Dodge Journey Oil Changes: 2.4 Four or 3.6 Pentastar

Dodge built the Journey from the 2009 through the 2020 model year, so every one on the road now is at least six years old and many are well past 100,000 miles. It was a practical crossover with an optional third row, and you still see plenty of them in Sparks driveways from Wingfield Springs to the Marina. Two engines cover most of them: a 2.4-liter four with a four-speed automatic and the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 with a six-speed. Earliest model years also offered a 3.5-liter V6. Age changes what matters at an oil change as much as the spec does.

At a glance

• 2.4L: about 4.5 US qt of SAE 5W-20, MS-6395 (Mopar fluid table, 2018 Journey)
• 3.6L V6: about 6 US qt of the same grade
• Oil change indicator, never more than about 10,000 miles or 12 months (Mopar)
• AWD: power transfer unit and rear drive module on 75W-90 gear oil

The spec, engine by engine

The fluids and lubricants table for the 2018 Journey, as published by a Mopar parts retailer, calls for API certified SAE 5W-20 meeting Chrysler Material Standard MS-6395 in both the 2.4L and the 3.6L, with 4.5 quarts for the four and 6 quarts for the V6. Where 5W-20 is not available, an SAE 5W-30 meeting MS-6395 is listed as the alternative. The oil filler cap on the engine shows the grade too, and on a car this age we read it, because an engine swap or an earlier model year can change the answer.

Early Journeys with the 3.5L V6 or with a different oil listed on the cap get whatever that cap and their manual say.

How the indicator decides

The Journey has an oil change indicator that watches how the car is driven and puts a message on the cluster when service is due. Mopar's service and maintenance page for Dodge is clear about the outer limits: under no circumstances should a gas engine go past 16,000 km or 12 months, about 10,000 miles, and with excessive idling, dusty or off-road conditions, do not exceed 6,500 km, about 4,000 miles.

A Journey that climbs the Pyramid Highway into Spanish Springs every afternoon in July, with the A/C working against a Reno summer that averages about 65 days at 90 F or above (NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals), is working its oil harder than the odometer suggests. The dusty-road limit applies to anyone who parks on a dirt lot or drives the unpaved roads east of Sparks. We put a sticker on for the interval you choose, and we reset the indicator either way.

Transmission, PTU and coolant on an older Journey

At this age, the long-life coolant in many Journeys is near or past its 10 years. We check its level and strength and look for seepage at the PTU and the rear drive module on AWD models. If anything is low or due, we tell you, and our coolant flush and differential service use the fluids Mopar names.

When your Journey comes in

Pull into any of the four, no appointment: Mae Anne Avenue and Longley Lane in Reno, College Parkway in Carson City, US 395 in Gardnerville. Sparks drivers are usually closest to Longley Lane. We read the cap, drain, fit a new filter, refill with the right grade and check the level. Then the multi-point maintenance check: air filters, transmission fluid, coolant, brake fluid, power steering fluid, battery, belts, lights, wipers and tires, plus a look underneath for leaks. On a high-mileage engine, ask about a high-mileage oil.