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Klutch

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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._State_Fuel_Octane_Standards

Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota (and sort of Montana). It’s an altitude thing.

FWIW I only knew to run 87 in my old XJ as a kid in Colorado because my dad specifically told me to, otherwise 85 was the norm for everyone I knew (broke HS kids). I’m not sure if I needed it but it was in the manual so I did.
Yep, regular is 85 octane here in Colorado. It works just like 87 octane at this altitude. I've never heard any pinging at all from my Gladiator.

Modern, fuel injected engines have knock sensors. If the engine is experiencing detonating/pinging/knocking, the sensor will cause the ignition timing to retard and stop that problem. While anything is possible, I think it's unlikely it was a knocking problem.

If a rod comes through the block on a new engine, it is most likely an oiling problem.
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DAVECS1

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Yep, regular is 85 octane here in Colorado. It works just like 87 octane at this altitude. I've never heard any pinging at all from my Gladiator.

Modern, fuel injected engines have knock sensors. If the engine is experiencing detonating/pinging/knocking, the sensor will cause the ignition timing to retard and stop that problem. While anything is possible, I think it's unlikely it was a knocking problem.

If a rod comes through the block on a new engine, it is most likely an oiling problem.
My bet is it is a timing issue, not knock related.
I think the misfire thread needs a region and elevation call out with build date. I am guessing higher elevations with mild conditions and humidity,, trigger an airflow issue.
 
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MeanMachine

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My bet is it is a timing issue, not knock related.
I think the misfire thread needs a region and elevation call out with build date. I am guessing higher elevations with mild conditions and humidity,, trigger an airflow issue.
Mine failed in Vermont, the other failed in CT - not really at any elevation...not much humidity in either case...
 

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Yep, regular is 85 octane here in Colorado. It works just like 87 octane at this altitude. I've never heard any pinging at all from my Gladiator.

Modern, fuel injected engines have knock sensors. If the engine is experiencing detonating/pinging/knocking, the sensor will cause the ignition timing to retard and stop that problem. While anything is possible, I think it's unlikely it was a knocking problem.

If a rod comes through the block on a new engine, it is most likely an oiling problem.
True - but at least two people on this forum have complained of detonation - pinging. And with the known PCM issues, I believe them.

The original 4.0 as developed by AMC had knock sensors, as did the 258. The test was to have a timing light on the engine, off-idle, use small ball-peen hammer on the block and tap and watch the timing retard.
These were before OBD was even a dream in some engineer's head.
The Motorcraft ignition system included timing control in the early 1980s, perhaps before that even, I'd have to go back into my shop books of that era.
 

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My bet is it is a timing issue, not knock related.
I think the misfire thread needs a region and elevation call out with build date. I am guessing higher elevations with mild conditions and humidity,, trigger an airflow issue.
Too much timing stresses pistons, pins and rods. If you exceed the PSI abilities of the oil, you run metal-to-metal. Even the best oils only handle so much.
These are also open deck engines, more prone to damage from unusual stresses, too much boost, too much timing, etc.
 

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heading in today to get some stuff out of the truck, hope to get some pictures. Shop said a piston but I agree, more likely a rod
And that brings back the point that had me bothered.
To be clear, this is NOT about the original poster, he was repeating what the shop said and unless you are a mechanic, or at least inclined that way, you can't be expected to know otherwise.
This is about the shop - what they said. That REALLY bothers me - a lot.
That's shade-tree stuff - no, it's worse than that. Even the real shade tree guys I knew of years ago, the neighbor who pulled the engine out of his Charger using the oak tree in his back yard, he knew more (well, until he left shop rags in the cylinders and put the heads back on, that is - and sort of blew things up)

Anyway - a SHOP suggesting pistons out the side of the block? OUCH - maybe they are just learning English or something, but that is scary.
Do these people really know what they are talking about? Or was this a new service writer who has never really even seen an engine?
If a mechanic or service manager came to me and said "looks like a piston blown out the side of the block" or even similar words.......... I'd tell them to have it towed to a real shop.
These guys, if anything, should use terms that may make the vehicle owner shrug and not fully understand. But this was a case where the shop person obviously didn't understand.
So I'm slamming the shop - not the owner or posting member.

This is just another one of those things that makes me afraid to even deal with dealership shops.
It makes sense that I'd know more than most of the people working there - I've been at is since at least age 14 and have decades of professional experience, but some of these guys are just plain scary, IMO.
I guess I just expect too much from people, expect them to keep up and know what they are doing.
 
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MeanMachine

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And that brings back the point that had me bothered.
To be clear, this is NOT about the original poster, he was repeating what the shop said and unless you are a mechanic, or at least inclined that way, you can't be expected to know otherwise.
This is about the shop - what they said. That REALLY bothers me - a lot.
That's shade-tree stuff - no, it's worse than that. Even the real shade tree guys I knew of years ago, the neighbor who pulled the engine out of his Charger using the oak tree in his back yard, he knew more (well, until he left shop rags in the cylinders and put the heads back on, that is - and sort of blew things up)

Anyway - a SHOP suggesting pistons out the side of the block? OUCH - maybe they are just learning English or something, but that is scary.
Do these people really know what they are talking about? Or was this a new service writer who has never really even seen an engine?
If a mechanic or service manager came to me and said "looks like a piston blown out the side of the block" or even similar words.......... I'd tell them to have it towed to a real shop.
These guys, if anything, should use terms that may make the vehicle owner shrug and not fully understand. But this was a case where the shop person obviously didn't understand.
So I'm slamming the shop - not the owner or posting member.

This is just another one of those things that makes me afraid to even deal with dealership shops.
It makes sense that I'd know more than most of the people working there - I've been at is since at least age 14 and have decades of professional experience, but some of these guys are just plain scary, IMO.
I guess I just expect too much from people, expect them to keep up and know what they are doing.
so I was looking for an obvious issue from under the truck sitting in the dealer's lot - thoughts?
Jeep Gladiator Blown engine under 12K miles engine
 

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Be interesting to know if the other one was built around that time(10-22-19), although the engines are probably made well in advance of jeep, but one might assume they would be in a batch that went into jeeps at same time.
 

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Which area is that looking at? I see no other part to get a perspective. But it looks like a bolt or something should be in that machined hole.
 
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MeanMachine

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Which area is that looking at? I see no other part to get a perspective. But it looks like a bolt or something should be in that machined hole.
from under the truck on the block, drivers side
 

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from under the truck on the block, drivers side
That's still a large area - from ahead of the differential or from behind the wheel?

I assume that top area is the head and that's the head gasket showing there - so it's the upper part of the block, which I can't see on mine unless I jack it up and crawl way under.

In other words, that doesn't look like any area I can reach under under mine - I'd need to jack it up to even see much of the side of the block.
 

Discount Dave

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So driving up the highway I had a sudden loss of power, a shudder and barely got off the highway as the truck died. It had a piston blown through the block. I had it towed to my dealership to have him tell me "you're the second Gladiator we got this week with a piston through the block". Mine had 11K miles, the other had 7K miles. Hope this is isolated....
just wondering had the oil been changed??
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