2014 dodge journey negative battery terminal sensor

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Battery sensor: how it works, problems, checking, battery replacement

Battery sensor problems

Checking battery sensor.

Replacing/charging the battery in the vehicle with a battery sensor

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How to disconnect negative battery cable

By Totemus April 19, 2014 in Accessories, Modifications

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I need to disconnect the negative battery cable. Found out and was disappointed how hard it is to get to the battery in DJ. Does anybody know an easy way to get to the negative cable to disconnect it with minimum efforts? Thanks for any advice.

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It sounds harder than it really is. A couple weeks ago when I installed my audio system in my Journey I thought the same thing as you did but when I went to do it I turned the wheel all the way to the right and removed the plastic inner fender and the battery is right there. Its really not that hard to do. Its just awkward in placement.

Isnt there a neg terminal in the engine compartment for when you have to jump it?

Yes there is. If you disconnect it I don't believe its a complete disconnect from the whole system like it is direct from the battery. I could be wrong on this though. It would be nice to know this answer for sure on both the positive and negative terminals that are in the engine compartment.

I agree - there are terminals available, but if you disconnect them the battery will still be plugged.

How do you cope with the clips? I tried to extract one and broke it... How do you unplug them?

I know exactly what you mean, those clips SUCK!! The bad thing is that those clips are all over the Journey and holds lots of things together. I used a small flat head screwdriver to get the center part to come up then I used needle nose pliers to grab the center stick and pull up. Once you pull it all the way up then the whole clip comes out. I broke a few myself. I went to a local body shop and got replacements from them. Im sure you could get some from your local body shop also.

Journeyman425

It appears that the electrical system will be shut down if you simply disconnect the negative jump terminal under the hood. From the manual:

To protect the hands from battery acid, a suitable pair of heavy duty rubber gloves should be worn when removing or servicing a battery. Safety glasses also should be worn.

Remove metallic jewelry to avoid injury by accidental arcing of battery current.

The negative battery cable remote terminal (2) must be disconnected and isolated from the remote battery post (1) prior to service of the vehicle electrical systems. The negative battery cable remote terminal can be isolated by using the supplied isolation hole (3) in the terminal casing.

• Disconnect and isolate the negative battery cable remote terminal from the remote battery post.
• Addicted to Dodge and Totemus

It appears that the electrical system will be shut down if you simply disconnect the negative jump terminal under the hood. From the manual: 08 - Electrical/8F - Engine Systems/Battery System/BATTERY/Removal REMOVAL WARNING: To protect the hands from battery acid, a suitable pair of heavy duty rubber gloves should be worn when removing or servicing a battery. Safety glasses also should be worn. WARNING: Remove metallic jewelry to avoid injury by accidental arcing of battery current. CAUTION: The negative battery cable remote terminal (2) must be disconnected and isolated from the remote battery post (1) prior to service of the vehicle electrical systems. The negative battery cable remote terminal can be isolated by using the supplied isolation hole (3) in the terminal casing. Disconnect and isolate the negative battery cable remote terminal from the remote battery post.

That cable is a jumper from the neg terminal on the battery to the post in the engine compartment, so disconnecting that cable from the post isolates the battery. It is connected to nothing else.

While I haven't actually looked at the clips in question and I am too lazy to actually go into the garage and check before writing this, they sound like the same ones Yamaha uses on my Motorcycle.

If they are, you press the center pin IN to the clip past the head and it will 'click' into place, releasing tension on the ears that hold the clip in place - you can then simply remove the clip by carefully twisting the head while pulling it back.

You reset the clip by pressing the pin back into the clip so it extends past the head, again releasing the tension.

Insert the clip by carefully inserting the ears so that they go past the two surfaces being mated and then press the pin so that it is again flush with the head.

Very simple; Quite elegant.

[...]If they are, you press the center pin IN to the clip past the head and it will 'click' into place, releasing tension on the ears that hold the clip in place - you can then simply remove the clip by carefully twisting the head while pulling it back. [...]

Nope, it's the opposite. You need to pry the middle part OUT with a flat-head screwdriver. You may find it easier but kind of alternating from one side of the pin to the other. It sucks, but that's the only way to get them out. Be careful when doing the ones on the edge of the bumper cover, as I made a small mark in mine when pulling the pins yesterday (due to carelessness in watching where the screwdriver was when moving it). Ugh...brand new vehicle.

In reference to the other part about the cable, nothing to be careful about...pulling the top cable disconnects it, period. I've taken dozens of pictures of my "gutting" while modding this weekend, and will post pics on it hopefully by Wednesday (if I can get it completed by then). The negative is a single cable, from the strut tower directly to the battery. Disconnecting this at the strut tower disconnects the battery. The positive is a single cable that goes to the PDU in the engine bay. There is also a temperature sensor on the negative side of the battery, you'll need to disconnect this and remove it if you ever replace the battery. I had to pull the battery because I installed a "battery warmer" (basically, an electric blanket for a car battery), because it REALLY helps when doing starts when it's down below -20. It took me probably over an hour to get that whole thing out...what an awful job that was. On the plus side, the battery is really secured in there quite strongly (huge piece of steel holding the top down, with a plastic part for what is probably anti-vibration under it).

I'm not going to do anything with the battery, but plan to remove the steering wheel cover. I read that negative should be disconnected (and wait 3-10 minutes) to prevent the airbag discharge.

All of the newer Dodge's are this way. Negative on the strut tower is the disconnect.

I'm not going to do anything with the battery, but plan to remove the steering wheel cover. I read that negative should be disconnected (and wait 3-10 minutes) to prevent the airbag discharge. So it sounds like disconnecting the end on the strut tower will disconnect the battery, which is encouraging as I don't have to deal with those clips

Just an FYI, but airbags can deploy even without power to them. They appear to hold charge in probably some kind of large capacitor, so to still be able to deploy in the event power is disconnected on a collision. Not sure how long you would need to wait for them to discharge, but I'm thinking 3-5 minutes wouldn't be nearly enough time...

That piece you are looking to take off has 2 bolts at the bottom of it, and there are 6 or 7 metal clips. Pull STRAIGHT OUT from the dash area to release it, don't pull down on an angle.

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Home » Troubleshooting » Dodge Journey battery light is on – causes and how to reset

Dodge Journey battery light is on – causes and how to reset

When the red battery light comes on in the dashboard of Dodge Journey, it indicates a malfunction in the charging system. This can happen due to a number of reasons which we will discuss in this article.

The most common reason for battery light illuminating in Dodge Journey is faulty alternator. But the battery light can also come on due to a damaged wire, corrosion on electrical connectors, corrosion on battery terminals, bad ground connection and slipping serpentine belt.

1. Faulty Alternator

Alternators can fail at any time, but generally they last over 100,000 miles. Before replacing the alternator, you must rule out other causes that may stop or degrade flow of current from the alternator, for example: bad electrical connection or damaged wire.

How to test the alternator

The easiest method to check the alternator is by measuring the voltage at the battery terminals when the engine is running.

• Start your Journey.
• Connect the black cable of the multimeter to negative terminal of the battery, and the red cable to the positive terminal.
• The voltage should be between 13.5 and 14.8 volts with the engine running.
• Switch on the accessories in your Journey, for example, headlights, AC fan at full speed, and interior lights.
• The voltage should remain around 14 volts. If it drops and remain below 13.5 volts, it indicates a problem with the current supply from the alternator.
• If the voltage drops below 12 volts with the engine running and the accessories turned on, it means the current supply from the alternator is completely cut off and all the electronics are solely powered by the battery.

Can you drive Journey with a bad alternator?

Yes, you can drive your Journey with a bad alternator, but only for a short distance. The battery charge will go down as you drive since all the on-board electronic controllers and accessories are now solely powered by the battery. When the battery charge gets too low the engine will shut down, and you will be stranded.

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2. Poor ground connection

What is a ground connection.

The negative terminal of the battery is connected to the body/chassis of Journey, called a ground connection. The engine also requires a ground connection to function, but the way the engine is mounted, it does not allow the electric current to flow between the engine and the body (due to non-conductive rubber insulated engine mounts). For this purpose, a ground strap/wire is used to connect the engine and the chassis.

What happens when the ground connection goes bad?

If the ground connection of the chassis or the engine goes bad in your Journey due to rust or corrosion, you will face all sorts of electrical issues, including battery light illuminating in the dashboard. The alternator relies on the ground connection of the engine to function properly. When the ground is bad, the current supply from the alternator will be reduced or may fluctuate. Additionally, in rare cases the contact between the engine block and the alternator can also go bad due to corrosion.

How to check if the ground connection is good?

You can check the quality of the ground connection in Journey by doing a conductivity test between the negative terminal of the battery and the engine. Take a multimeter, change its settings to ohms symbol. Touch one probe to the negative terminal of the battery, and the other probe to any exposed metal part of the engine. The reading should be at or very close to zero ohms. Do the same between the negative terminal of the battery and exposed metal part of the alternator.

Inspect and clean the ground connections

If the conductivity test fails, check the condition of the ground connections in your Journey. Inspect the connectors of the ground cables (battery to body, body to engine) for any signs of rust or corrosion. Clean the contacts with a sandpaper or wire brush. You may also have to remove the alternator and clean the ground contact area on the alternator and on the engine block.

3. Poor battery connection

It is possible the alternator in your Dodge Journey is working properly, but the current flow is interrupted due to a loose electrical connection, a damaged wire, or corrosion on the battery terminals.

Corrosion on battery terminals

Battery corrosion is a fairy common problem (except in AGM batteries), especially if the installed battery is more than 2 years old. Corrosion occurs when the battery acid reacts with the metal terminals which can lead to loss of contact and reduced current flow. If there isn’t enough current flow, the battery will not be charged properly, and may cause engine starting problems.

Check battery terminals

To know if your Journey charging system problems are from dirty battery terminals, you need to investigate them. Lift the plastic covers over the terminals and check for any signs of corrosion. If you discover white deposits or silvery-green deposits, but no further cracks or damage, you may not have to replace the battery or the alternator, just clean the battery terminals.

Clean the battery terminals

Quick cleaning: There is a neat little trick with which you can clean corrosion on the battery terminals of your Journey in under a minute. Pour hot boiling water over the corroded terminals and the corrosion will just melt away. Do one terminal at a time and don’t let water puddle on the top of the battery touch both terminals at the same time, this can short the battery.

Thorough cleaning: To thoroughly clean the battery in your Dodge Journey, you have to remove the terminal cables first, which requires no special knowledge, just a little concentration, as the order is very important. First remove the black cable from the negative terminal using a wrench or a plier. Next you can unplug the red positive terminal cable. Be careful not to touch both terminals with your metal tool, it will be one expensive mistake. Once the battery has been removed from the circuit, you can start cleaning the corroded battery with sandpaper or wire brush. After cleaning, reconnect the cables in reverse order, positive first, then negative.

4. Slipping serpentine belt

The serpentine belt, also known as accessory belt or drive belt, transfers the power from the engine to other components like the alternator and the AC compressor, that are essential for normal operation of your Dodge Journey.

If the serpentine belt is damaged or becomes loose, or if the alternator pulley develops a defect, it can cause the belt to slip. This can cause the alternator to spin slower or inconsistently and the electricity production is degraded. When the on-board diagnostic system detects low voltage from the alternator, the battery symbol light comes on in the instrument cluster of Journey.

Symptoms of bad serpentine belt

The most common sign of bad serpentine belt in Journey is squealing noise from the engine compartment. Another prominent sign is visible cracks on the ribbed part of the belt. A slipping accessory belt can also cause burning smell.

Sound of a slipping serpentine belt

If the serpentine belt is found to be defective, it must be replaced. Keep in mind that a slipping belt is not always defective, it can slip due to a number of reasons, including due to a bad tensioner pulley or any other pulley.

5. Rodent damage

If rodents like rats, mice, or squirrels have chewed up the cables for the alternator, it can cause the battery light to turn on in Journey. Look for any signs of bite marks in the engine compartment, and examine all the cables for the alternator. If any cable has been damaged, replace it with a new one.

How to reset the battery light

Fix the issue.

Resetting the battery light in Journey without solving the underlying issue may not help, as the warning light will turn back on when the system again detects the fault. The light should disappear automatically after fixing the issue. If it doesn’t turn off immediately, driving your vehicle for a few miles should help.

OBDII scanner method

The proper way to reset the battery light in Journey is by clearing the codes with an OBDII scanner. If the warning light doesn’t turn off automatically after fixing the issue, you will have to do it manually by connecting a diagnostic device and then deleting all the error codes related to the charging system.

Disconnect the battery

If you don’t have a diagnostic device, it may be possible to reset the battery light in Journey by disconnecting the battery for a few minutes. Remove the cable from the negative terminal of the battery first, then from the positive terminal. With the battery disconnected, press the horn button a few times and turn on the headlights to drain out all the residual electricity from the system. After about 15 minutes, reconnect the battery in reverse order: positive cable first, then negative cable.

Use OBD2 scanner for diagnosis

Since Dodge Journey is equipped with on-board diagnostics (OBD), a fault diagnosis can provide initial indications of where the malfunction is located.

To begin troubleshooting, you must first connect the diagnostic tool to your Journey. The OBDII connector is usually located under the dashboard. With the tool connected, turn on the ignition. Most diagnostic devices then ask for some information about the vehicle. It is important that you enter this 100% correctly, otherwise the result of the search may be inaccurate. In addition to the vehicle make, model, and engine type, you usually also have to type in the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). Since some OBD codes are manufacturer-specific, the scanner will be able to give you more accurate information if you enter more details about your Journey.

When the battery light comes on in your Dodge Journey, you should always start with testing the voltage at the battery when the engine is running. If the voltage test fails, then move on to testing the alternator and its electrical connections.

In any case, it is advisable for laypersons to visit a workshop. A professional mechanic can swiftly diagnose the charging system issue for you.

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