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3.6L vs 2.0 turbo?? Pros and cons of both??

viper88

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Cylinder 1 misfire due to faulty spark plug installation. The tip of the plug was missing and is apparently somewhere in the engine.
Sounds like a defective spark plug or faulty installation caused your problems not the actual engine? Hope they get you up and running soon and good luck.
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Alanaloo

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Sounds like a defective spark plug or faulty installation caused your problems not the actual engine? Hope they get you up and running soon and good luck.
Yes, faulty plug install. However the tip of the plug is missing and is lodged somewhere in the engine. At least that's what I'm told.
 

Punjabi New Yorker

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Yes, faulty plug install. However the tip of the plug is missing and is lodged somewhere in the engine. At least that's what I'm told.
Any time estimate they gave you for the engine swap? Hope they are talking days or weeks with you rather than months.
 

AnnDee4444

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There’s no comparison between the 3.6 V6 on JK and the 3.6 V6 on JL. The motor has been thoroughly redone; it is much quieter, smoother and responsive.
So what you are saying is that the JL's 3.6 isn't 'tried & true'?

Same one I have seen. Sounds like they talked to someone at FCA, so I would not say they are coming up with their own conclusions.
I disagree, but that's OK.
 

Alanaloo

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Any time estimate they gave you for the engine swap? Hope they are talking days or weeks with you rather than months.
Engine was ordered yesterday, however it is on backorder.....of course. Repair estimate is about 30 days. I won't stand for it. I'm working on getting an entirely new vehicle. I haven't even had it long enough to make my first payment. This is absolutely nuts. I already waited a month to have her delivered brand new and now at 600 miles I need a new engine and have to wait another 30 days.....give me a break.
 

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iznthesky

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dspilman wrote:

I was also the proud owner of a TJ, however a few years older, mine was a 1997. I loved that Jeep and put a lot of blood sweat and tears into it. I loved the 4.0L straight six and it served me well. Partially due to my attachment to the 6 cylinder, I elected for the 3.6L in my 2019. However the primary deciding factor was the if I wanted a manual transmission I only had one choice. The MT was a non-negotiable for me. I‘m super happy with the 3.6 so far. I’ve got about 15,000 miles on it so far and it performs great, even with 37” tires on it. My recommendation is the 3.6 with a MT.


I whole heartedly agree....the 6 speed Manual Transmission is a PERFECT match with the 3.6ltr engine...as long as you have the Rubicon gears. Some of my friends complain about the 6 Speed.... but its on their sport model. They find it unbelievable when they ride in my jeep and it runs so well. I rarely down shift from 6th even when climbing the long steep ship channel bridges within the Houston Shipping channel. The Automatic transmission is great...but it you order the Rubicon...dont be afraid to have it paired with the 6speed Manual. Gets great mileage too.
 

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Once in a blue moon it will give you the whole nine yards while handing like it's on rails and stopping on a dime.
Proof that all that glitters isn’t gold and people need not to get their knickers in a twist. Only time will tell.
 

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This is accurate.. https://www.motor1.com/news/276660/2019-jeep-wrangler-dyno-test-video/

Again.. IF they had offered a 2l turbo option with manual trans I would probably have one. You can implement a few things on the NA 3.6l for more hp/tq and with fuel injection, the altitude degradation isn't bad with the gearing and manual. Also, driveline loss is less with the manual and it's lighter so a comparison of the manual 3.6l in this article would be closer.

As the graphs tell.. at about 3k the 2l gets into boost and starts making more power up to 5k when they're neck and neck, then the 2l falls off. That extra kick between 3-5k is what makes people think the 2l is 'worlds better' lol or whatever they say but doesn't tell the whole story.
 

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Yes, faulty plug install. However the tip of the plug is missing and is lodged somewhere in the engine. At least that's what I'm told.
I’m sorry to hear about that. This type of failure can happen to ANY gas engine that uses spark plugs. I hope you get your new Jeep soon!

Are you ordering it exactly the same or was there anything you were unhappy with (regardless of the engine issue) and will be ordering different this time around?
 

AnnDee4444

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This is accurate.. https://www.motor1.com/news/276660/2019-jeep-wrangler-dyno-test-video/

Again.. IF they had offered a 2l turbo option with manual trans I would probably have one. You can implement a few things on the NA 3.6l for more hp/tq and with fuel injection, the altitude degradation isn't bad with the gearing and manual. Also, driveline loss is less with the manual and it's lighter so a comparison of the manual 3.6l in this article would be closer.

As the graphs tell.. at about 3k the 2l gets into boost and starts making more power up to 5k when they're neck and neck, then the 2l falls off. That extra kick between 3-5k is what makes people think the 2l is 'worlds better' lol or whatever they say but doesn't tell the whole story.
FWIW: I looked up the specs on the manual transmission once, and found that the 2.0's torque was beyond the rating of the manual transmission's input.

Another interesting thing is that the 2.0's lower redline means that the gearing would seem lower than in the 3.6. Redline in first gear in the 3.6 auto is about 33 MPH, but the 2.0 is 29 MPH (both with stock Rubicon gearing & tires).
 

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This conclusion seems valid enough. OP should have plenty of info to make a decision now. As this has been hashed out over and over since the 2.0T was introduced in other threads as well.

Key for us is the Rubi gearing.

Jeep Wrangler JL 3.6L vs 2.0 turbo?? Pros and cons of both?? 219C2B88-56EB-4255-AF01-73AC5CBF646F
 

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Interesting thread - first post so gonna make it a long one. If you don't wanna read, TLDR: The 2.0 is a great engine; buy with confidence. That doesn't mean the 3.6 sucks, either, but one eventually has to move forward....and this is coming from a recovering dye in the wool 4.0 I6 user.

Right now I own a 2020 JLUR with the 2.0T/8speed auto, and a 2003 TJ rubi with the 4.0 and a stick. Previous Jeeps include an XJ, Two Sport TJs, and an LJ rubi I sold to buy the JL at 220k miles. Never personally owned a 3.6 or a 3.8, but in the time I had my TJ/LJ's most of my jeep friends did own these models, and I had the opportunity to drive them countless times on various outings/borrowing them to move something bigger than would fit in my TJ.

I form my opinions based on these previous Jeeps and 10 years experience working as a flat rate tech before leaving the industry. My Jeep ownership experience is also based on exploring/camping uses, not rock crawling or ORV parks. This all said...

What Jeep did with the 2.0 turbo is really great when you think about it. As mentioned before, these engines are sort of in put-put mode below 2k (ish) rpm and go up from there with boost. The around town fuel economy is a very welcome upgrade: when you need it to be very economical it is, and when you get on it you see plenty of power through the rpm ranges *most* of us are in *most* of the time. I'm actually quite impressed with how much power it makes in the 2.5k-3.5k range. For the uses of the wrangler in what I believe it was designed to do (general purpose transport and off road capability), this engine option makes a lot of sense, especially now that it's offered as no extra charge without the mild hybrid and related extra batteries etc, saving both weight and complexity.

It is true, the 3.6 liter has been in wranglers longer and thus benefits from the tried and true bias. Gotta remember, though, the same thing was said when the 4.0 was going away in favor of the 3.8 and later 3.6 gen1 and 2. We said the same thing at Honda when the 2.0 replaced the 1.6. As stated earlier in the thread, a properly designed, factory 4 cylinder turbo really is generally a tried and true engine setup. Unless something really bizarre happens, we should expect longevity out of them similar to other current engines of the same variety, displacement, and design.

Now, there's a caveat no one likes but is true nonetheless. The exception here is the tendency of turbo engine owners of all brands to monkey with mods and tunes they literally do not need, just to see numbers go up on a dyno readout. I cant count how many vehicles we repaired (I was working for Honda at the time but Jeep owners are just as guilty) because of complications stemming from endless engine mods and "tunes" that had no practical purpose - practical being defined as "you actually need this mod to get the task done."

While bragging rights and forum/parking lot discussions on tunes and engine mods etc are cool, the truth darts here are 1) The vast majority of users don't need them, 2) They do, overall, tend to lower engine lifespan compared to bone stock, and 3) the dollars would be better served putting more money into their suspension/brakes if a deficiency was identified in use. Both the 3.6 and the 2.0T make plenty of power to move a JLU w/hardtop anywhere it has any business going with gobs to spare. If you need to tow something massive, the diesel is a great choice.

Engines evolve, and at some point one needs to get on the bus so to speak, thus I went with the 2.0Turbo and I'd do it again. This little engine makes great power in the rpm ranges the majority of people use their wranglers, and boasts great fuel economy when driven conservatively. Again, this doesn't mean the 3.6 "sucks," but there's reasons things change and we should be overall glad of it.
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