3.6L pentastar motor from a 2014 ram promaster. Timing chain stretched, tensioners failed. Replaced the engine tore the old one apart to have a look see.
If it lasts that long. Just LS swap at that point 😂 I’m a Jeep fanatic but not impressed with their quality lately. A few of the Gladiators running the 3.6 are having complete engine failure before 500 miles! I myself had a new 2017 JKUR that started knocking at less than 800 miles
If you watched till the end, he basically said just wait till it goes boom and find a low mileage motor for $850 at a junkyard, especially if its a motor out job on your vehicle. At the point the lifters/roller rockers are shot too, plus the time it takes to rebuild.
@@TheTurpin1234 exactly, you can’t believe the grief I take over that motor for not just replacing the chains and keep going. I can’t use hind site as fore site. I knew AFTER I tore the engine down it’s true condition. Not knowing at over 600,000 miles what that motor looked like inside, the down time and cost of a replacement it was the only call I could make. Replace it. Would I make the same call? Probably, only because of the down time. Dollars and cents. Tearing it down at that point was only to see if the maintenance I do is working. Thanks for the reply.
@@pacu7102 LS hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
@@Bartonovich52 It's impressive, but almost any modern engine will look this good if it rarely if ever gets cold started and sees ALL highway miles at one constant temperature like this engine would have to have had. Some Ford 4.6 - 2 valve engines have done almost a million miles like this. Still damn impressive though.
2.4 2011 Chevy Malibu here, full synthetic oil 221k miles original timing chains, just now getting a little rattle on cold starts but I was told it is just the timing chain tensioner, if you know any thing about the 2.4 it’s surprising!
We owned 5 if these 3.6 Motors over the last 10 years. Three Dodge Caravans were our kid haulers. Wife put 368K in the on the 2012, 323K on the 2017, and 295K on the 2020. We did oil samples on the vans every 100K+-. When the oil samples came back somewhat "DIRTY", we traded in for a new van. All were running good with very limited oil burn when traded in. Now we have a 2021 Jeep wrangler with 72K. And a new 2023 Ram crew 4x4 with 5K. For the most part we just changed the oil by the vehicle computer hitting 5%. We did not use Synetic oil for the first two Caravans, and only started using Synetic oil on the third at about 200K. Been very happy with these 3.6 motors.
I’ve got 290,000 on the replacement motor. I did replace all 4 cams followers and lifters at around 250,000. It had a bad follower on the front head a week later one failed on the rear head. I bought a new van in 21 so this sat for 2 years. The new van has 190,000 on it. Unfortunately I hit a dear and it’s in the body shop. I put this van back in service and it runs like new. The van has a total of 893,000 miles on it. I’m going to keep running this van until it hits a million. The body has no rust looks great. Theres also a video of the transmission with 500,000 on it. Search for 500,000 mile transmission it’l pop up. 👍
@@FredFlintstone21 Its a 2012, now at 250k and still running, I still drive it! Yeah I have had rockers replaced on both heads, the oil filter housing twice, and 1 rear main seal leak. As far as the engine, those are the only issues I have ever had. Had other non-engine repairs (radiator, starter, alternator, and axle seals). Still has the original transmission surprisingly.
At 125,000 miles a year, that's damn good. Always glad to see this kind of results ! If the tensioners had not failed, this little 3.6L could have gone to the million mark ! Thanks !
Keep in mind, he is talking over 600K - easy highway miles. Most of us don't drive 99% highway, we spend a lotta time in traffic, etc. especially in large cities. It would be nice to know how many total hours on this motor.
These engines are underrated, I tell everyone they are solid engines only issues with them are ignition coils and roller rockers failing around 100k but otherwise great engines.
Fun fact, Pentastars have been factory Speed Density engines (no mass airflow sensor) since they came out and I still think they are in the 20's. I worked with some engineers who calibrate those and they say it's pretty tough to get them dialed in but otherwise they run good.
True. But we've been tuning with speed density for decades now, even with very rudimentary computers (first Megasquirt). It's pretty basic math with a few assumptions. MAF may be the most direct method, but SD had been around longer and is more adaptable. It is by no means any special feat of engineering to make it work, hobbiests have been doing it for decades. SD had been around in one way or another for over 50 years.
And i beleive they do have a maf sensor its before the throttle body, built into the intake manifold. The sensor after the throttle body is the iat sensor.
I'm a diehard Valvoline guy also, and this makes me proud to be a Valvoline guy!! It run Valvoline full synthetic 5w 20 in my 3.6L Pentastar and change it every 5K mile regardless if it needs it or not. Oil is cheap!! I hope mine engine last that many miles!!
Keep in mind, he is talking over 600K - easy highway miles. Most of us don't drive 99% highway, we spend a lotta time in traffic, etc. especially in large cities. It would be nice to know how many total hours on this motor.
I have a 2017 pentastar with 91k on it, i have ripped on it hard its whole life, only parts to fail were the ignition coils, cheap to replace, its an amazing engine
Are utility company buys fleets of Ram trucks with the Penstar engine and was always impressed how smooth and powerful these engines are plus are being trouble free. Have been so impressed thinking this maybe my next truck engine.
I'm always glad to see cases like this. It gives me high hopes for my 3.6 in my Ram. I travel from site to site for work, although I will likely be hauling a lot less weight than you were, so my usage case is similar to yours in that 90% of my driving is highway, and I will rack up miles quite quickly. I expect to be at around 300k by eight years of ownership with my current usage.
I am completely sold on good synthetic oil. Have had a number of high mile engines (not 600k but still over 300k), and they stay solid so much longer when you treat them right. ‘94 Ranger had 336k when I sold it and it was still quiet, smoke free, and didn’t leak. I use Amsoil now, but Pennzoil Platinum is great stuff too (as you demonstrated here).
Pentastar is a great engine. 2012 had some issues but mine was great. My 2017 has no issues so far at 50k. Thanks for the video good to see that my changing the oil between 3000 3500 miles will probably pay dividends later on. I had no idea it was a 4bolt main motor with a girdle either. Best of luck on your install.
None. I run slightly heavier weight oil in mine, but even at stock weight they don't tick near what a 5.7 hemi does. Like he said in the video, these are good motors when taken care of and should last a while.
@@jeremy9450 I have the motor in my wrangler. Use the correct weight of valvoline full synthetic every 6k miles and yet mine still got the tick before 90k miles.
@@steimystein4368 yeah it honestly seems like it’s mainly luck, my buddy has a wrangler with the 3.6 and we do out maintenance together. His doesn’t have a tick and he has more miles than mine. Luck of the draw lol
Wow! I’m impressed! I’ve got the 3.6 Pentastar in my ‘11 Challenger and it’s got just 106,000 on it. I’m funny about oil changes.....every 3000 miles or so at the dealer. I’m amazed at the toughness of those engines. I’d love for mine to last that long as I don’t want to part with it anytime soon. Thanks for the nice video! 👌🏽
Keep in mind, he is talking over 600K - easy highway miles. Most of us don't drive 99% highway, we spend a lotta time in traffic, etc. especially in large cities. It would be nice to know how many total hours on this motor.
With the fully synthetic motor oil there’s no need to change it any sooner than 7500 miles. Anything less is honestly a waste of money. The 3000 mile interval is 50yr old motor oil tech.
@@robjennings4109 oil changes are cheaper than replacing an engine. On a 2011 over 14 years with 100k miles he drove less than 10k a year calling for changes at around what he did. With heat and age oil degrades. You should change every 6 months whether you drive it or not.
Some reason whenever I change the oil it is still looks fairly clean on my both pentastars, I think one of the best engine in its class, and working on pentastar is not too difficult, I did replace the oil filter housing, transmission cooling line, spark plugs by my self.
I’ve been abusing my pentastar since the day I bought it 150k miles in no problem. Still driving 80 mph to work all the time and ripping it when ever I seen another charger or challengers
@@rey3468 I have a long commute 75 MPH Texas road, 68 miles one way, my Charger averages right around 30 MPG and is turning 1600 RPMs @ 77 MPH. Excellent road car engine, especially with the eight speed and 262 rear axle.
As much hate as it got from the 'has to have a V8' crowd, I had a Ram with the 3.6 and that damn thing did anything I asked to, without hesitation. Took it on a long highway trip and got 29mpg out of it.
Oh yea dealer was to stupid to figure out the jeep had a bad radiator cap even after I told them same issue with all new cooling system let's put head gaskets on it, same let's put heads same let's replace the engine same let's do it again cause you got a crate engine with the exact same issues and the engine the truck was built with
@@aeroboozt9455 i didn't like the way Chrysler handled it but they did take care of it, but yea Glenn e Thomas jeep in signal hill,ca I wouldn't let them touch the a car. I told them it was the radiator cap and even had even tried one off a different car and they proceeded to do like 60k dollars worth of work to a 45k dollar jeep. In the end when Chrysler lemoned it
there are four maybe five in the shop for left bank lifters rockers and cams right now, all under warranty. This motor was almost certainly built right after lunch on a wednesday
The pentastar is one of the best and most meticulously engineered v6s ever made. Other than the sending unit gaskets failing and the cam bearings. As well as the sand cast head issues before 2014. It is still one of the best v6s ever made and I don’t believe it gets the credit it deserves. I regular see them on jeeps with 200k+
@@VocalVirgo the reliability score on a vehicle doesn't justify how long the engine will run for it has different factors like the transmission the durability of the vehicle and the components and safety. And all it takes is for a few people to say this car is unreliable bc they had a problem with a faulty component or engine or transmission to drop the reliability score
The Pentastar motor is a solid one. Used in a lot of Police Chargers where I live and you can guarantee those aren't treated easily. I guess if you have a high mileage Pentastar and want it to keep going just make it a habit to change the timing chain, tensioners and guides and it'll keep going.
@@trevormorgan7138 Well yeah naturally you’ll see more at a dealership because that’s where many are taken to get fixed. I work at a GM dealership as a Service Advisor. We only deal with problems so it will seem like the vehicles are unreliable but they’re not. For every one that blew up there are thousands more out there operational.
Just changed out a failing camshaft position sensor (Bank 2 of course) on my 2013 Ram 1500 3.6L Pentastar, first engine issue I've had in 136K. Its running like its brand new again. I've only ever used Mobil 1 Extended Performance Oil and filters. And started using Mobil1 Extended Performance High Mileage when it finally came out. Up until then I was making my own by combining Mobil 1 EP and Mobil 1 HM in a 2:1 ratio. I just change it when the "Oil Life Monitor" tells me to, almost always around 10K. A few times when I lived in the city it would be closer to 8K. Most of the time its just hauling me and air, as it is my daily driver, but it has seen its fair share of payload hauling and trailering, even on some 600+ mile trips. I own some land so it does get used as a truck fairly regularly to include pulling other vehicles out of ditches. For 2 years I had an hour+ commute via the interstate with speeds averaging about 80mph where I would average around 22-23mpg. The last couple years I only have a 30 minute commute on country roads and city streets where the highest speed is 60mph and I now average 24-25 in mixed driving. The combination of this motor and the 8Speed has been absoutely ideal for my needs (also, I think I have the 3.21 out back which would help with the economy too). It will haul whatever I've asked it to, gets better fuel economy than my last two daily drivers (2006 Charger SXT and 2005 PT Cruiser GT) and it will put you back in the seat thanks to the crazy tall 1st gear. Its been with me so long now, never leaving stranded anywhere or failing me, I just can't imagine getting rid of it, unless my son wanted it I guess. Here's hoping that I'll be that crusty old timer driving his 30 year old pick up around someday.
This is the engine I have and it’s been a terrific V6. 110,000k. No issues with it. I wish it had a deeper rumble to it like a V8, but it is a very dependable workhorse V6. 2011 Grand Cherokee. I change the oil every 4k with the factory oil, which is the Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic 5W-30 for my year. Newer ones use the Pennzoil Ultra Platinum Full Synthetic in thinner weights. Very good oil. Stays cleaner, longer, according to Pennzoil testing based on how it’s made versus other synthetics.
the JLs have the Gen3 3.6L. 2014-2018 JKs have Gen2 3.6s(problems with failing rockers) if i'm correct. 2012-2013 or 2014(diff oil filter housing) have first Gen 3.6.
I own one copy of the Generation 1 Pentastar in my 2012 Chrysler 200 Touring convertible. I regularly get 30 or 31 miles per gallon highway. It's in a babied car since It only has 61,000 miles. A great engine with spirited acceleration as well.
Believe it or not, I once got 37.5 MPG in my 2019 Charger SXT, on a nearly 700 mile trip from Medford, Oregon to North Hollywood, CA. And that was mostly at 72-75 MPH... I even verified it at the pump.
I actually drove it from Green Bay WI to Syracuse NY like that. The computer was so friggin confused that it threw every code I think it had lol. Ran smooth just couldn’t go over 50mph and wouldn’t turn over 3,000 RPMS flat on the floor in park.
@@86lowrider Chrysler vehicles with the NGC computer system beginning in 2002 have a limp mode where the rev limiter kicks in as low as 2400 RPM if it detects anything with the camshaft position sensor.
Wow that is very impressive indeed. I dont drive my Jeep hard and change out my Mobil-1 every 5k I definitely should get that kind of longevity out of mine....heres hopin. It currently has 70k+ runs like new.
@@dlt215 There are only 2 gens of pentastars the original one then one that came out in 2016 that had two-stage variable valve lift, a cooled EGR, a new intake manifold, new fuel injectors, and new ignition coils.
@@dillonh321 what gen would a Ram 1500 2017 be ? And I've always run Castrol full synthetic since brand new even if book suggested penzoil now only have 62k
I own a auto repair in san diego ca. And man i have work on 6 different cars with the 3.6 firs a 2017 caravan 3.6 blown head gasket with 87k miles, 2nd one 2016 caravan 65k miles blown head gasket, 3rd 2015 durango 3.6 with 89k miles blown head gasket, 4th 2017 rubicon 3.6 with 75k blown head gasket, 5th 2011 challenger 3.6 with 96k blown head gasket...
Yeah I will always see the pentastar as a shit engine. Any jeep that I purchase gets an ls swap or amc 4.0 swap. And before people start hating and saying that the 4.0 is a chrysler engine. No it's not.
BMW could learn a thing from Chrysler in regards to rid bearings! 600k and they were perfect! I had to replace the roller rockers on my wife’s Durango due to the tick of a failed roller bearing. I usually change the oil around 8k as well. At 125K the top end looked brand new!
I have a 2018 Grand Cherokee with the Pentastar engine. It is very easy to live with. Drives nice and smooth and good fuel economy for what it is. I was disappointed that at 67k miles I developed a misfire in cylinder 1. I meticulously maintain my vehicles and change the oil every 4k to 5k miles. Dealership diagnosed that there was a problem with the head causing oil to leak onto the spark plug and that I needed a new head. $4k repair - ouch! They said they would replace the fouled plug. After some conversation, they replaced all plugs on both sides. The service writer said the normal service interval is 100k miles. He pulled up the screen and showed me the cost of that service - about $1k. I’m grateful they included it in the cost of the repair. I’m conflicted. Part of me is thinking that this vehicle could be a money pit, yet I’m also thinking that I just made a major repair and I should be good for a long time. Thoughts?
Preventive maintenance is the key, change your oil on a regular basis, with quality oil, and top off your radiator to avoid over heating, again with quality coolant.
86 low rider thanks for the Pentastar vid. I am currently at 246k miles and I am having issues on the cylinders #1, 3 and 5 missing while not under load. I have done all the maintenance to verify it is not the coils, plugs, rocker arms, lifters or any other internal issue. The engine has a lot of highway miles like yours and the motor looks like it’s in very good condition. The leak down test shoe maybe a 1-2 lb at most leak and the internal on the heads look great. I think I am beginning to have a timing chain issue as well and think I’ll pull off the front of the motor and be ready to replace the chains and guides. I am hoping to get close to to your mileage and maybe more! Thanks for the detailed video!
Did you have it diagnosed? Sounds more like a bad ground issue on the coil or injector harness. They can tell if the cams are out of time indicating stretched chains or broken guides. You could pull the lower pan and see if there’s any plastic pieces in there. When the guides come apart the pieces will fall into the pan. I would look at a ground issue first.
@@86lowrider I just went through the positive coil wires to verify they were not shorting out with an ohm meter. I will check the ground wires before I pull the engine cover off. Thanks for the suggestion!
My '89 Dodge Spirit turbo 2.5L now at 300,000 +. Except for 5 head gaskets and one timing belt, the motor is completely original, in and out. Have ran Mobile One synth. since new. Cross hatch pattern like factory. I run it hard because it's fun to drive. BTW, the timing belt I replaced was still good. I flipped it gear side out and installed it in my old South Bend Lathe to drive the head stock. Can't wear it out. These new chain drive valve trains have too many plastic guides and tensioners. It would be OK if designed for easy access and replacement, but sadly , not the case.
Keep in mind, he is talking over 600K - easy highway miles. Most of us don't drive 99% highway, we spend a lotta time in traffic, etc. especially in large cities. It would be nice to know how many total hours on this motor.
This is not a fluke. I have 3 pentastars that we use commerically. 630,000, 620,000 and 420,000 miles on them. Their fatal flaw is the valvetrain - the rockers/lifters wear every 110k or so and if left unaddressed will wipe out the cams, which will eventually wipe out the engine. The symptom is a single cylinder misfire. But other than that, it's kind of amazing what DOESN'T break. Never had to touch a water pump, timing chain, oil pump, MAP sensor, throttle body, IAC. Early on I would change the coils and plugs every 200k, but now I don't because they generally last forever. I am religious about 10k oil changes, but I go 20k on the filters. Change the oil, never let it overheat, and it will run forever.
Actually only had two followers go on this. The left side had one go bad around 150+\- the right side had one go bad got into the cam a little around the same time. Not bad could have run it. I changed both cams all the lifters and followers mainly because of the horror stories about the followers. The current engine has 140,000 and no issues. I’m confused on the oil filter at 20,000 miles. For 8 bucks it seems counter productive not to change it. 90% of all the contaminates running through the engine are caught in the filter. New oil has a higher viscosity, seems forcing heavy oil through a half clogged filter would ultimately force contaminates out of the filter. I’ve heard of guys changing the filter and not the oil every time but not the other way around. I hope to tear into an LS motor this summer. It’s got 980,000 + on it. Never had anything done to it except plugs.
@@86lowrider From my experience, the pentastars either have the ticking problem (rockers, lifters) at around 100-120k, or they never have it. Got 540k out of one engine and the valvetrain was fine. Chrysler is up to revision G or H on the part numbers for the valvetrain, and I heard one dealer mechanic say he’s never had to do the job twice, meaning the newness of the parts may actually solve the problem. As to oil, I arrived at that 20k filter schedule after many cycles of cutting open old filters and finding nothing inside. Because we drive so much, there’s nothing to filter out. Think about it - what does the filter catch? It catches bits of metal from bearings, and it catches sludge, sludge being oil mixed with water. Since the vans run constantly, water turns to steam and gets removed by the pcv valve. The blackness in oil comes from blowby, which is minimal on the pentastar. The oil gets so black because it’s synthetic - more detergent to absorb better. But cut open a filter - there’s nothing in there at 10k. BTW - that’s how you can assess the state of the valvetrain. Glitter in the filter.
That engine sure looks clean for that miles.................................wow!! Must of been well taken care of. Did it haul some heavy loads ever? Great engine I hope mine lasts half of that!!
Average loads are 100 Ibs and under. I do on occasion pickup loads that can go as much as 2500 lbs. My load currently weighs 160 lbs. Total miles for the run 1043.
It just change that oil and filter it says thanks as soon as you start it up I don’t go over 10,000 miles or 4 months without an oil change and do it yourself if you can.
@@k9deine351 I change my full synthetic oil at 6,000 miles which is every 2 months. I have 301,000 miles. The reason for 6,000 mile changes, fuel mileage increases and oil pressure decreases after 5,000 miles so oil is getting thinner. I run this truck at highway speeds for 6-8 hrs straight with 250-1,400 lb loads.
2018 journey was thinking of getting rid because of Chrysler reliability. My Uber customers love riding in it. Hope I could get these miles with good maintenance
If you have then v6 it will last you a long time. If you have the 4 cylinder journey then it will be a money pit. Don't believe the common stereotype that ALL Chryslers are unreliable. Some are actually very well built others are honestly the worst cars ever built.
@@dillonh321 4 cylinders are the engines built originally with hyundai and Mitsubishi. Not really mopar design. Fiat added multi air and ran with it but theyre garbage. V6 and V8 are actually mopar/chrysler engineered. Great engines with proper care
last I check, the Pentastar is a Chrysler engine and not a Toyota engine, I gotta check with Scotty about this, According to Scotty only Toyota's see this kind of mileage "lol"
And in the 2014 avenger it came with 50ish hp over same year charger. Has anyone put the 305 hp tuning in the avenger. I want to do that with the hemi throttlebody.
m Cave - yes, you’re correct. The 3.6 Pentastar V6 was first used/available during the 2011 model year; it had been introduced two years earlier in 2009 while under the code name Phoenix.
That’s a hell of a lot of miles, especially in a delivery van that I’m sure didn’t exactly get babied all the time. I know these motors had some issues in their first few years, but at least Chrysler honored the recall without a fuss, which can’t be said for all auto makers. I just bought a gladiator with this motor, so now 626,000 is my target to beat😎
I oddly agree. I have a Ram pentastar with 270K, Minivan with 230K, and it convinced me to buy a Mojave Gladiator. I think a lot of the issues are oil change interval. I do tire rotation and full synthetic every 5K miles like clockwork.
@@UnkyJofusi owned a 2 door JL with the penta and I have a gladiator rubicon 6 speed now. While I do think the gladiator may have appreciated a 5.7 option for torque, the 3.6 gets the job done, doesn’t consume an ocean of fuel, and my two door was solid in terms of reliability. I personally do my own maintenance as well.
I saw a CZcams on the pentastar where it was common that tappets or lifters prematurely wear and become noisy. I don't remember the year(s). Regardless, this engine is in a large variety of mopar products and is tried and true if maintained.
So good to see this, I have a 17’ with 115000. I always used mobile one same change interval as you. I was worried about a timing chain replacement. Mine is just a baby.
I owned a 2020 3.6 Challenger and a 2020 Hellcat Challenger, they were purchased within a month of each other. one for me (hellcat) one for my wife 3.6 Pentastar. in 2.5 years on these cars we put 2x the miles on the 3.6, total of about 18K And it was my favorite car to road-trip in Florida and I owned 4 cars at the time. the 3.6 was fast, fuel efficient drove like a light and agile car. But the performance was similar to a V8, Not a hellcat V8 but way better than any Japan V6 that I have ever owned, Honda, Nissan, Toyota all included. I almost bought a 2023 Ram 1500 with the 3.6L Pentastar engine last week but opted for 5.7 Hemi because I wanted 11k towing capacity. I am happy with the 5.7 Hemi too. So Dodge FCA products are a positive review for me. Shout out to Jim Browne Jeep Chrysler Dodge Ram in Dade City FL which will always sell for MSRP or below. Ask for Dale and Joe. Tell them Scott G. sent you.
Too be fair, these new engines are phenomenal. I like the direct injection or port injections because fuel is able to atomize with the air better and not wash the cylinder walls out. The old Chevy TBI engines are great but not efficient and with two injectors, it just sprays fuel and doesn’t atomize.... as long as you put good oil and filter, and not beat the puss out of it like Indy 500, a newer fuel injection engine will run forever. The old engines were big, heavy, and able to take the abuse just not as efficient but it got the job done........
@@Santor- yup! Although I’m not bashing carburetors or tbi’s bc they were amazing for their time but I’ve grown to really enjoy the ease of fuel injection, a good system at that with my LS swaps. Carbs are great for big big power bc at that point, you could run a water bottle with fuel pouring out and it’ll go down the strip(sarcasm)
I like carbs too, have been considering converting a car I have to carbs, but I do like the fact it always starts....until it doesn't I guess and the problem is much more difficult to resolve. Then again, I've become better at understanding the fuel injection and don't fear it when time comes to repair. Biggest issue is really to decide to buy a new computer or not, as you can't fully tell if it's fully working or somewhat malfunctioning. And that answer may be very expensive to resolve. Had luck with used computers though, and it's been the correct choice both times I had to do it. Refurbished computers with programmed vin numbers and a refund policy is the answer.
The slant 6, 3.3l v6, 3.9l v6, 318-340-360, 400 and 440cid would this is no sweat. As long as it is very well maintained, Chrysler engines generally speaking are very durable!. Even the 2.2l, 2.4 and 2l engines were durable as well. If it wasn't well maintained, the 4 cylinder vehicles, will have head gasket issues very quickly. I know this, because I worked at Chrysler dealerships for many years. This is Scotty Kilmer's worst nightmare!
From Germany here: Some of my friends still drive the old Dodge Caravans 95-01 series. Two cars, 3,3 and a 3,8 notching up to 500 000 kms and an amazing 2,0 Caravan euro spec at 640 000 kms on first engine and transmission. (the Euro Caravan called Chrysler Voyager here thankfully has a 5 Speed ) But dont ask me how many auto transmisions those two 3,3 and 3,8 have already munched, haha :-D
Just did a complete fuel system clean on my 3.6 and got absolutely no smoke from carbon build up not surprising after watching this video I also beat the piss out of it great engine plenty of power sounds good to engine oil always clean haven't had an issue with it except the thormastat and even then wouldn't warm up the way it should in cold weather
I'm surprised the rotary-vane oil pump lasted so well. Earlier Chrysler's had lobed oil pumps, even my 2002 3.8L which is driven directly by the crankshaft (inside timing cover). Lobe-type seems typical for other U.S. engines. I think EFI fuel pumps are usually rotary vane type. The 4-bolt main with a girdle might be required for the aluminum block. I recall the GM Northstar was similar, having an upper oil pan (block extension) for stiffness at the main bearings.
The slant6 gets all the praise, but the reality is the Pentastar is even better, by alot. History will show this after all cars have gone electric. Love my hemi, but the Pentastar is da bomb for entry level pricing.
Keep in mind, he is talking over 600K - easy highway miles. Most of us don't drive 99% highway, we spend a lotta time in traffic, etc. especially in large cities. It would be nice to know how many total hours on this motor.
I got 318000 out of my 3.3 v6 Mitsubishi engine in a 1997 dodge grand caravan. Always changed my oil at 3500 miles, was still running like a top when I sold it.
@@waltchan no, the 3.3 v6 was a Mitsubishi engine, designed and built. It was reliable as the sunrise though. I'm definitely not disparaging it in any way, the only issue I ever had with it was carbon buildup on the valves that was causing a misfire in one cylinder. I simply used two bottles of water drizzled into the vacuum line from the brake booster to dispatch the buildup out the exhaust pipe. Ran great from that point on till I sold it.
@@markk3652 3.3L V6 is a full, 100% Chrysler-designed engine, which was reliable. You can find this info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_3.3_%26_3.8_engines
@@waltchan I have been misled. Dodge dealer had me thinking it was a Mitsubishi engine. I saw that it was a design betterment of the 3.0. Thanks for the course correction. That van was a tremendously reliable car though until the tinworm ruined it.
@@markk3652 3.3L Chrysler engine is actually more reliable than 3.0L Mitsubishi, despite being Japanese. Mitsubishi 3.0L V6s engine suffered from shorter timing-belt lifespan and head gasket failure. Many 3.0Ls were sent into junkyard after the timing-belt broke inside. 3.3L is timing-chain, so more of these are still running today (as long as transmission is okay). It's considered by many to be one of the worst Japanese vehicle engines ever.
Our new to us 2016 Chrysler Town and country has this motor. Only 32000 on ours. I have heard very good things about this engine. We also have a2008 Town and country ( wife likes them) with the 4.0 that has 175,000 miles with zero issues. One thing for me though. They may recommend changing the oil every 5,000 miles. Not me.. IMOP with these newish Oil operated Cam phasers. Clean oil is a must. I change mine every 3,000 miles no matter what. Cheap insurance IMOP. Now my opinion of the 3.6 compared to the 4.0.? WOW!!! with the 3.6 the mini van drives like a sports car. Lots of power.
my ford excursion has a triton v10 in it and only things ive had to do is replace bad injectors/plugs. it's lasted me over 500k miles. i hope people can learn from this video that if you just take care of an engine it'll last you a long ass time
The thing is that those plastic timing chain components fail more due to age than they do mileage and hours of operation. These plastic timing chain components have been used in various engines for over 20 years now, much more if you count the pushrod engines. I've seen them fail well under 100,000 miles and some like this went 600,000. That's because the age factor was about the same. You can get a million out of them if you can pound them on in less than five years.
I have a 2016 JK with 16,000 on it with no problems yet. These engines run hot. So you have to keep that oil changed and try not to block off your radiator with screens, driving lights etc.
225,000 on my 2012 JKU. Replacing a tapping rocker right now. The cams look great. Just like my mommy told me...maintain proper oil level at all times and replace at regular intervals. I hope to get another 200K out of her.
I have a 2012 Wrangler. The driver side head looks to have been swapped out once before, but can't be certain. I bought it with 54k on the odometer and it's now at 133k. I'm running an Edelbrock supercharger. My issue is the clutch. Factory lasted until 114k and I replaced it with a centerforce dual friction 2. Now this replacement clutch is slipping, which only lasted 18k miles.
I use amsoil and im at 110000 i just recently changes my rocker arms and lifters and oil cooler a few lifters started ticking so i swaped them i could see no vissible damage on any of the cams and 1 rocker has a slight delamination of the finish on the roller. and very clean inside the top end. I have more confidence in the motor after this vid also.
So, if I ever get a pentastar, I need to change all the timing kit at like half a million miles. Cool.
If it lasts that long. Just LS swap at that point 😂 I’m a Jeep fanatic but not impressed with their quality lately. A few of the Gladiators running the 3.6 are having complete engine failure before 500 miles! I myself had a new 2017 JKUR that started knocking at less than 800 miles
@@pacu7102 I got a 2017 RJKU with 55K miles on it, hopefully I got a good one!
If you watched till the end, he basically said just wait till it goes boom and find a low mileage motor for $850 at a junkyard, especially if its a motor out job on your vehicle. At the point the lifters/roller rockers are shot too, plus the time it takes to rebuild.
@@TheTurpin1234 exactly, you can’t believe the grief I take over that motor for not just replacing the chains and keep going. I can’t use hind site as fore site. I knew AFTER I tore the engine down it’s true condition. Not knowing at over 600,000 miles what that motor looked like inside, the down time and cost of a replacement it was the only call I could make. Replace it. Would I make the same call? Probably, only because of the down time. Dollars and cents. Tearing it down at that point was only to see if the maintenance I do is working. Thanks for the reply.
@@pacu7102 LS hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
People honestly need to shut the hell up about the Chrysler 3.6. It has forged internals from the factory and is very reliable
Moral of the story. Had they put new chains and tensioners in at 500k it would have made a million.
Moral of the comment: watch the ending explanation on CZcams videos
Plus potential valvetrain work
Goes to show how important proper maintenance is. Engine looks very clean considering the mileage.
Well, said.
Very clean.
All highway miles, probably.
What makes an engine dirty is sitting. Oil is full of moisture and acids, the engine sludges and corrodes.
@@Bartonovich52 It's impressive, but almost any modern engine will look this good if it rarely if ever gets cold started and sees ALL highway miles at one constant temperature like this engine would have to have had. Some Ford 4.6 - 2 valve engines have done almost a million miles like this. Still damn impressive though.
2.4 2011 Chevy Malibu here, full synthetic oil 221k miles original timing chains, just now getting a little rattle on cold starts but I was told it is just the timing chain tensioner, if you know any thing about the 2.4 it’s surprising!
Impressive. "Weak link" is relative. I don't really think there is a weak link on a gas engine that gets to 626k miles. What a great engine!
He prbably went through a few sets of rockers
@@toolsonabudget7763 Yep, swapped a set on our 2015 Wrangler that had around 80K at the time. Thankfully it wasn't too difficult to do so.
@@jbuelman2025 have also done some on a 2015 wrangler.
I have a misfire (cylinder 2 and 4) on my 3.6 pentastar and it only 107k miles!
@@AmricanEagl most likely bad coil or worn sparkplugs.
We owned 5 if these 3.6 Motors over the last 10 years. Three Dodge Caravans were our kid haulers. Wife put 368K in the on the 2012, 323K on the 2017, and 295K on the 2020. We did oil samples on the vans every 100K+-. When the oil samples came back somewhat "DIRTY", we traded in for a new van. All were running good with very limited oil burn when traded in. Now we have a 2021 Jeep wrangler with 72K. And a new 2023 Ram crew 4x4 with 5K. For the most part we just changed the oil by the vehicle computer hitting 5%. We did not use Synetic oil for the first two Caravans, and only started using Synetic oil on the third at about 200K. Been very happy with these 3.6 motors.
I’ve got 290,000 on the replacement motor. I did replace all 4 cams followers and lifters at around 250,000. It had a bad follower on the front head a week later one failed on the rear head. I bought a new van in 21 so this sat for 2 years. The new van has 190,000 on it. Unfortunately I hit a dear and it’s in the body shop. I put this van back in service and it runs like new. The van has a total of 893,000 miles on it. I’m going to keep running this van until it hits a million. The body has no rust looks great. Theres also a video of the transmission with 500,000 on it. Search for 500,000 mile transmission it’l pop up. 👍
That 624k further than Scotty Kilmer said it would go!
At that rate, you could have probably gotten another 300K with a new timing chain and a set of rocker arms.
It's just proves you look after your engine and she will look after you
I have 210,000 miles on my jeep wrangler with this engine, still running perfectly!
What oil brand do you use?? And what blend?
@@StickNclutch Mobile 1 5W-20
@Gameswithajump nice! What year your 3.6? Had rocker issues?
@@FredFlintstone21 Its a 2012, now at 250k and still running, I still drive it! Yeah I have had rockers replaced on both heads, the oil filter housing twice, and 1 rear main seal leak. As far as the engine, those are the only issues I have ever had. Had other non-engine repairs (radiator, starter, alternator, and axle seals). Still has the original transmission surprisingly.
@@Theultrazombiekiller And it'll go through snow like there's no tomorrow!
At 125,000 miles a year, that's damn good. Always glad to see this kind of results ! If the tensioners had not failed, this little 3.6L could have gone to the million mark ! Thanks !
Keep in mind, he is talking over 600K - easy highway miles. Most of us don't drive 99% highway, we spend a lotta time in traffic, etc. especially in large cities. It would be nice to know how many total hours on this motor.
626k!!! Wow that's amazing for a Chrysler made gas engine
Very impressive for any engine.
The slant 6 made those miles regularly.
Scotty is having a stroke! He's probably saying this was built by Toyota and stolen by Chrysler.
225 Slant Six did this all the time.
@@jeffshultz3883 Scotty is a great guy but he suffers(or has until the last couple of months) from toyota reliability derangement syndrome.
These engines are underrated, I tell everyone they are solid engines only issues with them are ignition coils and roller rockers failing around 100k but otherwise great engines.
Fun fact, Pentastars have been factory Speed Density engines (no mass airflow sensor) since they came out and I still think they are in the 20's. I worked with some engineers who calibrate those and they say it's pretty tough to get them dialed in but otherwise they run good.
Miles and miles of code.
PV=nRT isn't complicated
True. But we've been tuning with speed density for decades now, even with very rudimentary computers (first Megasquirt). It's pretty basic math with a few assumptions. MAF may be the most direct method, but SD had been around longer and is more adaptable. It is by no means any special feat of engineering to make it work, hobbiests have been doing it for decades. SD had been around in one way or another for over 50 years.
Could one change this in the hptuners software?
And i beleive they do have a maf sensor its before the throttle body, built into the intake manifold. The sensor after the throttle body is the iat sensor.
This is my favorite v6 ever made. Good power and bulletproof I’ve had a couple and never had a problem.
I'm a diehard Valvoline guy also, and this makes me proud to be a Valvoline guy!! It run Valvoline full synthetic 5w 20 in my 3.6L Pentastar and change it every 5K mile regardless if it needs it or not. Oil is cheap!! I hope mine engine last that many miles!!
Good advice.
Wow! That machine withstood many seasons. Over 600,000 miles on it. I am hopeful for my 2017 Pentastar now. On passing 30k this week.
Pretty solid engines. You may get a rocker arm tick or a failed oil cooler but pretty simple and for the most part inexpensive, if you do it yourself.
Keep in mind, he is talking over 600K - easy highway miles. Most of us don't drive 99% highway, we spend a lotta time in traffic, etc. especially in large cities. It would be nice to know how many total hours on this motor.
I have a 2017 pentastar with 91k on it, i have ripped on it hard its whole life, only parts to fail were the ignition coils, cheap to replace, its an amazing engine
@Jake A ramrod? drive it hard?
980,000kms. Almost 1 million kms!!! Thats insane for “i just changed the oil kind of on time” lol.
I also got a 2014 Ram promaster, it has 210,000 miles and still running good. Watching this video made me happier.
Are utility company buys fleets of Ram trucks with the Penstar engine and was always impressed how smooth and powerful these engines are plus are being trouble free. Have been so impressed thinking this maybe my next truck engine.
I'm always glad to see cases like this. It gives me high hopes for my 3.6 in my Ram.
I travel from site to site for work, although I will likely be hauling a lot less weight than you were, so my usage case is similar to yours in that 90% of my driving is highway, and I will rack up miles quite quickly.
I expect to be at around 300k by eight years of ownership with my current usage.
I am completely sold on good synthetic oil. Have had a number of high mile engines (not 600k but still over 300k), and they stay solid so much longer when you treat them right. ‘94 Ranger had 336k when I sold it and it was still quiet, smoke free, and didn’t leak. I use Amsoil now, but Pennzoil Platinum is great stuff too (as you demonstrated here).
He used valvoline.
I use Pennzoil platinum full synthetic high mileage oil and good job for maintaining that engine clean
Same in my grand Cherokee but she has had a head replaced after a lifter tick under warranty.
Pentastar is a great engine. 2012 had some issues but mine was great. My 2017 has no issues so far at 50k. Thanks for the video good to see that my changing the oil between 3000 3500 miles will probably pay dividends later on. I had no idea it was a 4bolt main motor with a girdle either. Best of luck on your install.
love this motor. got 3 of them in the family and they run perfect.
How many of them tick
None. I run slightly heavier weight oil in mine, but even at stock weight they don't tick near what a 5.7 hemi does. Like he said in the video, these are good motors when taken care of and should last a while.
@@jeremy9450 I have the motor in my wrangler. Use the correct weight of valvoline full synthetic every 6k miles and yet mine still got the tick before 90k miles.
I've got 120,000 on my Town and Country. There has never been a tick with this motor.
@@steimystein4368 yeah it honestly seems like it’s mainly luck, my buddy has a wrangler with the 3.6 and we do out maintenance together. His doesn’t have a tick and he has more miles than mine. Luck of the draw lol
Wow! I’m impressed! I’ve got the 3.6 Pentastar in my ‘11 Challenger and it’s got just 106,000 on it.
I’m funny about oil changes.....every 3000 miles or so at the dealer. I’m amazed at the toughness of those engines. I’d love for mine to last that long as I don’t want to part with it anytime soon.
Thanks for the nice video! 👌🏽
Keep in mind, he is talking over 600K - easy highway miles. Most of us don't drive 99% highway, we spend a lotta time in traffic, etc. especially in large cities. It would be nice to know how many total hours on this motor.
With the fully synthetic motor oil there’s no need to change it any sooner than 7500 miles. Anything less is honestly a waste of money. The 3000 mile interval is 50yr old motor oil tech.
@@robjennings4109 oil changes are cheaper than replacing an engine. On a 2011 over 14 years with 100k miles he drove less than 10k a year calling for changes at around what he did. With heat and age oil degrades. You should change every 6 months whether you drive it or not.
Some reason whenever I change the oil it is still looks fairly clean on my both pentastars, I think one of the best engine in its class, and working on pentastar is not too difficult, I did replace the oil filter housing, transmission cooling line, spark plugs by my self.
I’ve been abusing my pentastar since the day I bought it 150k miles in no problem. Still driving 80 mph to work all the time and ripping it when ever I seen another charger or challengers
Hahaha
Lol same 80mph 55mi one way everyday for work except Friday and Saturday. I drive 84mi one way those days lol.
@@rey3468 I have a long commute 75 MPH Texas road, 68 miles one way, my Charger averages right around 30 MPG and is turning 1600 RPMs @ 77 MPH. Excellent road car engine, especially with the eight speed and 262 rear axle.
Rick - sounds similar to the 2017 Durango I rented that blasted from 65 to 85 in a heartbeat on two lane highways to pass slower traffic.
As much hate as it got from the 'has to have a V8' crowd, I had a Ram with the 3.6 and that damn thing did anything I asked to, without hesitation. Took it on a long highway trip and got 29mpg out of it.
I have the 3.6 with 150k on it and still runs like new. Ive just done regular maintenance and change the oil every 5,000
I had one that the dealer had put head gaskets on, 2 sets of heads and replaced the engine twice by 42k
Oh yea dealer was to stupid to figure out the jeep had a bad radiator cap even after I told them same issue with all new cooling system let's put head gaskets on it, same let's put heads same let's replace the engine same let's do it again cause you got a crate engine with the exact same issues and the engine the truck was built with
@@MF11283 honestly sounds like less of a Chrysler quality issue, and more of a " your dealer's "mechanics" are fucking retarded" issue
@@aeroboozt9455 i didn't like the way Chrysler handled it but they did take care of it, but yea Glenn e Thomas jeep in signal hill,ca I wouldn't let them touch the a car. I told them it was the radiator cap and even had even tried one off a different car and they proceeded to do like 60k dollars worth of work to a 45k dollar jeep. In the end when Chrysler lemoned it
That one in a million motor I've seen those pentastar motor eat camshafts and rollers like tic taks so it's a miracle
there are four maybe five in the shop for left bank lifters rockers and cams right now, all under warranty. This motor was almost certainly built right after lunch on a wednesday
I got a video that I posted a few years ago with a 3.6 too, it now has about 420k miles, still running strong, and my friend drives like a maniac too.
The pentastar is one of the best and most meticulously engineered v6s ever made. Other than the sending unit gaskets failing and the cam bearings. As well as the sand cast head issues before 2014. It is still one of the best v6s ever made and I don’t believe it gets the credit it deserves. I regular see them on jeeps with 200k+
Better or worse than Toyota V6?
this is one of the most durable engines on the market... dont sleep on the v6
@@VocalVirgo what is ur proof for this? 3.6l on average can last 300-500k miles without a issue
@@VocalVirgo ok then in your eyes what is the most durable engine
@@VocalVirgo i agree ty for the facts good talk
@@VocalVirgo the reliability score on a vehicle doesn't justify how long the engine will run for it has different factors like the transmission the durability of the vehicle and the components and safety. And all it takes is for a few people to say this car is unreliable bc they had a problem with a faulty component or engine or transmission to drop the reliability score
@@VocalVirgo the ford 3.3 and 3.5s are trash. Basically mazda engines. And toyta and honda v6s have weak valves
The Pentastar motor is a solid one. Used in a lot of Police Chargers where I live and you can guarantee those aren't treated easily. I guess if you have a high mileage Pentastar and want it to keep going just make it a habit to change the timing chain, tensioners and guides and it'll keep going.
We have a handful of them sitting at our dealership all parked next to each other disabled. I would beg to differ...
@@trevormorgan7138 Well yeah naturally you’ll see more at a dealership because that’s where many are taken to get fixed. I work at a GM dealership as a Service Advisor. We only deal with problems so it will seem like the vehicles are unreliable but they’re not. For every one that blew up there are thousands more out there operational.
@@trevormorgan7138 Doubt
Just changed out a failing camshaft position sensor (Bank 2 of course) on my 2013 Ram 1500 3.6L Pentastar, first engine issue I've had in 136K. Its running like its brand new again. I've only ever used Mobil 1 Extended Performance Oil and filters. And started using Mobil1 Extended Performance High Mileage when it finally came out. Up until then I was making my own by combining Mobil 1 EP and Mobil 1 HM in a 2:1 ratio. I just change it when the "Oil Life Monitor" tells me to, almost always around 10K. A few times when I lived in the city it would be closer to 8K. Most of the time its just hauling me and air, as it is my daily driver, but it has seen its fair share of payload hauling and trailering, even on some 600+ mile trips. I own some land so it does get used as a truck fairly regularly to include pulling other vehicles out of ditches. For 2 years I had an hour+ commute via the interstate with speeds averaging about 80mph where I would average around 22-23mpg. The last couple years I only have a 30 minute commute on country roads and city streets where the highest speed is 60mph and I now average 24-25 in mixed driving. The combination of this motor and the 8Speed has been absoutely ideal for my needs (also, I think I have the 3.21 out back which would help with the economy too). It will haul whatever I've asked it to, gets better fuel economy than my last two daily drivers (2006 Charger SXT and 2005 PT Cruiser GT) and it will put you back in the seat thanks to the crazy tall 1st gear. Its been with me so long now, never leaving stranded anywhere or failing me, I just can't imagine getting rid of it, unless my son wanted it I guess.
Here's hoping that I'll be that crusty old timer driving his 30 year old pick up around someday.
This is the engine I have and it’s been a terrific V6. 110,000k. No issues with it. I wish it had a deeper rumble to it like a V8, but it is a very dependable workhorse V6. 2011 Grand Cherokee. I change the oil every 4k with the factory oil, which is the Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic 5W-30 for my year. Newer ones use the Pennzoil Ultra Platinum Full Synthetic in thinner weights. Very good oil. Stays cleaner, longer, according to Pennzoil testing based on how it’s made versus other synthetics.
Love the Pentastar (gen 2) in my JL Wrangler. Great engine and lots of fun with the manual transmission!
the JLs have the Gen3 3.6L. 2014-2018 JKs have Gen2 3.6s(problems with failing rockers) if i'm correct. 2012-2013 or 2014(diff oil filter housing) have first Gen 3.6.
I own one copy of the Generation 1 Pentastar in my 2012 Chrysler 200 Touring convertible. I regularly get 30 or 31 miles per gallon highway. It's in a babied car since It only has 61,000 miles. A great engine with spirited acceleration as well.
Believe it or not, I once got 37.5 MPG in my 2019 Charger SXT, on a nearly 700 mile trip from Medford, Oregon to North Hollywood, CA. And that was mostly at 72-75 MPH... I even verified it at the pump.
Wow, lots of miles, great explanation. Those Promasters are work horses. Love the pentastar engines tho..Good stuff. liked and subbed.
Damn! And I thought the 155k on my 2012 GC was impressive.
Everyone rags on these engines but they’re pretty damn good!
I’m running mine up to 175k, hope to get it to 300k minimum
I run amsoil in mine. The fact that you got 626k miles on this one engine count your absolute blessings!
I swapped a dodge caravan engine into my promaster $950 13k miles
That’s impressive. The 3.6 Chrysler pentastar engines are actually really good, it kills me to hear people talk crap about them
It's when they are in a Charger and Challenger. V6 muscle cars don't get much love lol
@@Dcc357 oh I know
Change the timing chains and see if if it runs!!
I actually drove it from Green Bay WI to Syracuse NY like that. The computer was so friggin confused that it threw every code I think it had lol. Ran smooth just couldn’t go over 50mph and wouldn’t turn over 3,000 RPMS flat on the floor in park.
@@86lowrider but she still got you home. I don't think a ford ecoboost would have.
@@86lowrider Chrysler vehicles with the NGC computer system beginning in 2002 have a limp mode where the rev limiter kicks in as low as 2400 RPM if it detects anything with the camshaft position sensor.
@@86lowrider if its electronic throttle body it's not gonna go over 3k in park, many new vehicles limit rpms in park
I am sure the owner used synthetic oil.
I’m a proud owner of a Ram 1500 with a pentastar. Just hit 60k miles and many more to go! I just bought new tires. Still drives like brand new.
Wow that is very impressive indeed. I dont drive my Jeep hard and change out my Mobil-1 every 5k I definitely should get that kind of longevity out of mine....heres hopin. It currently has 70k+ runs like new.
Thank you for the video sir.
70k? It's just getting broke in. Switch to Schaeffers Supreme 9000 full synthetic.....you'll thank me later👍
You might have the third gen Pentastar which is much better.
@@dlt215
There are only 2 gens of pentastars the original one then one that came out in 2016 that had two-stage variable valve lift, a cooled EGR, a new intake manifold, new fuel injectors, and new ignition coils.
@@dillonh321 what gen would a Ram 1500 2017 be ? And I've always run Castrol full synthetic since brand new even if book suggested penzoil now only have 62k
I own a auto repair in san diego ca. And man i have work on 6 different cars with the 3.6 firs a 2017 caravan 3.6 blown head gasket with 87k miles, 2nd one 2016 caravan 65k miles blown head gasket, 3rd 2015 durango 3.6 with 89k miles blown head gasket, 4th 2017 rubicon 3.6 with 75k blown head gasket, 5th 2011 challenger 3.6 with 96k blown head gasket...
Yeah I will always see the pentastar as a shit engine. Any jeep that I purchase gets an ls swap or amc 4.0 swap. And before people start hating and saying that the 4.0 is a chrysler engine. No it's not.
BMW could learn a thing from Chrysler in regards to rid bearings! 600k and they were perfect!
I had to replace the roller rockers on my wife’s Durango due to the tick of a failed roller bearing. I usually change the oil around 8k as well. At 125K the top end looked brand new!
I love Mopar, but I wont deny their quality being questionable. This motor has me thoroughly impressed👏👏👏
I'm a Ford guy but I gotta admit, Chrysler has made some fantastic engines, only real turd is the 4.7.
I have a 2018 Grand Cherokee with the Pentastar engine. It is very easy to live with. Drives nice and smooth and good fuel economy for what it is.
I was disappointed that at 67k miles I developed a misfire in cylinder 1. I meticulously maintain my vehicles and change the oil every 4k to 5k miles.
Dealership diagnosed that there was a problem with the head causing oil to leak onto the spark plug and that I needed a new head. $4k repair - ouch! They said they would replace the fouled plug. After some conversation, they replaced all plugs on both sides. The service writer said the normal service interval is 100k miles. He pulled up the screen and showed me the cost of that service - about $1k. I’m grateful they included it in the cost of the repair.
I’m conflicted. Part of me is thinking that this vehicle could be a money pit, yet I’m also thinking that I just made a major repair and I should be good for a long time. Thoughts?
Preventive maintenance is the key, change your oil on a regular basis, with quality oil, and top off your radiator to avoid over heating, again with quality coolant.
change your oil everyday
@@liljuz1981 especially if you’re frying fish.
@@hyacinthbucket3803 lol
Chrysler recommendation replace tensioner at 240k
Goes to show that fully synth at proper periods does wonders.
Pretty damn impressive
There was a video with a guy who had 1 million miles on the 3.3 v6 Caravan
86 low rider thanks for the Pentastar vid. I am currently at 246k miles and I am having issues on the cylinders #1, 3 and 5 missing while not under load. I have done all the maintenance to verify it is not the coils, plugs, rocker arms, lifters or any other internal issue. The engine has a lot of highway miles like yours and the motor looks like it’s in very good condition. The leak down test shoe maybe a 1-2 lb at most leak and the internal on the heads look great. I think I am beginning to have a timing chain issue as well and think I’ll pull off the front of the motor and be ready to replace the chains and guides. I am hoping to get close to to your mileage and maybe more! Thanks for the detailed video!
Did you have it diagnosed? Sounds more like a bad ground issue on the coil or injector harness. They can tell if the cams are out of time indicating stretched chains or broken guides. You could pull the lower pan and see if there’s any plastic pieces in there. When the guides come apart the pieces will fall into the pan. I would look at a ground issue first.
@@86lowrider I just went through the positive coil wires to verify they were not shorting out with an ohm meter. I will check the ground wires before I pull the engine cover off. Thanks for the suggestion!
Change the o2 sensor on that side
The part (wipers) you referenced in the oil pump are called vanes.
yes, I rebuild vacuum vacuum pumps and that's what they're called
I've seen trans pumps with those wipers most engine oil pumps I've seen are the gear style not sure of proper name
Anything that last over 200,000 miles on a Chrysler engine is very impressive you Musta did your maintenance very consistent and also awesome video
My '89 Dodge Spirit turbo 2.5L now at 300,000 +. Except for 5 head gaskets and one timing belt, the motor is completely original, in and out. Have ran Mobile One synth. since new. Cross hatch pattern like factory. I run it hard because it's fun to drive. BTW, the timing belt I replaced was still good. I flipped it gear side out and installed it in my old South Bend Lathe to drive the head stock. Can't wear it out.
These new chain drive valve trains have too many plastic guides and tensioners. It would be OK if designed for easy access and replacement, but sadly , not the case.
Keep in mind, he is talking over 600K - easy highway miles. Most of us don't drive 99% highway, we spend a lotta time in traffic, etc. especially in large cities. It would be nice to know how many total hours on this motor.
There are alot of Chrysler motors that will impress you over 200k miles😂
Had a 2012 Wrangler Sport with the Pentastar V6. Awesome engine.
That’s my current car, mines a ticket lol
This is not a fluke. I have 3 pentastars that we use commerically. 630,000, 620,000 and 420,000 miles on them. Their fatal flaw is the valvetrain - the rockers/lifters wear every 110k or so and if left unaddressed will wipe out the cams, which will eventually wipe out the engine. The symptom is a single cylinder misfire. But other than that, it's kind of amazing what DOESN'T break. Never had to touch a water pump, timing chain, oil pump, MAP sensor, throttle body, IAC. Early on I would change the coils and plugs every 200k, but now I don't because they generally last forever. I am religious about 10k oil changes, but I go 20k on the filters. Change the oil, never let it overheat, and it will run forever.
Actually only had two followers go on this. The left side had one go bad around 150+\- the right side had one go bad got into the cam a little around the same time. Not bad could have run it. I changed both cams all the lifters and followers mainly because of the horror stories about the followers. The current engine has 140,000 and no issues. I’m confused on the oil filter at 20,000 miles. For 8 bucks it seems counter productive not to change it. 90% of all the contaminates running through the engine are caught in the filter. New oil has a higher viscosity, seems forcing heavy oil through a half clogged filter would ultimately force contaminates out of the filter. I’ve heard of guys changing the filter and not the oil every time but not the other way around. I hope to tear into an LS motor this summer. It’s got 980,000 + on it. Never had anything done to it except plugs.
@@86lowrider From my experience, the pentastars either have the ticking problem (rockers, lifters) at around 100-120k, or they never have it. Got 540k out of one engine and the valvetrain was fine. Chrysler is up to revision G or H on the part numbers for the valvetrain, and I heard one dealer mechanic say he’s never had to do the job twice, meaning the newness of the parts may actually solve the problem.
As to oil, I arrived at that 20k filter schedule after many cycles of cutting open old filters and finding nothing inside. Because we drive so much, there’s nothing to filter out. Think about it - what does the filter catch? It catches bits of metal from bearings, and it catches sludge, sludge being oil mixed with water. Since the vans run constantly, water turns to steam and gets removed by the pcv valve. The blackness in oil comes from blowby, which is minimal on the pentastar. The oil gets so black because it’s synthetic - more detergent to absorb better.
But cut open a filter - there’s nothing in there at 10k. BTW - that’s how you can assess the state of the valvetrain. Glitter in the filter.
this is why proper maintenance is so important
That engine sure looks clean for that miles.................................wow!! Must of been well taken care of. Did it haul some heavy loads ever? Great engine I hope mine lasts half of that!!
Average loads are 100 Ibs and under. I do on occasion pickup loads that can go as much as 2500 lbs. My load currently weighs 160 lbs. Total miles for the run 1043.
It just change that oil and filter it says thanks as soon as you start it up I don’t go over 10,000 miles or 4 months without an oil change and do it yourself if you can.
@@k9deine351 I change my full synthetic oil at 6,000 miles which is every 2 months. I have 301,000 miles. The reason for 6,000 mile changes, fuel mileage increases and oil pressure decreases after 5,000 miles so oil is getting thinner. I run this truck at highway speeds for 6-8 hrs straight with 250-1,400 lb loads.
2018 journey was thinking of getting rid because of Chrysler reliability. My Uber customers love riding in it. Hope I could get these miles with good maintenance
If you have then v6 it will last you a long time. If you have the 4 cylinder journey then it will be a money pit. Don't believe the common stereotype that ALL Chryslers are unreliable. Some are actually very well built others are honestly the worst cars ever built.
@@dillonh321 4 cylinders are the engines built originally with hyundai and Mitsubishi. Not really mopar design. Fiat added multi air and ran with it but theyre garbage. V6 and V8 are actually mopar/chrysler engineered. Great engines with proper care
@@dillonh321 because Mercedes designed this engine. 3.6 was designed after Daimler bought Chrysler. It is a very well designed V6!
For doing Uber you may want to eventually get a V6 300. Very reliable car
last I check, the Pentastar is a Chrysler engine and not a Toyota engine, I gotta check with Scotty about this, According to Scotty only Toyota's see this kind of mileage "lol"
believe the pentastar was introduced in 2011, but I hear you.
And in the 2014 avenger it came with 50ish hp over same year charger. Has anyone put the 305 hp tuning in the avenger. I want to do that with the hemi throttlebody.
scotty put an x on this for most reliable engines , it seems he was wrong and made that assessment based on chrystler .
m Cave No in 2009,I have the 3rd gen in my Durango.
m Cave - yes, you’re correct. The 3.6 Pentastar V6 was first used/available during the 2011 model year; it had been introduced two years earlier in 2009 while under the code name Phoenix.
Got your money's worth.... Hope my 3.2 that has been flawless will get some high mileage
That’s a hell of a lot of miles, especially in a delivery van that I’m sure didn’t exactly get babied all the time. I know these motors had some issues in their first few years, but at least Chrysler honored the recall without a fuss, which can’t be said for all auto makers. I just bought a gladiator with this motor, so now 626,000 is my target to beat😎
The Pentastar is one of the best V6’s you can get.
I oddly agree. I have a Ram pentastar with 270K, Minivan with 230K, and it convinced me to buy a Mojave Gladiator. I think a lot of the issues are oil change interval. I do tire rotation and full synthetic every 5K miles like clockwork.
@@UnkyJofusi owned a 2 door JL with the penta and I have a gladiator rubicon 6 speed now. While I do think the gladiator may have appreciated a 5.7 option for torque, the 3.6 gets the job done, doesn’t consume an ocean of fuel, and my two door was solid in terms of reliability. I personally do my own maintenance as well.
I got my charger with 56,000 miles didn’t know to much about these engines but that video me feel so much better.
I saw a CZcams on the pentastar where it was common that tappets or lifters prematurely wear and become noisy. I don't remember the year(s). Regardless, this engine is in a large variety of mopar products and is tried and true if maintained.
Very well maintained engine.
So good to see this, I have a 17’ with 115000. I always used mobile one same change interval as you. I was worried about a timing chain replacement. Mine is just a baby.
That is an engine that has been maintained properly
My pentastar 0n my 2016 jeep got timing chain slap issues , with 80K miles, thats a miracle for a pentastar
You must have gotten the 1 in a million that was built right
Must be good engine
I owned a 2020 3.6 Challenger and a 2020 Hellcat Challenger, they were purchased within a month of each other. one for me (hellcat) one for my wife 3.6 Pentastar. in 2.5 years on these cars we put 2x the miles on the 3.6, total of about 18K And it was my favorite car to road-trip in Florida and I owned 4 cars at the time. the 3.6 was fast, fuel efficient drove like a light and agile car. But the performance was similar to a V8, Not a hellcat V8 but way better than any Japan V6 that I have ever owned, Honda, Nissan, Toyota all included. I almost bought a 2023 Ram 1500 with the 3.6L Pentastar engine last week but opted for 5.7 Hemi because I wanted 11k towing capacity. I am happy with the 5.7 Hemi too. So Dodge FCA products are a positive review for me. Shout out to Jim Browne Jeep Chrysler Dodge Ram in Dade City FL which will always sell for MSRP or below. Ask for Dale and Joe. Tell them Scott G. sent you.
Too be fair, these new engines are phenomenal. I like the direct injection or port injections because fuel is able to atomize with the air better and not wash the cylinder walls out. The old Chevy TBI engines are great but not efficient and with two injectors, it just sprays fuel and doesn’t atomize.... as long as you put good oil and filter, and not beat the puss out of it like Indy 500, a newer fuel injection engine will run forever. The old engines were big, heavy, and able to take the abuse just not as efficient but it got the job done........
Agreed. Nothing this good has been made since the slant6, but this is way better. Power to $ ratio is through the roof! And it lasts!
@@Santor- yup! Although I’m not bashing carburetors or tbi’s bc they were amazing for their time but I’ve grown to really enjoy the ease of fuel injection, a good system at that with my LS swaps. Carbs are great for big big power bc at that point, you could run a water bottle with fuel pouring out and it’ll go down the strip(sarcasm)
I like carbs too, have been considering converting a car I have to carbs, but I do like the fact it always starts....until it doesn't I guess and the problem is much more difficult to resolve.
Then again, I've become better at understanding the fuel injection and don't fear it when time comes to repair. Biggest issue is really to decide to buy a new computer or not, as you can't fully tell if it's fully working or somewhat malfunctioning. And that answer may be very expensive to resolve. Had luck with used computers though, and it's been the correct choice both times I had to do it.
Refurbished computers with programmed vin numbers and a refund policy is the answer.
I think some of the 3.6 last longer than others is the size of the cooling system and oil pan is larger on commercial vehicles.
The paddles in the pump are called vanes . Just like in an automatic transmission oil pump .
The slant 6, 3.3l v6, 3.9l v6, 318-340-360, 400 and 440cid would this is no sweat. As long as it is very well maintained, Chrysler engines generally speaking are very durable!.
Even the 2.2l, 2.4 and 2l engines were durable as well. If it wasn't well maintained, the 4 cylinder vehicles, will have head gasket issues very quickly.
I know this, because I worked at Chrysler dealerships for many years.
This is Scotty Kilmer's worst nightmare!
From Germany here: Some of my friends still drive the old Dodge Caravans 95-01 series. Two cars, 3,3 and a 3,8 notching up to 500 000 kms and an amazing 2,0 Caravan euro spec at 640 000 kms on first engine and transmission. (the Euro Caravan called Chrysler Voyager here thankfully has a 5 Speed ) But dont ask me how many auto transmisions those two 3,3 and 3,8 have already munched, haha :-D
Just did a complete fuel system clean on my 3.6 and got absolutely no smoke from carbon build up not surprising after watching this video I also beat the piss out of it great engine plenty of power sounds good to engine oil always clean haven't had an issue with it except the thormastat and even then wouldn't warm up the way it should in cold weather
I'm surprised the rotary-vane oil pump lasted so well. Earlier Chrysler's had lobed oil pumps, even my 2002 3.8L which is driven directly by the crankshaft (inside timing cover). Lobe-type seems typical for other U.S. engines. I think EFI fuel pumps are usually rotary vane type. The 4-bolt main with a girdle might be required for the aluminum block. I recall the GM Northstar was similar, having an upper oil pan (block extension) for stiffness at the main bearings.
Amazing, now that is a chain. Over here we have 170k km (105k miles or so?) Audi TDI V6 engines that need the chains done.
The slant6 gets all the praise, but the reality is the Pentastar is even better, by alot. History will show this after all cars have gone electric. Love my hemi, but the Pentastar is da bomb for entry level pricing.
I’m at 108k miles on mine and I’m barely breaking it in. Still runs like new.
2013 JKU Auto 5spd so far 125,000 miles it survived AZ 120F heat 6,700 miles road trip, 5w-30 helps for high heat areas.
Holy crap thats high km I'd say it had a good life
That's a million km.
Keep in mind, he is talking over 600K - easy highway miles. Most of us don't drive 99% highway, we spend a lotta time in traffic, etc. especially in large cities. It would be nice to know how many total hours on this motor.
I got 318000 out of my 3.3 v6 Mitsubishi engine in a 1997 dodge grand caravan. Always changed my oil at 3500 miles, was still running like a top when I sold it.
3.3L V6 is a Chrysler engine. Do you mean 3.0L V6?
@@waltchan no, the 3.3 v6 was a Mitsubishi engine, designed and built. It was reliable as the sunrise though. I'm definitely not disparaging it in any way, the only issue I ever had with it was carbon buildup on the valves that was causing a misfire in one cylinder. I simply used two bottles of water drizzled into the vacuum line from the brake booster to dispatch the buildup out the exhaust pipe. Ran great from that point on till I sold it.
@@markk3652 3.3L V6 is a full, 100% Chrysler-designed engine, which was reliable. You can find this info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_3.3_%26_3.8_engines
@@waltchan I have been misled. Dodge dealer had me thinking it was a Mitsubishi engine. I saw that it was a design betterment of the 3.0. Thanks for the course correction. That van was a tremendously reliable car though until the tinworm ruined it.
@@markk3652 3.3L Chrysler engine is actually more reliable than 3.0L Mitsubishi, despite being Japanese. Mitsubishi 3.0L V6s engine suffered from shorter timing-belt lifespan and head gasket failure. Many 3.0Ls were sent into junkyard after the timing-belt broke inside. 3.3L is timing-chain, so more of these are still running today (as long as transmission is okay). It's considered by many to be one of the worst Japanese vehicle engines ever.
I got one and the timing chain components have been the only thing to fail of course changed oil pump and water pump while I was there
Our new to us 2016 Chrysler Town and country has this motor. Only 32000 on ours. I have heard very good things about this engine.
We also have a2008 Town and country ( wife likes them) with the 4.0 that has 175,000 miles with zero issues.
One thing for me though. They may recommend changing the oil every 5,000 miles.
Not me.. IMOP with these newish Oil operated Cam phasers. Clean oil is a must.
I change mine every 3,000 miles no matter what. Cheap insurance IMOP.
Now my opinion of the 3.6 compared to the 4.0.? WOW!!! with the 3.6 the mini van drives like a sports car.
Lots of power.
my ford excursion has a triton v10 in it and only things ive had to do is replace bad injectors/plugs. it's lasted me over 500k miles. i hope people can learn from this video that if you just take care of an engine it'll last you a long ass time
Very well maintained engine
The thing is that those plastic timing chain components fail more due to age than they do mileage and hours of operation. These plastic timing chain components have been used in various engines for over 20 years now, much more if you count the pushrod engines. I've seen them fail well under 100,000 miles and some like this went 600,000. That's because the age factor was about the same. You can get a million out of them if you can pound them on in less than five years.
I have a 2016 JK with 16,000 on it with no problems yet. These engines run hot. So you have to keep that oil changed and try not to block off your radiator with screens, driving lights etc.
225,000 on my 2012 JKU. Replacing a tapping rocker right now. The cams look great. Just like my mommy told me...maintain proper oil level at all times and replace at regular intervals. I hope to get another 200K out of her.
This is awesome. I have a Jeep GC with the 3.6, it has 62,000 on the clock. I was hoping to get to 200k without any huge issues.
Seeing this makes me feel real good about my RAM C/V. Hope mine makes it half that long. :)
The railroad uses minivans to transport workers back and forth. Pure interstate driving and they get 500,000 + miles.
Nothing failed. Engine exceeded expectations.
I have a 2012 Wrangler. The driver side head looks to have been swapped out once before, but can't be certain. I bought it with 54k on the odometer and it's now at 133k. I'm running an Edelbrock supercharger.
My issue is the clutch. Factory lasted until 114k and I replaced it with a centerforce dual friction 2. Now this replacement clutch is slipping, which only lasted 18k miles.
Usually these things end up in the salvage yard before 150k
I use amsoil and im at 110000 i just recently changes my rocker arms and lifters and oil cooler a few lifters started ticking so i swaped them i could see no vissible damage on any of the cams and 1 rocker has a slight delamination of the finish on the roller.
and very clean inside the top end.
I have more confidence in the motor after this vid also.