If I was to buy another JL or JT going forward, the ease of the 3.6s oil change is a major positive. Something I would seriously consider with purchase.I don't quite know that this is the only reason I would ever buy a 3.6l JL, but exactly 5 quarts is kind of nice.
Maybe someday! ?
IMHO, this thread is misleading. 1) in this thread, the guy wants to switch to thicker oil to fix a ticking sound from his engine. However, a new ticking sound on a 3,6 is most likely a rocker roller failure, which is quite common on that engine. The bearings on some of the rollers fail which makes the rollers move up from their optimal position, creates a slack between the valve stem thus the clicking sound. If you don't replace the rocker, the sides holding the roller will start eating into the cam and will cause even more damage. 2) I spoke with the dealer master tech. He recommends that we change oil at 1/2 the recommended intervals, even if using synthetic. Today's engines have tight tolerances that only a thin oil can lubricate. We just need to change it more often to prevent varnish. And as people mentioned, 0W is good for cold weather, 5W is not far off. But personally, I would not recommend going to 30W - I will stick with 20W.
A 3.6L will be just fine. Check the label for the specs that it meets. The brand and spec would make more difference than this viscosity deviation.
If it is starting to get warmer in your area then you’re fine. As soon as you get it hot a few times it will be virtually the same. Just use the right stuff next time
EXACTLY (The only reason they specify that lightweight oil is for fuel economy reasons, you don't actually need to run oil that light). People need to lighten up on this tiny oil difference. It is of ZERO consequence! Less hen zero.
I have never found any--it appears that globally FCA recommended 0W-20. With that said, the other part that is false is the statement that a 3.6L is "viscosity sensitive". It is not. I ran xW-30 in mine for more than 50K miles and I have a friend who is bumping 140K in his and ran 0W-40 from the first oil change. ZERO issues.
I agree
If you're concerned and don't want to drain/replace , you could add a thickener.. some of the oil additives like lucas and such ?
Again, post a link where Jeep recommends 5W 30 for the 2018+3.6 in any country. As you stated.Jeep specifically does not, as it's built with the NA market in mind. Other manufactures, such as Mazda, build it with their home country in mind then adapt it for other countries as needed. CAFE standards require manufacturers to egg out any possible advantage left on the table. It's why stop/start exists.
The Pentastar was originally built for 5w-30 oil. In 2013 this was reduced to 5w-20 as it was proven to gain additional fuel economy with very little additional wear under the warranty period. As you're well aware we had rocker arms failing across the entire fleet after this change as made.
With the upgraded Pentastar they changed a bunch of things, namely upgraded rocker arms (that still fail) and tighter bearing tolerances. The improvement in manufacturing quality allowed them to change to 0w-20 to allow slightly better emissions during cold engine starts. Do note that the entire reason the Pentastar upgrade exists is because of emissions. They added EGR, higher compression, lighter oil, and variable valve lift to eek out as much as possible. The engine design also technically supports direct injection, but I hope we never get that version. This is also why the newer engine should require 89 octane due to the higher compression but was left at 87 due to consumer requirements and expectations. Drive the heavier gladiator around during the hot summer and you will feel the engine knock and retard timing on 87.
The difference between 5w-30 and 0w-30 is close enough that you could run either or. I personally suggest running 5w-30 on the original 3.6L, and 0w-30 on the upgraded 3.6L as the design allows for it. The first number only effects cold starts anyway, and the second number is what we're actually trying to improve upon.
The 0w-20 (or 5w-20) recommendation is totally fine for the vast majority of users in most cases. However, if you frequently drive the vehicle in such a way that you consistently get higher oil temperatures I'd strongly suggest running the heavier oil the engine was originally designed for.
I ran 5w-40 on my supercharged 2016 JK for 46k trouble free miles before it was stolen. I know it isn't a lot to determine rocker arm failure, but I can confidently say it didn't hurt to run it. From experience I've also only replaced rockers on 2012s a handful of times. The thicker oil helps with roller bearing health.
Here's an example from the 2023 Miata's manual showing the difference depending on location. It clearly shows how manufactures change things purely for the stricter CAFE/EPA standards we have here in the states:
