I think my engine is dead

[Stuffedbuffalo]

Hi,

I have a 2020 JLU Sport with the 2.0 and 60,363 (of course just over the powertrain warranty) miles on the odometer. This morning in the drop off line for school the cooling fans kicked on full blast. I had never heard them do this at idle before, only when doing long steep off road up hill segments. Of course this made me check the engine temp and it had started creeping up over the center line. I cranked on the heat full blast and this dropped the temp back down. It got around 235 at the highest. I thought maybe my coolant was low and on the way home, even when moving, if i turned the heat off it would start to overheat. I got home and let things cool off. I checked the engine coolant tank (of course it's completely opaque) and found it almost empty with a milkshake inside of it. I checked the oil cap and so far no milkshake, but when i pulled the dipstick it seems extremely over filled. Is this a blown head gasket? Any chance I could get Jeep to cover this slightly out of warranty or am I the proud owner of a future LS swap?

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[John VonJeep]

Sometimes Jeep will do a good faith warranty repair if you’re slightly outside the period. I would think you qualify. Sucks, man.

 

[Odyssey USA]

Yikes. Could be a cooling system problem led to a blown head gasket.

 

[roaniecowpony]

Welcome to the blown engine club.

 

[roaniecowpony]

I'm suspicious that the rumored fan schedule revision to tone down the fan operation, after complaints about the noise, may be contributing to engine failures.

2 years ago, I took my 2018 JLUR into the dealership for the steering box revision/replacement, under warranty. One of only one task I've taken it to the dealerships for. It took two trips to them to get the task done. But, I noted that since those visits, the fan didn't make the same level of noise. Could be just my imagination. Might be something to it.

 

[wcjeep]

Watched a video on Trailrecon. Shopowner Mentioned no long block available for 2.0 engine. Jeep only sells the entire engine/turbo combo at $11k. Labor not included.

 

[roaniecowpony]

If you can't get warranty coverage, here's a 2.0l from the company i bought my 3.6 from.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2354661722...WIy1eKRuQtkZmZhIjWLwcnAnyRFV5GFAaAsOREALw_wcB
If you've done mechanical work, you can do the replacement yourself. There's a lot of electrical work, but its all harness connector stuff. Theres no one thing that's highly technical/difficult. It is just visually intimidating. I'm pretty well done with my replacement except for the radiator, condensor and trans cooler. Waiting for fluids and some loose ends.

If you can't DIY the replacement, expect $3 to 5k for labor outside of the dealership and expect resistance to installing an engine that you supply.

 

[NWJeepr]

The oil level may or may not be a problem. The most accurate oil level check is done 5 minutes after warm shutdown on these engines, as described in the owner's manual. I know when I check mine cold after it's been sitting, it appears 1qt+ overfilled, but it isn't.

Will be interesting to see what the diagnosis is...coolant milkshake is never a good sign.

On JK's, the power steering and engine coolant could mix when the radiator failed. I hope it's a simple fix and isn't an engine failure..

 

[Opus]

I'd run it by @JeepCares. All they can do is say "no", right?

If they do say "no" then I'd go with Plan B.

1.) Drive it a few blocks away
2.) Walk home
3.) Call the police and report it stolen
4.) Contact your insurance company and let them know it was stolen
5.) When the police find it, file a claim with your insurance company swearing on a stack of bibles that it was running just fine before those damn hoodlums stole it...

Disclaimer: "Plan B" is insurance fraud.

 

[Pig-Pen]

I'd run it by @JeepCares. All they can do is say "no", right?

If they do say "no" then I'd go with Plan B.

1.) Drive it a few blocks away
2.) Walk home
3.) Call the police and report it stolen
4.) Contact your insurance company and let them know it was stolen
5.) When the police find it, file a claim with your insurance company swearing on a stack of bibles that it was running just fine before those damn hoodlums stole it...

Disclaimer: "Plan B" is insurance fraud.

good idea. except for the part where he already posted online that his motor is blown. plus the dealership will likely make a record.
for enthusiast/modified vehicles, some times they put an investigator on it who will leave no stone unturned. i was at a dyno shop once when there was an insurance investigator there inquiring about a "stolen" mustang. he was interviewing the shop's owner and then asked customers some questions if they knew the person.

if you're going to go this route.......SHhhhhhh! and remember, two can keep a secret if one is dead.

 

[Stuffedbuffalo]

An update for anyone who cares. Local dealership had it for over a week, which is fine because I was out of town. They put more coolant in, pressure tested it for 3+ hours, let it idle for 3+ hours, and drove it for over 50 miles (after approval) and were unable to get the jeep to overheat again. They didn't charge me for any of this. I think i'm going to continue my research at home.

 

[mwilk012]

An update for anyone who cares. Local dealership had it for over a week, which is fine because I was out of town. They put more coolant in, pressure tested it for 3+ hours, let it idle for 3+ hours, and drove it for over 50 miles (after approval) and were unable to get the jeep to overheat again. They didn't charge me for any of this. I think i'm going to continue my research at home.

If they're so sure nothing is wrong with it, sell it to them.

 

[Jamrock]

An update for anyone who cares. Local dealership had it for over a week, which is fine because I was out of town. They put more coolant in, pressure tested it for 3+ hours, let it idle for 3+ hours, and drove it for over 50 miles (after approval) and were unable to get the jeep to overheat again. They didn't charge me for any of this. I think i'm going to continue my research at home.

Keep us updated.

 

[Stuffedbuffalo]

If they're so sure nothing is wrong with it, sell it to them.

The thought has crossed my mind for sure.

 

[Stuffedbuffalo]

So this is a very long update. Of course my Jeep overheated again after I put about 50 miles on it. I called Jeep customer cares again and they advised me to take it to a different dealership. I towed my Jeep up there on a Sunday and on Monday around noon they contacted me to tell me I had a cracked oil cooler. It took about a month of back and forth with Jeep and the dealership (some of that was because of the dealership software getting ransom wared), but Jeep came through and I only ended up paying 100 dollars to get the oil cooler, thermostat, hoses, and coolant bottle replaced. I picked up the Jeep a couple days ago and there's still a bit of oil in the coolant. I let the dealership know and they stated that they could flush it 50 times and there would still be some oil. I've read that flushing with dishwasher detergent could solve this issue. Does anyone have thoughts on that?

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