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Beware 3.6 Penstar

JET_83

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My 2020 gladiator needed a top end. It was a 3.6L it was rough running threw misfire codes when it sustained any high rpm and multiple dealers said it was normal. It didnt even make it to 40k miles before i had to trade it in after multiple dealers looking at it saying its normal.

My 2015 2 door wrangler 3.6l also had cylinder head/lifter issues and got the heads redone prior to 30k miles and then started ticking again right at the 35k mark before i traded it off.

My 2022 diesel has been perfect. It only has 10k miles but I doubt there will be any issues with a good maintenance schedule and knowledge on how the emissions systems operates. It idles so much smoother than the 3.6L and doesnt have that terrible throttle response or torque dip that plagues those engines. People with simple minds always say diesels are less reliable but if that were true then all heavy industry would be using gas engines. Not to mention the fuel economy, drastic power increase, and simplicity of the diesel motor itself over the gas. I wish i never purchased the 2020 3.6L. I would have saved thousands in fuel costs alone not to mention actually being able to accelerate up hills :)
There were a select few that had issues in 2020, not a lot, I’ve had 4 now with no issues at all. The engine design now is different than it was in 2015
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JET_83

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My 2020 gladiator needed a top end. It was a 3.6L it was rough running threw misfire codes when it sustained any high rpm and multiple dealers said it was normal. It didnt even make it to 40k miles before i had to trade it in after multiple dealers looking at it saying its normal.

My 2015 2 door wrangler 3.6l also had cylinder head/lifter issues and got the heads redone prior to 30k miles and then started ticking again right at the 35k mark before i traded it off.

My 2022 diesel has been perfect. It only has 10k miles but I doubt there will be any issues with a good maintenance schedule and knowledge on how the emissions systems operates. It idles so much smoother than the 3.6L and doesnt have that terrible throttle response or torque dip that plagues those engines. People with simple minds always say diesels are less reliable but if that were true then all heavy industry would be using gas engines. Not to mention the fuel economy, drastic power increase, and simplicity of the diesel motor itself over the gas. I wish i never purchased the 2020 3.6L. I would have saved thousands in fuel costs alone not to mention actually being able to accelerate up hills :)
I’m sure there’s a slight lag because it uses a turbo
 

downtroddengoat

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Ferrari just recalled all of its vehicles in the US since 2005. Clearly they are garbage, just like their race strategies.

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JET_83

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“Beware the Pentastar” and it’s notoriously the most reliable engine in the FCA lineup.
 

MrZappo

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My 2020 gladiator needed a top end. It was a 3.6L it was rough running threw misfire codes when it sustained any high rpm and multiple dealers said it was normal. It didnt even make it to 40k miles before i had to trade it in after multiple dealers looking at it saying its normal.

My 2015 2 door wrangler 3.6l also had cylinder head/lifter issues and got the heads redone prior to 30k miles and then started ticking again right at the 35k mark before i traded it off.

My 2022 diesel has been perfect. It only has 10k miles but I doubt there will be any issues with a good maintenance schedule and knowledge on how the emissions systems operates. It idles so much smoother than the 3.6L and doesnt have that terrible throttle response or torque dip that plagues those engines. People with simple minds always say diesels are less reliable but if that were true then all heavy industry would be using gas engines. Not to mention the fuel economy, drastic power increase, and simplicity of the diesel motor itself over the gas. I wish i never purchased the 2020 3.6L. I would have saved thousands in fuel costs alone not to mention actually being able to accelerate up hills :)

People with small minds make gross generalizations ...

I don't know anyone that would say diesel engines are unreliable .. Now, diesel engines designed and built in Italy ? Yeah, that's another story ... Its not about the fuel, its about the reputation of Italy for (oh i don't know, maybe since 500BC give or take) and their engines ... And before anyone gets all WOKE on my fat ass, I'm as Italian as they come ... And, as a card carrying Italian I can reliably say, if ya wanna win races, buy Italian (especially the motorcycles) but if ya wanna get where yer goin, ya might want to reconsider ...

You may be one of the lucky ones. The engine might run smoother or have more torque (when its running). It may be a thing to behold .. Agree 100% ... But the numbers will show that it is no where near as reliable as the gasser ... Outliers exist yes ... But overall, not gonna happen ...

salute'
 

@californiajeeping

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I’m sure there’s a slight lag because it uses a turbo
It has VGT so it actually builds boost even at idle and or coasting. I see 4 psi roll into throttle it hits 15psi and accelerates like the 3.6L did. If i floor it it hits 30-32psi and absolutely hauls the mail.

I did put a pedalmonster and derringer which made it even more responsive. It pulls uphill in 8th like the pentastar did in 5th and if you downshift to 6th it would easily outpull the 3.6L which would be in 4th to make any power.
 

ShadowsPapa

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I’ve owned numerous Jeeps - including 392 and diesel. My latest purchase was a brand new 2021 Mojave and I foolishly opted for the 3.6 motor due to it’s length of production, assuming all the bugs were worked out long ago. At 3,000 miles after the first oil change, the oft-reported “ticking” noise began due to faulty lifters. At 10,000 miles it sounded like a diesel! I took it back to the local Jeep dealer. Had to make an appointment and bring it back 10 days later. Now 2 weeks later, they still have not had the time to look at it, much less work on it, nor to order parts. Granted, they did give me a loaner, but after spending $80,000 (with considerable modifications), my jeep is greatly depreciated (carfax will reflect engine work), can’t be driven, and who knows when I will get it back? The lesson to all this is: read about the class action lawsuit against Jeep for defective 3.6 engines with lifter design flaws before making my mistake!
There are sooo many threads on this.
Before 2016 the failures were the bearings in the rollers.

- there are failures in both versions but it's not the same root cause. It's like saying anyone with a runny nose has covid.

It’s the older design that lawsuit is against, not the newer one to be sure
The years covered are 2014 to 2020 as I recall, maybe it was 2019 - but I thought all Wranglers in 2019 had the new design. I that wrong??
When did Wrangler get the VVL/VVT 3.6? What year?
 

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@californiajeeping

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People with small minds make gross generalizations ...

I don't know anyone that would say diesel engines are unreliable .. Now, diesel engines designed and built in Italy ? Yeah, that's another story ... Its not about the fuel, its about the reputation of Italy for (oh i don't know, maybe since 500BC give or take) and their engines ... And before anyone gets all WOKE on my fat ass, I'm as Italian as they come ... And, as a card carrying Italian I can reliably say, if ya wanna win races, buy Italian (especially the motorcycles) but if ya wanna get where yer goin, ya might want to reconsider ...

You nay be one of the lucky ones. The engine might run smoother or have more torque (when its running). It may be a thing to behold .. Agree 100% ... But the numbers will show that it is no where near as reliable as the gasser ... Outliers exist yes ... But overall, not gonna happen ...

salute'
The engine is absolutely dead nuts reliable. Its a simple thing.

The emissions systems added to it are another story but at the same time it comes with a 100k warranty. They have had some bosch inj pump issues but every single brand has the same pump with the same issues. If you can believe the weakpoint in these engines is a bosch designed and built pump and not the italian built motor....

I would not buy another jeep without the 3.0L ecodiesel. It is a must after going between the two.

The pentastar is a poor design to replace an anemic mini van engine that was put in the older jeeps to replace an underpowered ineficient tractor engine that didnt change much for 25 years.

In all honesty I think the 2.0L turbo is the best engine out too bad most are couple to an unreliable BSG/mild hybrid etorque garbage. A 2.0L turbo with a 6 speed manual would have been excellent.
 

ShadowsPapa

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I disagree respectfully. Read all the postings about the lifter issue. Jeep was well aware of the design flaw and continued to sell them. There would not be a class action lawsuit if it was only a few “bad apples”. A significant number suffer from this problem.
The 3.6 doesn't have lifters.
It has lash adjusters, rockers/followers, and the cam.
There are what people call lifters, but those don't fail.
Followers (rocker arms) in the first gen 3.6 have BEARING failures in the rollers.
On the VVL version, there are no rocker bearing failures.
VERY different causes.
FCA fixed the original rocker roller bearing issues in the first version 3.6
The current version in the JT has had no rocker roller bearing issues.
Neither version has lifters to fail
There have been some cases of the exhaust lash adjuster being used in the intake spot on these VVL engines - what that would do is throw the intakes into high lift mode and they'd not even be running on the rollers.

The law suite doesn't even apply to Gladiator because it's not a rocker roller bearing failure issue which has been corrected.
 

MrZappo

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The engine is absolutely dead nuts reliable. Its a simple thing.

The emissions systems added to it are another story but at the same time it comes with a 100k warranty. They have had some bosch inj pump issues but every single brand has the same pump with the same issues. If you can believe the weakpoint in these engines is a bosch designed and built pump and not the italian built motor....

I would not buy another jeep without the 3.0L ecodiesel. It is a must after going between the two.

The pentastar is a poor design to replace an anemic mini van engine that was put in the older jeeps to replace an underpowered ineficient tractor engine that didnt change much for 25 years.

In all honesty I think the 2.0L turbo is the best engine out too bad most are couple to an unreliable BSG/mild hybrid etorque garbage. A 2.0L turbo with a 6 speed manual would have been excellent.
I can see that your a true believer ... I hope it lives up to your expectations ...

I think that individual stories are irrelevant in discussions of reliability ... The numbers are where the answers are ...

More issues on a percentage basis ... I think the diesel will likely look pretty bad through that lens ... But admittedly I don't know ... Havent looked into it ...
 

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Ferrari just recalled all of its vehicles in the US since 2005. Clearly they are garbage, just like their race strategies.

/s
Mercedes recalled 1,000,000 cars. They gotta be trash (the sun roof flies off while driving down the highway)
 

ShadowsPapa

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“Beware the Pentastar” and it’s notoriously the most reliable engine in the FCA lineup.
We've had several of them........... at least 4 in Grand Cherokees, and 2 in Gladiators.
Oddly, the 2 dealerships I've talked to directly have yet to see cam issues in these trucks.
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