Need 3.0 opinions from potential newbie

[Yolobaggins]

Hey y’all,

Looking for my next Wrangler and found one that is a 3.0.

I have been wanting the Purple Reign forever and they have been so hard to find. However, I found one with all the options I want but it is the 3.0

I have never owned a diesel before so I am very hesitant to pull the trigger on it. I will tow at some point in the future and all my miles will be highway (Texas) so there is some use there but from what I understand, unless you really need a diesel, it’s not worth it for the normal driver

Any thoughts and input? Would love to finally get one that I wanted but want to hear all your thoughts!

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[grimmjeeper]

The only people who say that about the diesel are people who have never owned or even driven one.

It's a better engine all around. Plenty of torque to get a heavy Jeep moving. Great fuel economy (for a Jeep). No real additional maintenance needed.

Sure, you have to fill up the DEF tank every few months. The oil changes are a little more expensive. But it's all worth it.

Get a Banks pedal monster (or something like it) to kill the pedal lag. Maybe an iDash to monitor some things like EGT.

 

[Aonar]

I have been wanting the Purple Reign forever and they have been so hard to find. However, I found one with all the options I want but it is the 3.0...I have never owned a diesel before so I am very hesitant to pull the trigger on it...but from what I understand, unless you really need a diesel, it’s not worth it for the normal driver...

The italics is my edit of your post. If I just look at these statements, it seems like your mind is already made up.

IF you do pull the trigger, find out if the recall fix has been done on the HPFP (fuel pump).

Here is my comment on another thread about an owner who was thinking about trading in his diesel because he was NOT driving all the highway miles any longer:

""My thought: IF you ONLY got the diesel for the MPG advantage ( Primarily, the daily commute changed from 25 miles interstate to… 0.5 miles) then I would say your mind is already made up: Trade Her.

I bought mine for a myriad of reasons.

One of which was I always keep my vehicles until they die. This way in theory, a diesel will last longer AND I will have NO payments for a longer period of time.

I also bought mine to be "different" than the "Average Joe".

Of course, MPG was a factor in my purchase BUT not the sole reason.

Torque off-road was a factor...a big factor.

I do not have any interest in electric of any sort ATM (ymmv). My reasons are my own.

Now to your "associated costs" comment: I agree 100% that there are more costs to running a diesel vs another ICE vehicle: higher oil change costs, higher filter costs, an extra filter (the diesel fuel filter), more maintenance costs especially if you do not do your own, DEF, etc...

I knew ALL of these extra costs ahead of time and still do NOT regret my decision. If you cannot say that then you are right...Good Buy Diesel!

GL with your decision!""

AND GL, OP with your decision!!!

 

[SparkleTooth]

I purchased a diesel because I wanted an engine that excelled offroad. Diesel in a Jeep is just what the doctor ordered.

With that said here are some things to keep in mind.

1. Diesel at the moment in my neck of the woods is about $4.19 (I consider it worth it to have the diesel option)
2. Oil changes are pricey but I do them myself but it still is more than the average oil change
3. There is also a Fuel Filter to content with which I change every other oil change (Its simple)
4. Because of the fuel pump recall I use fuel treatment to provide lubricity to the pump. Word on the street is the parts are starting to hit the dealers so I may have mine changed in the coming months.
5. You will want some sort of diagnostic tool like a scan gauge (I use the scan gauge 3) to monitor engine temps, regen status, coolant temps, etc. Frankly every vehicle should have one.
6. They no longer make this engine for the wrangler so if that concerns you, that is something to consider. I suspect they will be removing it from the Gladiator line any time now if they havent already.

With all that said, the Diesel is the best engine Jeep has ever had to be honest. It pulls like crazy and is great on the highway. If you need to seriously Tow, I wouldn't consider a jeep at all. Just because it is a diesel doesn't mean it will tow more. It has more to do with it being a Jeep than which engine it has.

 

[Deleted member 59498]

I wouldn't own any other one. Well 392 but that is not happening. Rest of the engines are subpar at best.

 

[GtX]

Mine has been great. The torque just makes it such a pleasure to drive.

The people saying DEF/oil/fuel filter [is there something else?] are to expensive or inconvenient should rethink their decision to buy a Wrangler. A Corolla would be a better fit for them.

IF, I did have to get a new wrangler the only motor I'd get is a 392 now that the diesel is not available. The Hurricane looks promising.

 

[Tank the Jeep]

I’m on 37s with the stock 3.73 gear ratio. Works great. Just add fuel lube to keep the high pressure fuel pump happy. Change the fuel filter at least every other oil change. I change mine with every oil change.

An oil change at the dealer is stupid expensive. I changed my oil yesterday. I got the oil (12 quarts) 2 fuel filters and 2 air filters from rock auto - $230. I got the STP extended life oil filter from Autozone for $41. The regular service oil filter was $12. Still a cheaper than the dealer for just the oil change.

The JULRD fuel economy is awesome. Last weekend I wheeled Hurricane Creek in western NC. The whole trip was about 300 miles I averaged 25.6 MPG. On 37s. Including wheeling.

For y’all the bought the gasoline Jeep, you got the wrong engine.

 

[AC77]

Hey y’all,

Looking for my next Wrangler and found one that is a 3.0.

I have been wanting the Purple Reign forever and they have been so hard to find. However, I found one with all the options I want but it is the 3.0

I have never owned a diesel before so I am very hesitant to pull the trigger on it. I will tow at some point in the future and all my miles will be highway (Texas) so there is some use there but from what I understand, unless you really need a diesel, it’s not worth it for the normal driver

Any thoughts and input? Would love to finally get one that I wanted but want to hear all your thoughts!

YOU WILL LOVE IT. The feel of it. The mpg
The sound. Turbo whistle and with a nice air intake will sounds like a mini Peterbilt lol

 

[Tank the Jeep]

YOU WILL LOVE IT. The feel of it. The mpg
The sound. Turbo whistle and with a nice air intake will sounds like a mini Peterbilt lol

What cold air box is that? Is there a performance gain?

 

[CableDaddy]

I have never owned a diesel before so I am very hesitant to pull the trigger on it. I will tow at some point in the future and all my miles will be highway (Texas) so there is some use there but from what I understand, unless you really need a diesel, it’s not worth it for the normal driver

My diesel JL is the first diesel I have ever owned and while I’ve only got 8500ish miles on it I couldn’t be more happy with the purchase. It’s got torque for days, and the extra hwy mpgs are a very nice benefit. With all the extra torque, there is definitely no doubt in my mind it will be able to tow easier than my old JK pentastar could. The only inconveniences I can think of is:

On cross country trips, not all gas stations have diesel, so you have to be aware of that (not that it’s ever hard to find diesel.)

DEF fluid. However as a tank lasts thousands of miles.. that’s really not a concern, especially as def is super cheap for how many miles you get out of it.

Regen cycles. But if you are doing mostly hwy.. that would never be an issue. In fact, over the last year, I haven’t once seen my jeep tell me to keep driving because of it. It’s always been *completely* invisible to me. And even if you do, it’s just a “drive for about another 10 minutes” kinda thing.

all in all *VERY* small prices to pay for the utter joy this girl brings me.

 

[thance]

Hey y’all,

Looking for my next Wrangler and found one that is a 3.0.

I have been wanting the Purple Reign forever and they have been so hard to find. However, I found one with all the options I want but it is the 3.0

I have never owned a diesel before so I am very hesitant to pull the trigger on it. I will tow at some point in the future and all my miles will be highway (Texas) so there is some use there but from what I understand, unless you really need a diesel, it’s not worth it for the normal driver

Any thoughts and input? Would love to finally get one that I wanted but want to hear all your thoughts!

love my diesel, it's the first diesel I've ever had and I don't tow! The diesel gives this thing the power it needs where it needs it. Jeeps are generally heavy with the aerodynamics of a brick... this lends itself to lots of torque at low rpms... DIESEL! I don't want my power at 6000rpm with the engine absolutely screaming... and not in a good way. I have more power than I need all day long without going above about 3000rpm, that mean it's where you actually use it, and enjoy it, and have fun with it. Take it for a test drive and see what you think...

 

[AC77]

What cold air box is that? Is there a performance gain?

AFe momentum HD. I’ve noticed 1-2 mpg for sure and an easier take off from a dead stop! Feels a bit lighter on the pedal. I’ve also installed the Deringer tuner which makes a huge difference. I’ve done head to head with a charger 392. I’m also selling a brand new one in a box. Bought 2 by mistake. Couldn’t return it just an fyi that is

 

[BEJEEP]

I had a 2011 X5 Diesel which I absolutely loved. At 80k miles all of the sensors, pumps and DEF items go to shit. I really wanted a Jeep Diesel but I could not pull the trigger. I am very happy with my 3.6 e-torque with the 4.56 gearing.

 

[zouch]

@Yolobaggins
try driving it; you probably won't want anything else. once i drove the 3.0L i was sold; it works that well in the J**p.

yes, there's an open Recall for the High Pressure Fuel Pump, but they're finally getting parts out for them and the failures are few and far between. (disclaimer: mine did fail at 4100 miles, but everything was taken care of under warranty and it's been awesome for tens of thousands of miles since.)
not sure which version you were looking at, but a frequently overlooked bonus is that the diesels also have (narrow/Euro) Dana 44s front and rear as default, even in the lower-trim levels.

the torque gives it great driveability, and the fuel economy is tough to beat. i got nearly 30MPG on the hwy when stock and still get low 20s in mixed traffic spinning 37s with a lift (& 4.56s) at reasonable speeds.

if you're doing a good bit of highway regularly, yours sounds like a perfect application for a modern diesel. modern diesels are much less finicky about driving habits than oil-burners of yore anyway.
yes, oil changes cost more, and it needs DEF every several thousand miles. but it's worth it.

and how much cooler could a purple J**p be except if it was a Diesel?! ?

 

[Tank the Jeep]

I had a 2011 X5 Diesel which I absolutely loved. At 80k miles all of the sensors, pumps and DEF items go to shit. I really wanted a Jeep Diesel but I could not pull the trigger. I am very happy with my 3.6 e-torque with the 4.56 gearing.

In my experience, the sensors and other stuff going out with that kind of mileage is a BMW thing not all diesels. I’ve had three diesel jeeps. The worst one was the Mercedes engine in the 2007 Grand Cherokee. The Italian engines are far better than the German engines.

I realize this might stir up a hornets nest, but that is my experience.

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