The 2017 Dodge Journey’s engine oil capacity varies by engine size. Models with 2.4L engines take 4.5 quarts and those with 3.6L engines take 6 quarts. SAE 5W-20 oil is recommended for both models.

Changing a car’s oil is an essential part of a routine maintenance schedule, and doing it yourself can save you on your

oil change costs

. It isn’t as hard as you might think, as long as you have the space and tools to do it safely. Here’s everything you need to know about the 2017 Dodge Journey’s oil capacity, how often to change its oil, and how to do it yourself.

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Dodge Journey insurance cost

2017 Dodge Journey Oil Capacity

The 2017 Journey came with two engine options: a 2.4L four-cylinder that takes 4.5 quarts of oil, and a 3.6L six-cylinder that takes six quarts.

It’s important to distinguish between oil capacity, which is the amount of oil the engine holds, and engine displacement, which is the volume occupied by its cylinders — in this case, either 2.4 or 3.6 liters.

What kind of oil does a 2017 Dodge Journey need?

There are many different kinds of engine oil out there, and the wrong kind could affect your car’s performance or seriously damage the engine. The

owner's manual

recommends API-Certified SAE 5W-20 oil or 5W-30 oil and suggests brands like Mopar, Pennzoil, and Shell Helix.

API is the American Petroleum Institute and SAE is the Society of Automotive Engineers. The rest of the oil type’s name has to do with its viscosity: “W” stands for “winter,” the 5 represents the oil’s viscosity in low temperatures, and the 20 or 30 represent its viscosity in higher temperatures.

How often to change the oil on a 2017 Dodge Journey

You shouldn’t have to worry about monitoring mileage between oil changes, but generally speaking, changing the oil every 5,000 to 7,000 miles is a safe bet.

Modern cars have built-in monitoring systems that let you know when it’s time for an oil change with an alert on the gauge cluster. How frequently this alert turns on depends on the climate and conditions in which the car is driven. In particularly tough conditions, the light could come on after as little as 3,500 miles.

The owner’s manual recommends changing the car’s oil within 500 miles after the oil change alert turns on and advises that you should never go more than 10,000 miles between oil changes.

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How to change a car’s oil and filter

If you want to change your oil yourself, here’s what you’ll need:

socket wrench

shop towels, paper towels, or rags

drain pan

gloves

ramps, a jack stand, or some other way to safely access the car’s undercarriage

a new oil filter (the owner’s manual recommends Mopar oil filters)

5W-20 oil

a funnel

Here’s how to do it:

Run the engine for a few minutes until it reaches the normal operating temperature. You want the car’s temperature gauge dial to read right in the middle.

Raise the front end of the car with a jack stand or ramps.

Pop the hood and twist off the oil cap closest to you ontop of the engine. This lets air flow in as the oil drains out.

Find the oil drain plug under the car toward the passenger’s side facing the back of the car. Place the drain pan underneath it, then carefully loosen it with the socket wrench and unscrew it the rest of the way with a gloved hand. Be careful—the oil will be hot. Have towels ready to catch any errant drips. Wait a few minutes for the old oil to drain completely into the drain pan, then screw the drain plug back in and tighten it with the socket wrench.

Under the hood, unscrew the oil filter cover to expose the oil filter. You’ll see a hexagon shape ontop of the cap. Unscrew this with a socket wrench and lift it out with your hand. Keep towels nearby, as the filter may drop oil.

Pull the old oil filter out from the cap, then remove the old O-ring from around the thread of the cap. You may need to pry it out with a screwdriver or other tool. Replace that with the new O-ring that came with the new filter and push the new filter into the cap.

Put the filter back into the engine, twist it in, and tighten it with the socket wrench. Put the oil filter cover back on.

Fill the engine back up with new oil using a funnel, then replace the cap. Check under the car for leaks, then start the engine and check again after a few minutes.

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