start, and was hearing the clicking noise. AAA came out and couldn't diagnose the issue. I called a tow truck to take it to my repair shop, and the damn thIng started! I drove to the repaid shop and left the car. 3 days later, I called them and was told that it has been starting up with no problem the whole time. I have it back now, and an nervous every time I start it now. I will look into all the remedies I have been reading on the forum, thanks!