Car Wizard on 3.6L

[FloridaMan655321]

(Video should start 11:42, if not, sorry)

Curious what others have to say on this. I'd like to keep the discussion away from the standard "all manufactures have issues, look at Manufacture X with Y issues". I'm hoping to keep the discussion on the engine itself. I don't care about other manufactures or their engines/transmissions.
I was under the impression that this engine has been out so long that they have worked out most of the issues.....

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[Gvsukids]

Good thread to check out...
https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/...yl-pentastar-maintenance-mods-discussions.18/

 

[ShadowsPapa]

(Video should start 11:42, if not, sorry)

Curious what others have to say on this. I'd like to keep the discussion away from the standard "all manufactures have issues, look at Manufacture X with Y issues". I'm hoping to keep the discussion on the engine itself. I don't care about other manufactures or their engines/transmissions.
I was under the impression that this engine has been out so long that they have worked out most of the issues.....

My personal experience with the 3.6 in JEEPS (not Ram, not Dodge, etc.) is unblemished - and the only issue either my wife or I have had with our Jeeps as far as the 3.6 has been with her 2021 Grand Cherokee and it was NOT an engine issue, it was a misfire, yes, but the issue was fixed with spark plugs. So I can't blame the engine as it functions fine - after the WK2 3.6 TSB about misfires and spark plugs was applied.
I've seen all the talk about valve train issues and it won't take much for you to find those here who have personally had bad cam and rocker/follower experiences - just do a search for misfire and cam, etc.
However, I asked the local dealership what they've seen - they haven't heard of cam problems, they've replaced a couple but they weren't under any impression that there were wide-spread issues.
There are 3.6s out there with many miles on them - some way north of 100,000 miles, even 200,000 miles.
The problem with asking about such things in the internet - especially a forum - is that it's ground zero for problems. It's like asking how many people have died in one year in the block of University and 5th Avenue - where Mercy Hospital is. Check a forum and the world is crashing down.
Anyway, we've owned a number of Jeeps with the 3.6 - starting when it first came out, to what we have now, my wife's 2021 and my 2020, both with the 3.6
Ask me again in a couple of years but at this point, zero engine issues, no odd sounds, no excess misfires.

Interesting that it's a MECHANIC who of course gets all of the problem vehicles. He's got to figure "per capita" and not just that he works on a lot of them.
How many sick people does a doctor see a day? Likely all of them are sick......... (or think they are)
That's one of the reasons I'm not always a fan of YT - anyone can make a "do it this way" or "these vehicles suck" video.

Would I buy another Jeep with a 3.6? Heck yes!

 

[u-joint]

I'd say there's probably bias, like there will likely be bias from anyone's response here - mine included.

A few things that jump out at me:

1. He is a mechanic, and as such he ONLY sees vehicles when they have problems.
2. He lives in Kansas, and the demographic is likely skewed to the American vehicle segment further skewing his perspective.
3. He seems to dislike it because it's "made by Fiat", but in reality the 3.6L was designed and first released BEFORE Fiat purchased Chrysler.
4. His rationale for if problems with the 3.6L still exist is based on anecdotal evidence from another mechanic (see point #1 above)
5. "it's one of these vehicles that right after you buy it..." - that's great! I'd rather my vehicle develop problems WITHIN the factory warranty period. In fact, that's why factory warranties exist.
6. Speaking of bullet points #1 and #5 - he says "its usually a few days". Ask yourself, how many people - nation wide - buy new vehicles, and within days of purchase have cracked cylinder heads.

Hopefully that helps.

 

[rr11]

Second Jeep with the 3.6, I had to replace the first one ( a 2013 Unlimited) at 176,000 after Hurricane Michael dropped a tree on it. It had zero issues with the engine. 40K on my JT and also no issues with the engine.

 

[Willy53]

2020 Grand Cherokee Summit. 8600 miles. Most comfortable, quiet nicest driving vehicle I've ever had. 2021 JTM with about 1700 miles. Both vehicles have Pentastar engines. No problems with either one. The Grand had a vanity mirror light that didn't work and I was going to check the lemon laws for Oregon, but the dealer fixed it. Boy was I relieved!
?

 

[Mac]

Clickbait to drive up his youtube views, not a fan. 3.6 is a solid motor, I have 3 with over 100k miles total with no issues with any of them.

 

[mr_bots]

It might be a problem but I can't say I've heard near as many issues with the Pentastar heads as there have been on the other powertrains in the video.

If you're curious they were:
Ford 5.4 3V
Nissan CVT
GM 1.4 Turbo
GM 3.6 V6

 

[FloridaMan655321]

It might be a problem but I can't say I've heard near as many issues with the Pentastar heads as there have been on the other powertrains in the video.

If you're curious they were:
Ford 5.4 3V
Nissan CVT
GM 1.4 Turbo
GM 3.6 V6

Exactly, why I don't think it's necessarily "click bait" or a 'mechanic only seeing the bad'. I feel he's got some experience (along with others in the field) that made him put it on the list.

 

[sharpsicle]

Exactly, why I don't think it's necessarily "click bait" or a 'mechanic only seeing the bad'. I feel he's got some experience (along with others in the field) that made him put it on the list.

I think the issue is more that he's trying to push anecdotal evidence as fact. Just don't do that. The entire basis for his "assertion" that cracked heads are still commonplace on the 3.6 is the fact that he happened to call his buddy as he was working on one. That doesn't mean anything. It just means his buddy is gainfully employed! This is professional trolling.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

3.6 Pentastar has been used in over 10 million vehicles.
The head issue was a decade ago and was dealt with. It was the left bank.
2 sources say it was .5% (half of one percent)

Motorreviewer says:
Summing up, we can say the Pentastar 3.6 reliability is way above average. It is time-tested well enough, and over 10 million Pentastar engines were produced to date. Despite that they had some issues early on, the 3.6L V6 Pentastar is great, durable, one of the most reliable engines available on the market right now.

This is from a MOPAR forum:
The 3.6 had some issues with rocker arm and cam follower failures through 2015.
This was resolved with the 2016 models.
As per my DM the cylinder head issues were a manufacturing problem at the Mexico facility only. The Canadian and US facilities didn't have the issue. Manufacturing was revised to fixed the issue

Everything else I find makes no sense, or indicates that the issues were resolved pre-2016 model year.
One site says that cam issues caused cylinder head wear - on the left side and yet all complaints I find are about the right cam.

Basically, I can't find any basis for his contentions that the 3.6 "is" a problem engine.

 

[BLK HOLE]

He's an idiot.

 

[u-joint]

I think the issue is more that he's trying to push anecdotal evidence as fact. Just don't do that. The entire basis for his "assertion" that cracked heads are still commonplace on the 3.6 is the fact that he happened to call his buddy as he was working on one. That doesn't mean anything. It just means his buddy is gainfully employed! This is professional trolling.

I'd go farther, and suggest that he doesn't even realize it. He's speaking from experience, and he's likely very skilled at what he does, but is unfortunately unaware of what bias he's viewing this from.

For context, my father was a mechanic, and had a similar negative view about certain makes/models of cars. These were, interestingly enough, the ones he worked on the most - just like the Wizard, he too viewed reliability of vehicles through the lens of his experience, not from a broader view of reliability of vehicles which might never see a mechanic.

 

[DirkG]

Bottom line, if someone is making their automotive decision based on a random mechanic's view on Youtube, then that person needs help chewing their food.

Whenever I see these "avoid this product" videos, I always take them with a grain of salt. I'm on my work computer and can't see the video, but as some of you have stated, I'm sure his demographics come into play and perhaps even personal bias. It's like a chiropractor seeing 5 years worth of people with back issues and then concluding that the spine and back are prone to damage in most humans.

 

[ecidiego]

The guys videos mean nothing. This stuff is regional and based on car sales and preferences in the area of the mechanic.

Wanna know what vehicle a mechanic in Moab would say is the most unreliable? Jeep Wrangler. He is fixing them all day! They're always broken! Gee, I wonder why?

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