3.6L Pentastar Problems?

[Maximus Gladius]

Ok, i got my sport s, 6-spd dec 28, 2019, now at 30,000 miles (50,000 kms as it's in Canada), a few thousand miles ago engine light came on while on highway, which isn't new, i've had more engine lights come and go since i've owned it that i've lost count, seems a permanent feature, so thats 20 months of ownership now. I put 140-150,000 kms on pentastar 8-spd in 2014 ram 1500 and not sure i even had 1 engine light come on? Even when the oil thing broke and puked half my oil out in short order at the tail end of warranty period. Never had to add coolant to it either!

I've had those p0304/2 type codes so many times. Hmmm, so a few thousand miles ago, as i was saying, i decided to take it in for the engine light just to be sure, it was low coolant and they had to top it up, i'm now watching it and have a couple lines marked. Every highway trip the engine light will trip on, usually attributed to being on cruise control and pulling a hill (loading up) is when it will come on and only well into the trip. When back from trip after couple days it goes away. Then next highway trip it happens again.

Truck runs great, i just thought it was computer issues and first year JT glitch i'd have to live with but this thread has me connecting some dots now, especially now that they had to put coolant in it. Will have to check the record on it to see how much they had to put in. It sure doesn't seem like a big leak, levels maybe at the bottom end of my sharpie mark now. I run a log on the Jeep so have all the mileages and dates when things happen, when i service etc.

Good record keeping and putting the dots together. We need more of this hoping to nail down commonality. Not sure if you’re willing but would you get an oil analysis done to confirm coolant in the oil. Blackstone labs seems to be a regular lab company used down there in the US but you also need to do a fresh bottle sample as well to cross reference the data. If you are using Pennzoil Platinum 0/20, I already bought the oil and paid the lab test it for those clean base numbers. I can get that result to you but only if that’s the oil you are using. I use Amsoil Signature Series 0/20 and can also provide those base numbers if that’s what you’re using.

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[Jt-wrx]

Good record keeping and putting the dots together. We need more of this hoping to nail down commonality. Not sure if you’re willing but would you get an oil analysis done to confirm coolant in the oil. Blackstone labs seems to be a regular lab company used down there in the US but you also need to do a fresh bottle sample as well to cross reference the data. If you are using Pennzoil Platinum 0/20, I already bought the oil and paid the lab test it for those clean base numbers. I can get that result to you but only if that’s the oil you are using. I use Amsoil Signature Series 0/20 and can also provide those base numbers if that’s what you’re using.

i buy the penzoil ultra full synthetic from canadian tire when it's on sale for nearly half price i usually grab 3 or so 5l jugs of it, i'll be doing oil change shortly as it's due, i do mine every 7500 kms, i have the last oil change sitting in the 5 gallon bucket now and this one will be going in same bucket

 

[Maximus Gladius]

Was just updated on when my camshaft is coming in for my misfire repair. -August 12th. He said there is over 362 cams currently being unpacked in the US and designated to go out to specific dealerships and mine has the “rush” designation. That’s a lot of cams.

Just to update the camshaft arrival. It arrived yesterday…DAMAGED! I have to wait another week for a new one.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Just to update the camshaft arrival. It arrived yesterday…DAMAGED! I have to wait another week for a new one.

How do they damage a cam shaft? Any I've bought for my engine builds have been packaged quite well and it would take a serious hit to do any damage.

 

[Maximus Gladius]

How do they damage a cam shaft? Any I've bought for my engine builds have been packaged quite well and it would take a serious hit to do any damage.

I can just imagine…
First year apprentice installing it backwards and had to use a hammer trying to make it fit??

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I can just imagine…
First year apprentice installing it backwards and had to use a hammer trying to make it fit??

These literally drop in. 2 per head, 4 cams total. They are installed almost like a crankshaft - they sit in a cradle with a cap that holds them in place. Can't recall how many bearings and thus caps there is per cam, but it would be easier to screw up the cam in an old V8, even MORE easy to screw up a cam in an I6 - not so easy on these. No sliding through a block. Followers in place, drop cam in place.
But if it arrived damaged, sounds like the shipper played football with it or dropped it out of the air plane as it flew overhead.

 

[Maximus Gladius]

I don't even want to think about it. I didn't even get a call to tell me this. I called them enquiring on the delivery scheduled for tomorrow and if it was coming in on time.

 

[Jt-wrx]

Well guys, we are going to find out what happens to these early pentastars in the gladiator. Mine purchased late 2019 one of the early ones, sport s with manual, and was throwing those codes from get go. Well fast forward 2 years and 5 months and 78,000 kms of ownership it almost left us in the bush this spring bear hunt. We got it to highway and had it towed to nearest dealer where the game begins. I have cold air intake and exhaust that were installed at different times, the intake was just this past august so they knee jerk on 'mods' has started with district service manager. Anyway I was meticulous about maintenance and changed my oil every 7500 kms as mentioned above (10,000 km recommended) and dealer has my records of oil filter purchases, I had a log of all my oil changes, but I didn't keep receipts for the oil from Canadian Tire as I would just grab a few jugs while in there buying other things whenever I saw it on sale. My dealer always disposed of my used oil for me as I brought into them in 5 gallon pail. I love that a 5 gallon pail slides right in under these for oil changes. Anyway, there's already a comment that 'it says explicitly in the manual you must save all your receipts' so they are definitely looking for a way out of this early...not the dealer but those they report to.

More on the motor, within last couple months something seemed different, just down on power like you notice near oil change time but a bout twice that. I checked my last oil change and it was good, only about 4-5000 kms on it and oil level was perfect before trip. So it will run but you can't give it much throttle or go past about 3000 rpm and only 1st or 2nd gear and it's puking oil up into the intake downstream of the oil filter...right in front of the drivers side bank...cylinders 2/4/6. The mechanic showed me on the computer while it's running those cylinders were issue. I mentioned here in this thread back in august last year that I had been getting those p0304/2 codes from day 1 but watched all the horror stories of guys having brand new jeeps torn apart for new cams etc. and still end up with the same codes right after etc. so decided maybe 'computer glitch' and my local dealer wasn't too keen in trying to chase the ghost down until it became more real and frankly neither was I.

So, also, June I think of last year was when an engine light tripped and it was low on coolant and why I chimed in on this thread in august when I saw it. And had marked the cold/hot lines with a sharpie on my coolant reservoir after so I could track if consumption and just before our trip here at the end of may I had to add about 3/4" of coolant to reservoir, oil level was perfect as always.

So there you have it for now folks. I hope this turns into a good news story and jeep steps up. I'm 100% fine with ownership if somehow this is a result of my doing but this truck was our baby and a dream vehicle of mine so I was going to be anal about those oil changes and intervals as we wanted a legacy vehicle here to hand down to the kids etc. So stay tuned folks, will report how this plays out even if they can show me this was my doing.

Oh I asked them to send oil for analysis to show life left as that should tell story about my maintenance, also have a full bucket of oil changes ready for dealer to dump at home for analysis potential also if they really need proof I did my part on maintenance.

So about this jeep cares stuff? Welcome any comments or suggestions to go forward as this is an entirely new process for me so want to navigate it responsibly. Too early to engage? Currently on my dime they are charging me to pull heads and inspect cylinders etc. Not to mention the rental truck I'm on week two of.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

there's already a comment that 'it says explicitly in the manual you must save all your receipts'

Where does it say that? Not in the owners manual - they would never address such a thing in the owner manual. They recommend intervals but don't get into that type of thing in the manual.

The closest thing to saving receipts is in the MOPAR warranty, and I have read it cover to cover more than once, and this is all it says -

within last couple months something seemed different, just down on power like you notice near oil change time but a bout twice that.

Interesting - I have never noticed any vehicle, let alone my JT, to be down on power near oil change time. Not sure what would even cause that. My bet is that I could dyno any of my vehicles after an oil change, and then again later before the next change and not see any appreciable change.
If you can feel a difference, something's up.
That oil isn't holding up well at all.
Oil should not allow that to happen. My question would be - what oil were you using that did that?

30 months, 26,000 miles, I've added 6 ounces of coolant in that whole time.
Coolant use should be minimal unless it's operated under high heat conditions - extremely hot days, under load, whatever.

Barfing oil is weird - crankcase pressure building? Weird.

 

[Jt-wrx]

Where does it say that? Not in the owners manual - they would never address such a thing in the owner manual. They recommend intervals but don't get into that type of thing in the manual.

The closest thing to saving receipts is in the MOPAR warranty, and I have read it cover to cover more than once, and this is all it says -

interesting on the owners manual, I'll ask for the reference but that was what the district manager said...maybe he's referencing what you posted? stay tuned

Interesting - I have never noticed any vehicle, let alone my JT, to be down on power near oil change time. Not sure what would even cause that. My bet is that I could dyno any of my vehicles after an oil change, and then again later before the next change and not see any appreciable change.
If you can feel a difference, something's up.
That oil isn't holding up well at all.
Oil should not allow that to happen. My question would be - what oil were you using that did that?

30 months, 26,000 miles, I've added 6 ounces of coolant in that whole time.
Coolant use should be minimal unless it's operated under high heat conditions - extremely hot days, under load, whatever.

Barfing oil is weird - crankcase pressure building? Weird.

ya, I know, it is weird, I'd have power then all of a sudden lose cylinders, sound like an old lawnmower then all of a sudden all cylinders back and smooth with power...stay tuned, I use the oil I mentioned before, Pennzoil ultra platinum synthetic and thanks for that info, will get into the manual and see for myself, better not be a Canadian model thing!

as for the oil, in my 2014 ram I just did synthetic oil changes at minute lubes and being the only guy putting all those kms on that one vehicle I could actually tell overtime when it just seemed a little sluggish and wanted some new lube...it was consistent around 7500 kms so I let that guide my changes for this next pentastar even though both recommended 10,000 km intervals I've always done them before recommendations, it's a very slight and easy thing I'm not sure most would notice but I'm one of those hyper aware of immediate environment and changes kind of people so as slight as it was I could 'feel' when things just didn't have that happy zip zing like you get right after an oil change

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