3.0 ecodiesel

[Tom C]

Diesel fuel has comes down to around $5 a gal, same as 87 atm in my area. With my setup, I'm getting 21 mpg, that's atleast 6 miles more per gallon than the gas. 6 x 19 gallons tank = 114 divided by 21 mpg = 5.4 gallons x $5 = $27 saving every full tank.

This doesn't applies for everyone:
2 Jugs QS oil $15 x 2 = $33 taxed (were onsale)
Oem oil filter $22 (got it for great deal lol)
Fuel filter $40 every other oil change = $20

For me, just $75 total for an oil and filter change.

Sure glad I don't live in Northern California. :D

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[BigKuntry1971]

I wouldn’t say you’re saving money because of the higher mpg, but you are extending your range substantially. I’ll use a half a tank on some of my trips from my door step and back, buddies in JKs and JLs on 35 and 37’s are on E. There is peace of mind in that, at least for me. I also haven’t had to regear for 37’s and still have 0 trouble in day to day driving, I’m in 8th gear at 70mph at ~1,600 RPM, 23-25mpgs all day… in a shoebox on 37’s. I’m not saving money, but I am saving time on fuel stops.

My 9 quart DIY oil change costs less than $100, every 5,000-10,000 miles, twice a year. DEF is $9 for a 2.5 gallon jug and I got through maybe 3 a year? I do my fuel filter with every oil change, that’s like $60 I think. I’ve yet to have to “clean or replace” a dpf. I also do an airfimter or two and a cabin air filter. All in, I’m out like $400 in maintenance a year?

The 3.6 is sufficient, can be great even, but life is short. Drive what you want when you want and don’t bash something if you’ve not tried it. This forum can be an echo tank, remember that. I’m not married to this truck or motor, might end up being a turd, but for now it’s been awesome.

What year and model gladiator do you have? That's what kind of made more since to me is the oil change like 3 [gas] to 1 [Ecodiesel]. And of course you get more miles per Diesel fuel.
I like the beefier suspension in the Mojave I've been researching. I just read that thier coming out with 4xe in the Gladiator 2025 as well. ( I'm researching that now). In the 4xe it has 375 horse power and plus the 400+ tourqe.

 

[BigKuntry1971]

I did the math on cost per mile based ONLY on fuel costs - a wash. I caught all of the numbers the diesel owners here were tossing about for their real-world mpg and took that compared to my real-world MPG and came out even.
So the fuel cost stuff is a myth, IMO - you don't save anything on fuel in most cases - sometimes you will, sometimes you won't. So ignore that bit.
You have the costs of oil and filters - more oil, more expensive filters.
You have other maintenance costs that differ.

I have yet to see the benefit of one on the road.
I won't diss or poo-poo those who think they need it or that it's necessary- it's their choice.
But the reality is - I've done just fine with gas vehicles and always reserved my diesel ownership to industrial or ag equipment where it's superior.

No one can tell anyone else what to buy or not buy - it's all going to be opinions unless they come out with hard numbers in a spreadsheet. Other than that, it's those who NEED the torque and power - according to them, anyway, vs. those who meh, don't care, don't need, feel no need to have that feeling.

You must do the work yourself - don't let others sway you -
Diesel owners will say you MUST have a diesel, everything else sucks, and it's a part of being a man (at least some seem to need that)
Gasser owners will poo-poo the diesel as being problematic, cantankerous, noisy and so on - but without actually owning one or comparing ownership costs.

If you are that concerned about power, you are looking at the wrong vehicle.
If you want real torque and HP - wait for the 4xe version of the Gladiator.

There, let the flaming begin

I have read they're coming out 2025. And yes I got excited due to the 375 horse power and 400+ torque. I'm doing research on the 4xe as of today.

 

[BigKuntry1971]

With the diesel, don't you have to replace your fuel filter like once a month of something?

I read , I believe, every oil change. Which is between 5000-9500.

 

[Vtur]

Sure glad I don't live in Northern California. :D

My salary is 3x more comparing to most other states, otherwise we would have moved long ago. But, definitely not retiring here though.

 

[BigKuntry1971]

Just found this diesel JT… has a few extra wheels thrown in for the $159,000 price.

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicle/708294414?fuelTypeGroup=DSL&listingType=USED&makeCode=JEEP&modelCode=JEEPGLAD&newSearch=true&numRecords=25&referrer=/cars-for-sale/diesel/jeep/gladiator&sortBy=relevance&zip=02885&clickType=supplemental

Yeah, that would be nice. But that would definitely be a remarkable vehicle with a 392, Hmmm.

 

[BigKuntry1971]

No offense taken. I promise you, I'm not a hater... I just tried to look at the pros & cons of both engines objectively and I chose the one that was best for me. I'm sure you did the same. All that you said above may be true, but the performance specs don't lie. The 3.6 is slightly faster than the 3.0 (stock vs. stock), so anyone claiming otherwise and that the 3.6 is a "slug" is simply wrong. Putting larger tires on them both won't change the power generated by the engines, so I wouldn't expect a drastic change in the acceleration results - all other things being equal, but maybe it would. The superior torque of the diesel would likely overcome the effective gearing change the larger tires would create, so maybe it would turn the tables on the 3.6. I don't know. It would be interesting to see someone test that & find out. If you want to get into modifications, all bets are off - in either direction. Someone could build a freakin' Smart Car that would smoke both of 'em if they threw enough money at it. I'll give you that it is very easy to throw a relatively inexpensive tune on a diesel to get more power though - if you don't care about your warranty. The only way to add a lot of power to the 3.6 would be to bolt on a supercharger (and supporting mods) - which would obviously be a lot more expensive. Then again, a 3.6 + S/C would probably be roughly equal to the original price difference between the 3.6 and the 3.0. - before the crazy incentives were put on the diesels to get rid of them and the other '23s. A '23 3.6 and 3.0 cost roughly the same now.

All that said, the 3.6 and 3.0 are obviously vastly different engines in every way - with completely different power characteristics. The 3.6 makes its power up high in the revs and the diesel makes all of its way down low (as do all diesels). Heck, the diesel redlines about where the 3.6 starts making it's best power - and it goes on up a couple thousand RPMs beyond that. That is also why the transmissions in each shifts the way they do. The diesel shifts earlier and doesn't downshift as quickly because it has all that low-end torque. The 3.6 shifts as needed to keep the revs high where the power is... is not "screaming for help" it's simply running where the power is. It reminds me of a 2-stroke motocross bike vs. a 4-stroke. Truth be told, the diesel is the better "truck engine" because of all that low-end torque. That said, going slow all the time is exactly what gunks the EcoDiesel up so bad. I guess if you offset your slow crawling off-roading with plenty of long distance highway ripping, you can keep that at bay somewhat. Speaking of that, all of the government-mandated emission equipment is exactly what makes pretty much ALL modern diesels more problematic. If not for that, generally - and the other EcoDiesel issues, specifically, I very likely would have bought one. Just look inside the intake tracts of the otherwise internally very clean EcoDiesel in that YouTube video above! Gross! I know that's a second-gen version of that engine (the first that we got here) and that the current/third-gen was significantly redesigned, but I doubt that changed how much crap gets dumped back in the intake. That's a result of the EGR system. Anyway, I think the only way to own a modern diesel long-term now is to live in a state that doesn't do emissions testing and eliminate all of the emissions equipment. Of course that IS a violation of federal law that can earn you some very large (and getting larger) fines - and you'd have to have no regard for the environment, but that would definitely make them much more reliable. Both are just a bridge too far for me. ...but that's me.

So... I'm glad Jeep offered us options, so we could all choose what was best for each of us. I'm sorry the diesel is no longer going to be offered - and I'm sorry it wasn't better when it was. Now all we have is the 3.6 - and apparently soon, the 4xe with its 4-cyl turbo + electric. Maybe I'll try one of those next, but they are also very complex. I don't have a lot of hope for those long-term either. Maybe I'll just say "screw it" and buy a TJ with the 4.0 next.

Yeah I'm really wondering how the Gladiator will drive and maneuver with a 4xe in a vehicle that big.

 

[Jefe1018]

What year and model gladiator do you have? That's what kind of made more since to me is the oil change like 3 [gas] to 1 [Ecodiesel]. And of course you get more miles per Diesel fuel.
I like the beefier suspension in the Mojave I've been researching. I just read that thier coming out with 4xe in the Gladiator 2025 as well. ( I'm researching that now). In the 4xe it has 375 horse power and plus the 400+ tourqe.

I’m in a 2021, so the first year the diesel was available in the JT.

The only thing that would worry me about 4XE is compromised towing to make up for the payload capacity taken up by the weight of the batteries.

 

[Raven65]

Yeah I'm really wondering how the Gladiator will drive and maneuver with a 4xe in a vehicle that big.

The Gladiator is only what... roughly 500 lbs heavier than the Wrangler Unlimited... should I'd think a Gladiator 4xe will drive about the same as the Wrangle 4xe. I think they're going to update/enhance the 4xe system for the Gladiator too... so maybe it'll have a larger battery and/or provide more power. I suspect it'll be a lot more expensive than I'll be willing to spend though (even with the Federal incentives). We'll see soon enough.

 

[Raven65]

This video just came up in my YouTube feed. It’s only a few days old… has it made the rounds on here yet? I have to say though… most of the comments on it from owners (as on here) are very positive.

 

[RidingDonkeys]

Should I or Should I not?
I test drove a 2021 Gladiator the other day, loved it. I researched the motor when I got home and all I'm seeing is thier doing away with this engine. So if I go buy a 2023, apparently last year for this motor. Where and when or even Will the parts be available at all after I buy one. Even say 5 or 20 years down the road?
I read they are taken it out of Gladiator. Are they also taking it out of all Jeeps or just Gladiator?
Thanks for all information.

I'm going to address this as someone who has lived outside of the USA for most of the last 20 years. The Ecodiesel is only being discontinued in the US market. The Pentastar is being discontinued in most of the EU market. It all comes down to pricing and efficiency and has nothing to do with reliability.

Everyone is going to see a more efficient Gladiator over the next two years. The US drops the diesel, which is an expensive option, and will add a PHEV version like the 4xe. There is no sense in having two different expensive engine options.

The EU market prefers diesel because diesel is less expensive there and more efficient. (Remember kids, the only reason we pay more for diesel in the US is because of taxes. Blame Ronald Reagan.) So the EU (most of it) keeps the diesel and loses the gas option. They too will get the PHEV version within the next couple of years.

The diesel might be the minority here in the US, but it is absolutely THE engine of choice in many other markets. The diesel is not going anywhere. It is still in production and parts availability will not be an issue. There may not be many of them in the US, but there are millions elsewhere. The supply chain isn't going to dissipate in our lifetimes.

 

[Saltymedic]

I read , I believe, every oil change. Which is between 5000-9500.

Manual calls for draining the filter every 10k and changing the filter @ 20k

 

[WMWHV]

I read , I believe, every oil change. Which is between 5000-9500.

Yes, that is the new requirement. I looked more carefully at the booklet left on the seat after the recall replacement of the fuel pump and it says every oil change as recommended by the on board system, not to exceed 10,000 miles.

 

[Stuntman Mike]

I'm going to address this as someone who has lived outside of the USA for most of the last 20 years. The Ecodiesel is only being discontinued in the US market. The Pentastar is being discontinued in most of the EU market. It all comes down to pricing and efficiency and has nothing to do with reliability.

Everyone is going to see a more efficient Gladiator over the next two years. The US drops the diesel, which is an expensive option, and will add a PHEV version like the 4xe. There is no sense in having two different expensive engine options.

The EU market prefers diesel because diesel is less expensive there and more efficient. (Remember kids, the only reason we pay more for diesel in the US is because of taxes. Blame Ronald Reagan.) So the EU (most of it) keeps the diesel and loses the gas option. They too will get the PHEV version within the next couple of years.

The diesel might be the minority here in the US, but it is absolutely THE engine of choice in many other markets. The diesel is not going anywhere. It is still in production and parts availability will not be an issue. There may not be many of them in the US, but there are millions elsewhere. The supply chain isn't going to dissipate in our lifetimes.

Sorry but that's not correct. The Gladiator was offered officially in the EU only as Diesel.
The Wrangler has been offered with the Pentastar but has been discontinued some years ago.

The Gladiator has been discontinoued in Europe completly in September 2023, this was the last chance to order one.

And yes, diesel engines were quite common here because of efficiency and partly lower fuel prices.
But this is mostly gone because of the ridicioulos emission regulations and the resulting requirements (DPF, DEF etc.).

 

[RidingDonkeys]

Sorry but that's not correct. The Gladiator was offered officially in the EU only as Diesel.
The Wrangler has been offered with the Pentastar but has been discontinued some years ago.

The Gladiator has been discontinoued in Europe completly in September 2023, this was the last chance to order one.

And yes, diesel engines were quite common here because of efficiency and partly lower fuel prices.
But this is mostly gone because of the ridicioulos emission regulations and the resulting requirements (DPF, DEF etc.).

Thanks for the correction. The last time I looked was last year. Now I see, in the countries I frequent, that most are listed as FarOut editions.

Nevertheless the strategy with engines remains, as seen with the Wrangler. Pentastar gone, diesel continues, 4xe added, 4xe only now. The end result is the same, the diesel and the Pentastar will both be gone eventually. We'll all be driving battery powered vehicles in the near future.

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