3.6L Pentastar V6 Engine Failure

[ShadowsPapa]

Sounds like someone's been using Quakerstate .... guaranteed to sludge

Gee, I wonder why it never did with me, or our customers......... hmmm?

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[Tommyd]

I wouldn't expect Jeep to offer any assistance on a highly modified Jeep, we all know this as it is talked about on this forum all the time. Now should the engine have lasted longer then 61,000 miles, sure, but only you know how it was taken care and driven. I would look into a Chevy V8 and get some real power in your Jeep, by your description of your Jeep spending more money shouldn't be a problem.

To say he can afford an engine swap because of his previously mentioned modifications is pretty rude. I pieced mine together well with lift, gears, tires, and a few other things but a motor swap is big money that a lot of people can’t afford. Just saying.

 

[sharpsicle]

I hope everyone's experience with their Gladiator has been better than mine. I am looking for advice:

I have a 2020 Jeep Gladiator with a 6-1/2" Lift 40" Tires and re-geared to 5:13. I had my check engine light come on at 61,500 miles. I took it in and had 3 spark plugs replaced, oil changed, and some new tires. 3 days later the light is back, this time I took it to the Jeep Dealership and low and behold I need a new engine. I have personally bought 3 consecutive Jeep / Chrysler products and my family has bought quite a few. I tried working with customer service on a warranty claim but they claim poor maintenance. I provided receipts and bank statements backing up my oil change history. I even let them know that I was willing to work on a split bill. The customer "Care Team" has been anything but that. Never once did they return a call or email. I had to initiate everything.

There are also a litany of other issues:
*Dash lights stay on when doors are off
*I have replaced the Aux Battery Twice Already
*The backup camera also quit working.

I guess being a loyal customer doesn't pay off anymore.

***Buyer Beware on the 3.6L Pentastar V6 Engine****

The internet calls it the "Sludge Brick", I am inclined to believe them.

Yours Truly
Once Loyal Jeep Owner

Are you really looking for advice? Or are you looking to vent? It sounds like the latter to me. Hop on down from your 6 1/2 inch lift and come back to Earth with the rest of us.

There’s a lot of crap in this post, but if they’re claiming poor maintenance, and you opened it up to find sludge, sounds like poor maintenance. These engines don’t just sludge up at 60k. I’d be interested to hear your reasoning on why you think they do.

I’m sorry you’re having trouble, but there’s no reason trying to get everybody else riled up over something that sounds like it’s within your realm control. There’s clearly more to the story here.

That being said, it sounds like an opportunity to upgrade your power plant. Just make sure it gets maintained well if you do.

 

[Ward]

I just ran a quick search on Pentastar sludge & only found this link and another on the Wrangler forum. Found a video on utube showing sludge was a product of poor maint.

 

[Jackpaul]

yep me too. I did my first oil change at 2200 miles and am doing the next one at 6000 miles.

I’m going to take the heat off the OP and state that I change mine every 20k…Castrol Edge Professional ?

I did do the first oil change at 3k because , I wanted CEP in that bitch.

 

[piroman683]

When will we start using wheel travel as a metric of quality of build vs lift height? Maybe if the OP used wheel travel to describe his build we'd have a better understanding of what led to engine sludge?

 

[Tommyd]

The LS will spin up fast, they wind up with no concerns.
Crazy number of accessories or mods.

Sorry, guys, hemi is old technology and these days of modern chamber design, it's more of a name and reputation than anything else.

My preference, if I were so inclined, would be an LS package, or maybe the tornado as I'm a huge fan of the built I6. I mean if you can make over 800 hp on a 4.0, the modern I6 should be able to kill a hemi.

I'm not born and bred GM guy, but can recognize decent stuff no matter who makes it.
I've worked on almost everything over the years - I have my favorites but that doesn't mean each doesn't have something they've done right.
That old LS in my 2011 was a great engine. GM seems to be taking it even farther in the future.

Do you run 0w20 or 5w30?

 

[RobbertCole]

@Jackpaul thanks for the feedback, yes I changed both batteries. The engine has been disassembled and is full of sludge.

im not sure I believe that. Got any pictures?

 

[Minty JL]

It's funny to see #1. I couldn't find a JT/JL swap price from Bruiser, but the JK level 1 kit is nearly $27K. Appears that's just the cost of the kit, without install labor. At 2 weeks of shop time and labor, I can see this getting quite pricey. And again, that is JK pricing. I'm sure JL and JT owners will have to pay the "Newer Jeep Tax" like on every other aftermarket product

6.4L Hemi swaps with labor seem to be in the $40K range, so an LS swap might not be cheaper. I don't disagree on the other line items.

A replacement 3.6L Pentastar can be had for under $5k. Used/remanufactured for much less. Granted, you still have a 3.6L Pentastar afterwards.

Yeah their website is dated, the post alot on BookFace and IG.

The LS packages start at $29k for a NA set up and go up from there if you want a built motor with a big ole blower on it.

I was quoted 29K for all the parts and tuning and 7k for complete installation. So 36k out the door with a brand new GM Gen5 6.6L with a Gen4 fuel system.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Because the taller the

When will we start using wheel travel as a metric of quality of build vs lift height? Maybe if the OP used wheel travel to describe his build we'd have a better understanding of what led to engine sludge?

Mentioning the size of the lift is likely to impress or - never mind what I was going to say about the height of the lift and anything else.

That's a heck of a lift and big tires for a driver where the engine saw "normal use", IMO. So likely the miles were not easy. The stress of hauling around the weight of the rig and the drag would mean it's going to be working harder than any 3.6 I've ever had (and I'm not that easy on things - unless my wife is in the passenger seat)

Still, too much left to the imagination here. If I had done that much to mine, I'd likely take the maintenance to about 1/3 of the recommended miles. (and differential service would be way down as well - those gears are really spinning so there's a lot more contact and stress on them with the weight of the tires)

Do you run 0w20 or 5w30?

0w20 until I find some more compelling reason to not. I've looked into the numbers and I'm more concerned about cold starts - the 0w number than anything, especially when I see tha the differences between the 20 and 30 parts are only 5 degrees (C) apart.

As things wear, the 5w30 may get a second look. But we've got some close tolerances and things relying on certain oil behavior as far as the valve train goes. So I'm not anxious to change from the recommended.

 

[Gvsskier]

I hope everyone's experience with their Gladiator has been better than mine. I am looking for advice:

I have a 2020 Jeep Gladiator with a 6-1/2" Lift 40" Tires and re-geared to 5:13. I had my check engine light come on at 61,500 miles. I took it in and had 3 spark plugs replaced, oil changed, and some new tires. 3 days later the light is back, this time I took it to the Jeep Dealership and low and behold I need a new engine. I have personally bought 3 consecutive Jeep / Chrysler products and my family has bought quite a few. I tried working with customer service on a warranty claim but they claim poor maintenance. I provided receipts and bank statements backing up my oil change history. I even let them know that I was willing to work on a split bill. The customer "Care Team" has been anything but that. Never once did they return a call or email. I had to initiate everything.

There are also a litany of other issues:
*Dash lights stay on when doors are off
*I have replaced the Aux Battery Twice Already
*The backup camera also quit working.

I guess being a loyal customer doesn't pay off anymore.

***Buyer Beware on the 3.6L Pentastar V6 Engine****

The internet calls it the "Sludge Brick", I am inclined to believe them.

Yours Truly
Once Loyal Jeep Owner

My engine had a catastrophic failure last month at 64,000kms when a connecting rod let loose and broke the crank case. I had 2 snow bikes in the box (600lbs) and was driving at 95km/h when we heard a thunk but it wasn’t dramatic. I watched the oil pressure and it started dropping. We pulled over and managed to call a tow truck. I found a 2023 complete engine with catalytic converters and auto trans at a Dodge Jeep Dealer in Vancouver who had removed the new engine to prepare a JT for a Hemi swap from Epic Adventures. I used a non-dealer shop to swap out the dead engine (65,000kms with Magnuson SC) and install brand new engine. The ’23 engine is quieter than my ’20 engine (before SC install) and so far with 500kms is very nice. A couple of problems I experienced with the ‘20 engine were the catalytic converters clogging and throwing codes, the valve train was ticking, the Mag SC tuners had sent me 9 tunes to get it drivable with the 6 spd (the advertised 420+ power was never realized with the actual power increase closer to 75 above 3750 RPM). I don’t rock crawl and I seldom drive the RPMs above 3750. I always use Shell premium and Liqui Moly (7,500 km change intervals). This experience was an experiment in finding 100+ reliable hp from the V6 Pentastar that for me proved unattainable. I’m learning that I am in good company. The hemi swap is very attractive but it is expensive as 550hp doesn’t come cheap ($160,000 CAN including brand new JT with full factory warranty on engine and drivetrain). Documenting everything you experience to govern dealer Maintenance is key on these engines for the best experience. I would not SC another pentastar.

 

[golfman1982]

To say he can afford an engine swap because of his previously mentioned modifications is pretty rude. I pieced mine together well with lift, gears, tires, and a few other things but a motor swap is big money that a lot of people can’t afford. Just saying.

Tommy, you are correct I worked hard to get it where it is at.

 

[golfman1982]

Are you really looking for advice? Or are you looking to vent? It sounds like the latter to me. Hop on down from your 6 1/2 inch lift and come back to Earth with the rest of us.

There’s a lot of crap in this post, but if they’re claiming poor maintenance, and you opened it up to find sludge, sounds like poor maintenance. These engines don’t just sludge up at 60k. I’d be interested to hear your reasoning on why you think they do.

I’m sorry you’re having trouble, but there’s no reason trying to get everybody else riled up over something that sounds like it’s within your realm control. There’s clearly more to the story here.

That being said, it sounds like an opportunity to upgrade your power plant. Just make sure it gets maintained well if you do.

I guess a little of both, it has been a rough few months and feels like everything is just piling on. I wish I could upgrade. I have just had a lot of little issues and then this hit. I should probably take a chill pill and have a second opinion other that just the dealership.

 

[mx5red]

My engine had a catastrophic failure last month at 64,000kms when a connecting rod let loose and broke the crank case. I had 2 snow bikes in the box (600lbs) and was driving at 95km/h when we heard a thunk but it wasn’t dramatic. I watched the oil pressure and it started dropping. We pulled over and managed to call a tow truck. I found a 2023 complete engine with catalytic converters and auto trans at a Dodge Jeep Dealer in Vancouver who had removed the new engine to prepare a JT for a Hemi swap from Epic Adventures. I used a non-dealer shop to swap out the dead engine (65,000kms with Magnuson SC) and install brand new engine. The ’23 engine is quieter than my ’20 engine (before SC install) and so far with 500kms is very nice. A couple of problems I experienced with the ‘20 engine were the catalytic converters clogging and throwing codes, the valve train was ticking, the Mag SC tuners had sent me 9 tunes to get it drivable with the 6 spd (the advertised 420+ power was never realized with the actual power increase closer to 75 above 3750 RPM). I don’t rock crawl and I seldom drive the RPMs above 3750. I always use Shell premium and Liqui Moly (7,500 km change intervals). This experience was an experiment in finding 100+ reliable hp from the V6 Pentastar that for me proved unattainable. I’m learning that I am in good company. The hemi swap is very attractive but it is expensive as 550hp doesn’t come cheap ($160,000 CAN including brand new JT with full factory warranty on engine and drivetrain). Documenting everything you experience to govern dealer Maintenance is key on these engines for the best experience. I would not SC another pentastar.

I think this is an accurate assessment.
Pentastars are generally reliable. I think they are also engineered at the top of their potential. I’ve followed a few people who have supercharged them and they’ve blown up quickly.
I sing it’s praises but I would not do forced induction on one.
Sadly there is no easy answer for power, if you want more I’d go diesel ?‍? or hemi swap.

 

[TroutFishingInAmerica]

Stupid ain't cheap. If you ain't got the money you better be tough.

Author Unknown. Buffalo Ridge Elementary School Playground Sheridan WY, 1964.

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