Coolant leak, steering wheel shake, tie rod loose, hvac issues, etc. New 2019 3.6 JLUR

[Cypher]

Just got home from a long easy shake down day. We were out for about 5 hours, all easy trails. After the day of driving, lots slow speed mountain switchbacks It did not leak. I still smell coolant a little, but do not see any leaks from the prior places.

Once thing I did notice is that it did run warmer than I would expect with it only being 55 degrees out. It was running around 225 - 230 a lot of the time. Another thing I noticed was that my fan seems to not be nearly as loud as others I have heard. Maybe they were redesigned for 2019?

What temps do others see when not too hot out, or running to hard? Is 225 normal?

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[Cypher]

Another update:

seems it still has a leak somewhere, but not leaking from the Waterpump or the hard tube (crossover coolant tube) anymore that goes into the block.

We took a trip to Flagstaff over the weekend and noticed that after being on the highway for a while and at higher elevations you could smell coolant pretty bad. Also the same when running slow for long periods of time. Today I was able to get some pictures, and it appears there may be a leak somewhere on the passenger side of the vehicle. Either up high on the radiator, or up high and down low at the lower hose. There is dried coolant in a few spots around there. I went ahead and took a bunch of pictures, then wiped everything down and cleaned it off. Now will drive for another week or so and see if the purple coolant spots come back.

Not sure if it is a combination of operating tempature and sheer time running, or also a combination of adding in elevation to the mix. The first leak was noted at high elevation, and it smelled this weekend at elevation, so maybe that is part of it. I was hopeful the issues were gone when the two items that were replaced remained dry, but the smell tells me it is still leaking somewhere. (Also the coolant tank has dropped about an inch after driving it on my last few hundred mile trip. )

Issue first noted between 1000 and 1400 miles. We have put another 400 -500 miles on it since it has been out of the sop and seems it is still sleeping somewhere.

Will keep everyone updated.

 

[Cypher]

latest update:

did a small portion of the lower four peaks area yesterday, and today we ran most of the Apache trail since it opened. temp got to about 240 on the hills, and we could smell coolant. also appears that the catch tank is getting lower and lower, while the oil is now over full.

also had multiple times when it was running warm where it was like the transfer case went into neutral going down hill. it was a horrible whine and it would just rev. then it would catch and be fine. it actually happened many times over the weekend. also have quite a bit of driveline slack now that was not there before. when coasting, when you go again there is a loud thud when the slack goes out. that all started about the same time the slipping occured in the transmission or transfer case. also have rear end whine when turning and backing up etc that is new.

the plan was to drive over the weekend and take it back in Monday, so looks like back it goes.

took a picture of another area that seems to be leaking. old pictures did not show this gap at the neck of the tube on the lower radiator. now there is a 1/8in gap at the top of the adapter between the hard tube and plastic radiator. almost looks like the plastic radiator itself warped away from then metal neck. anyone else have a picture of this area?

 

[Cypher]

seems like every few hundred miles a new issue is popping up. waiting to hear back from the dealership and from FCA now. the weird noise it made when when it seemed like the transmission or transfer case went into neutral has us worried as much as the coolant leaking. it was a very odd noise, not even sure how that describe it. also, I have been watching the coolant overflow tank, and checking the oil every day in my level garage. coolant getting lower, oil level going up. it is now a good 1/8 up the cable past the check area. smells really bad also. this has been a issue, dealer has not really looked into that yet. Is there anything I can do myself to test for a internal coolant leak like a crack etc ihe block? seems like I have to show pictures and proof to get things fixed. so far I have pictures of all external items, but internal I am not sure what to do.

 

[b1er]

pressure test the cooling system... if the pressure drops, there's a leak somewhere... if you're concerned about coolant in the oil, the oil will look like a chocolate milkshake after running a while, it'll show it on the dipstick... check the inside of the oil cap for a tan-ish looking goo...that's condensation... when the jeep is cold, pull the oil drain plug, overnight the water can separate and it'll be on the bottom of the oil pan... it'll come out first when drained... this is all stuff the dealer should be doing to troubleshoot this issue...

 

[Cypher]

pressure test the cooling system... if the pressure drops, there's a leak somewhere... if you're concerned about coolant in the oil, the oil will look like a chocolate milkshake after running a while, it'll show it on the dipstick... check the inside of the oil cap for a tan-ish looking goo...that's condensation... when the jeep is cold, pull the oil drain plug, overnight the water can separate and it'll be on the bottom of the oil pan... it'll come out first when drained... this is all stuff the dealer should be doing to troubleshoot this issue...

yeah, I knew about the pressure test, but the dealership said they did that right away and it passed, but it was still leaking into the ground. that is where my comment on needing to point out the leaks and show pictures to get it fixed. it does appear a little milk Shakey, but nothing like I had seen with traditional coolant and water mixes with a blown head gasket. with this new OAT purple / pink coolant I am not as sure about things. the smell of the oil is horrendous, like a coolant and oil mix, and the oil is a little milky. but not major. I asked the dealership to drain the oil, they said it seemed fine to them without draining it. now that the level is so high maybe they will do it. I don't want to drain it myself yet, but I am getting close to that point.

you can see some cleaner oil on the sides, and then the milky mix on the lower portion. I hate not having a way to look into the valve covers, or directly into the radiator. sometimes that is an easier way to look.

 

[Cypher]

Latest update: JLUR has been back in the shop for the last 7 days, so far no word from them. Also left messages with my case manager through Jeep Wave and no response. I was set to leave on a 2 week trip this Friday, but it is looking like we won't be able to do it now as no idea what's going on. I went to another dealership to check out a few other rubicons, they did not have the same slop in the drivetrain either, and also did not have the gap on the lower radiator hose connection.

At this point it has been in the shop as much as I have had it, so starting to be really frustrated.

 

[Cypher]

Latest update: JLUR has been back in the shop for the last 7 days, so far no word from them. Also left messages with my case manager through Jeep Wave and no response. I was set to leave on a 2 week trip this Friday, but it is looking like we won't be able to do it now as no idea what's going on. I went to another dealership to check out a few other rubicons, they did not have the same slop in the drivetrain either, and also did not have the gap on the lower radiator hose connection.

At this point it has been in the shop as much as I have had it, so starting to be really frustrated.

Dealership called this evening to let me know they feel that everything is normal. However when I asked specifically about the coolant tube where it mounts to the radiator and the odd gap that is there and had signs of leaking he said he will have them look it over. So once again, an issue I sent it in for, with a picture of the issue itself was not even looked at. They are checking now on the hose.

 

[DaltonGang]

Dealership called this evening to let me know they feel that everything is normal. However when I asked specifically about the coolant tube where it mounts to the radiator and the odd gap that is there and had signs of leaking he said he will have them look it over. So once again, an issue I sent it in for, with a picture of the issue itself was not even looked at. They are checking now on the hose.

At what point are you going to take it to a competent dealership, that knows what they are doing??

 

[Cypher]

At what point are you going to take it to a competent dealership, that knows what they are doing??

Unfortunately around here I think they may be one of the better dealers. However, I will be taking it somewhere else after I get it back "if" it has any more issues. I still hope they fix the issue that I took it to them for (and gave them a picture of ) but we will see.

 

[Cypher]

Just got home from the dealership, they said the chocolate shake looking oil is normal, and that the gap in the housing connecting to the radiator was also normal. They did a 5 mile test drive and decided all was normal. I was very clear on all the issues, and how to recreate them. They did none of what I pointed out. So after another 8 days in the shop, I am more than likely left with a brand new Rubicon that has a coolant leak, may be leaking coolant in the oil, and has issues with the transfer case or transmission when hot and driving for extended periods.
Plan to go ahead and take it across the country next week, so if there are issues once again they will be evident. All I can do is keep taking pictures and documenting things. Luckily I bought in Arkansas, and the lemon law there is much better than some areas. I did verify I am covered by that, so I am retry much already at the point for a buyback. I will drive it for a little while longer, and if it keeps having the same issues I will send my certified letter to the factory giving them the final opportunity to fix or buyback.

I will also be finding another service department to use as this one seems like they can't even look at a picture and verify items when given step by step directions on how the issue presents itself. (And they did this more than once).

I'll update everyone next week after putting some more miles on it.

 

[Cypher]

Can't make that up. They said it is common in some vehicles to get a lot of condensation that causes it. They said normally it is in a 5.7, but some 3.6 have it too. How in the world I have condensation issues in the middle of the desert is astounding, and surprised they even tried that excuse.

AllI can say is this is very well documented, and I have pictures and multiple emails asking to get the issue resolved. We plan to just keep driving it like they suggested, and will take it somewhere else once I get more pictures etc. showing them the issue. I am at lemon law buyback criteria already, so it does not benefit Jeep for the dealership to keep playing dumb. This is a pretty open and shut case that has emails and pictures backing everything up. At this point it is almost funny to me thinking about it.

 

[Jimac]

Can't make that up. They said it is common in some vehicles to get a lot of condensation that causes it. They said normally it is in a 5.7, but some 3.6 have it too. How in the world I have condensation issues in the middle of the desert is astounding, and surprised they even tried that excuse.

AllI can say is this is very well documented, and I have pictures and multiple emails asking to get the issue resolved. We plan to just keep driving it like they suggested, and will take it somewhere else once I get more pictures etc. showing them the issue. I am at lemon law buyback criteria already, so it does not benefit Jeep for the dealership to keep playing dumb. This is a pretty open and shut case that has emails and pictures backing everything up. At this point it is almost funny to me thinking about it.

Time to name the Dealerships with this type of service and any good ones if there are any.

 

[Maverick909]

last time i had an fca truck 2004 ram 1500 with 5.7L hemi i took it in to 4 dealers with load clacking in the valve/engine train and after all four said it was normal i went back to the first dealer and called lemon law.... found out that the 2 and 4 pistons had piston slap. with only 2 days left on my warranty i got a new motor.... the motor with slap was at only 44k. needless to say the dealer will do anything to make money and not use warranty.
i would go in and tell them your gonna full throttle the motor tell it blows up and they can replace it under warranty or give me all my money back for the jeep. you sound like a rather level headed guy that has alot of patients. but unless you get a little pissy they will walk all over you with the everything is normal. remember the dealer doesn't loose money with anything done for repairs under warranty FCA does. that or keep driving it and take pictures and hope it blows before your 36k warranty is up.

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