Overheating Problems - Need Advice

[Windshieldfarmer]

Good luck with your situation. On the jk a hairline crack at the top of the radiator cap could cause similar problems. Probably not your issue but maybe worth a look….

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[viper88]

@ladysera

If the info you posted is accurate, you have owned the JL just over 3 yrs. and your JL's 3 yr. warranty is over...

What I would do first thing this Monday morning is....... Call Dedicated Jeep Customer Care: Ph. 1-866-362-2146.

You want to do this BEFORE..... BEFORE, again BEFORE you take that out of warranty JL in to any dealership... Talk to FCA, Rep and explain all that you have posted here.. Tell them you are a die-hard Jeep owner and would they please do the right thing and help you out..... even though you are a few days past the 3 yr. warranty time frame..

Again, I caution you......... call the dedicated # and talk to a Rep BEFORE you set foot in the stealership's Service Department...

The FCA rep that answers will open a case and work with you... They will tell you how to proceed and they will contact the/a dealership on your behalf, etc..

Don't bother going back and forth with JeepCares through private messaging on this forum.

DO make the call... be polite/sincere and ask for assistance/help.

.

I agree, the sooner the better. At least they have a documented history of the same issue. It might be covered under the longer 60 month/60K mile drive train warranty also. I would also consider buying a discounted Mopar Factory Extended Warranty.

 

[zrickety]

Hard to make the case here, given that the records would show different components being fixed each time.

That only adds to the mystery. I would argue the problem has never been solved. Just get it fixed one more time and trade that sucker in. Wash your hands of the whole thing.

Edit- related story. My wife's Buick Enclave was a great SUV...until the climate controls wouldn't change position. I bought new servos and had the dealer program them. I was upfront about the issue. They charged me but it made no difference. Turns out the whole HVAC system tends to warp and bind up. The only fix is to rip the whole interior apart and replace it, common issue. I positioned the blend doors to where it would do the vents and defrost, and traded it in. They tried calling me a couple weeks later but I didn't answer the phone. The deal was done.

 

[viper88]

That only adds to the mystery. I would argue the problem has never been solved. Just get it fixed one more time and trade that sucker in. Wash your hands of the whole thing.

I do not like uncertainty. Honestly I might have sold it already. Actually I would seriously consider selling due to the high used car values. I did just that. Sold my '19 and planing on ordering a new one for not much more. Was a no brainer.

 

[JeepCares]

I bought my 2018 JL Wrangler Unlimited Sahara (2.0 turbo engine) with 9 miles on it August 31, 2018. I live pretty close to work, so I don't drive it as much as I'd like, so I'm having issues that most people would have encountered in the first year, probably.

At 8488 miles, it started leaking fluid. I had to take it in to the dealer twice before that was fixed, totaling a stay of 9 days. The first time for that, they tightened the water pump inlet tube fastener and added more coolant. The second time (8525 miles) they replaced the water pump, the inlet gasket, and added more coolant. Everything was good for a while.

At 12061 miles, it started overheating. It was odd - it would be fine, then the fan would spin up, sounding like an airliner waiting to take off, the temperature gauge would start to creep up, and then it would be in the red and dinging at me like crazy. This would last for about a minute and then it would go back to normal as if nothing happened at all. Also, if you opened the hood during the overheating "episodes" though, there was absolutely no indication that it was actually overheating. Took it to the dealer (visit 1 for this issue) and was told they found an issue with the quick connect valve and t valve and that they were replacing those. They also replaced the heater hose inlet from the thermostat, the coolant bottle inlet hose, and the actual thermostat. Everything worked just fine for three months, but at 12928 miles, it started to overheat again. This time (visit 2) the dealer said it was primarily due to air in the system (and they basically implied that the previous fix was the problem but didn't put that into writing) and they "burped the system" and returned it to us. At 13750 miles, it happened again. The notation this time was “coolant bottle leaking and inlet hose leaking at quick connect warping on cap's O ring - replaced all parts” and they replaced the coolant recovery bottle, coolant recovery bottle cap, and coolant bottle outlet hose. They also insisted that I get an oil change (which was NOT covered under warranty) and returned it to us. Driving it home (less than 5 miles) it smelled like burning oil, so I popped open the hood and checked the dipstick to find they'd overfilled it (it was a good inch above the max line). I turned around and drove back so the service manager could make me wait another 45 minutes while they fixed that issue. It was in with the dealer for a total of 10-11 days for all of that.

I drove to work and back a few times with no issues. Then I drove to a friend's house (about 30 miles away). When I went to leave that evening, the Jeep would not idle. It was sputtering and had no acceleration (tried to drive about 20 feet) and the check engine light was on and dinging at me. I parked it back in their driveway and had them drive me home. This was at 13981 miles. Since it was a Saturday and the dealer's Service Department was not open on Sunday, my husband and I both left voicemails for them to call us and waited. On Monday, we were told to use the Jeep app to have it towed since it is still under warranty. Since the dealership was more than 20 miles away, we ended up paying $120 out of pocket to get it towed there. This time we were told it was due to an “arced spark plug” and the notes say “internal short on spark plug #2.” They replaced ONE SPARK PLUG and said it was ready. My husband and I were both pretty fed up and actually got them to agree to replace all the spark plugs. They test drove it for a while (they put about 12 miles on it themselves and returned it at 13930 miles) and we thought it would be all set.

Fast forward to last night. I'm idling in a drive-thru and it overheated again. At 14425 miles.

I have no idea what I'm supposed to do at this point. I have zero confidence in the vehicle's reliability and don't want to drive it anywhere out of town, much less into the mountains. I feel like I have a super-expensive lawn ornament and the dealer does not seem to want to find the actual problem. I also think that we may have a lemon situation, but since it's been three years since we purchased it (even though it's under 15k miles) I don't know that we have much recourse.

We are taking it in first thing this morning after they open up, but I feel like they're going to just tell us it's another hose or leaking seal. It seems like they keep treating the symptoms and not actually trying to find the problem. I'm so frustrated that I am ready to trade it in for something else.

Sorry for the long post - I just really need some advice.

@JeepCares
tagging them as they often reply
I also I have a 2018 2.0 but with nearly 50K miles I have had zero issues that could not be considered normal wear issues.

Thanks for tagging us here, Catiajockey.

Although it sounds like you already have a case started, ladysera, we can still dig in with you if needed. Send our team a private message that includes your case number to get started.

Kate
Jeep Cares

 

[ladysera]

I know it's been a while, but I wanted to update folks who actually read the thread. Right after the initial post, it went in to service (with the "assistance" of the Jeep Cares line) and was there for almost a month. They claimed they'd found the issue and replaced the EGR valve. Of course, they didn't have a rental, so I was out a vehicle for that entire time, but I was just relieved it was fixed. They told me to bring it back after 500 miles to ensure that it looked ok. Everything checked out fine at that appointment (which was also a recall appointment for some steering thing, too).

At 17,500 miles, though (just over 2K miles later), it started up again. Fans would rage - temperature gauge would move up to red, then right back down to normal. Same symptoms as before. I couldn't idle at a stoplight without it doing that. I called to get an appointment at the dealer again and their first available was about 2 weeks out. I figured I'd just live with it until then and drive it only if I absolutely needed to drive it. Then it started having issues idling (apart from the weird overheating gauge behavior) and had no power when trying to accelerate - basically stalled when crossing the road. I called the Service Dept. Manager at that point and he got me in to see them in three days.

Long story short, I was done. I dropped it off to service and walked right over and bought a new Rubicon, trading in the Sahara.

After I'd already done that, I found out it was going to get a full engine replacement due to a vague comment about "two bad cylinders" which I can only imagine was caused by their inability to find the initial problem.

Hopefully no one else has this issue...

 

[mwilk012]

I know it's been a while, but I wanted to update folks who actually read the thread. Right after the initial post, it went in to service (with the "assistance" of the Jeep Cares line) and was there for almost a month. They claimed they'd found the issue and replaced the EGR valve. Of course, they didn't have a rental, so I was out a vehicle for that entire time, but I was just relieved it was fixed. They told me to bring it back after 500 miles to ensure that it looked ok. Everything checked out fine at that appointment (which was also a recall appointment for some steering thing, too).

At 17,500 miles, though (just over 2K miles later), it started up again. Fans would rage - temperature gauge would move up to red, then right back down to normal. Same symptoms as before. I couldn't idle at a stoplight without it doing that. I called to get an appointment at the dealer again and their first available was about 2 weeks out. I figured I'd just live with it until then and drive it only if I absolutely needed to drive it. Then it started having issues idling (apart from the weird overheating gauge behavior) and had no power when trying to accelerate - basically stalled when crossing the road. I called the Service Dept. Manager at that point and he got me in to see them in three days.

Long story short, I was done. I dropped it off to service and walked right over and bought a new Rubicon, trading in the Sahara.

After I'd already done that, I found out it was going to get a full engine replacement due to a vague comment about "two bad cylinders" which I can only imagine was caused by their inability to find the initial problem.

Hopefully no one else has this issue...

You overheated and blew the head gasket. I assumed they told you that the second time around. Lots of this going around unfortunately.

Oops, looks like I called that 9 months ago. Hm.

 

[emilboya]

WOW, I think the most surprising part was you were still confident to buy another JEEP...I know your initial Jeep was a Lemon, but as much as I love Jeeps, if i went through that I would not be walking into another Wrangler. So Props to you for staying Loyal



Also, did the engine issue hurt the trade in value?

 

[Jamrock]

After I'd already done that, I found out it was going to get a full engine replacement due to a vague comment about "two bad cylinders" which I can only imagine was caused by their inability to find the initial problem.

From what I have seen, it is best to replace the entire engine when the vehicle continues to overheat like this. Each time the engine overheats, it creates additional damage.

Thanks for the update.

 

[ladysera]

WOW, I think the most surprising part was you were still confident to buy another JEEP...I know your initial Jeep was a Lemon, but as much as I love Jeeps, if i went through that I would not be walking into another Wrangler. So Props to you for staying Loyal



Also, did the engine issue hurt the trade in value?

I was really hesitant to get another Jeep, but if it hadn’t been so fun to drive, I would have gotten rid of the firstone much sooner.

They offered me $36k trade, so I took it… might have gotten more had I tried to sell it myself, but I was without a working vehicle at all and I didn’t owe very much on the existing loan so I ended up making money on it.

My old one is listed on their site, but I seriously doubt the engine is replaced yet - i just hope the next owner doesn’t have any problems with it!

 

[charlie00tj]

I'm having almost the exact same problem on my 2019 JLU 2.0L Sahara. I initially involved FCA along with the dealer and they were NO help at all. I do not have any confidence in my local dealer.

The first time this happened was in stop and go traffic and stranded my wife at 2 in the morning. She was 2 hours from home. I drove up to meet her and drove the Jeep back with no problems. I could not get it to recreate the issue. Then it happened to me the next day and I drove it straight the dealer. They pressure tested the system. They drove it all over and were not able to recreate it.

They did update the software to address the wifi hotspot thing (still an issue). So I figured maybe some gremlin in the ECU was addressed.

In the last week the overheating issue started again. I can recreate it too! It will happen after driving only about half a mile from the house.

ALL the fluids are in range, the oil is level and not milky.

When the engine coolant temp spikes, the coolant fan is running at full tilt, all the other temperatures are in normal range. The engine coolant temp will spike for about 30 seconds to a minute and then just drop right back to normal range. This typically happens when the engine is idling.

There are no fluid leaks. I've reached back out to FCA for assistance. My local dealer can't see me until 10/17. It's stupid to have this $50k+ Jeep that I can't drive because I don't want to be stranded somewhere.

I told the dealer last time to replace the thermostat and sensors because I believe they are faulty. They wouldn't do it because they didn't have the parts available.

@JeepCares any ideas???

 

[ccdyer2004]

I know it's been a while, but I wanted to update folks who actually read the thread. Right after the initial post, it went in to service (with the "assistance" of the Jeep Cares line) and was there for almost a month. They claimed they'd found the issue and replaced the EGR valve. Of course, they didn't have a rental, so I was out a vehicle for that entire time, but I was just relieved it was fixed. They told me to bring it back after 500 miles to ensure that it looked ok. Everything checked out fine at that appointment (which was also a recall appointment for some steering thing, too).

At 17,500 miles, though (just over 2K miles later), it started up again. Fans would rage - temperature gauge would move up to red, then right back down to normal. Same symptoms as before. I couldn't idle at a stoplight without it doing that. I called to get an appointment at the dealer again and their first available was about 2 weeks out. I figured I'd just live with it until then and drive it only if I absolutely needed to drive it. Then it started having issues idling (apart from the weird overheating gauge behavior) and had no power when trying to accelerate - basically stalled when crossing the road. I called the Service Dept. Manager at that point and he got me in to see them in three days.

Long story short, I was done. I dropped it off to service and walked right over and bought a new Rubicon, trading in the Sahara.

After I'd already done that, I found out it was going to get a full engine replacement due to a vague comment about "two bad cylinders" which I can only imagine was caused by their inability to find the initial problem.

Hopefully no one else has this issue...

My wife had a 2018 2.0 that we bought with 15,000 miles on it. It was the dealer loaner vehicle. I think it was at about 112,000 when the temperature gauge started going up and the fans would rage. She would turn the heater on and bring it right back down. The problem was for us, we were way out of warranty, we didn't have another vehicle for her to drive daily and how far did I want to go down the rabbit hole with this issue.

I had the radiator flushed and on the way home it was worse than ever, so we went that day and traded it off for a 2022 Gladiator. She had always wanted one of those anyways. Bad part was, it was paid off and now we got a payment but oh well, we don't have the stress and hassle of that issue anymore.

 

[azjl#3]

Man, sorry for the issues. Makes me glad I avoided that $5000 under normal price low mile 2.0 last month.

Can't say enough good about the 3.6 though, I have had 4 of those things, just needed oil, but my 2012 was a lemon and needed entire front dress replaced part by part until on 12th visit in 9 months I said "lemon" to dealership and jeep bought it back from me for a 2013.

Which is also why folks, make sure every visit is documented. Mine tried to do the oh bring it in, fix it, no paperwork route, meaning the visit never counted.

Reminds of ford ecoboost, documentary asked ford dealers mechs whcih f150 they would buy, all of them said the 5.0, not the boosted one. Full disclosure, I have a 335i beemer, boosted, 90,000 miles of zero trouble.

 

[JeepCares]

I'm having almost the exact same problem on my 2019 JLU 2.0L Sahara. I initially involved FCA along with the dealer and they were NO help at all. I do not have any confidence in my local dealer.

The first time this happened was in stop and go traffic and stranded my wife at 2 in the morning. She was 2 hours from home. I drove up to meet her and drove the Jeep back with no problems. I could not get it to recreate the issue. Then it happened to me the next day and I drove it straight the dealer. They pressure tested the system. They drove it all over and were not able to recreate it.

They did update the software to address the wifi hotspot thing (still an issue). So I figured maybe some gremlin in the ECU was addressed.

In the last week the overheating issue started again. I can recreate it too! It will happen after driving only about half a mile from the house.

ALL the fluids are in range, the oil is level and not milky.

When the engine coolant temp spikes, the coolant fan is running at full tilt, all the other temperatures are in normal range. The engine coolant temp will spike for about 30 seconds to a minute and then just drop right back to normal range. This typically happens when the engine is idling.

There are no fluid leaks. I've reached back out to FCA for assistance. My local dealer can't see me until 10/17. It's stupid to have this $50k+ Jeep that I can't drive because I don't want to be stranded somewhere.

I told the dealer last time to replace the thermostat and sensors because I believe they are faulty. They wouldn't do it because they didn't have the parts available.

@JeepCares any ideas???

Thank you for tagging us. If you need support at that upcoming appointment, let us know.

Kate
Jeep Cares

 

[charlie00tj]

Just talked to the dealer today. They said I had a blown head gasket and the engine needs to be replaced. This is all under warranty. They don't have any lead times on engines. I talked to FCA and they said there are a lot of orders for new engines.

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