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[biodiesel]

The failure causes the coolant to mix with oil?

No, if the EGR cooler develops a hairline fracture, it will leak coolant into the intake. If the EGR cooler clogs with soot/carbon, it will throw a check engine light.

Are you going to buy an OEM or BulletProof as a spare?

Let me preface this by saying that I've had the EGR valve/cooler replaced three times on my 2015. The first one failed internally and was replaced under warranty. The second one did not fail but was replaced due to the EGR recall. The third one clogged and was replaced under the AEM warranty.

I've already bought a spare Mopar EGR valve/cooler. Keep in mind, the EGR valve is pretty solid and long-lasting. It's the actual cooler that fails. Mopar doesn't sell the cooler separately, so you get the valve and cooler in one unit. The BulletProof cooler is a standalone cooler.

I bought a spare Mopar EGR valve/cooler from a person who took it off a new crate engine. I've considered removing the Mopar cooler and installing the BulletProof cooler but haven't made any decisions yet.

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[ShadowsPapa]

To align them correctly in the cap. The 2 ends of tbe bearings after caps are put on push against one another which does the job of preventing rotation IF all clearances are per spec. I know it sure help when you have to do a fly by night bearing job. And the block is still in the truck . I literally have left the scene of a off roading rollover situation that resulted in damaged bearings. Bought bearrings . Dropped the oil pan. Loosened all caps . And gently slide the new ones in around that lip,tang , lock what ever it is lets ya know its in there correctly situated. So that tang has to line up with that notched area or something else bad will take place

They don't need to align - in fact, they typically don't match each other but are on opposite sides. The tab prevents rotation, yes, but the bearings are just a tiny bit larger than the recess and get crushed into the cap and rod and torqued down. The tabs don't touch each other. They make contact with the plain part of the rod or cap, or block or main.

One thing that I found interesting about MOPAR's version of the 4.0 was that the bearing tangs for the rods were on opposite sides from the 258. When I built a 4.0 and used 258 rod bearings, I had to file notches in the rods and caps for the rod bearing tangs!
Why they moved the notch in the rods and caps to the opposite sides I'll never know, unless it was something Iacocca wanted to ensure no one could use AMC parts in the Chrysler engine that AMC invented. I did it anyway.

The tangs never contact each other. In fact, because there's no difference between the rod half and the cap half, they end up opposite each other, not touching each other.
The tang has to be in the slot in the main or rod, but they don't line up against each other, cap tang to rod tang, and so on.

Here's one example from one I did -
The top bearing half tang can be seen to the right of the bolt.
The cap bearing half tang would hit the rod where the red line shows - in fact, you can see the imprint on the rod surface. They don't line up, you don't want them to.

 

[vicsvx]

Hoping my jeep/engine fairs well for many years to come (despite my HP EGR valve being replaced under warranty right now). I'll be eventually upgrading to the BP EGR cooler and start to clean the EGR tube into the intake as routine maintenance.

But, if stuff goes sideways, hemi swap it is. Hopefully by that time I could easily afford the swap and do it myself...lets say 15 years from now?

 

[Stan H]

They don't need to align - in fact, they typically don't match each other but are on opposite sides. The tab prevents rotation, yes, but the bearings are just a tiny bit larger than the recess and get crushed into the cap and rod and torqued down. The tabs don't touch each other. They make contact with the plain part of the rod or cap, or block or main.

One thing that I found interesting about MOPAR's version of the 4.0 was that the bearing tangs for the rods were on opposite sides from the 258. When I built a 4.0 and used 258 rod bearings, I had to file notches in the rods and caps for the rod bearing tangs!
Why they moved the notch in the rods and caps to the opposite sides I'll never know, unless it was something Iacocca wanted to ensure no one could use AMC parts in the Chrysler engine that AMC invented. I did it anyway.

The tangs never contact each other. In fact, because there's no difference between the rod half and the cap half, they end up opposite each other, not touching each other.
The tang has to be in the slot in the main or rod, but they don't line up against each other, cap tang to rod tang, and so on.

Here's one example from one I did -
The top bearing half tang can be seen to the right of the bolt.
The cap bearing half tang would hit the rod where the red line shows - in fact, you can see the imprint on the rod surface. They don't line up, you don't want them to.

Yes your correct but what I was taking about was matching that lock tab to the lock tab notch.
Also that is a very good pic . I just not the best at my explanation sometimes
As you roll the bearings in for me that tang and notch always helped me some.
However after this little exchange I was doing some reading and found that Chrysler has actually produced at least 2 engines where the notch and tang do not exist and we're eliminated

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Yes your correct but what I was taking about was matching that lock tab to the lock tab notch.
Also that is a very good pic . I just not the best at my explanation sometimes
As you roll the bearings in for me that tang and notch always helped me some.
However after this little exchange I was doing some reading and found that Chrysler has actually produced at least 2 engines where the notch and tang do not exist and we're eliminated

I've had the sets of "pins" used in that process since the 1970s. They go into the oil passage in the crankshaft and have an angled head that goes against the edge of the bearing. You turn the crankshaft and the head of the pin pushes the bearing out. Reverse to put the new bearing half up in the block. It makes really super-quick work of main bearing replacement with engine in the vehicle.

 

[GladiatorPilot23]

No, if the EGR cooler develops a hairline fracture, it will leak coolant into the intake. If the EGR cooler clogs with soot/carbon, it will throw a check engine light.



Let me preface this by saying that I've had the EGR valve/cooler replaced three times on my 2015. The first one failed internally and was replaced under warranty. The second one did not fail but was replaced due to the EGR recall. The third one clogged and was replaced under the AEM warranty.

I've already bought a spare Mopar EGR valve/cooler. Keep in mind, the EGR valve is pretty solid and long-lasting. It's the actual cooler that fails. Mopar doesn't sell the cooler separately, so you get the valve and cooler in one unit. The BulletProof cooler is a standalone cooler.

I bought a spare Mopar EGR valve/cooler from a person who took it off a new crate engine. I've considered removing the Mopar cooler and installing the BulletProof cooler but haven't made any decisions yet.

In regards to clogging. What do you think caused it? Did you have a good Cetane booster the whole time since new to have a more complete burn? Oil is the other enemy. In my case I use Renewable Diesel and it burns much better creating less soot.

 

[BearFootSam]

I read a couple of years ago that Cummins had developed a smaller engine and I always wondered if that would be a good fit since they already have a long standing relationship with Ram.

EDIT
Heres the 2.8 l they currently offer but it is not certified to run in modern vehicles. I wonder how much it would take to design a downstream EPA compliant exhaust (or adapt the one they used previously) . Also, given the possible changes in EPA ruling this might make a working argument as is…

https://www.cummins.com/engines/repower

I've thought that 2.8 would be an ideal gladiator engine for a while. It doesn't need sky high power numbers, there's sufficient torque to do what we need and range should in theory be fantastic. The clatter of a four pot diesel would be sublime.

 

[ssrlewis]

Here is a couple pics of my EGR Cooler I removed to replaced with the one from Bullet Proof Diesel. 210,000 miles total on this cooler with 154,000 of them with the GDE Tune.


Steve

 

[Stan H]

Here is a couple pics of my EGR Cooler I removed to replaced with the one from Bullet Proof Diesel. 210,000 miles total on this cooler with 154,000 of them with the GDE Tune.


Steve

Not to shabby

 

[biodiesel]

In regards to clogging. What do you think caused it?

In general, low temperature operation (short commutes) and high idle times are probably two major factors that accelerate soot accumulation inside the EGR cooler.

It would be a good idea for EGR coolers to be cleaned every 30,000 to 50,000 miles depending on how the vehicle is used. In my opinion, the Mopar cooler is a throwaway item, but the BulletProof coolers are designed to be cleaned and reused.

I use my 2015 as a daily driver and work truck, so it sees a lot of low temp operation, lots of idle time, and a fair amount of towing.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

In my case I use Renewable Diesel and it burns much better creating less soot.

Is that from a company called something like renewable lubes or similar.
IF so, they make a good oil for gas engines as well. Bio-friendly, too.

 

[GladiatorPilot23]

Is that from a company called something like renewable lubes or similar.
IF so, they make a good oil for gas engines as well. Bio-friendly, too.

No this is made from a few different Refineries. Mostly sold in CA,OR,WA

Costco sells it in those states. I get mine from Philips 66 who has a refinery and its sold at all the stations in CA. It a huge difference in performance over fossil.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

No this is made from a few different Refineries. Mostly sold in CA,OR,WA

Costco sells it in those states. I get mine from Philips 66 who has a refinery and it sold at all the stations in CA. It a huge difference in performance over fossil.

This is the one I was thinking of - it actually made my Javelin's 360 idle so much higher I had to reset the carburetors on it and idle it back down.

 

[PackMule]

,,, Snip...
... For example, the data shows that most lift pump failures on the Gen 2 platform fail between 140,000 - 180,000 miles. Even though there are outliers, I've suggested that it would be wise to replace the lift pump within that range if preventative maintenance is desired rather than run-to-failure.

In other words, I'm using data to drive decisions regarding service life of a particular part. The purpose is to minimize breakdowns, maximize reliability, reduce expensive emergency costs, and minimize downtime.

Let's talk about factors. The folks who had early lift pump failures, at least those who experienced a failure before 120,000 miles shared a commonality. Many of those owners had a habit of driving on empty tanks. It's been speculated that driving on empty tanks, especially in the hot summer months, stress the pumps.
...Snip...
..... Some of us are legitimately trying to make better decisions about long-term ownership. It's not everyone's gig, and I get it. But I'm glad to help those who are asking questions.

Weighing in as one trying to make a decision about long-term ownership.

A quick background:
2021 JTRD, recieved delivery in Dec 2020.
- First 30k miles beautiful
- Cracked radiator at 33k mi on a trip in Kalispell MT, while towing my camper (this seems to be a common Wrangler problem as well)
- 33k - 36k - experienced frequent total limp mode episides while towing in Canada. Took three months and three+ dealer visits in Jasper, Calgary, and back home in MIssoula to determine it was a bent pin on the PCM connector (maybe inflicted during the radiator replacement?). Cleared the problem with a PCM replacement
... The next 50k miles were pretty much event free, did the fuel pump replacement at 62k mi.

Now, in three successive camping trips
- Failed DPF at 87k mi - not covered under 100k warrantee - $5000 cost
- Failed DEF pump at 91k mi actually the connector on the line tore loose spraying DEF over the underside.... Pump needed to be replace - not covered under 100k warrantee - $1200 cost
- Fuel pressure sensor failure 92k mi - not covered under 100k warrantee - at shop now, $1000 for just the sensor... not sure what labor will cost.

So, considering I use this rig for long distance camping trips... where getting a 200mi countdown til the engine will no longer start,... and its 20 mi back to camp, and 160 mi to the nearest dealer on the way home...400 more mi to home...towing a trailer... not too good of a feeling.

I love this rig for what it can do... but really questioning reliability going forward.

So, to that end, it would be really good to know what other big ticket items I might be facing in the future, and... to your point above, ... considering preventative replacements on things BEFORE they break... as in my experience... things break at very inopportune times.

In reading through this thread, it looks like an EGR cooler replacement is in my near future!

@biodiesel , or any one else on the thread, any other possible preventative steps? Lift Pump?

 

[biodiesel]

- Cracked radiator at 33k mi on a trip in Kalispell MT, while towing my camper (this seems to be a common Wrangler problem as well)

In terms of quality, the Mopar radiators are hit and miss. Most of them last 150,000 miles no problem but some fail early.

- 33k - 36k - experienced frequent total limp mode episides while towing in Canada. Took three months and three+ dealer visits in Jasper, Calgary, and back home in MIssoula to determine it was a bent pin on the PCM connector (maybe inflicted during the radiator replacement?). Cleared the problem with a PCM replacement

Sorry to hear about that.

Now, in three successive camping trips
- Failed DPF at 87k mi - not covered under 100k warrantee - $5000 cost

Did they say why it failed? Why was it not replaced under warranty? By the way, a new DPF can be found for $2,700.

- Failed DEF pump at 91k mi actually the connector on the line tore loose spraying DEF over the underside.... Pump needed to be replace - not covered under 100k warrantee - $1200 cost

I would guess something hit the line/connector causing it to fail. You are the first person I've heard to have that part fail.

- Fuel pressure sensor failure 92k mi - not covered under 100k warrantee - at shop now, $1000 for just the sensor... not sure what labor will cost.

That sensor can be found for $195 (Bosch). The Mopar version is $250.

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