Eco diesel or 3.6 gas??

[NC_Overland]

wow i didnt realize that this engine had that many issues. I have the 3.8 in my 2011. Its a dog but really the only issue is that I have had to change the egr solenoid at the back of the engine twice. 143k miles. No manifold cracking either. A/C still works fine as well.

The 3.6l has been a reliable engine for years. many have very high miles on them now and are fine. Pretty much no one would argue that it’s less reliable than the diesel.

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[ShadowsPapa]

wow i didnt realize that this engine had that many issues. I have the 3.8 in my 2011. Its a dog but really the only issue is that I have had to change the egr solenoid at the back of the engine twice. 143k miles. No manifold cracking either. A/C still works fine as well.

And yet there are millions of the 3.6 on the road, the majority of them without issue. There are "class action suits" against several manufacturers, some related to engines - I'd not let that be of any influence.
We've had multiple 3.6 engines in multiple Jeeps. The worst that happened was a spark plug issue at 800 miles - and Jeep said it was a known problem with spark plugs in certain dates and certain Jeep models.

The head issues were years ago - and limited. It's resolved and was not spread over many years.
The suits mention cam issues and yet the years and engines being mentioned makes no sense since there were drastic changes for the 2016 model year which changed the cam, lash adjusters, followers/rockers and more. I take some of what's listed in the suits with a grain of salt.

Remember, it's the internet. Name a problem and I'll find a vehicle or engine with said problem.

I am at 26,000 miles on my 3.6, no misfires, no odd sounds, no issues, no lights, it just runs fine, and tows great. Maybe being a mechanic makes me look at things differently - people come to the web to gripe and the less they understand something, the worse it is in their mind. They see 5 complaints about something and suddenly that engine is trash (regardless of the million+ out there with no issues)

 

[Jeeperjamie]

wow i didnt realize that this engine had that many issues. I have the 3.8 in my 2011. Its a dog but really the only issue is that I have had to change the egr solenoid at the back of the engine twice. 143k miles. No manifold cracking either. A/C still works fine as well.

The 3.8 was the worst mistake jeep ever made. I had that engine in my JKU and considered swapping to a Inline 6. My XJ and TJ did better and had more power than the 3.8 had on 35's and forget about 37's. The 3.6 with the 8spd transmission is perfect pairing as far as I'm concerned and the engine is solid and this coming from a guy who had a failed engine in a 2013 jeep grand Cherokee with the 3.6. Things happen and they did a buy back on the Grand Cherokee because it failed in the first 2000 miles.

 

[Randonexplosion]

I have a 22 Rubicon diesel and my wife has a 21 Mojave gas (of course). Just a few things that I have noticed between the two.

Towing- we tow our ~2500lb boat with the gasser and you barely notice it is there around town but the engine needs to keep at a pretty high RPM to pull up even a minor grade on the highway. Thats not a problem because the pentastar likes to rev. I have towed my 10k dump trailer (3300 lbs with ~1700 lbs of debris) with the diesel and it just loves to pull it. It seems happier with weight behind it.

Daily Driving- the diesel actually seems smoother at idle and zips around town quicker.

MPG- Mojave averages around 17 and the diesel around 21. Both of us mostly drive around town with a lot of stop and go.

Suspension- the Mojave suspension is awesome. The Rubicon diesel is awesome compared to the gas Rubicon that we test drove. Probably because of the extra weight up front but it is soft and compliant.

Just some little anecdotes but it really boils down to the differences between gas and diesel in general. Im a diesel fan and have had Duramaxes for the last 13 years. If you are pushing either gladiator to the max tow specs you are crazy IMO. Its a Jeep afterall...

 

[Carrotzilla]

Well my 1997 ram 3500 has a turbo. Never had a problem with it and it's 26 years old. ?

A Cummings is much different than the Italian sourced motor (also used in the little Chevy truck). My eco destroyed itself at 6k miles. Some warranty on the Ram. After lemon law court, Fiat bought the truck back.

 

[Larry D]

A Cummings is much different than the Italian sourced motor (also used in the little Chevy truck). My eco destroyed itself at 6k miles. Some warranty on the Ram. After lemon law court, Fiat bought the truck back.

Don't cherry pick! He said anything with a turbo. ?

 

[NC_Overland]

The 3.8 was the worst mistake jeep ever made. I had that engine in my JKU and considered swapping to a Inline 6. My XJ and TJ did better and had more power than the 3.8 had on 35's and forget about 37's. The 3.6 with the 8spd transmission is perfect pairing as far as I'm concerned and the engine is solid and this coming from a guy who had a failed engine in a 2013 jeep grand Cherokee with the 3.6. Things happen and they did a buy back on the Grand Cherokee because it failed in the first 2000 miles.

The 4.0l was used in JK test mules. It had worse performance than the 3.8l. The JK, especially JKU, was a lot heavier than the TJs. Ever drive a stock 2 door JK manual? They drive great. Especially, with the 3.73 or 4.10 gear option.

 

[NC_Overland]

A Cummings is much different than the Italian sourced motor (also used in the little Chevy truck). My eco destroyed itself at 6k miles. Some warranty on the Ram. After lemon law court, Fiat bought the truck back.

They’re both Italian diesels, but the Colorado Canyon used a 4 cylinder. It’s super weak in them. I took one for a test drive when I bought my Canyon and it was a very short test drive. The 3.6l/8 speed gas option felt like a rocket ship in comparison. The JL/JT diesel is way more powerful and quicker than the gas.

 

[Jeeperjamie]

The 4.0l was used in JK test mules. It had worse performance than the 3.8l. The JK, especially JKU, was a lot heavier than the TJs. Ever drive a stock 2 door JK manual? They drive great. Especially, with the 3.73 or 4.10 gear option.

I had the 3.73 gears in my JKU Mountain edition and I also drove a guys JKU that had done a 4.0 swap and the power felt lot better in 4.0, especially the low end torque. Felt like it had more power off the line as well. Just how it felt to me

 

[NC_Overland]

I had the 3.73 gears in my JKU Mountain edition and I also drove a guys JKU that had done a 4.0 swap and the power felt lot better in 4.0, especially the low end torque. Felt like it had more power off the line as well. Just how it felt to me

Wait, what, people wasted the money to put in an engine with lower horsepower and torque numbers? That’s ridiculous. If I’m going through that much trouble, it’s going to be a V8 swap. It used to be easy to find the test data, I tried looking once recently and didn’t see it, but I only looked for like 10 min. I used to have a dyno chart that showed the 3.8l making more, or maybe the same, torque at a lower RPM than the 4.0l, but I lost it when I refused to pay for photobucket.

 

[TheSandeman]

Penta and EcoD are night and say for me when I drove both- rented one in PR and my buddy let me borrow his EcoD for a week- found myself placing an order that following day

 

[Jeeperjamie]

Wait, what, people wasted the money to put in an engine with lower horsepower and torque numbers? That’s ridiculous. If I’m going through that much trouble, it’s going to be a V8 swap. It used to be easy to find the test data, I tried looking once recently and didn’t see it, but I only looked for like 10 min. I used to have a dyno chart that showed the 3.8l making more, or maybe the same, torque at a lower RPM than the 4.0l, but I lost it when I refused to pay for photobucket.

Yeah, the guy blew the 3.8 engine at 89,000 miles and it was out of warranty. He found a rebuilt 4.0 for $900 And swapped it in for around $1600 total. I swear it had more crawling lower off road than the 3.8 did, that's comparing it to a automatic with 3.8. The manual with a 3.8 was a different story, it just didn't pair well with auto IMO. I hated it but still loved my JKU

 

[NC_Overland]

Yeah, the guy blew the 3.8 engine at 89,000 miles and it was out of warranty. He found a rebuilt 4.0 for $900 And swapped it in for around $1600 total. I swear it had more crawling lower off road than the 3.8 did, that's comparing it to a automatic with 3.8. The manual with a 3.8 was a different story, it just didn't pair well with auto IMO. I hated it but still loved my JKU

I had an ‘08 JKU Rubicon 6 speed back in the day. First new vehicle I ever bought. They were just too heavy for the power output of either engine.

 

[Kintama40]

Quick answer to the question diesel or gas is "yes".

Those who have diesel will preach that diesel is the way to heaven and gas is a sin and any fool who likes gas engines or believes that are ok will go to the hot place.
Those who have gas will tell you all about the bad stuff associated with owning diesel.

Both will leave out truths.
If you own a diesel and suggest a gas engine, you are admitting maybe your love for diesel isn't what you proclaim
If you own gas and say diesel is the way, the truth, the light, then you are admitting maybe you have second thoughts about gas power.

You will never get 100% honest assessments from the owners of either. They bought for their needs and more than that, their wants.
There will be talk of mpg and the cost of fuel - but they will leave out the initial costs, the cost of oil, filters, DEF, fuel pumps and other costs that in the end can either even things out, or make the diesel more expensive to own in the long haul.

I've owned things over the years with gas and diesel engines. Each has pros and cons.
For my purposes, the gasser has been extremely cheap to own and maintain, fuel is everywhere, and it tows like a dream - RPM actually LOWER than my Silverado equipped with LS, and the 3.6 delivered better mpg when towing than my LS, the 3.6 didn't have to rev as high (but it can handle it if necessary). It's quiet - to the point of almost getting out forgetting it's still running.

I won't diss the diesel - it has its points and it fits the needs - or desires, which is more accurately said, of those who own 'em. I have found no reason to own a diesel truck in all of the years I've hauled antique tractors or engines to shows, or cars to and from show. Diesel power was different for the farm, I just never saw a need for it in my pickups. In fact, I'm trying to recall if anyone I knew from my farming days ever owned a diesel pickup - and can't think of anyone.

That's me.

What you "need" or "want" is up to you, not anyone else. Drive both, heck, might be worth renting for a while to experience for yourself - might help prevent buyer's remorse down the road. Buying diesel then later wishing you had gone gas, or buying gas and then later really wishing for your personal needs you had gone diesel - expensive mistake.

I’ve ran diesel fleets for the last 20 years. Are diesels expensive when they break, yes. The oil change is 60 dollars more then the gasser, DEF is cheap, and it only needs filled every 5k. I honestly think the diesel is the best version of this truck. It’s got the power, and the steering feels better with the added weight of the motor.

 

[badtux]

1. There are roughly 40 million Pentastars on the road, most trouble-free. It's a well known engine that is easy to repair and with parts in stock at most dealerships. Manufactured in Detroit and in Mexico, any parts not in stock are easy to source. Fairly simple engine with no direct injection, no turbocharger, no timing belt to need replacing.

The 3.0L Fiat turbo-diesel.... only a million or so on the road in the US. Made in Italy with fine Fiat worksmanship. Parts are expensive and often have to be shipped from Italy if they aren't in American warehouses. Maintenance is expensive. Very complex exhaust system that's easy to get clogged up. (Not to mention DEF, but that's a given). Complex turbocharger setup. Longevity on the first-generation 3.0L V6 diesels was underwhelming. We're on the second generation now I think, nobody knows how long they'll last, but it's a Fiat, not a Cummins, so.

When I bought my new Gladiator, Flamma the Gladiator, I bought the Pentastar. I wanted the simplest setup least likely to strand me (same reason I got the Sport, I wanted the least amount of fancy crap to break). The downside is that the Pentastar has about as much torque as a 12 year old girl. You have to wind it *way* up to get moving when you're towing a 4000 pound trailer, and then it takes a *long* time to get up a head of steam. That said once it got up a head of steam it did pretty well, and was fairly economical too. I had the cruise control set to 60mph and averaged over 15mpg.

If you are towing regularly, get a diesel. The additional low-end grunt makes it less frustrating. If you are towing occasionally, like me, the Pentastar is perfectly adequate if sluggish and gets surprisingly good fuel economy while towing. If you don't plan on towing, the Pentastar is actually somewhat fun with the 4.10 gearing and stock tires on my Max Tow Sport. Which just goes to show that gearing matters.

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