Diesel Engine issue tracking thread... also please post if NO issues!

[Rat2Desert]

Yes, monitored constantly and used EGT as my limiting factor. I kept EGT below 1200 always, never saw high temps in oil, water or trans, usually kept the offroad pages up. Always manually shifting when under any kind of a load while towing.

Probably only 75 miles offroad due to the front suspension bottoming out. The parts for the fix came in while it has been down with all the issues.

Also, only 1 derate, not while towing, this was due to heat sink while stopped in Quartzite on a 120 degree day. Since then I don't turn the engine off when stopped for gas or less than 10 minutes.

Don't know, I'm going to stop by the dealership and see if I can get some more information out of the mechanics about why all the metal. I don't expect much, I can imagine they have not done any further investigation. They probably are leaving that to Jeep factory engineers.

Follow up, I did stop by the dealership to check up on my truck. They had no idea why my engine was full of metal. Service advisor said he had another customer waiting on a replacement diesel engine, had been scheduled for late September but he just got word it was delayed. And to check back in January !!!!! He said mine was still due in early October, I find that date hard to believe given all the supply line issues and my past experience.

I've decided I just can't stand the wait, nor do I really want a truck that has had so many issues. I've opened a dialog with Jeep about a buyback, hopefully it goes smoothly.

Despite my experience, I'm very likely to order a 2023 in the identical configuration. I've been looking at other trucks and even some hybrid passenger cars. And . . . they are just too boring or don't fit my lifestyle the way the Gladiator does.

That said, I'm still going to consider the diesel vs gas a bit more. I absolutely love the diesel, towing is so much better that the gasser jeeps I've had before. But, it does seem like the major issues have been with the engine, though the total numbers are small.

I'll update as things progress

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[DesertDog]

It was great to be in the “no issues”camp. Then we actually started doing road trips.

First trip driving from Salt Lake to Missoula to get our son to college. Fortunately we had a caravan. Also Gladiator started freaking out with electrical and alternator warning messages. Uconnect warnings and emails saying I should get to a dealer. The dealership could find nothing in the memory.

2. Next trip my wife tried to take her horse to Moab. Jeep went into limp mode for no reason. Extremely dangerous on the highway. The next day it seemed to run fine again for no reason. Dealership could find nothing in the error codes.

3. today sitting in the airport in Butte Montana trying to figure out what to do next. Two hours at 35 mph in limp mode in remote central Montana. We have learned to carry 35 gallons of water and survival gear as this thing is simply unreliable and actually life-threatening when you get beyond cellular service. My wife is sitting in a hotel with two dogs so unable to fly. No rental cars available for one-way. Hotels say they will be full in two days because of film crews. This EPA default to limp mode is way too freaking dangerous to deal with anymore. After my wife was stranded on the last trip (trying to keep her horse and herself alive in the desert) I talked her into taking just one more trip. Big mistake. No clue what to do next. I have to go to work now out of the country. She and the animals are on their own. Jeep Cares and the warranty are absolutely worthless. Seriously, the only thing the dealership could offer was to sell me another new Gladiator.

The Covid excuse, lack of oil and fuel filters, complete inability for dealerships to do pretty much anything, was an excuse that worked for two years. Now, I am done with excuses. Somebody at Chrysler needs to actually get their shit together or stop selling vehicles.

 

[Rat2Desert]

It was great to be in the “no issues”camp. Then we actually started doing road trips.

First trip driving from Salt Lake to Missoula to get our son to college. Fortunately we had a caravan. Also Gladiator started freaking out with electrical and alternator warning messages. Uconnect warnings and emails saying I should get to a dealer. The dealership could find nothing in the memory.

2. Next trip my wife tried to take her horse to Moab. Jeep went into limp mode for no reason. Extremely dangerous on the highway. The next day it seemed to run fine again for no reason. Dealership could find nothing in the error codes.

3. today sitting in the airport in Butte Montana trying to figure out what to do next. Two hours at 35 mph in limp mode in remote central Montana. We have learned to carry 35 gallons of water and survival gear as this thing is simply unreliable and actually life-threatening when you get beyond cellular service. My wife is sitting in a hotel with two dogs so unable to fly. No rental cars available for one-way. Hotels say they will be full in two days because of film crews. This EPA default to limp mode is way too freaking dangerous to deal with anymore. After my wife was stranded on the last trip (trying to keep her horse and herself alive in the desert) I talked her into taking just one more trip. Big mistake. No clue what to do next. I have to go to work now out of the country. She and the animals are on their own. Jeep Cares and the warranty are absolutely worthless. Seriously, the only thing the dealership could offer was to sell me another new Gladiator.

The Covid excuse, lack of oil and fuel filters, complete inability for dealerships to do pretty much anything, was an excuse that worked for two years. Now, I am done with excuses. Somebody at Chrysler needs to actually get their shit together or stop selling vehicles.

Wow ! That is just horrible. I would suggest sending detailed letters to Cares and ask them to escalate immediately to Customer Retention, which is what got me to a person who at least has some power to get something done. Unfortunately, they don't seem to want to do a lot via email, especially don't seem to commit to anything in writing. They tend to call when they have time and are busy when I call, I've not had luck scheduling a call in advance.

This derating/limp mode BS is just unacceptable. If my car is overheating then tell me, give me the right temps to follow, such as EGT, to keep it from overheating. If I need to sit and idle for 10 minutes then put a message up and tell me. If there's issues with the emissions system then again, put a message up. Just randomly cutting power for who know why and for who knows how long is entirely unacceptable, in particular for a vehicle meant to be taken far away from civilization for long periods of time.

I wonder if a lot of these issues are due to emissions mandates and limp mode being required as a "solution"

I also believe that most dealer mechanics don't understand the diesel systems well enough to diagnose. My local dealer has only 1 diesel mechanic to service all their vehicles, which leads to being backed up 6-8 weeks.

Ultimately that is my main complaint as well . . . I understand there's issues and understand this is a new engine/chassis combination. But if I'm unable to schedule service, they dealers don't understand the issue and/or take months to fix it (for whatever reasons, I don't care), then yeah, stop selling the vehicle.

I'm starting to think all the EPA BS regulations have made diesel emissions too complex for practical use. Which of course is exactly their goal.

 

[DesertDog]

Well said. Just going into limp mode with no explanation is definitely not OK.

 

[Escape.idiocracy]

Wow ! That is just horrible. I would suggest sending detailed letters to Cares and ask them to escalate immediately to Customer Retention, which is what got me to a person who at least has some power to get something done. Unfortunately, they don't seem to want to do a lot via email, especially don't seem to commit to anything in writing. They tend to call when they have time and are busy when I call, I've not had luck scheduling a call in advance.

This derating/limp mode BS is just unacceptable. If my car is overheating then tell me, give me the right temps to follow, such as EGT, to keep it from overheating. If I need to sit and idle for 10 minutes then put a message up and tell me. If there's issues with the emissions system then again, put a message up. Just randomly cutting power for who know why and for who knows how long is entirely unacceptable, in particular for a vehicle meant to be taken far away from civilization for long periods of time.

I wonder if a lot of these issues are due to emissions mandates and limp mode being required as a "solution"

I also believe that most dealer mechanics don't understand the diesel systems well enough to diagnose. My local dealer has only 1 diesel mechanic to service all their vehicles, which leads to being backed up 6-8 weeks.

Ultimately that is my main complaint as well . . . I understand there's issues and understand this is a new engine/chassis combination. But if I'm unable to schedule service, they dealers don't understand the issue and/or take months to fix it (for whatever reasons, I don't care), then yeah, stop selling the vehicle.

I'm starting to think all the EPA BS regulations have made diesel emissions too complex for practical use. Which of course is exactly their goal.

Some of the things you note in here have been available for years.

the idle cool down- turbo timers that run off duration and oil temp have been alive and well for a loooong time.
Egt gauges are nothing new either.
It is kind of a shame that these are not included base with the motor. If they wanted to stretch it- make it available for those with a tow hitch (they might all come with a tow hitch….? too lazy to look it up…) but still.
These are monitoring features that all should have and use regardless.
Though in the same breath. When you advertise a vehicle can tow a certain amount, and the reality is it can’t necessarily do this under certain “normal” conditions…. It’s kind of a shame. I’m not asking to buzz 75mph up grade with a trailer…. But 50-55mph when close to max tow rating should eat be too much to ask.

 

[Rat2Desert]

Some of the things you note in here have been available for years.

the idle cool down- turbo timers that run off duration and oil temp have been alive and well for a loooong time.
Egt gauges are nothing new either.
It is kind of a shame that these are not included base with the motor. If they wanted to stretch it- make it available for those with a tow hitch (they might all come with a tow hitch….? too lazy to look it up…) but still.
These are monitoring features that all should have and use regardless.
Though in the same breath. When you advertise a vehicle can tow a certain amount, and the reality is it can’t necessarily do this under certain “normal” conditions…. It’s kind of a shame. I’m not asking to buzz 75mph up grade with a trailer…. But 50-55mph when close to max tow rating should eat be too much to ask.

Yep, I put in a Banks gauge right away. I've been really nervous about putting in anything else due to warranty concerns. I know a turbo timer shouldn't affect anything, but I just don't trust common sense with dealers or Jeep. As it turns out, despite carefully monitoring temps I still had my engine fail. 3 months in the shop so far, due for a complete engine replacement.

Agree, the towing package should include what you describe, I can't believe a turbo timer isn't stock on this motor.

I would say that I can get very close to 50-55 when close to max tow in most conditions. Really high, really hot, really heavy then 45-50. I'm OK with that, I know this truck is a set of compromises. But, in order to tow near max you really need to watch the EGTs, use that temp as the speed limiter and shift manually.

 

[reckless kelly]

Has your EcoDiesel Engine had any critical issues?

No issues pushing 4000 mi. Realize got a ways to go......

Update, Now display has read the dreaded. Engine Will Not Restart in (so many) mi. Service DEF See Dealer. (Def tank was/is not low, good Def.) Have cleared codes twice. Last time dealer cleared and drove it over 100 mi no problem. Picked up vehicle and 20 mi later code reappeared. Have not done the software update.......BTW runs great, with
good mileage.

 

[Wat Dog]

I had two separate issue with the wire harness running through, not really a big problem, except the first wire that tubbed through caused the truck not to start and unable to be jumped which stranded me out of state several times and took a month in the shop to resolve. The second major issue was what seemed to be the transmission slipping or bucking. It too turned out to be a wire had rubbed through and again, it took a month in the shop to resolve. It also had leaking shocks and needs to have the steering stabilizer replaced after it developed a death wobble. Maybe I’m a glutton but I love my truck and am sticking with it

 

[DesertDog]

… Update. Sitting pretty helplessly in a hotel in Amsterdam. The dealership says the turbo charger is definitely shot. Sensors in the exhaust system are gone as well. They are looking around for what else they can find. Mechanical things break. I get it. The problem is there is not another turbo charger available anywhere in the world. My main reason for purchasing the Gladiator was Transportation for my wife’s dressage horse.
Everyone is safe for now so I feel lucky for that but our pop-up camper is stuck in the way in a hangar and her horse is confined to an arena. I’m pretty sure she will be missing any upcoming events that she has spent years training for. She has her fingers crossed that he does not require a trip to the vet or anything serious.
All champagne problems I know, but being unable to source a genuine Mopar oil filter or fuel filter for over a year, I have zero optimism for finding a turbo charger.

 

[Rat2Desert]

… Update. Sitting pretty helplessly in a hotel in Amsterdam. The dealership says the turbo charger is definitely shot. Sensors in the exhaust system are gone as well. They are looking around for what else they can find. Mechanical things break. I get it. The problem is there is not another turbo charger available anywhere in the world. My main reason for purchasing the Gladiator was Transportation for my wife’s dressage horse.
Everyone is safe from now so I feel lucky for that but our pop-up camper is stuck in the way in a hangar and her horse is confined to an arena. I’m pretty sure she will be missing any upcoming events that she has spent years training for. She has her fingers crossed that he does not require a trip to the vet or anything serious.
All champagne problems I know, but being unable to source a genuine Mopar oil filter or fuel filter for over a year, I have zero optimism for finding a turbo charger.

If it's any help, my new engine is coming in 6 weeks ahead of schedule ! I was stunned to hear that, though maybe it was because I wrote a letter detailing all the trouble I've been through and saying I wanted a buy bock.

Having it fixed soon and ""only" 3 1/2 months rather than over 5 to repair may make me reconsider keeping it.

Definitely not good there's no spare turbos, that seems incredibly silly. Though my dealer didn't even have a belt in stock, took 3 weeks to get one. So . . .

 

[Rusty PW]

Feel your pain. I've had no trouble getting an oil filter or fuel filter. I have 2 of each sitting on a shelf in the garage.

 

[rharr]

… Update. Sitting pretty helplessly in a hotel in Amsterdam. The dealership says the turbo charger is definitely shot. Sensors in the exhaust system are gone as well. They are looking around for what else they can find. Mechanical things break. I get it. The problem is there is not another turbo charger available anywhere in the world. My main reason for purchasing the Gladiator was Transportation for my wife’s dressage horse.
Everyone is safe for now so I feel lucky for that but our pop-up camper is stuck in the way in a hangar and her horse is confined to an arena. I’m pretty sure she will be missing any upcoming events that she has spent years training for. She has her fingers crossed that he does not require a trip to the vet or anything serious.
All champagne problems I know, but being unable to source a genuine Mopar oil filter or fuel filter for over a year, I have zero optimism for finding a turbo charger.

If her missing events is such a big deal, rent a uhaul to pull the horse trailer to the events. You keep painting your self into a corner waiting on jeep to solve your problems when it's pretty well known any time a jeep (gas or oil burner) goes under the knife it's going to take weeks to fix, because of lack of labor and parts shortages.

Go buy a base single cab Chevy Silverado, or find something used, get it financed and sell it when the jeep is back.

 

[DesertDog]

If her missing events is such a big deal, rent a uhaul to pull the horse trailer to the events. You keep painting your self into a corner waiting on jeep to solve your problems when it's pretty well known any time a jeep (gas or oil burner) goes under the knife it's going to take weeks to fix, because of lack of labor and parts shortages.

Go buy a base single cab Chevy Silverado, or find something used, get it financed and sell it when the jeep is back.

I don’t quite follow. I have avoided taking it out of town solo, always have a back up vehicle except for this last leg. Is leaving the city limits painting myself into a corner?

Yes. We’re using UHaul.

No. I’m not buying another vehicle.
The main point of my rant is that I don’t think vehicles should be sold if they cannot be maintained or repaired.

Covid is no longer an excuse that flies with me.

 

[@californiajeeping]

I don’tquite follow. I have avoided taking it out of town solo, always have a back up vehicle except for this last leg. Is leaving the city limits painting myself into a corner?

No. I’m not buying another vehicle.
The main point of my rant is that I don’t think vehicles should be sold if they cannot be maintained or repaired.

Covid is no longer an excuse that flies with me.

Correct. They should have engineers that go dealer by dealer to resolve issues that are not quickly rectified. Multi billion $ company. Fix your issues.

The main issue is the EPA forcing unnecessary rules on diesel engines. These engines without EPA involvement would be rock solid reliable. Proper sulfur lubricating the diesel injection pumps and no filter or def to clog. They would run forever.

Certain people vote a certain way and this is what the entire country now has to deal with.

The EPA's response is: "we never told you the vehicle has to shut off or cut off power just that the driver needs to be notified"

 

[rharr]

@DesertDog, you are painting yourself into a corner cause you have a priority issue in your current situation. You have things you want to do in the immediate future and you want your jeep. Problem is the car is broke and won't be fixed to meet your goals and you still prioritize owning the jeep. So what's more important, having the jeep or having a wife that can do her competitions she has trained long to do? Can't have both.

You can scream until you are blue in the face but fact of the matter things are going to take as long as they take to to get fixed (maybe longer when you piss people off by yelling at them. That is just human nature.) You are not in a position to change anything, other then start over.

Don't care if you are over this whole covid thing or not but doesn't matter, just cause you feel a certain debt is due to you doesn't mean jeep or it's dealers will do anything special.

That is why I am advocating you look at other options, except the reality of the situation, figure out how to get around it, move on and get on with life. Life is to short to let a particular machine screw it all up.

@californiajeeping, doesn't matter if it's diesel or gas, same sad stories can be found in the 3.6 crowd when the cam eats it's self and take 3 months to schedule and fix.

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