Head gasket prevention?

[Graphite JL]

I’ve done timing belts on Subarus and things like that- if sh*t goes sideways, would you recommend working on it or just shell out for a new engine?

Also, where’d you find the guide on how to do such a thing

From what I have read on here, the remains aren't the best quality, if the rest of the engine is sound, I would fix it.

I picked up a factory service manual from someone on here and used that. I'll see if I can find who I got it from.

Edit: I got it from Jeep Wick.

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[ajbarbier]

From what I have read on here, the remains aren't the best quality, if the rest of the engine is sound, I would fix it.

I picked up a factory service manual from someone on here and used that. I'll see if I can find who I got it from.

Edit: I got it from Jeep Wick.

Alright, I’ll take a look and probably snag one from him- thank you! If I go slow I guarantee I can do it. It’s just following instructions.

I noticed I’m losing coolant somewhere. Not a damn clue where. Can’t find any noticeable leak, and it seems as though it’s slow. Oil looks fine, no smoke or trouble cold starting. Runs between 185-210. No idea where I should be looking for leaks here but I’ll run through what I have looked for: radiator, minor check of the overflow tank, no liquid coming out of oil cooler that I can see. Any other places? Is there any likelihood that the oil cooler seals have warped and it’s allowing coolant into the oil without an external leak?

 

[Graphite JL]

Mine was leaking into the cylinders on overnight soaks when the engine cooled to ambient. I could smell it in the exhaust on initial startup, and it would be fine the rest of the day. On the cooler nights, I would get enough misfire to either disable the start/stop system, and sometimes throw a P0303 (I think) misfire code, which would clear up once the engine heated up.

I lost enough coolant that it needed to have about 1/2" added to the reservoir once every 3 or 4 weeks. My oil looked just fine.

 

[ajbarbier]

Mine was leaking into the cylinders on overnight soaks when the engine cooled to ambient. I could smell it in the exhaust on initial startup, and it would be fine the rest of the day. On the cooler nights, I would get enough misfire to either disable the start/stop system, and sometimes throw a P0303 (I think) misfire code, which would clear up once the engine heated up.

I lost enough coolant that it needed to have about 1/2" added to the reservoir once every 3 or 4 weeks. My oil looked just fine.

Ahhh understood. Didn’t even know that would be a possibility. How did you determine that? Did you use a bore scope or an oil analysis besides the good ol smell test?

 

[Graphite JL]

Mostly the smell on startup, and knowing it's a common issue, i stuck a borescope in each cylinder and found one was perfectly steam cleaned.

I ended up doing both sides, which added to the time, and I sent the head to the machine shop to get them milled and checked.

 

[ajbarbier]

Mostly the smell on startup, and knowing is a common issue, i stuck a borehole in each cylinder and found one was perfectly steam cleaned.

I ended up doing both sides, which added to the time, and I sent the head to the machine shop to get them milled and checked.

Well considering I’ve got some symptoms and I’ve got a month left on my garbage CPO warranty, maybe I’ll make an appointment for next week and have them look at it overnight.

Any other ideas on where to check for leaks? You seem very knowledgeable

 

[Graphite JL]

I would check for dried coolant residue under the reservoir bottle and by the thermostat housing. Other than that, Im not sure. It could be leaking slow enough and just burning off.

 

[ajbarbier]

I would check for dried coolant residue under the reservoir bottle and by the thermostat housing. Other than that, Im not sure. It could be leaking slow enough and just burning off.

Praying that this is the case. Thanks man, you’ve filled me with some confidence that if this goes sideways, I’ll be able to do it

 

[roaniecowpony]

Hey does anyone know what causes the head gasket failures? Is it the faulty oil cooler? Radiator split? Under torqued head bolts? I’m trying to see if there’s any preventative maintenance I can do on my 2018- I only have 38k miles on my 3.6 and I’ve heard they fail at 50-75k :/

The "cause" could be a multitude of things.

"Prevention" might not be possible for some of those possible causes. But, whenever you hear that noise that sounds like marbles in a popcorn maker, that's the sound of many explosions with a very high pressure, the engine was not designed to run at. The common term is "pinging". It's not uncommon for pinging to cause engine damage. One type of damage that it has been known to cause is a blown head gasket. So, don't do that. I put 91 octane in mine and I have done modifications to lower the operating temperature to "prevent" pinging. You could also get a "tune" that corrects it.

 

[ajbarbier]

The "cause" could be a multitude of things.

"Prevention" might not be possible for some of those possible causes. But, whenever you hear that noise that sounds like marbles in a popcorn maker, that's the sound of many explosions with a very high pressure, the engine was not designed to run at. The common term is "pinging". It's not uncommon for pinging to cause engine damage. One type of damage that it has been known to cause is a blown head gasket. So, don't do that. I put 91 octane in mine and I have done modifications to lower the operating temperature to "prevent" pinging. You could also get a "tune" that corrects it.

The pinging causes head gasket failure? How do you reckon?

Truth be told, I’ve never heard the pinging before.

 

[Willys41]

I had a leak in my radiator. For mouths I could smell coolant coming from the engine compartment put could not find any leaks. After I replaced my radiator with a Mishimoto the smell was gone.
About six mouths later I smelled coolant again. This time it was from the water pump.
All this happened with only 25k on the jeep.

 

[roaniecowpony]

The pinging causes head gasket failure? How do you reckon?

Truth be told, I’ve never heard the pinging before.

I reckon it's happened to my and other's engines over the decades. If the head gasket is marginal, for any reason, then you add the pressure spikes of pinging, it's a recipe for blowing the gasket.

 

[ajbarbier]

I had a leak in my radiator. For mouths I could smell coolant coming from the engine compartment put could not find any leaks. After I replaced my radiator with a Mishimoto the smell was gone.
About six mouths later I smelled coolant again. This time it was from the water pump.
All this happened with only 25k on the jeep.

Any signs? Radiator leaking anywhere? Water pump showing stains? Just trying to figure out where to look

 

[Willys41]

Any signs? Radiator leaking anywhere? Water pump showing stains? Just trying to figure out where to look

Absolutely no signs of leaking from the radiator. I could not even find where it was leaking after I removed it. The water pump would come and go put finely it left a trail from the weep hole.

 

[eastern]

Ahhh understood. Didn’t even know that would be a possibility. How did you determine that? Did you use a bore scope or an oil analysis besides the good ol smell test?

Ill add a little bit to motivate you to have a look inside the cylinders.
I picked up my Jeep new and currently 30000 miles on 3.6.

• From day 1 it has been not the smoothest running engine, on some mornings after warm up it nearly chokes and recovers from the stall/misfire, but throws no codes.
• At 10000 i began noticing oil and coolant mysteriously disappearing somewhere. Oil holds level good for 2000 miles and then by 2500 miles half of quart instantly evaporates somewhere. Coolant i keep adding every few month as it drops below low. No signs of leaks anywhere.

I live in a stable climate, 85 degrees all year and my driving routes are the same. There are no unusual variables to have effect on these things.

Last month decided to replace spark plugs and have a look inside the cylinders with hopes of finding some sort of explanation for fluid loss. Discovered all cylinders having scored walls and some having brown rust spotting.

I began doing oil analysis every oil change since 10000 miles. Just like what others are reporting with bad cams, oil analysis is good and shows no sign of any problem. I dropped Jeep off at service with a complaint of just coolant loss, they have performed some sort of testing and discovered no leaks. Had i not put effort into it myself, in the eyes manufacturer this engine would be state of the art perfection, and somehow mysteriously fail down the road while past its warranty due to owners neglect.

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