Jeep Technician (And Gladiator Owner) Discusses Common Questions and Problems on TrailRecon

[lo-fi]

As a new Jeep Gladiator owner who is gathering knowledge from various places, including this forum, I found this, while basic, informative. A lot of this is Jeep Wrangler related but nonetheless....

Cliffs

1. Don't modify your 3.6L engine
2. Death Wobble: Steering Stabilizer should be changed if lifted. Avoid cheap shocks.
3. Is Toyota more reliable? No
4. What is the most reliable engine? 4.0, 3.8, and 3.6 in that order.
5. What mod causes the most warranty issues? Lifts
6. Doesn't recommend forced induction on the 3.6L. Doesn't feel the bang for the buck is there plus potential issues.
7. Most reliable Jeep? 2003 to 2006 4.0L
8. Why does the Jeep Wrangler 3.6L Oil Cooler Fail? Made of plastic, it sucks.
9. Regearing is crucial after lift and tires.
10. Least reliable engine? 2011-2014.5 3.6L
11. Auxillary Battery is a frequent sore spot.

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[DaveL]

Thanks! Good list.
What about oiled air filters? As in cold air intakes?

DaveL

 

[lo-fi]

According to this one technician, zero engine modifications including intakes. Again, he doesn't feel the cost justifies the gains because the gains are little to non-existent.

15 minutes and 4 seconds he discusses air filters/intake.

 

[Pescatoral Pursuit]

Interesting Jeep will warranty their lift kit which does NOT correct all the geometry changes, but not others which do. Hmmm...

Don't they also sell and warranty the AEV 370 upgrade as a new vehicle?

 

[obrianmcc]

.... He lost a lot of credibility when he went down the steering stabilizer rabbit hole regarding death wobble.

 

[Escape.idiocracy]

Trail recon has sold out once he went down the path of JL/JT’s.
Also, kind of hard to take mechanical advise from someone who predominantly has shops and others work on their vehicle.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

7. Most reliable Jeep? 2003 to 2006 4.0L

"....because the interior was a little bit better than the previous model...."

 

[Lost1wing]

As a new Jeep Gladiator owner who is gathering knowledge from various places, including this forum, I found this, while basic, informative. A lot of this is Jeep Wrangler related but nonetheless....

Cliffs

1. Don't modify your 3.6L engine
2. Death Wobble: Steering Stabilizer should be changed if lifted. Avoid cheap shocks.
3. Is Toyota more reliable? No
4. What is the most reliable engine? 4.0, 3.8, and 3.6 in that order.
5. What mod causes the most warranty issues? Lifts
6. Doesn't recommend forced induction on the 3.6L. Doesn't feel the bang for the buck is there plus potential issues.
7. Most reliable Jeep? 2003 to 2006 4.0L
8. Why does the Jeep Wrangler 3.6L Oil Cooler Fail? Made of plastic, it sucks.
9. Regearing is crucial after lift and tires.
10. Least reliable engine? 2011-2014.5 3.6L
11. Auxillary Battery is a frequent sore spot.

Item 1, don't modify the 3.6l engine.

Item 8, plastic oil cooler sucks.

I would go with the all metal cooler. That modification would be okay. Right? Just picking on you. Good list. We have several 4.0l's, and a 2004 TJ, for that reason. Reliability!

 

[Jefe1018]

Interesting Jeep will warranty their lift kit which does NOT correct all the geometry changes, but not others which do. Hmmm...

Don't they also sell and warranty the AEV 370 upgrade as a new vehicle?

One kit greased their hands, the others didn’t or didn’t as much.

 

[lo-fi]

Trail recon has sold out once he went down the path of JL/JT’s.
Also, kind of hard to take mechanical advise from someone who predominantly has shops and others work on their vehicle.

The trail recon guy wasn't giving the advice, the technician he had on as a guest was.

What advice do you disagree with? I'm not being a smart a$$, I'm new to Jeeps so if there is something less than credible drop some knowledge on everyone.

 

[lo-fi]

.... He lost a lot of credibility when he went down the steering stabilizer rabbit hole regarding death wobble.

This is the one I'm most curious about. As a new Jeep owner I was completely surprised by the term. I'll be doing some research into what he said.

 

[Jeep~N~Jay]

A jeep technician that didn't know the 2011 had the 3.8??? Btw the 3.8 was very reliable in my opinion, just underpowered.

 

[ErylFlynn]

A jeep technician that didn't know the 2011 had the 3.8??? Btw the 3.8 was very reliable in my opinion, just underpowered.

Still rocking my 2008 Wrangler Unlimited, and almost no issues. Biggest problem was the oil leak from my oil pan gasket that Jeep could not find and I eventually replaced myself. I have 115k on it as well.

 

[Jeep~N~Jay]

Still rocking my 2008 Wrangler Unlimited, and almost no issues. Biggest problem was the oil leak from my oil pan gasket that Jeep could not find and I eventually replaced myself. I have 115k on it as well.

I sold my 3.8 JK about 7 years ago and miss it everyday. Re-geared to 5.13 and loved that Jeep, I am talking about picking up another one 'just to have" next year lol.

 

[Escape.idiocracy]

This is the one I'm most curious about. As a new Jeep owner I was completely surprised by the term. I'll be doing some research into what he said.

1. Don't modify your 3.6L engine- First mod I would do is a catch can.
2. Death Wobble: Steering Stabilizer should be changed if lifted. Avoid cheap shocks. Dumbest thing I have ever heard- steering stabilizers mask the starting signs of many issues that cause death wobble. Without going too far in the weeds- PSC Big Bore with a ram assist would be the only “damper” I would recommend, as it’s not a damper but does remove the stress from the steering box and frame deflection and is ultimately what’s needed for 37+ tires and wheeling…
3. Is Toyota more reliable? No. Toyota was awesome until the 2012 soy-based wiring idea, then too many other issues get added after this time frame.
4. What is the most reliable engine? 4.0, 3.8, and 3.6 in that order. 4.0 was probably the most consistent motor of the last 20 years for Jeep. 3.8 is trash, NEW 2018+ 3.6 is sketchy, 2014-2017 3.6 was fine (rocker issues). 3.0 is a roll of the dice- purely emissions and fuel pump being the concerns
5. What mod causes the most warranty issues? Lifts I understand that we are talking about $50-70k toys… but if you are taking them to go play and have a good time- go have a good time, warranty? Some times you have to pay to play… if your not willing to pay up then this probably isn’t for you.. trail fixes, abuse etc. things are going to break. Quite frankly I’m blown away at how much trust a lot of folks on this forum have in their dealer techs to fix things… I struggle to trust an oil change, as the 3 “free” had oil spilled everywhere, cringing over when mine goes in for the fuel pump and upper oil pan gasket.
6. Doesn't recommend forced induction on the 3.6L. Doesn't feel the bang for the buck is there plus potential issues.
Forced induction is a good time! But seriously? If your going down this road, a bolt on is a starting point… internals need to be done. The JL/Jt 3.6 is a high compression motor engineers pushed for efficiency and refinement- turbos and superchargers are going to require more in-depth work- period.
7. Most reliable Jeep? 2003 to 2006 4.0L
Manual LJR would probably be my top pick.
8. Why does the Jeep Wrangler 3.6L Oil Cooler Fail? Made of plastic, it sucks.Agree
9. Regearing is crucial after lift and tires. Also agree- the transmission gears debate is comical. Sure down shifting works but re-gear all day long is the resolution to bringing back the required tq to turn bigger tires…
10. Least reliable engine? 2011-2014.5 3.6L I would argue the 2018+ 3.6 and it’s higher compression bring more issues to the table than the rocker issues of the 2012-2017.
11. Auxillary Battery is a frequent sore spot.
My opinion- the way the auxiliary battery is tied into the system is frustrating. I understand it’s use/functionality, it just seems to me that it is a parasite within the electrical system. I say this but it isn’t a high enough concern- I have not ripped mine out yet- will cross that bridge sometime in the next 12 months.

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