Pentastar 3.6L - Ticking Time Bomb ?

they should have just kept the 4.0 ( it is probably the best motor that they made)..... I'd be pretty upset if i spent 30-40k on a new jeep and it sounded like that. Hopefully chrysler makes things right for all of those new jeep owners.

Ha. Those things are ticking worse than my 3.8L at start up. I'd bet they aren't burning as much oil yet but only time will tell.

Mine has ticked from day 1. I have not had an issue as of yet and I have a little over 6K miles on it so far. I have a 85K mile warranty. If it fails with in that time Im good. If it fails after that I will look into a hemi. But for sake of asking I will check with the dealer next time im in to buy an oil filter.

Every time I read Pentastar....I hear Pornstar... Am I the only one?

Update...

I took my JK by the dealer yesterday to get a new oil filter and air filter for mu upcoming change. I asked the service department to come take a listen. They said the ticking was normal and it was injector switch noise. I still have not had any issues with the Jeep (no MIL or codes) and it runs just fine. I have read that the pentastar is a noisy engine hence the big plastic cover on the top. But I have also read that the codes tend to pop up about 10K miles. I am about to turn 7K miles. So if a code does pop up I guess I will be getting new heads. I will make a clip and post it up (if I remember).

I am not really worried about this since I have a warranty but I know when it does crap out it will be at the worst possible time.

Quote from BlueLesPaul2006

Update...

I took my JK by the dealer yesterday to get a new oil filter and air filter for mu upcoming change. I asked the service department to come take a listen. They said the ticking was normal and it was injector switch noise. I still have not had any issues with the Jeep (no MIL or codes) and it runs just fine. I have read that the pentastar is a noisy engine hence the big plastic cover on the top. But I have also read that the codes tend to pop up about 10K miles. I am about to turn 7K miles. So if a code does pop up I guess I will be getting new heads. I will make a clip and post it up (if I remember).

I am not really worried about this since I have a warranty but I know when it does crap out it will be at the worst possible time.

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Don't worry, the Jeep will just wait to crap out in the middle of the woods in nowheresville PA ;D

Quote from Grunt2213

Don't worry, the Jeep will just wait to crap out in the middle of the woods in nowheresville PA ;D

You know it will be RC trail 13

Exactly 10 miles after the warranty expires. Murphy will raise his ugly head.

Quote from skeets682

Exactly 10 miles after the warranty expires. Murphy will raise his ugly head.

I've got 85,000 miles to try to blow this thing up. by 85,000 miles I should have this paid off. If it blow up after my warranty and if its paid off Im thinking HEMI?

hmm maybe I should have sprung for that extended warranty after all? I'm getting close to 4000 miles, there's a light ticking occasionally but sounds like injectors to me. A lot quieter than the injectors in my Charger, though. I could hear those inside the car.

It was the same way with the 09 Challengers, I had that thing looked at twice by two different shops and both said it was just the injectors. It was so loud it sounded like a valve knocking.

Quote from Grunt2213

It was the same way with the 09 Challengers, I had that thing looked at twice by two different shops and both said it was just the injectors. It was so loud it sounded like a valve knocking.

Any issues other than the noise? meaning does it cause damage? or is it just an annoying tick?

Quote from whatevah

hmm maybe I should have sprung for that extended warranty after all? I'm getting close to 4000 miles, there's a light ticking occasionally but sounds like injectors to me. A lot quieter than the injectors in my Charger, though. I could hear those inside the car.

The hemi is notoriously loud. The tick is somewhere in the top end of them as well. I lost the tick in mine when I swapped heads/cam/lifters/rockers and pushrods.

Quote from BlueLesPaul2006

I am not really worried about this since I have a warranty but I know when it does crap out it will be at the worst possible time.

^This


The reason I traded my 08 for the new 12 is so I have warranty. 75% of the 3.8L's that has come through our shops have oil consumption issue.

Grant I only have a couple hundred on mine now, I am not worried.

Quote from mferrari

75% of the 3.8L's that has come through our shops have oil consumption issue.

I traded my 08 for that same reason. By the time I got rid of it i was burning 1qt for every 750 miles.

Quote from BlueLesPaul2006

Any issues other than the noise? meaning does it cause damage? or is it just an annoying tick?

No I had no performance issues or anything like that. There was a weird scratching sound when driving slowly, and I never figured out what that was, but performance was fine and it didn't consume anymore gas or oil than normal.

Update im in the new head club. 21,235 miles my CEL came on. Took it to the dealer and misfire on cylinder 2.

The dealer said "you have a misfire on cylinder 2 and you need a new head. So I will order you one on monday and call you next week when it comes in. It should take about a day and a half to fix it. We will get you a rental car to drive to work."

So they are replacing no questions asked and under warranty with no fight at all.