TrailRecon- Engine Failure

[roaniecowpony]

Note that your wrenching cred goes up dramatically by using precise terms like "thingy".

I prefer "dumaflatchy".

My gardener uses "chingadero"

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[Only-In-A-Jeep]

They've actually made some updates on the newer engines. For example they added a web between the gaskets for coolant and oil in the oil filter housing.

Would be interesting to know if there was a chance made to the rocker arms... different design, different supplier...etc. Minor tweaks to components happen all the time in the electronics industry that can result in issues being introduced. To be clear, I have no data to say this is the case, but just wondering out loud.

 

[roaniecowpony]

Would be interesting to know if there was a chance made to the rocker arms... different design, different supplier...etc. Minor tweaks to components happen all the time in the electronics industry that can result in issues being introduced. To be clear, I have no data to say this is the case, but just wondering out loud.

I don't know about the rockers, but the "lifters" have had a change during the PUG run.

 

[SadRobot]

Shell?! damn! baller! only time i ever used Shell was when i had a company car with a gas card. just me and my ford fusion and a bunch of bmws lol. actually, not a bunch. like 3 vehicles at a gas station with 12 pumps. meanwhile across the street at arco there was a line of vehicles waiting...

i buy my fuel in bulk at costco.

Ha yeah make sure you fill up your trick on Saturday before you come here. You don't want to be paying the gas prices over by my house.

what octane fuel do you typically run?

Regular 87 except on roadtrips. Some states further east regular is 85 in which case I have to go up to mid grade 88.

 

[roaniecowpony]

what octane fuel do you typically run?

i usually run 87 but @Maverick909 recommended running 91. he said he noticed it helped with the slight engine ticking. i try to put 91 when i remember to.

I have been running 91 since my engine replacement. Pre-ignition and detonation can cause cylinder pressure spikes, which can blow the head gaskets. This is also a reason why running "hot" can lead to blown head gaskets. The hotter the cylinder/head, the less tolerant the engine is of aberations of too much spark advance or lean fuel mixture. Higher octane can give more margin.

 

[TheRaven]

Guys...the rocker failures on 3.6's are a DESIGN ISSUE. This not something that is fixable by the end user. Higher octane is not going to fix it, thicker oil is not going to fix it. These are all just ways to waste even more of your money. Until Stellantis decides to fix the design flaw, it's going to keep happening and there is absolutely nothing that us end users can do to stop it. So instead just hang onto that extra cash for an extended warranty or down payment on a replacement when it happens to you.

 

[mgroeger]

For those that might be thinking about tweaking the viscosity of their oil (as mentioned in the video):

Bruh my ADD will not allow me to watch all of that... I tried. So all I really care about is the 2.0T. It calls for 5w-30 which I run religiously. I have a 2021 Alfa Romeo Stelvio which has the exact same engine and transmission and it calls for 0w-30 which I found very interesting and have always considered bumping up.

 

[Jeep Junkie]

Bruh my ADD will not allow me to watch all of that... I tried. So all I really care about is the 2.0T. It calls for 5w-30 which I run religiously. I have a 2021 Alfa Romeo Stelvio which has the exact same engine and transmission and it calls for 0w-30 which I found very interesting and have always considered bumping up.

5W30 is already solid for your 2.0T. It has less viscosity improvers and is thick too. Problem is we 3.6 people are told to use Prius oil 0w20

 

[Ratbert]

Bruh my ADD will not allow me to watch all of that... I tried. So all I really care about is the 2.0T. It calls for 5w-30 which I run religiously. I have a 2021 Alfa Romeo Stelvio which has the exact same engine and transmission and it calls for 0w-30 which I found very interesting and have always considered bumping up.

Same engine, same intake, same exhaust, same cooling, and same tune?

 

[TheRaven]

while that could be the case, isnt it possible these band aids we are all suggesting will at least push that date with death further down the line? Metoprolol isnt going to fix my heart issues but it will keep me alive a bit longer. in conjunction with other band aid medications i take.

It IS the case. This is no mystery, we know what's happening and why. And also, NO, higher octane fuel is not going to do ANYTHING AT ALL in regards to the rocker issue. Oil has a better chance of making a difference, the problem is that switching a 20 weight to even a 40 weight is nowhere near enough to move the metaphorical needle. Going up the scale further, if possible, would only offset your gains due to the fact that thicker oils take longer to get through the motor.

Sorry but the reality is that there are only two remedies for us - extended warranty or trade it before it happens. Only Stellantis can fix this and they aren't going to redesign a motor that's going to be gone in a couple years. You can trade up for the 2.0 but then you're just dealing with completely different but equally frustrating issues.

 

[Jeep Junkie]

ive been using Mobil 1 5w30 since i bought my JLUS 3.6 in May 2018. i recently hit 40k. im on 37s with steel bumpers, 4.88 gears and wheel it often in the so cal heat. going on year 7 now. i will be switching to Mobil 1 0w30 now and probably doing more frequent oil changes just to be safe. my jeep has been running great since day 1 and id prefer to keep it that way. ill be installing the RPM fan controller asap. i already have it. its priority 1 before i take her out again as the weather starts to heat up again here.

my little buddy Gilligan, aka @SadRobot, has been using 0w20 since day 1 and just blew head gasket. of course, she has 108k miles. 107k of which are crawling over rocks.

so......who the F knows.... lol. she's also going to switch to the same oil. per much tech info and recommendations provided to us by @roaniecowpony, who lost his motor at like 36k....

i think ill start putting some coins in the new engine jar already, just in case. and fortunately, my jeep can sit until its fixed. i have additional vehicles to get me to work. i dont know if i would risk offroading this beast if it was my only vehicle....

They say Mobil 1 ESP 0W30 is the real thing, go for it

 

[Jeep Junkie]

Last night I had this 3.6 problem and that Afghan interpreter getting shot in mind before going to bed. My stupid brain created one heck of a dream. I got pulled over by a cop whose Charger had developed a tick. We discussed different oils and my Smith & Wesson Model 29 and then I woke up. Nobody was shot in the dream

 

[TheRaven]

sure we can trust what the jeep engineers say, until they say something different. much like the corvette engineers. im sure there is FAAAAAR more engineering $ put into the corvette's motor program than into the 3.6 (or even hemi) and they still came back and changed their tune (pun intended). oem engineers are under their bosses directive. its not like they can go and say "yeah, we know people should be using XXwXX but management wants them to use XX for this reason. even when they no longer work there, probably dont want to say anything opposite if you want to keep working in the industry. tow the line....

Why would managers (or more likely "bean counters") care about the oil that the engineer's specify? That's silly. The only reason that the bean counters might care is long term longevity (because it affects the reputation of the automaker and thus the bottom line)...but then they would not be changing the recommendations of the powerplant team.

This idea that engineers are being overridden by accounting on things like oil viscosity or fuel octane is absolutely ridiculous. Just like the idea that automakers are spec'ing oil for "fuel mileage". Some people just want to invent conspiracies.

 

[mgroeger]

Same engine, same intake, same exhaust, same cooling, and same tune?

Same engine and intake, exhaust not sure and I'm sure there is different tune especially on the transmission. The Alfa forums say to use M1 0w-30 specific for Euro.

 

[gato]

I don´t hate ´em, but it ain´t trouble free....

No engine is trouble free. However, the problems with the 3.6 are known, well documented issues that persist for a decade and a 1/2 - like the oil filter housing cracking doing a simple oil change, the cam/ticking issues, etc. And there is a miles long wait list with Jeepers out of service waiting for months on 3.6 parts. No such 6 months+ backlog exists for the 2.0.

Jeep/Stellantis just give the middle finger to 3.6 owners, because the engine is on it's way out and they have no incentive to fix it.

The 2.0 is a global strategic Stellantis engine, that will be in production till the end of ICE.

3.0 Diesel = cancelled.
5.7 Hemi = cancelled, talks of resuscitating a dinosaur.
6.4 Hemi = "final edition", to be cancelled, then talks of resuscitating it.
2.0T (and 3.0T, with similar cylinder/architecture) = strategic engines, where investment is being made to keep them reliable and current.

6MT = horrible, legacy, Stellantis can't wait to phase it out.
ZF8 = strategic transmission, build both by ZF and Stellantis under license.

You need to know how to read what manufacturers are investing in and what they are trying to abandon/kill.

Don't buy dead end powertrains. On the JL, the only thing that is not dead end is 2.0T+ZF8.

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