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3.6L ENGINE RELIABILITY

DUNE RAP

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I know this has been done but maybe we can revisit strictly 3.6 L engine reliability and possibly anything to watch out for that could leave you stranded on a trail. Let’s share any bad experiences people have had with this engine.
Jeep Wrangler JL 3.6L ENGINE RELIABILITY E2BC6AA9-5D91-4CB1-A737-480FED9D5D9A
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LarryB

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Any engine, even the holy 4.0 from the past, can have issues and breakdowns. And, any modern engine that is well-serviced can be reliable.

Having said that, the 3.6 is a pretty important engine to Stellantis and one that is put in hundreds of thousands of vehicles each year, plus an install base of millions. If there were very widely known issues, it would be bigger news.

It does have some known issues (there is plenty of literature on that), but in general, it is widely regarded as being reliable. I find it to pair very well with the ZF 8 speed auto as well.
 
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DUNE RAP

DUNE RAP

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Any engine, even the holy 4.0 from the past, can have issues and breakdowns. And, any modern engine that is well-serviced can be reliable.

Having said that, the 3.6 is a pretty important engine to Stellantis and one that is put in hundreds of thousands of vehicles each year, plus an install base of millions. If there were very widely known issues, it would be bigger news.

It does have some known issues (there is plenty of literature on that), but in general, it is widely regarded as being reliable. I find it to pair very well with the ZF 8 speed auto as well.
I agree with you 100%! But when I go on these long trips in the middle of nowhere sometimes I get nervous! LOL
 

Stetson

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I have a 2018 JLUR with the 3.6 and the 6MT. I have just under 36,000 miles and no issues. I’ve owned it since new and have just done the normal maintenance.

I think the 3.6 is a pretty good motor and I would buy another.

Stetson
 

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CorvZ061

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My JKU was bought back because of the 3.6, but that was a fluke. it had a cracked head below the valve cover on the drivers side that leaked oil onto the o2 sensor. I was lucky to get 150 miles per o2 sensor. FCA (at the time) refused to replace the head and ultimately bought it back because of that.
 

rohdawg

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I have a 2018 JLUR with the 3.6 and the 6MT. I have just under 36,000 miles and no issues. I’ve owned it since new and have just done the normal maintenance.

I think the 3.6 is a pretty good motor and I would buy another.

Stetson
Same status as @Stetson here. I have a 2018 JL with the 3.6 and 6spdMT. I ordered it the first day you were able to do so and it was delivered to me in July of ‘18.
26,000 miles. Regular maintenance/upkeep done as recommended in the owners manual and additional care when needed. Absolutely no issues with mine whatsoever. The 3.6 has been very solid.
 

JoeBanks

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I know this has been done but maybe we can revisit strictly 3.6 L engine reliability and possibly anything to watch out for that could leave you stranded on a trail. Let’s share any bad experiences people have had with this engine.
Jeep Wrangler JL 3.6L ENGINE RELIABILITY E2BC6AA9-5D91-4CB1-A737-480FED9D5D9A
https://www.motorreviewer.com/engine.php?engine_id=167
Summing up, we can say the Pentastar 3.6 reliability is way above average. It is time-tested well enough, and over 10 million Pentastar engines were produced to date. Despite that they had some issues early on, the 3.6L V6 Pentastar is great, durable, one of the most reliable engines available on the market right now. With proper maintenance, the 3.6 Pentastar engine longevity is around 250-300k miles (there are even a few cases of the Pentastar last up to impressive 500,000 miles).
 

entropy

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The JL is a solid machine with the 8 speed and the 3.6 V6. It has a few quirks. Mostly due to ESS, 2 door seats, and other small things. All relatively simple to fix. It should be a great long term jeep if properly maintained.
 

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mwilk012

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We had a 2018 JL sport with the 3.6 roll into our shop this past week with a rough running problem that the dealer had been unable to fix in 3 visits. Leaking head gasket into cylinder 3. Less than 25,000 miles on it.

We regularly see timing problems due to the very, very sensitive nature of the magnetic pulse rings mounted at the rear of the camshafts. An odd design to say the least.

Oil coolers leak coolant and/or oil and rarely, mix both together with each other. Very nice.

Fuel injectors seem to fail more often than most engines. Single cylinder misfires nearly always turn out to be the injector, in my experience. Ignition coils are pretty good as long as you keep spark plugs fresh.

The valve lifters cost about $2 a piece. That's the level of quality you can expect too. Your engine will need rocker arms and lifters at some point. Expect $2500.
 

AcesandEights

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One of the most reliable on market.

https://www.motorreviewer.com/engine.php?engine_id=167

"So, is the 3.6L Pentastar engine reliable? Summing up, we can say the Pentastar 3.6 reliability is way above average."

"With proper maintenance, the 3.6 Pentastar engine longevity is around 250-300k miles (there are even a few cases of the Pentastar last up to impressive 500,000 miles)."
 

mwilk012

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One of the most reliable on market.

https://www.motorreviewer.com/engine.php?engine_id=167

"So, is the 3.6L Pentastar engine reliable? Summing up, we can say the Pentastar 3.6 reliability is way above average."

"With proper maintenance, the 3.6 Pentastar engine longevity is around 250-300k miles (there are even a few cases of the Pentastar last up to impressive 500,000 miles)."
That is fairly misleading. Catastrophic engine failure is rare. Trail breakdowns are not.
 

Veloruche

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We had a 2018 JL sport with the 3.6 roll into our shop this past week with a rough running problem that the dealer had been unable to fix in 3 visits. Leaking head gasket into cylinder 3. Less than 25,000 miles on it.

We regularly see timing problems due to the very, very sensitive nature of the magnetic pulse rings mounted at the rear of the camshafts. An odd design to say the least.

Oil coolers leak coolant and/or oil and rarely, mix both together with each other. Very nice.

Fuel injectors seem to fail more often than most engines. Single cylinder misfires nearly always turn out to be the injector, in my experience. Ignition coils are pretty good as long as you keep spark plugs fresh.

The valve lifters cost about $2 a piece. That's the level of quality you can expect too. Your engine will need rocker arms and lifters at some point. Expect $2500.
You can by a complete nearly zero mile 3.6 from @RubiTrux for under $3000

https://www.rubitrux.com/jeep-wrangler-3-6l-pentastar-engine-68247747ab.html
 
 



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