3.6 Reliability Issues Resolved ?

[oldironsights]

I was happy to see these myths disappear, so odd to see it brought up again.

Thanks for the "inside" view.
Those "Myths" were visible on the TV news & in print during covid.
My shop had similar issues with procurement during that time.
Even management was convinced of the reasons being presented.
Made sense to me.
These current "correct" explanations are new to me.
Forgive me if it takes time to process the new info.
Gotta purge the old info to make room for the new.

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[smlobx]

Clearly, I've been doing this all wrong.
On average, we kept vehicles ten years
and 120,000 miles.

The exception is my wife's 2002 Yukon
now the daily driver for my grandson.
Don't know how many miles it has.

Heck. I had a 1998 Yamaha V-Max
I rode 67,000 miles in six years.

Lately, I've slowed down.
A lot.

For the past 5 years or so this has been our plan. Sell the vehicle at 10 years and get something else. Currently have a 2023, 2020 and two 2016’s. With good maintenance and a little luck it shouldn’t be an issue to get 10 years out of a vehicle.

 

[Mr Miami]

The oil pumps in these have a solenoid that controls displacement. They start out in high volume mode and then drop back to roughly 30 psi regulation in lower volume mode.
They are vane type, chain drive off the crankshaft.

The oil pumps I'm more used to are gear types, driven half engine speed by the camshaft. They can't supply the volume of oil these can.

So far, I've replaced a lot of cams, but never in my own vehicles unless I was doing a rebuild and wanted a different profile, etc.
Hopefully, that trend continues!

Your having worked on this stuff far more than I've ever done (or wish to), how much does the ambient temperature really affect the viscosity of the oil other than at start-up or when doing some extreme towing? What I mean is, once the engine gets up to temperature in a couple of minutes, it doesn't matter if it's 20F or 90F outside as long as the cooling system works, right? As you mention, isn't the 0W or 5W at startup the important number?

 

[chr15m]

Thanks for the "inside" view.
Those "Myths" were visible on the TV news & in print during covid.
My shop had similar issues with procurement during that time.
Even management was convinced of the reasons being presented.
Made sense to me.
These current "correct" explanations are new to me.
Forgive me if it takes time to process the new info.
Gotta purge the old info to make room for the new.

Nothing against you at all, in fact your take on its a good one. Being present and open to the changes that always happen in time.

The media did put out a lot of stuff, requirements of the job keep a lot of the actual realities inside the companies and not in the hands of the media.

Its really no fault of any one person, at least that's probably how I should have phrased it. Its probably the same anywhere, when you have actual expertise and knowledge and then see the sensational stuff get printed and published. I think it innately goes against the work you do on a daily basis. Apparently that chord is still in me waiting to be struck at any odd moment now.

 

[oldironsights]

Thanks!
Seems media & marketing aren't too interested in the truth.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

As you mention, isn't the 0W or 5W at startup the important number?

Yeah, if you experience colder temperatures as far as air temperatures and engine temperatures when you first start it, you don't want cold, stiff oil on startup. It takes longer for it to get where it's needed.
If you live where the morning temperatures or the engine temps when it's first started are never cold, maybe you see a 50 degree morning, you can start out in the morning with a higher number before the W.

If you do extreme work with it - and see high engine temperatures constantly, that's the 2nd number.
But since these run routinely between 195 or so up to 220 or so, maybe 230 now and then, unless you run those high temperatures constantly, you can run what everyone else runs. I've hit 230 but it doesn't stay there. It's only under extremes.

 

[oldironsights]

I had always cast a suspicious eye to the 0w20 oils.
Just as I was convinced of the "slow processor" story, so was I convinced this was market speak for federally mandated fuel/emissions reduction.
Just like the 10k oil change intervals, I thought the 0w20 oils were detrimental.
I am still convinced of this, but it has my left brain arguing with my right brain, & I am unable to read the score card.

It is just so hard for me to abandon what I have learned since I began the automotive journey way back in the strange seventies.
I am a creature of bad habits.....................................

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Just like the 10k oil change intervals,

If you started in the 70s then you likely saw that by then they were talking 7,500 mile oil changes.
I've some owners manuals and TSMs (Technical Service Manuals) for AMC/Jeep, as well as some other vehicles.
That's with the oil chemistry of the 1970s and the carbureted engines often running either too rich or too lean or with something else "off" leading to crappy combustion.

 

[hayduke-TX]

I am looking into getting my 6th JT - been reading alot about roller/lifter/lash adjuster failure - now i am hearing about cam phaser issues. Has this stuff been mended ? Or is stellantis still using sub quality component suppliers ?

I'm intrigued about your story and how you have had 5, going on 6 JT's in let's say 6 years. That is just wow.

 

[oldironsights]

Yes, please tell, jwolfejt.
Did you have a Glad, a J10, J20 Honcho or Comanche prior to the current crop?

 

[jwolfejt]

Yes, please tell, jwolfejt.
Did you have a Glad, a J10, J20 Honcho or Comanche prior to the current crop?

'21 Willys, and and 4 different JTR's - 1 JLU. I've traded them all in before factory warranty was up. Essentially use them for work - I used the JTRs (and later my PW) to help build our cabinets in datacenter deployments etc (as part of my business) so essentially they were right offs. I have a really long work commute typically. Last JTR i traded in on a 24 PW - bought them all new. Yes I do have a soft spot for Jeeps. I now have a HMMWV i am building out - and wanted to get back into a JTR as a daily.

 

[jwolfejt]

For the past 5 years or so this has been our plan. Sell the vehicle at 10 years and get something else. Currently have a 2023, 2020 and two 2016’s. With good maintenance and a little luck it shouldn’t be an issue to get 10 years out of a vehicle.

I've personally never have a problem with the 3.6 - but i follow 3k mile oil change intervals - always used pennzoil/mopar recommended 0W20 - and NEVER had an issue. Just seeing new things pop up/creep up. IMO the factory oil light is something that you should never wait to come on. OEM's want these things to fail right after the warranty period (so you can buy a new one).

 

[oldironsights]

Wow!
There may have been some folks thinking you might need an intervention................LOL!

Posts such as yours may bring some owners' anxiety down to a negligible level.
Thanks!

 

[jwolfejt]

Clearly, I've been doing this all wrong.
On average, we kept vehicles ten years
and 120,000 miles.

The exception is my wife's 2002 Yukon
now the daily driver for my grandson.
Don't know how many miles it has.

Heck. I had a 1998 Yamaha V-Max
I rode 67,000 miles in six years.

Lately, I've slowed down.
A lot.

I've put 120k miles on a F150 in 2 years - it was still running fine - however I wasn't going to take a gamble - the 6R80 was starting to have weird random hard shifts ... etc. I am starting to slow down myself - too old for the frequent long distance commutes and have a little one i'd rather spend time with than spend on the road. IMO for long runs the 3.6 is just fine - however I know its a roll of the dice - and CDJR especially has been inconsistent with their castings and materials.

 

[jwolfejt]

Wow!
There may have been some folks thinking you might need an intervention................LOL!

Posts such as yours may bring some owners' anxiety down to a negligible level.
Thanks!

I don't think i ever let the dealer do my "Jeep Waves" Oil changes either. I think I did once and noticed they overfilled it and had suspicions they didn't change the oil filter - i immediately did it myself. One of the easiest vehicles to do an oil change on.

Again just to be clear - I NEVER had an issue with any 3.6 i've had if anything I've always thought of them to be pretty stellar/reliable engines - my only gripes about them is the low end tq isn't really there and it feels more like a sports car engine. I have seen several in person reach well beyond 200k miles (original engines) - I never heard of a cam phaser issue and till i started reading through threads again. So wasn't sure if Stellantis started cheapening out components/materials.

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