"IT JUST LOST POWER" Jeep Wrangler JK 3.8L V6 GRENADED With LOW MILES!?! Full Engine Teardown
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- čas přidán 8. 09. 2024
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@JnP-Restorations
Today we're tearing down the OTHER 3800! Just kidding, but the Dodge/Jeep 3.8L V6 that you'd find in both minivans AND Wranglers is a pretty reliable little unit. Somehow though, this one blew up at just 74k miles, an incredibly premature failure! But why? How? This video shows how even low mileage well taken care of engines can blow up, but not without reason!
Why am I doing this? I own and run a full service auto salvage business called Importapart. Part of our model includes buying blown up engines and dismantling them, salvaging the good parts to resell and recycling the rest. We do not rebuild engines, merely supply parts to those who do!
I really hope you enjoyed this teardown. As always I love all of the comments, feedback and even the criticism!
Catch you on the next one!
-Eric
Owner states: "I didn't hear anything unusual, it just lost power."
Mechanic turns key on and is immediately deafened by the 150db of noise coming from the quartet of 15 in subwoofers in the back seat.
YEP 👍!
I hate chrysler / jeep
I mean, it's obvious that the speaker in the restaurant drive-through lane the car was idling in was *far* too loud for him to hear what happened. 🙄
I don't know what you're talking about. These NEVER get turned into pavement princesses. haha
18:03 milwaukee in nutshell
The rod damaging the starter reminds me of a Ferrari press release many years ago. Ferrari, being ever anxious to downplay engine issues, stated that their car had retired because of alternator failure. That was strictly true but more than a tad misleading - the alternator "failed" when a rod came through the block and smashed the alternator.
Let's not jump to conclusions! The alternator could have bumped through the block and broken the rod!
I have seen pictures of two cat V8 motors in a Boat. One thew a rod and kicked the starter into the other engine. It cracked the block.
😁
After 50+ years as a mechanic I have only seen 2 or 3 of the 3.3/3.8 blown up. Those engines all burned a bit of oil because of low tension rings. I have seen one with over 900.000 on it as a cab. I could barely hear it run. I drive a Caravan every day with over 300.000 on it and it still runs well. I take care of it and that helps a lot. The engine will outlast the body.
I am pretty happy to hear this. I have been a long time toyota person and recently took a dive on a 2010 JKU with the 3.8. It seems to run very quietly however some mornings I hear a quick rattle on initial startup. How normal is that? I have heard its normal on these and heard maybe swapping to a wix filter might help but not quite sure.
@@syrindark A rattle on a cold start is somewhat normal. Next oil change install a wix XP filter. Amazon has them. Not cheap but one of the best filters made.
As someone recovering from a saw related hand injury, please be safe man. I know you're being goofy for the sake of us viewers, but it's not worth the risk. Stay safe.
Shake hands with Danger!
Oh wait. Sorry. Shake hand with Danger.
Have you heard ‘the tales of the safety tote’?
If not, I highly recommend watching some older videos with belt tensioners in the dismantling process
@@aaronlarsen4674oh I'm very familiar. RIP that forklift driver.
Ouch
Hand injuries never quite no away. There is always some part that was broken that doesn't point the same way. I had my right forefinger torn in half. The surgeon got it put back together but the joint is locked. Having a stiff finger takes time to adapt to. Cue the jokes of the wife liking that.
Uncle Rodney said " screw this, im going home ! " ( in cartman's voice )
Uncle Rodney said "I get no respect. I went to my doctor, Doctor Vinnie Boombatz. I told him I'm working in a Chrysler plant. He says from now on, you pay in advance."
Screw u guys, i'mmm goin home (in Cartman's voice)
The word you are looking for is "the bearing sea" 🙂
I like the utter contempt in Eric's voice when he says "...now they have THIS..."
I actually love these motors, they're slow, noisey, they leak from every possible orifice but, they just keep going. Also so goddamn simple
An engine built so well that my 30 years being a mechanic, the only repairs I've done are as follows.
Spark plugs, wires and coils, oil pan rotted out, low coolant pipe rotted, starter, alternator, belt, tensioner and last but not least, valve cover gaskets.
Now they're all gone as the vehicles they came in are miled out or rotted away where i live
You forgot the 30,000 mile lower intake gasket! (Belly pan gasket) LOL . I have 3 of these vans and run them hard, I consider the water pumps and belly pan gaskets as the only real engine wear items.
I am totally surprised that you did not do battle with your nemesis, the oil dip stick tube. How could you ignore it. OK I know it was out of the way but that battle is one of your mainstays of the videos!
I thought the same thing, went a whole video without a dipstick tube battle.
I too missed the battle of the dipstick.
I honestly got to the point to where I was expecting him to smack it out after he removed the oil pan
This is a really nicely designed engine, shaft mounted rocker arms nice intake and exhaust port location and design. Cross bolted center mains. Nice crank shaft design. These engines in minivans lasted forever, even when neglected. 300k plus all day long
The smaller 3.3l was also a great engine, probably the closest Dodge got to a Buick 3800 in reliability. If you see a rusted out bubble Caravan still going, I almost guarantee it has a 3.3.
Here in Europe only surpassed by the 2.0 and 2.4 5-speed versions you did not get in the US. Saw a 2.0 the other day with incredible 580 000 kms, first engine and tranny (but 2 clutches and 1 new head gasket owner stated 🙂)
My parents own an '04 Town & Country which is rusted to s**t, but the 3.8 is still chugging along without a care in the world. I wish I could have that much confidence in modern powertrains.
I have a 3.8 jku with 207,800 on it! Still running like a champ, the key with every engine is maintenance and for the love of jesus oil change every 3,500 not at 7k when the dip stick only have oil on the tip cough my cousin cough 😅
Do we need to send blue on vacation anytime soon? He’s working awful hard here lately.
Blue is union man. Member of the International Machinist Union Local ERIC. Blue gets Healthcare and a pension, lucky tool.
I’d like a copy.
@@dennisyoung4631harbor freight. I have 2 sets
It's nice to see a "regular" looking engine. Reminds me of the GM 4.3. Old school U.S. engine.
#5 piston needs to be placed in the witness protection program.
As someone who drives Jeeps a lot, the road noise those things make would drown out a small explosion, especially JK and older. JL has enough insulation to allow for a conversation at highway speeds.
seeing that saw compliation, you're insanely lucky to still have 10 fingers. jesus. Please be careful so you can keep sending us videos!
technically speaking its eight fingers and two thumbs
@@SHADOW.GGG- No it isn't.
Remember, impact wrenches are finger operated! Just put that saw under safety tote for the sake of us all.
My sister had a dodge dart that had a slant 6 engine. That engine will run and run forever.
I was on a pit crew for a small circle track racer and we put a piece of sheet metal over a hole that big and went racing! Obviously, fixed the internals but the block was good. Lasted the rest of the season that way.
There's a legendary Formula Ford engine that raced for many seasons - nicknamed "patch" for obvious reasons. It was actually very successful and had many famous drives e.g. Aryton Senna, Roberto Moreno, Mark Blundell etc.
I wouldn't be so quick to call out the driver in this case, I've heard that the JK's have really really good radios.
alpine audio system is one of the best, it also helps the jeep doesnt have a lot of insulation
Looks like the crank weight beat that wrist pin like it owed it money.
The oil is bass boat paint... gotta love it
The meme of the dog saying 'It's fine' while fire surrounds him comes to mind.
I really like your introductions, presenting the year models of where the engine was used in, etc 🙂
What happened to the mandatory battle with the dipstick tube?
Yeah, Eric, what about the dipstick tube? I kept waiting for the wrestling match.
I thought same thing, Eric danced around it the whole shoot and I was thinking yeah this is going to be epic new gag.... Waited and waited.
I had a Jeep Comanche of the 89 vintage with the 4.0L...! It was two-wheel drive and was used as my run around truck for my lawn service, but my main trucks were small block Chevy 80-90s Silverado's, but they were gas hogs...! I feel in love with that straight six and then I remembered an old 88 F250 work truck an old boss had... Nowadays I have a fleet of 94-96 f-series with the 300cid/ 5-speed drive trains...! I can't say which one is better, the 4.0L or the 4.9L(300cid)... they're both bulletproof...!!! And that is the exact reason that they are not produced anymore...!!! Planned obsolescence can't work if the engines won't blow up...!!! Thanks for sharing... Keep up your awesomeness...!
oh this is easy, the Ford 300 is the better engine. I've seen people TRY to blow them up and the engine flips them off and says "please sir, can I have some more?". Jeep 4.0L is a great engine in its own right, but that head will warp in a quick minute if it gets too hot which is really its only bad spot overall. Then again, I think ANY of the old school Inline 6 engines are great, the 225 Slant 6, 200 and 250 from Chevy, the 300 Ford, 232/258 AMC (which is what the 4.0L is born from). The biggest weakness of any later I6 engine is when they change out that cast iron head for aluminum, it introduces a weak point moreso than the iron heads.
@@MichaelAStanhope yep...
That right there is a great example of Mopar quality.
These do run forever. The 3.3 and 3.8 just keep on going.
Say what you will about these engines, if you take care of them, they are some of the most reliable engines Chrysler designed. I had a 3.3L engine (same engine, smaller displacement) in my 92 Chrysler Town and Country, and that thing had well over 650k on it when the 5th transmission finally went out in it and we finally retired it. It ran just fine though. One of the biggest issues with these later model engines is the aluminum heads. They will blow a head gasket really quick because there aren't enough head bolts. The engine was designed for a cast iron head and very little was done to replace them with the aluminum heads. The old 4.0L had similar issues, just not nearly as bad since it had way more head bolts.
I thought it looked somewhat familiar to a 318.
The JK is just universally a step from the simple tough as nails go anywhere jeep to the mall crawling duck dashing visage of modern jeeps. This engine isnt really that bad, it just happens to be attached to a damn 4 door wrangler.
The 3.9 Dakota is what your talking about, a 318 with two cylinders cut off and has a 90 degree V. The 3.8 is a 60 degree V which first appeared in the intrepid as a 3.3.
If it’s not an engine thing or a transmission thing…..it’s the same ole thing…..dodge/Jeep….
Thx for the info,
Recently bought an
01 mini van, wow,
I was very impressed 😊
Always enjoy these videos. Eric's great to watch as he's obviously someone who knows his business and seems to genuinely enjoy what he's doing. The commentary is always lighthearted with a good deal of humour.
Keep'em comin', buddy. You deserve your success 😉👍🏼👏🏼
Your sage advice about engines not healing themselves took me way back to when I was a college kid driving a wascally 1980 wabbit . Pretty sure I ran the oil level on one of my old man’s cars, not sure if it was that one, a different wabbit, or even a different car entirely but I’m pretty sure he had at least one engine overhauled at some point.
Fast forward 35-plus years to now and I live in constant fear of my rice rocket blowing up if I go 3005 miles between oil changes. Getting old sucks.
Concur - paranoia (about life in general) is a matter of life experience. You get experience with Age.
As a guy who used to change oil for a living on everything from econoshitboxes to semi trucks....... Modern oil and filter tech is leaps and bounds better than it was in the 80s and 90s even. I wouldn't stray far from the 3k mark on conventional oils, but most stuff now requires at least a synthetic blend. On that, with a good filter, easy 5k. Personally I run a full synthetic high mileage oil, and a long life filter and run 10k change intervals. Have done this for many years now, had engines apart for maintenance and found spotless crankcase and oil systems.
@@t-yoonitI am not sure how many vehicles and engines there are but suffice to say that there are many. There are additionally hundreds of different oils. Oil change interval is NOT one-size-fits-all based on the odometer.
Had a couple 3.8's over the years. One with over 260k that was never touched and ran like a top. Another that I sold with 135k that sipped on oil a little heavy, but overall extremely reliable engines.
PCV....
Positively
Crankcase
Ventilated!!
Local man's 2022 Ford Explorer engine recently exploded on the Interstate at 77k miles, bearing failure, several. Ford thoughtfully waited three and a half months to warranty it.
I had the 3.3 liter version of this i a Chrysler Minivan ran trouble free when traded in at 140k miles.
The owner didn't hear it blow, because he has 35"+ mud tires with chopped tread growling so loud no one within 4 blocks can hear anything else either. Luckily, the mud tires have also never seen anything but pavement. There is also a 75% chance of a "Trail Rated" and "Salt Life" sticker somewhere on the Jeep.
I like when you recommend other channels you like 🙂
My 2009 Wrangler self-destructed at 3 years/29,000 miles. I bought it new with a lifetime powertrain warranty and they still tried to make me pay for it. Burned oil from day one. The 3.8 was underpowered for the jk unlimited, but my rebuilt engine was solid. The 3.6 is much better.
Eric, you should have done a chalk outline on Sir Rodney in the piston lineup, because that looked like a crime scene.
I saw the debris laid out on the table and immediately thought "that's how a skeleton is laid out". Demolished "head", various bits & pieces for the "spine" & a shattered pelvis.
When these came out we laughed at them. Then the jk got the pentastar jeepers everywhere though “this is the one” well….in hindsight the 3.8 was probably what you wanted when the warranty was up.
ehh the 3.6l is one of the most popular engines on the road, a lot of them have a lot of mileage
The early ones came with gasket issues @@mails5054
I've had so many of the 3.3/3.8 engines around my life, all of them were solid. My '96 has 255k, 05 and 07 are around 155k. A friend has a 07 3.8 with 260k (Town and Country), and another friend's had like 220k before he got something newer. Fam had a 97 Caravan that we took to 158k before selling, and a 91 3.3 that went to 163k before donating. The 91 was the 1st iteration of the 41te and the only one I ever saw that needed rebuilt.
They always seemed like such quiet engines for being a relatively low-tech V6
I have an 07 JK 3.8 ltr , it has 240,000 on it. Changed out the rear main seal last month. Still drive it everyday. No engine issues so far. Doesn’t burn oil either.
My Grand Caravan had the 3.8L V6 in it. It was still running great when I traded it in at 220K. If you take care of those engines they will last!
We had one of these in our 06 Chrysler Town and Country. It blew the water pump then a head gasket extended warranty company redid the head gaskets. Then it blew the radiator out. That was replaced also. Then we hit a 300 pound buck with it destroying the radiator front engine mount and totaling the van. The freaking engine was still good.
I hit a buck a month ago and the damage was surprising given that I slowed down some and he walked away from off the top of my hood. The only thing "broken" was the Chinesium side mirror which are disposable one-year mirrors on my car.
I once had the new yorker with the 3.3 and an oldsmobile alero with the 3.4 and to me the two v6 families were so similar I often accused chevy of copying chrysler when it came to compact 60° v6 engines and come to find out its actually just engineers moving between the two companies during the 80's causing the most basic design from both leading to the similarities in sizes and power
I've seen a lot of valve seat problems in these engines. Always front pass or rear driver sides. Usually the block and pistons survive fine with just a few scratches. Just do head replacement and send them back out for the next 120k miles. Used to know one that survived both at separate times and still drivin by the same owner to this day . Seems to happen around 120 and 240k miles on most of them. Overall good engine if you put a good set of heads on them and maintain them without going crazy.
Ah i have an 09 JK with this engine. I actually really like it. I run either 5w40 euro spec oil or 10w30 full synthetic with no issues.
07 JK and usually run the 10W-40 synthetic but have ran the 5W-40 Euro when finding it on sale.
@@greggc8088 how many miles do you have on yours? Just crossed 112k on mine.
179K.
Mobil 1 0w40 European oil in an 08 with 185k so far
Out of “malice in the combustion chamber” and “ forbidden glitter”
I reckon it’s always the best when the motors attempt to “self gap” the spark plug on their own..
The thing is when you leave the motor to self adjust the gap it always gets it incredibly wrong!
High school friend had a 1985 plymouth gran fury with the 318 smog motor and while driving thru town we started hearing metal on metal/ting ting ting noises and instead of pulling over he gunned it. Tranny blew up later that day in a Target parking lot. We were going to take the tires off and put it on blocks and just leave it there (it was the 90s).
Long time listener, first time caller. I've noticed a theme with these blown motors is that they have oil filters from a quik lube shop. I haven't seen any top tier filters meaning a owner maintained vehicle.
interesting
Not to say top-tier filters may not extend the life of your engine, there are some good ones and bad ones out there for sure, but I think even the lesser ones do the job if the engine (oil and air filters) are maintained properly. Perhaps the better filters do a better job once a driver passes the recommended oil change interval....but I'm going beyond 645,000 miles on a V6 Toyota Solara using Fram filters. Some say they are just a can with cardboard in it and some of the bypass valves may open prematurely.....but my engine is evidence you can go the distance with them.
i worked 44 years at champion lab making oil filters and so far everyone i seen is made in Albion ill all made on the same assembly line just different specs for each filter
JB Weld the hole and you've got a 5 cyl 😮
I was thinking similar
i had an 07. it needed a few things replaced but i sold it with everything it needed, plus new tires, wheels & lug nuts. the tires it did need.
those 3.8 engines use cracked rod that is the main problem. I just did a LS swap on 2008 jku Saraha I bought cheap.
every rod bearing was spun bad. I beleve the van engine are better because they use machine rods. I was surpised how well
the LS fit. My only mistake was to change from a automatic to a AX15 manual. I tell my boys do as I say not as I do or live will get vastly more complicated.
Small block V8 SO FUN !😊
My first ro with an inspection port was a 1995 4Runner with the same V6 that was recalled for head gaskets. That owner said the same thing. "It lost power and stalled" I remember because of his description compared to what was wrong. I put a breaker bar on it and it didn't turn over. It had a hole from the thrown rod. This was maybe 1999.
Now I want to rewatch the GM 3800 tear down. And hope to see a ford 3.8 in the future. Preferably the Thunderbird supercharged version.
I have a jk 3.8 174000 ml . This video was awesome,to see a full breakdown makes me more confident I can rebuild mine .if only I could get a cam with a lower rpm torque peak
Love those Mopar rocker shaft setups. Just like a LA V8. So easy to service.
The rockers reminded me of a sl/6.
Seems like 3.8 litres was a magic number for reliability and ubiquity of application for all of the Big 3.
It took Ford a bit to iron out their problems with the head gaskets on the Essex V6, but having said that, they thankfully got it fixed once they installed the MLS head gaskets.
I saw an Equinox pulling a travel trailer at altitude in NM. Good lord, I hope that was a leased vehicle.
I had a 2005 caravan 3.8L pushrod and it was great engine. BUT I kept the oil replaced in very timely fashion. I wish I had that old dodge caravan w 4spd auto..
It was bulletproof compared too all the GDI, turbo, 4 banger, low tension rings, high blowby pieces of crap !
I had a 3.8 JKU with a cracked head, the dealership had tried to ignore it by resetting the CEL. But they ended up having to replace the head under the Chrysler Extended Warranty. It was still really gutless. Wow, this one looks filthy.
These last a long time given you are aware that they burn oil. We had a few that burned oil. Let it get a few quarts low and they are quick to apin rod bearings.
Alot of jeep owners with this motor complained of oil consumption, and rod bearing failure.
Best benefit of the doubt I can give the owner is maybe they were driving on the highway with the top off. It'd still be hard to miss the smoke screen and clunking but if you're already half deaf in a flying brick with no top...maaaaayyyyybeeeee
My thought, as soon as seeing how clean that engine was, is that the original owner took really good care of this car, but he sold it to some idiot who just put fuel in it and drove it.
RIP, Uncle Rodney. Egad, what carnage. Good one, Eric!
I recently had an oil change shop leave the drain plug loose, finger tight loose, after an oil change. Had I not noticed the drips on the garage floor I might have lost that drain plug on the highway, which could cause a catastrophic failure in an reasonably clean engine. Sure glad I caught it!
Always love hearing how some of the best motors ever built in American history are all older engines that got "discontinued" due to emissions regulations.
Since you're tearing apart excellent engines that have blown up, maybe you could do a Chrysler Slant-6?
My favorite engine, the leaning tower of barely enough power.
The problem is finding a slant 6 that has blown up.
@@lsswappedcessna I pulled one out of a Hesston 6450 windrower that was so worn out you could have knocked the ring ridge off and put .030" oversize pistons without boring it. It only used about 1-2 quarts of oil per day. did a leak down test, 85% leakdown rate
@@austincjett the Australian Valiant had a slant 6 that was beefed up pretty well.
@@austincjett They where making v8 amounts of power with the power pack in the 60-70s. They had 170hp variant. With some work they are actually really powerful.
I have the same engine in my wife’s Chrysler Town and Country I love it it’s very reliable other than oil consumption it’s approaching 227,000 miles and still going the main thing is that you got to stay on top of the oil level on these engines they are prone to consume a quart of oil every 700 to 1,100 miles these engines were built in Mexico 🇲🇽. They will consume 2 quarts of oil every 3,000 miles before oil change interval and filter. The only engine oil that I found that usually keeps it from consuming that much is Castrol high mileage synthetic blend 10w30 or 10w40 and always use a WIX Filter always WIX. Thank you Eric for sharing this.
It really isn’t a bad engine. I think the biggest disservice done to it was Chrysler specifying 5W20 oil for the 3.8 in the JKs when they specified 10W30 for the same engine in every other application. My 3.8 started using more than a quart of oil every 3,000 miles starting around 40k miles. I swapped to 10W30 conventional and the oil use stopped.
My 07 Pacifica Base 3 8 is 5w-20.
Anything from Chrysler is a bad engine...! Worst car maker ever...!!!
I got to work on a blown Mitsubishi V6 in school. It blew the #6 rod out above the filter. The coolent and oil stayed where they should be and it actually ran decent.
Woohoo, I asked for the 3.8l jeep engine back when you started doing tear downs! Thank you! Very cool to see the inside of my engine.
awesome video on the JK 3.8.. thx for sharing
..Same thing with the inspection hatch happened to me with the middle cylinder on an Audi inline 5. I crammed some cardboard over the hole and managed another 40 miles back to town, where it finally seized..
Those are really good motors 3.3 l 3.8 l pretty indestructible
I had the 3.8L in my 2004 town and cont van and it woud consume a quart of oil every 1000 miles. It had 180,000 miles when i sold it for $100. It was leaking tranny fluid and the main seal was also a little drippy--the bonus was never having to change the oil.
Lol zach🎉😂
The word you were looking for for the content of the oil pan is Smorgasbord. Because it contains a little bit of everything! 😂
That is not an oil pan. It is now a parts collection tray.
Looks like Cylinder 6 had enough of their shit and left the conversation!
wasn't really expecting to not have to fill in "wrist pin fine" on the bingo card. that's normally a guaranteed square.
All that damage on the crank counterbalance and a wrecked wrist pin makes me think that the wrist pin and the counterbalance decide to battle to the death.
Chrysler EGA engines are possibly one of the most robust engines to ever come out of the company. 22 years of production, several revisions, very few problems.
The problems started when they specified 5W20 oil. Lifter failures in the vans, rod bearing failure in the Jeeps. Whenever an engine specifying 5W20 comes into the shop for an oil change with over 100k miles, it gets 5W30, the oil cap gets blacked out and I write 5W30 on the intake with white marker.
The 5W20 problem extends to other brands as well. For example, all 4-cyliner Kia/Hyundai vehicles with "those" engines that pass through me get 5W30. They last a lot longer with the higher viscosity oil - even the ones that already make noise.
Yep, 5w20 is too damn thin especially when people want to push their oil changes like they always do. 5w30 or even a 10w30 for older engines. All 3 of my vans are running great, if only I could keep the rocker panels from rotting out. Thanks Chrysler for the spray foam sponge BS you sprayed in there.
@@v4lhulme yeah I know all about the spray foam. Can't even oil spray those areas to rustproof them. It's sound deadening against road noise - same as the foam wrapped in what looks like a garbage bag that's stuffed in the rear quarters.
I put about 145k miles on a 3.8 in a 2dr JK. It had a 6-speed and factory 4.10’s. It ran good. Only thing I had to do were intake valley seals and patch a crack in one manifold. Amazingly that JB weld-like metal paste stuff worked great.
Must have had a very loud stereo system installed in that jeep. Didn't hear a thing from the engine!
The odometer may show the mileage of the vehicle but may not necessarily reflect the mileage of the engine. A friend of mine had a '95 Silverado 4x4 with 780K miles, but it was on its fourth engine after the original was rebuilt three times. If someone says it's the original engine, I will have to confirm that the numbers on the engine match the assembly line information before I believe them, and it hasn't been rebuilt.
Ummm... if the engine was rebuilt, then OF COURSE the engine number will still match the original build sheet.
@@johncoops6897let him stay in his fantasy lol
@@firstlast--- 😃
Thank you Premier in Illinois,
I used to be a tech. Had a 4.7 that had a persistent misfire. It had oil pressure and ran fine on seven cylinders. Turned out it had a disconnecting rod but the big end was good and it didn't have any inspection ports. I hate Jeeps with V-8s.
Those 3.7/4.7L engines were the worst. The reliablity of those was all over the place. I've seen some that go 300k miles and some that are junk at 150k or less. Chrysler hasn't had a good V8 since they discontinued the LA 318/360 engines in 2001. Those things ran forever, but they were an emissions nightmare just like any engine that was designed in the 60's. Kinda funny how emissions regulations and reliability of engines kinda go hand in hand. The more they meet emissions requirements of the modern age, the less reliable they become...
I'm a fan of the 3.8. I am pushing 200,000 miles on my 2011 Grand Caravan. No leaks, no lights. It lugs hundreds of pounds of passengers and cargo around with ease. I change the oil every 4500 to 5000 miles. Now. it's not without issues. The TIPM is a worry. The Alternator and Starter removal require dropping the sub-frame. I just pro-actively changed the original starter 6 months ago. It was a huge PIA to get those bolts off.
Absolute garbage engine in an absolutely GARBAGE vehicle.
What pile of garbage do you drive, eh?😂
@@DB.KOOPER That runs and runs and runs.
@@Bill-sp8kb i'm curious to know that too,
When the 3.8 works it's alright. I don't know WHY Chrysler had the bright idea of a TIPM, though. I think it was the stupidest thing they've done since scrapping all but like three of the turbine cars.
I had a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT with that. I burn a quart of oil every 900 miles. Despite that, it held up for the 6 years & 8 months I had it.
The water pump treatment variety never gets old!
I think all that silver stuff in the pan is actually Silver Seal Stop-Leak that was used to stop the oil seepage between the starter and the block. They obviously didn't use enough.
Hey Eric I wanted to tell you thank you for the content and making it funny I enjoy every video your content has been helping me get through the death of my uncle he passed April 27th from cancer
I’m really sorry to hear this man. Keep your head up and try to focus on the good times. ❤️
@I_Do_Cars thank you I am trying
I have the 3.8L in my 2007 T&C with 150k miles on it. It consumes about a quart every 1500 miles. The excess oil in the exhaust clogs up the catalytic converter. Now I’ve got an OBD-II reader with live data that I regularly use to monitor the sensors. Whenever the O2 sensor data starts looking bad I put a couple quarts of acetone in the fuel and that solves the problem. I’m guessing the excess oxygen in the exhaust from combusting the acetone is burning off the oil residue that’s clogging the cat. But that’s just a wild guess.
I also changed the timing chain because it always rattled. I changed to a Cloyes chain and it solved the noise. The OEM chain links can only pivot in one direction. That causes the chain to “slap” whenever the chain wants to bend inwards between the sprockets. The Cloyes chain has “standard” links that pivot either way and that eliminates the noise. I actually contacted Cloyes customer service to ask why their chain was different than the OEM chain and they were the ones that explained how a “standard” chain eliminates the “slapping”.
I had a 09 T&C with the 3.8v6 that also used a lot of oil. I replaced the valve seals, years ago, a 3 day job over a thanksgiving holiday, and that fixed it. It could do 5000mi with only about 1/2qt added. But by last year, every single other thing was falling apart on it. headliner, plastic parts, shocks, etc. so we traded it in.
Thanks for the info! I might do it just for the knowledge and experience. I’m just DIY and I haven’t done valve seals before. I’d also like to look at the camshaft and lifters after watching this video, but I don’t know how much time I want to spend on it anymore. The minivan’s paint is faded and the body is starting to rust. I’m pretty sure the engine is already going to outlast the car. I just bought a new set of expensive tires so I’ll probably use it until it needs new tires then I’ll buy a cheap set and give the minivan to someone who needs anything with 4 wheels.
I got an 07 JK stick shift with 179K that uses a quart every 2300 miles and has been for years. Only thing I've done to it is valve cover gaskets once and spark plugs. Even has the original clutch still in it.
I think that’s awesome about the Jeep. I think these engines will easily run without problems for a long time if you take care of them. On the other hand, my neighbor had a low miles ‘08 T&C with a 3.8 that blew up. They never checked the oil. I’m not sure if they even knew how to check the oil. I bet when the oil light came on they didn’t even notice.
I had this engine in that fore mentioned van. Decent running thing, almost 200k on it before I had sold it for a much newer whip. It moved my family 3 times as the moving truck and took me karting a bunch. I miss it.
I have a 2008 jeep jku and my 3.8 would get 24mpg up to 102,000 miles with no problem. At 102k miles I did swap in GM 5.3l and at currently now up to 250,000 miles on it
The crazy thing about the 3.8 is that on the upper intake 3.8 sticker is a hole under it with just glue holding the sticker on it. One good back fire and it might fly off
I recently sold my 11 JKU. 3.8 was never a issue and regeared got around quite well on 40" tires. I never regretted buying the 2011 JK 3.8 vs the "new" 2012 3.6 JK at the time.
The manual trans was a different issue and their awful designed throwout bearing setup.
I have one of those now in my 2005 Chrysler town and country 3.8 it's the best engine Chrysler ever made hands down
I have worked on and owned a 3.8 L in a 98 Minivan and I sold that vehicle with $254,000 Mi on it, and it was running quite well. I was getting 31 1/2 Mi to the gallon on the freeway with that minivan, I was getting 20 1/2 in town. I did need to mix the fuel till it was running at about 90 octane but it ran wonderfully. These are easily 300,000 mile Motors
31 mpg highway 😆🤣😂😂😅
_in a V6 minivan_
The Mazda 5 is a mini minivan with a 2.3 4 cylinder, that manages 28-29 highway mpg, how did you manage *better* with a bigger, V6 caravan ?
@@jamesgeorge4874 Some of the 90's cars got ridiculously good fuel economy on the highway. Like the 3.8 sedans like the Bonneville.
@@jamesgeorge4874 cars in the 90's were a LOT lighter, thus better gas mileage
@@leightonreese1832 a '98 Grand Caravan weighs about 3800 lbs.
Weight...
My 2015 Sienna is a pig weighs I think 4,600 lb.
My van 3.8 was great. 1qt oil/10k miles. Solid. Great job Eric!
4.15 Excellent maintenance. This plugs are 2 times over the due date.