Which engine is easiest to work on?

[aldo98229]

I'd suggest the 2.0t. Yes it has the turbo but it does have the most room in the engine compartment (relatively speaking), its reliability is still so far so good, and in this era of conversion to EV, the 2.0t will have the longest production lifespan. The diesel already has a rapidly approaching expiration date and the 3.6 is quite likely to be next on the chopping block.

True. But Chrysler has literally produced millions of those V6s, which will stay in circulation for years to come.

Even if FCA pulled the plug on the V6 tomorrow, I don’t see parts availability becoming an issue any time soon.

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[Hennessey17]

I HATE the red on the rubi.. wish Jeep would offer it with white stitching or not force ugly tan seats.. I get it. The swaybar isn't a big deal, run it til it quits and then convert to manual engagement.

I love the red dash and red hooks and think they both would look great on my Hydro Blue Sport... and I ordered tan seats, but the dealer effed it up and ordered black.

 

[OrneryBear]

With Sarge, the tan leather looks great! If I was ordering new, I'd order a base Rubi with the manual, spend the $995 for 4.88s and add cold weather and call it a day..

Ya if we go rubi that's probably similar. I'd add towing too.

 

[OrneryBear]

Yes, it is the clutch. But you need a clutch to operate the manual transmission.

I have seen mixed results from people who replaced the OE clutch with an aftermarket one.

I'm just thinking if it's just the clutch I can fix that. It seems like the newest CF2 clutch is pretty good, but again, since there is no REAL data on the issue, who knows. I'm in agreement with you and the 2.0t is looking great to me right now.

 

[oldcjguy]

The 2.0 is probably the easiest to work on as far as normal maintenance. Normal spin on oil filter and you need to pull the intake manifold and throttle body on the 3.6 to get to the spark plugs and coil packs.

 

[JT1]

The 2.0 is probably the easiest to work on as far as normal maintenance. Normal spin on oil filter and you need to pull the intake manifold and throttle body on the 3.6 to get to the spark plugs and coil packs.

Yanking the intake is a breeze. Coils and plugs are cheapish and don't have to be changed often. The 2.0 is direct injected, it will gas dilute your oil, and those injectors are expensive. Turbos are also a wear item..

 

[OrneryBear]

@JT1 & @oldcjguy

Damn you both are making solid points.

 

[Coltron_Actual]

I'd suggest the 2.0t. Yes it has the turbo but it does have the most room in the engine compartment (relatively speaking), its reliability is still so far so good, and in this era of conversion to EV, the 2.0t will have the longest production lifespan. The diesel already has a rapidly approaching expiration date and the 3.6 is quite likely to be next on the chopping block.

True. But Chrysler has literally produced millions of those V6s, which will stay in circulation for years to come.

Even if FCA pulled the plug on the V6 tomorrow, I don’t see parts availability becoming an issue any time soon.

Laughs in 4.0L I-6.

We're approaching 20 years since these engines left production and I haven't worried once about parts availability between MOPAR itself and third party. Considering the gas Chrysler engines, I wouldn't let future parts availability influence my choice. In fact, you should truly be concerned about parts availability right now, if there's some component that becomes a major issue. Case in point, I have a 2022 Kawasaki KLR650. Fuel pump failures are becoming real common lately and the replacements are on backorder nationwide.

 

[GrayWolf.Overland]

manual transmission seems like a bad idea with the number of issues with the clutch. It's not one-off and there is even a recent thread of one forum member whose jeep got burned when just cruising on the freeway

Diesel is on its way out after the Farout edition. So its basically between 2.0 and 3.6.. its a toss up IMHO. There is not much interesting about both engines - in a good way

I know you like simplicity - so a word of advice - do not think Engine +ESS is "simpler" compared to E-torque. The whole secondary/aux battery gimmick to get ESS working is much more complicated than the elegance of e-torque motor. So e-torque should be the preferred way if you like ESS to be reliable.

 

[OrneryBear]

manual transmission seems like a bad idea with the number of issues with the clutch. It's not one-off and there is even a recent thread of one forum member whose jeep got burned when just cruising on the freeway

Diesel is on its way out after the Farout edition. So its basically between 2.0 and 3.6.. its a toss up IMHO. There is not much interesting about both engines - in a good way

I know you like simplicity - so a word of advice - do not think Engine +ESS is "simpler" compared to E-torque. The whole secondary/aux battery gimmick to get ESS working is much more complicated than the elegance of e-torque motor. So e-torque should be the preferred way if you like ESS to be reliable.

What are you thinking when you say the diesel is on it's way out being an issue. If I order the thing with the diesel now, what do I care if it's discontinued after? I guess other than parts availability when compared to 2.0 and 3.6.

I'll definitely look closer at the etorque. Only reason I was shying away was the reading about issues with the expensive 48v battery pack and charging issues. in addition that generator/motor attached to the front of the engine is going to be another 1-1.5k to replace when it goes out, and how available is that going to be? Aux battery going out and needing replaced didn't seem like a big deal to me. That was my logic anyway, please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Traveller128]

We are going with sarge green, so the red is especially jarring. I don't mind the tan on green, so that might be the route.

Check to see, but on the Rubicon for 2022, ordering the tan leather got you the gray dash like the Willys, not the red. It's one of those unadvertised things. Tan leather looks great with the Sarge Green exterior.

 

[tshaw2009]

I just ordered my first Wrangler, a Sarge Green Willys 2 Door with the 2.0L Turbo on August 8th. I really look forward to driving it for a very long time. Here's why I went with the 2.0L. I know this Wrangler is not a Ford but my 2011 F-150 had the 1st gen 3.5L Twin Turbo V6 and everyone warned me that it would be a money pit. You hear all the horror stories (valve coking, cylinder misfires, leaking turbo fittings, overheating turbos, blah, blah, blah). I didn't get rid of that truck until it had over 250k miles on it. All I did was routine maintenance for the most part. I changed the oil every 5k miles, installed an oil catch can for blow-by, changed spark plugs every 40k, and replaced all the coil packs at 100k and 200k miles. I did have a leaky driver's side turbo fitting which was a very slow leak that I almost didn't catch. The parts cost me $50 and 3 hours of my time to replace with my uncle who is a Ford master mechanic. It was pretty much a breeze to work on. Every powertrain has its weak points. I say drive what is the most fun to you (you know you want that 2.0L, lol) and YouTube will teach the rest about working on it.

 

[OrneryBear]

Check to see, but on the Rubicon for 2022, ordering the tan leather got you the gray dash like the Willys, not the red. It's one of those unadvertised things. Tan leather looks great with the Sarge Green exterior.

Ya if rubicon is the route, then I may HAVE to go with tan leather, please twist my arm!

 

[Shibadog]

I totally get the keep it simple/stupid concept. However the reality today is that no engine options are simple/stupid anymore and are easier to be temporarily fixed on the side of the trail with baling wire and duct tape. With the JL engine options it's really quibbling over minutia in comparison. They're all tightly engineered. To get a truly simple to repair engine you need to go back to a CJ or YJ.

So bottom line is I wouldn't let easy to repair have too much influence on my engine choice beyond ease of routine maintenance.

This. The days of using “simple to fix” and “engine” in the same sentence are past. The engines themselves aren’t too much more complex than they’ve always been, BUT the electronic fuel injection systems and electronic control units required to make things work are WAAYY beyond what most of us can do. I’ve rebuilt engines (pistons, rings, bearings, cams) in days gone by but wouldn’t even try today. I’d recommend you go for the one that you like best. I’d be driving a diesel Jeep today IF they put them in a 2 dr. I lusted after the 2.2 sold overseas, but we never got a shot at it. The 3.0. EcoD is a great power plant, got one in my Ram and it’s been perfect. 4 dr, 2 WD full size pickup that will easily break 30 on the highway (best seen in the 6 years I’ve had it was 32.6 for a 550 mile trip hand calculated). The 2.0 is a little screamer-lots of zip and great mileage (for a Jeep anyway). I’m consistently mid to upper 20’s in my JL with Rubi wheels/tires and Rockhard Patriot aluminum bumpers with a Smittybilt winch. Never, ever had a Jeep that would even get CLOSE to those numbers. No 1 Son has a Gladiator with the 3.6 and drives mostly short haul and is getting 20.6 average out of it. I don’t think you’ll go too wrong with ANY of your choices.

 

[oldcjguy]

Yanking the intake is a breeze. Coils and plugs are cheapish and don't have to be changed often. The 2.0 is direct injected, it will gas dilute your oil, and those injectors are expensive. Turbos are also a wear item..

Agreed, the 3.6 intake is very easy to remove, but not quite as easy as not having to remove it at all
Turbo is 100% a wear item, but they last a long time. It's not like brakes or belts.
I don't buy into the hype about DI gas washing the oil. DI engines are generally more efficient. Non-DI motors get gas in the oil too. I change my oil regularly and I'm not worried about it. I do run an oil catch can because there is no fuel spray on the back of the intake valve with a DI engine. I'd probably run one on a 3.6 too, just to help keep the intake cleaner.
All that being said non-DI motors are 1000% easier to change injectors. Changing injectors on a non-DI motor is easier than changing spark plugs lol.

@OrneryBear Both motors are great. I think it comes down to where you live (elevation favors turbos), how you drive and what you like. I even like the etorque on both engines. I don't find it complicated at all and the etorque battery is warrantied for 8 years. I wouldn't walk away from a good find because it had etorque. I also wouldn't walk away from one that had etorque.

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