Pondering about getting a jeep wrangler . New. 2 door Sport. Power nothing. Plain Jane. But dam there’s a lot of bad reviews on these engines. Are they as bad as advertised ???!
3.6 pentastar as bad as it seems ???
- Thread starter Gawardawg
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I thought the PS was one of their more reliable engines?
Pentastars are excellent engines. Like all engines there are known issues, such as camshafts, and early cylinder head issues. There are several high mileage examples driving all around you every day.
I wouldn’t touch a jeep myself except for the regular Cherokee 4.0
I wouldn’t touch a jeep myself except for the regular Cherokee 4.0
Worse
We have a 2014 Chrysler T&C that rolled up 91k today on our trip to Canada. Like other makes it has some issues but they’ve made a lot of them. I’d buy another one in a heartbeat.
I use FS motor oil and change it when the EVIC says to. Usually between 8-9.5k miles.
Just my $0.02
I use FS motor oil and change it when the EVIC says to. Usually between 8-9.5k miles.
Just my $0.02
We have one in my son’s ‘17 Wrangler. 96,000 miles runs great does not use any oil at all. Only repair has been the oil filter housing. I would buy another Jeep with this engine without hesitation.
Problem I've heard about with Chrysler engines (including the HEMI) is the steel the cam is made of is soft. I don't know if that's what is causing the cam failures, or maybe it's because of quality control issues with the lifter roller needle bearings. Seems like the valvetrain is the achilles heel. The same can be said for the GM Ecotec engines in recent years with AFM lifters. Heard of them sticking and wiping cams, a lot, in as little as a few hundred miles.
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The same folks bragging up engines like this are the same that brag up the youtube mechanics.
Most know absolutely nothing about what a correct design should look like.
All automobile engines are in this day and age made as inexpensive as possible, many corners are cut, some how some of them will last and many won't.
Don't most jeeps now use a CVT?
Most know absolutely nothing about what a correct design should look like.
All automobile engines are in this day and age made as inexpensive as possible, many corners are cut, some how some of them will last and many won't.
Don't most jeeps now use a CVT?
4WD
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My PS was so bad I that put a 1997 Crown Vic engine in it …
How many Pentastar 3.6 engines are out there????? A lot. Jeeps, Chargers, Challengers, RAM pickup trucks, Pro Vans, Town and Country Vans. A lot. Early designs had bad left heads. There are some bad roller lifters. The gaskets under the intake leak sometimes. But that's about it. I have had 2014, 2018 and current 2022 RAM 1500 Classic trucks. Zero problems. Wife's 2019 Charger 3.6. Zero problems. Had Jeep JKU 3.6, zero problems. Sold it to buddy, over 70K miles zero problems. Have 2023 Challenger SXT 3.6 coming, the engine hasn't scared me off. My daughter's Durango 3.6 at "175K miles" the intake gaskets gave up. She loves the truck will not trade it in. Several police cars / trucks with 3.6's in them zero problems. Do 3.6's have "some' problems? Sure they do. But not like the internet Doom & Gloom would have you believe.
4WD
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Can always get the 4T … actually a bit more torq
If they were as bad as some say, I'd expect to have a hard time getting around town as the streets would be completely littered with broken down vehicles, however that does not seem to be the case. They have sold tons and tons of vehicles with these engines. Some will have problems, many will not. Just like other engines from other manufacturers.
Owen Lucas
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Isn't this the engine that had a coolant line running through the oil pan?
Owen Lucas
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I know there was and engine with that design, maybe the 2.7? I remember writing a few estimates where I had to replace an engine for Mechanical Breakdown Insurance and there were very few donors because most of them had suffered the fate of an internal coolant leak directly into the oil. IIRC this was on the Magnums but I haven't written an estimate on one of those in quite a while.
The later Pentastars are great. Mine has been perfect so far after 5 years.
People like to vent. You can find the same thing about Ford, Chevy, Toyota, all of them. Google "cam phasers" or "AFM".
Dont know like uh your post?
Pentastars have some known issues. If you made 10million 1% having issues would be 100000.
The most common are the oil filter housing leaking (possibly due to overtightening)
and bad parts in the valvetrain.
Almost all the late model ones use the zf 9speed for FWD/AWD and the ZF 8 speed for RWD/AWD.
FWIW the pentastar is lightyears ahead of the overengineered Tigershark 2.4L
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