Extremely Hot Engine Bay on JT Rubicon

[StingGrayJT24]

WOW! So the Jeep dealership tried to wash their hands off the problem claiming that it's an electrical problem and is not covered under warranty due to aftermarket auxiliary lights. I ended up coming out and disconnecting the lights and the problem persisted.
Now they're claiming that they've called Chrysler and Chrysler told them not to do anything because I have a custom bumper and a winch! I offered to come out and remove the bumper and the winch but the dealer is teling me it won't make a difference because the modification has already permanently altered the airflow inside the engine bay!!!!
BTW. Dealership did acknowledge that it is indeed extremely hot inside the engine bay.

Besides the legal route, any other suggestions?

I feel for you. With my luck this is something that would happen to me.

Question, what exactly did they say was the electrical issue? I would think they would have to actually diagnose it to say what electronically is broken for them to claim it’s an electrical issue. Based on their diagnosis wouldn’t they have to prove one of your mods cause the electrical issue? If they didn’t actually diagnose it and they say, “oh it’s the electrical and your warranty is voided” that’s BS. At least diagnose it instead of saying it’s electrical and claim your whole electrical warranty is denied because you have auxiliary lights and a winch.

Unfortunately, you need to look for another dealer - preferably a mod friendly dealership. I would be surprised if Chrysler flagged without a proper diagnosis, but who knows what your dealer told them. They sound like a bunch of pricks.

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[bigcheeshead]

Thank you everyone for responding back. At this point, the dealer showed me their communication with Chrysler and summarized as follow:
1. Chrysler will not authorize any repairs because of the custom bumper and the winch.
2. Removing the bumper/winch will not resolve the problem because the jeep has already been altered AND Chrysler will most likely reject based on other mods such as the 37 inch tires, lift kit, etc..
3. Even if I paid for the repairs myself there is nothing they can do to fix it. They are able to duplicate the problem and verify that the engine bay is extremely hot. However, there are no overheating codes and everything "appears" to be in working condition including the fan.

So I am stuck with a $59,400 piece of junk that I was able to drive for less than 5,000 miles that I can't even take to a mall in fear of someone else burning their hands on the hood and then suing me! Not to mention I can't trust that it even gets me to the mall, let alone the end of a trail without the engine blowing up.

I'm going to try the local news channels next to put visibility on the issue. Will be looking for a good lawyer after that.

 

[MrZappo]

This should be easy to diagnose. My hood is never hot. Heck it's not even extremely warm.

 

[ThatStinging_Jeep]

I mean to be honest now that i think about it,what do you expect its a HOOD its supposed to be hot i mean sheesh theres a whole damn motor im there,if yall guys are worried about it,just cut out your vents on the bottom if you got a Rubicon like i did and bam better temps and it might keep some hear off the hood and and engine

 

[gpwrang33]

Is the hood insulation installed? Silly question but that's there to keep temps down on the hood itself.

 

[Jaxmax]

Going to tv channels is pretty extreme for your problem, and who is really interested in that news , and it might make matters worse. Jeep sells a winch adaptor for the factory bumper so a winch on front isn't going to hold up as a reason and the 60,000 other Gladiators out there how many are melting the factory wiring harness. If your done with your piece of junk move on, if not , go to a better dealer next.

 

[ShotCaller]

If its not throwing a code, most dealers wont even attempt to fix it.

I had a 2014 RAM 1500 and I had to literally pump the brakes to get it to stop and it wasn't throwing any codes. Three different dealers said they couldn't fix it because it wasn't throwing any codes. 'its normal' they said.

I took it to a local mom and pop shop and they changed the master cylinder and that fixed it.

Maybe try looking for a local 4x4 shop and see what they say.

 

[bigcheeshead]

Yes, the hood has the original heat shield in place. At this point I have completely lost trust in the vehicle reliability so nothing is too extreme. Should have a pretty good chance of getting in on "Channel X on your side story" Phoenix is a major offroading hub after all.
I did speak with the dealership that I've originally purchased it from and they have no problems with aftermarket parts unless they can directly tie the issue to them!
Thanks again everyone, I will keep you all posted on what the other dealer repair shop says.

 

[WhatExit?]

Yes, the hood has the original heat shield in place. At this point I have completely lost trust in the vehicle reliability so nothing is too extreme. Should have a pretty good chance of getting in on "Channel X on your side story" Phoenix is a major offroading hub after all.
I did speak with the dealership that I've originally purchased it from and they have no problems with aftermarket parts unless they can directly tie the issue to them!
Thanks again everyone, I will keep you all posted on what the other dealer repair shop says.

Your hood is hot and you've "completely lost trust in the vehicle reliability?!"

Something is wrong here and it's not just with your JEEP.

@Jaxmax says it all right here:

Going to tv channels is pretty extreme for your problem, and who is really interested in that news , and it might make matters worse. Jeep sells a winch adaptor for the factory bumper so a winch on front isn't going to hold up as a reason and the 60,000 other Gladiators out there how many are melting the factory wiring harness. If your done with your piece of junk move on, if not , go to a better dealer next.

 

[MrZappo]

Yes, the hood has the original heat shield in place. At this point I have completely lost trust in the vehicle reliability so nothing is too extreme. Should have a pretty good chance of getting in on "Channel X on your side story" Phoenix is a major offroading hub after all.
I did speak with the dealership that I've originally purchased it from and they have no problems with aftermarket parts unless they can directly tie the issue to them!
Thanks again everyone, I will keep you all posted on what the other dealer repair shop says.

Ok, so for clarity, your hood gets hot right ?

But, there are no codes, the vehicle has never failed you, it has never left you stranded, it has not overheated, you have never had an indication of the coolant or transmission overheating ... Is this correct ? And the fan works ? And you live in Arizona ? Was it in the sun ? Heck you can burn your hand on the ground in Arizona given the right conditions ...

Yet you have completely lost trust in the vehicle and are trying to get the local news channel involved ?

What does "too hot" mean ? Do you have a infrared thermometer you could use to quantify what "too hot" is ?

You said that it melted tape ? Dealer installed tape or cheap electrical tape ? It is the right kind of tape to be using under a hood ? Electrical tape is not that's for sure .. What is the oil temp ? Are you still on the original battery ? Most batteries would not tolerate those temps for very long ...

Lots of people on this forum who are smart, helpful and KNOW JEEPS ... If you don't hear a reasonable answer by now it is because no one seems to have enough information to help ...

Maybe its too hot, maybe its not, maybe your friend has sensitive skin ... Its anybody's guess at this point ...

Get a thermometer and measure the numbers and others on here will compare to theirs and that way you will know if you actually have a problem ...

 

[hjdca]

Any update on this? I have been driving and 4wheeling in 4WL a few times with My JTR manual since this thread started and my hood is always cool to the touch in 60 deg weather with the sun out (Sting Gray color). Is the hood black ? maybe getting hot from the sun ? Were you able to check underhood temperatures with an infrared thermometer ?

 

[bigcheeshead]

So a quick update on this. I ended up taking the Jeep to a different dealer from whom I initially purchased the Jeep. Their approach is to troubleshoot the problem to see if it is related to aftermarket parts first instead of washing their hands off because aftermarket parts are present. The lesson learned is that different dealers treat aftermarket parts differently EVEN THOUGH the first dealer told me they were following Chrysler instructions and it was out of their control!!!

The second dealer found a half dozen old/inactive codes pertaining to "failure to communicate with the engine" or something similar. I'm paraphrasing here since they didn't give me the exact code #. Strangely they've also had issues with clearing out those codes and had to do a hard reset of the controller board. Not quite sure what that means. Lastly, they flashed the PCM due to 20-053 recall.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed but so far, on the highway, the difference is day and night. Interior and exterior are both cool and the engine sounds COMPLETELY different. It went from a rough barking sound to a smooth purring sound!!!

I'll be offroading this weekend and will see how much hotter the engine will get running in 4W L for 2 to 3 hours.

 

[jurfie]

The lesson learned is that different dealers treat aftermarket parts differently EVEN THOUGH the first dealer told me they were following Chrysler instructions and it was out of their control!!!

Great news to hear you found a better dealer service department to work with. Some dealers really, really suck; some are great. YMMV, as you've found here.

 

[Jaxmax]

I wonder if the PCM controlled or didn't control when fan came on, but better running engine is great. I have a great dealer with a great service team minutes from my house I consider my self lucky. Glad it worked out!.....Jack

 

[Rex3rd]

This thread sounds like the guy with the burning foot lol

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