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Should I Stay or Should I Go Now??

JeepAustinWeird

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I'm trying to decide if I should take this as a warning and jump ship or just take it in stride and chalk it up to it being a Jeep....

I like many here have dealt with the nuisances of getting messages like Aux Switches Unavailable, Battery Charging.......Start/Stop not working, Service Start/Stop system......and these have been temporary setbacks requiring new batteries in the first and then for the second shutting off engine and restart to "reboot", a few diagnosis of cylinder 6 misfires which required a PCM flash the one time and the next time resulted in needing new spark plugs b/c the ones installed from the factory were incorrect ones (according to service advisor). This spark plug change was in May 2021 at 35K miles check engine light came on for this and OBD code was cylinder 6 misfire. Well fast forward....

At the end of June (2021) I had an incidence where I lost all my engine coolant on my drive to work.....and what it turned out to be was I was in need of replacing my EGR valve. Ok I can deal with that....it is a vehicle and with 36K miles now and warranty expired things will go wrong. [I did buy the extended through Tom, thank God]. That got replaced, but since then I periodically continued to visually inspect my coolant level. A few times starting in Aug 2021, I stopped by the dealer b/c I felt the level had dropped from where they filled my overflow tank after fixing my EGR valve and was worried (ie paranoid) that I still have a leak and don't want to run out of coolant and damage my engine, especially in the nice TX summer. It got to the point where the coolant level was barely above the aluminum bracket that holds in place.
Jeep Wrangler JL Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?? Coolant low


So I did what any prudent person would do.....I topped off and went about my days.....all the while keeping an eye on it. It continued to drop and so I took it back to the dealer 10/12 to see what is the problem.....

No signs of coolant leaking anywhere in engine, on ground, or mixing into my oil (head gasket). But Crap its going somewhere. I'm thinking maybe I have another prob with my EGR valve. I've kept a photo archive of different levels during all this to show my advisor at the dealer and he agrees something isn't right.

They did an overnight pressure test on the system at 60psi and he said it only dropped maybe 1/2 psi so basically held pressure, but running diagnostics on things (not entirely sure what all that means) that some numbers didn't look right so digging deeper found one of my spark plugs was "wet". I think he said the numbers were indicating a problem with cylinder 6 AGAIN. He was thinking at this point maybe I do have a bad head gasket. Well, doing more digging, that wasn't the problem. He said that by doing some measurements my cylinder 6 head sizing was not within the tolerance levels, and basically they were going to have to replace cylinder 6....which translates into him saying

"WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO REPLACE YOUR ENGINE"........ I'M LIKE WTF!!!!!

He did admit that by applying the pressure overnight that may have expedited worsening the problem...but that having a bad or mis-sized cylinder was the culprit for losing my coolant.

I don't know why the cylinder sizing would have deteriorated or if it's normal for this kind of engine deterioration at 39k miles.

Is this essentially like a death sentence? Should I be thinking "Cool, I'm getting a new engine" so it'll be like having a new jeep (mechanically) or should I be thinking this is the beginning of the end for this vehicle? I truly love my JL, but don't want to be caught in a perpetuating cycle of now that I've reached the point of having to replace my engine, it is just going to cascade to subsequent issues. I've seen another post where someone had to replace their engine and then in short order had problems with their A/C, Electronic throttle control, etc.

Jeep is covering the cost of all this, but of course the biggest problem is dealers don't have loaners so I am without a vehicle, dealers don't have vehicles on their lots should I decide to run from this, and lastly no timeframe as to how long this is going to take. I'll hopefully know in the a.m., if and when an engine is available, but was told best case scenario is I'm looking at a week+ till done. Needless to say this kind of situation is not one I'd wish on anyone.

Should I be ok with the dealer replacing my engine????

Anyone have any words of encouragement or been through having to replace their engine and things worked out fine?
Thanks
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multicam

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First of all, thanks for getting that stupid ass song stuck in my head with your thread title. That song sucks so hard.

If they really figured out the problem then this could easily be the end of your woes. I would stick it out and see how it ends up. Just be sure to document everything...

What is weird though is that they can’t get you in a loaner or cover a rental. If they’re admitting that it’s an issue under warranty worthy of engine replacement, they should be prepared to cover your transportation needs.

Good luck!
 

ErAcEr

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First of all, thanks for getting that stupid ass song stuck in my head with your thread title. That song sucks so hard.

If they really figured out the problem then this could easily be the end of your woes. I would stick it out and see how it ends up. Just be sure to document everything...

What is weird though is that they can’t get you in a loaner or cover a rental. If they’re admitting that it’s an issue under warranty worthy of engine replacement, they should be prepared to cover your transportation needs.

Good luck!
I second all of this (except the song).

Also can you tell us what your build date was -- for thoes of us whom have 2018 models to possibly be aware of. Because i had a wee bit of coolant loss at first and then it stopped. Hmmmm.
 
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JeepAustinWeird

JeepAustinWeird

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I second all of this (except the song).

Also can you tell us what your build date was -- for thoes of us whom have 2018 models to possibly be aware of. Because i had a wee bit of coolant loss at first and then it stopped. Hmmmm.
Sorry, not sure how I determine the build date...I bought from the dealer Oct 5, 2018 and It had just gotten to the dealer.
 

ErAcEr

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Sorry, not sure how I determine the build date...I bought from the dealer Oct 5, 2018 and It had just gotten to the dealer.
Build date is on the tag in the driver door seam, or so I was told. But most likely its a Mar-July starting build since your Oct purchase.
 

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mwilk012

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Man, I got about 1/4 of the way through your post and decided you need an engine. The spark plug story was just too big of a lie by the dealership. So yes, the answer is you should go, to a competent mechanic. Get that free engine though.
 

John VonJeep

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Jeep is paying all the cost of the new engine. At this point, resale on your Jeep with the current engine is shot. Get your new engine and see how it goes. Sorry for your troubles. I hope the new engine is a gem.
 

wandrur

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Another vote for pursuing the new engine via Jeep warranty. Curious, though, if Jeep actually replaces the entire engine or only the block...hopefully a complete, new engine.

I also think the lines they fed you are BS.
 

ads75

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I would definitely have the dealer replace the engine. But I probably still wouldn't feel to comfortable about it. After the engine is replaced, you could shop around. If you don't find something you want or are willing to pay for, wait. If you have continue to have more than minor problems with your Wrangler, I would probably bite the bullet and bail on it. As far as timelines for the engine, especially in todays world, good luck. My dealer said his system said it would take 4-5 days for me to get a new radio, neither of us really believed it. It took about 5 weeks for him to get it.
 

areuriding

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Your fine man, don't sweat it, things happen and your under warranty. You'll get a new short block and be back in business. PITA I know but as I said things happen, let it play out.
 

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sconrad24

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One thing to keep in mind is the warranty. Make sure to ask and get in writing what the go forward warranty will be. I'd make sure they give you another 5 years 60,000 miles on the new engine. Ideally for the whole powertrain. If Jeep and the dealer stand by the fixes, your problems could be over. I'd get the new engine and research shops in your area that deal with Jeeps as a backup.
 
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BlackTanJL22

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id be going after them for a rental, why should you have to pay out of your pocket?
 

Hearhear

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I would vote "stay" with your Jeep until after the new engine is installed. You need to get the engine replaced before you can do anything with the Jeep anyway, you can't sell it with a failed engine, at least not with a clean conscience. So get the engine replaced and see if any problems crop up after. If you have any problems after the new engine is installed, then trade it in on a new Jeep at the same dealer that installed the engine. This would also be a little test to see if they stand behind their work.
 

Sarge50

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You said you have an extended warranty, it should cover the costs of a rental. Check your policy.
 
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JeepAustinWeird

JeepAustinWeird

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You said you have an extended warranty, it should cover the costs of a rental. Check your policy.
Well what do you know....your right... Thank you. I did look and says it will pay up to $35/day for rental allowance BUT also states "Total rental allowance per occurrence is a maximum of 5 days or $175". Since the dealer has no cars, I'll have to pursue through a car rental co....not sure how the payment process goes with that route (ie they collect from Jeep, or me and then I have to claim for reimbursement)....I'll dig a little deeper.
Guess I will find out this morning my estimated wait time for an engine, pretty sure it'll go past the 5 days though :headbang:
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