What did you do TO your Gladiator today? [ADMIN WARNING: NO POLITICS, NO GUN TALK]

[ShadowsPapa]

Well, I think you already know I run a little extra in mine because I am always in such steep places . It's my OCD.

Won't hurt a thing.
I always wondered what Hollyweed types did with their stunts where the drove the car on two wheels, the engine sitting at almost 80 degrees................

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[Stan H]

Data plate should be 4.7 Liters since that is 5 Quarts.
For oil I use 5 quarts of Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W-30.

Okay now I feel vindicated.

 

[Gizmo]

I swapped out a pair of Synergy 3" front springs and a .5 spacer which got me 3" total for a set of 4" Synergy's. looks 100% better and still rides fine . I love no spacers

 

[Stan H]

That's the accurate number - here's a bit from a tech site talking of these engines in the Grand Cherokee - note a key word -

Approximately. In other words, more like 5.7 but that confuses consumers, so just call it 6.

And this from an FCA technical document talking oil capacities - so, when do you check? Half hour after stopping? 1 hour, or overnight like me?
Note the key sentence - "the Pentastar Upgrade engine has a slower oil drain back rate".
Hmmm, so if you change the oil, and start it and check it even within 30 minutes, it may explain why 5 puts mine above but not yours

But we know Jeep isn't great at accurate specs, accurate web sites, and screws things up badly anyway.
Heck, they can't even create a working web site or give accurate towing information half the time.

I like how it says in bold letters not to put more than specified oops guess I'm in trouble then.
Hope no one makes me write on tbe chalk board a 1000 times.
You shall not over fill the 3.6Lpug

 

[DanW]

5 quarts on the nose -

Interesting. Do you drain for long? I usually drain for around an hour when changing the oil. Pentastars seem to keep draining forever. Mine gets right to the top of the hashmarks, but no higher with 5 quarts after an oil and filter change..

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Interesting. Do you drain for long? I usually drain for around an hour when changing the oil. Pentastars seem to keep draining forever. Mine gets right to the top of the hashmarks, but no higher with 5 quarts after an oil and filter change..

Seriously, to fully empty the thing, I bet it would take an hour or more - even FCA says it's a slow drain-back engine.
Normally I like at least 20-30 minutes but with what I'm seeing, I bet an hour would be better.

 

[Mud Pie]

I'll admit...I've never heard it called that before. I grew up calling it the "Oh $h!t Bar"

It might be a 70's thing....or maybe a Long Island thing....I dunno. But whenever you were bouncing around off-road and your passenger grabbed that handle, you'd mutter, "Chicken......"

I swear I didn't make that up !!

 

[Stan H]

Interesting. Do you drain for long? I usually drain for around an hour when changing the oil. Pentastars seem to keep draining forever. Mine gets right to the top of the hashmarks, but no higher with 5 quarts after an oil and filter change..

I usually just drain after it has sat for 35 min. After coming home hot or the next morning. Let drain till just a drop every 4 or 5 seconds

 

[Mud Pie]

You guys still change your own oil ??

I haven't changed my own oil since around 2009. Maybe earlier.

Reasons ?
1. I live in Texas, where it's hotter than the door knob to Hell. I have quite literally, put a 1st degree burn on my palm because I unknowingly left a wrench on my driveway, in the sun, while working underneath. I grabbed that sucker and I coulda swore I saw the word "Craftsman" imprinted across my palm. The neighbor kids do not deserve to hear your string of hyphenated cuss words as the flying wrench goes pinging down your drive.

2. Radiant heat. It's difficult to determine which is hotter; the heat coming off your engine or the heat radiating off the concrete. A creeper makes no difference. You know how a potato in the oven feels.

3. Cost. I've been getting package deals from the dealer for many years now. The current deal at my Jeep dealership has a plan of 3 oil and filter changes, 3 tire rotations, 27 point inspection (with video of the inspection showing what was done) top off ALL fluids and 3 car wash and vacuum. For 200 bucks. Look up what 15 quarts of full syn and 3 OEM filters cost. And that's just the "parts".

4. Convenience. I drop it off, make a comment about how freakin hot it is outside, go sit in their air-conditioned in-house cafe, order a free foo-foo coffee (that I would NEVER buy) from the cute chatty teenage barista that takes more pride in her ability to make a cup of coffee than you think one should have (NO tipping allowed), eat a free pastry or two and watch some show on my phone. They used to have massage chairs but I never partook. I asked the barista did they remove them because too many people farted in them, the vibration does release the farts and smile when she cracks up. When you're my age, you get away with comments like that in public. Turn down that 3rd cup because you're already like a Russian race horse peeing on a flat rock.

5. Convenience Part II. If you drain your own oil, then you got the clean up and disposal aggravation that follows. After you drain it, you gotta pour it back into the bottles, put it in a garbage bag, go in the house and shower because you have sweat and dirty oil on you, then go drive to a recycling center and most likely wait in line. At the dealership ? "Oh, it's ready ? Thank you. Let me pee before I go.".

6. Blunt Honesty. I don't want to do that crap anymore.

Now don't get me wrong. Back in the day I had no choice but to do it myself, I could barely afford to pay attention much less pay some one else to do such a mundane task. But my life has progressed to the point where I can afford to let others do it. I no longer have to use the self-justification of "I can see the condition of my oil if I do it myself.". I've been driving since the 1970's, the only condition I've noticed was the oil was dirty. I never saw large slivers of metal, no ball bearings, no fingernail clippings of resident gremlins. Dirty oil. BTDT.

 

[HooliganActual]

It might be a 70's thing....or maybe a Long Island thing....I dunno. But whenever you were bouncing around off-road and your passenger grabbed that handle, you'd mutter, "Chicken......"

I swear I didn't make that up !!

Yeah, I grew up in the 70’s too. We called it the “Oh $h!t bar” because that’s the last thing the passenger said before they grabbed it. Lol

 

[Mightytalldude]

Yeah, I grew up in the 70’s too. We called it the “Oh $h!t bar” because that’s the last thing the passenger said before they grabbed it. Lol

Same, definitely the "oh sh!t" bar.

 

[Shibbyjeep]

Yep, I looked into that. The airbag is deployed below the dash panel, between the dash panel and the chicken bar, inflating out and upward. The dash panel does not move. At least on my 2023 you can clearly see the airbag "section" that will deploy with "airbag" embossed in the area.

It always concerned me that many cheap aftermarket plastic "pockets" are made to slide between the chicken bar and the dash and held in place with double sided tape. That tray is definitely blocking the airbag.

It looks like its supposed to come out from the mid/top area.

 

[Mud Pie]

Now granted, I am a total newbie to the Gladiator platform, having mine for about 3 weeks... I know there is a posted pic of an airbag poking out a "mail slot" type hole on the dash panel, but with the advent of A.I., I very rarely take a photo as proof anymore...

But looking at the dash of my 2023, it appears to me that the airbag comes out of the little panel beneath the dash panel. It's clearly marked AIRBAG and if you lightly push on it, it does flex. I may be wrong, but I thought it was federal law that the actual airbag location had to be marked, not marked in the general area (comes out from the painted panel 4" above the marking) for safety reasons.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

You guys still change your own oil ??

I haven't changed my own oil since around 2009. Maybe earlier.

Reasons ?
1. I live in Texas, where it's hotter than the door knob to Hell. I have quite literally, put a 1st degree burn on my palm because I unknowingly left a wrench on my driveway, in the sun, while working underneath. I grabbed that sucker and I coulda swore I saw the word "Craftsman" imprinted across my palm. The neighbor kids do not deserve to hear your string of hyphenated cuss words as the flying wrench goes pinging down your drive.

2. Radiant heat. It's difficult to determine which is hotter; the heat coming off your engine or the heat radiating off the concrete. A creeper makes no difference. You know how a potato in the oven feels.

3. Cost. I've been getting package deals from the dealer for many years now. The current deal at my Jeep dealership has a plan of 3 oil and filter changes, 3 tire rotations, 27 point inspection (with video of the inspection showing what was done) top off ALL fluids and 3 car wash and vacuum. For 200 bucks. Look up what 15 quarts of full syn and 3 OEM filters cost. And that's just the "parts".

4. Convenience. I drop it off, make a comment about how freakin hot it is outside, go sit in their air-conditioned in-house cafe, order a free foo-foo coffee (that I would NEVER buy) from the cute chatty teenage barista that takes more pride in her ability to make a cup of coffee than you think one should have (NO tipping allowed), eat a free pastry or two and watch some show on my phone. They used to have massage chairs but I never partook. I asked the barista did they remove them because too many people farted in them, the vibration does release the farts and smile when she cracks up. When you're my age, you get away with comments like that in public. Turn down that 3rd cup because you're already like a Russian race horse peeing on a flat rock.

5. Convenience Part II. If you drain your own oil, then you got the clean up and disposal aggravation that follows. After you drain it, you gotta pour it back into the bottles, put it in a garbage bag, go in the house and shower because you have sweat and dirty oil on you, then go drive to a recycling center and most likely wait in line. At the dealership ? "Oh, it's ready ? Thank you. Let me pee before I go.".

6. Blunt Honesty. I don't want to do that crap anymore.

Now don't get me wrong. Back in the day I had no choice but to do it myself, I could barely afford to pay attention much less pay some one else to do such a mundane task. But my life has progressed to the point where I can afford to let others do it. I no longer have to use the self-justification of "I can see the condition of my oil if I do it myself.". I've been driving since the 1970's, the only condition I've noticed was the oil was dirty. I never saw large slivers of metal, no ball bearings, no fingernail clippings of resident gremlins. Dirty oil. BTDT.

Yes and no
I use the free Jeep wave oil changes.
For my cars, no one else is allowed to touch them. I cringe even letting someone do an alignment.
And I want to watch when they change tires on my rare wheels (literally, can't buy them any more for my Eagle) - I did let Discount Tire put new tires on the Eagle with some stipulations - and I inspected it before leaving (well it's also a T5 trans so it might confuse a few people)
One tire place even told me "yeah, I have one guy here who can drive a stick". Guess where I didn't go back to.

I totally get your points and yes, I do let ONE dealership here do Jeep wave oil changes and if we end up taking the jeep that's supposed to be coming in for my wife - dealership will do the tire rotations and oil changes on it with those massive tires.

Our dealership has free coffee, water, hot chocolate for cold days, and they send you a video of the work being done so you know it's your vehicle and what's happening with it. (and a card for a free car wash, too)

So it sort of depends - we can afford to let a quality shop do it - we've earned that ability.
In some cases - meh, I'll do it.
But with my health conditions, I can no longer lay under a vehicle without getting sick - and that feeling and headache lasts for the whole of the rest of the day.
I spent decades working on vehicles for others, I guess I ruined my hands and health in the process. Even my thumbs have given out - x-rays show big deterioration in my thumb joints.

Like a great great great grandfather mentioned in the book "the History of Cadiz Ohio" - they said "with his constant toil and building cabins for others, he likely worked himself to an early death".

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Now granted, I am a total newbie to the Gladiator platform, having mine for about 3 weeks... I know there is a posted pic of an airbag poking out a "mail slot" type hole on the dash panel, but with the advent of A.I., I very rarely take a photo as proof anymore...

But looking at the dash of my 2023, it appears to me that the airbag comes out of the little panel beneath the dash panel. It's clearly marked AIRBAG and if you lightly push on it, it does flex. I may be wrong, but I thought it was federal law that the actual airbag location had to be marked, not marked in the general area (comes out from the painted panel 4" above the marking) for safety reasons.

Likely relocated. They added air bags over the years. The 2020 being a lot different than a 2024 partly because of the all new dash structure there. a lot is different.

This is an actual Jeep air bag deployment
https://www.jeep392.com/threads/where-are-the-airbag-deployment-sites.3327/

https://www.airbagcenter.com/2023-j...AIgIho-2cF-9IVRqNuChOEMYnatIwgmb-nW3EGxrTX7ft

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