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Tranny and Engine destroyed

140K views 660 replies 230 participants last post by  JoonHoss 
#1 ·
JK Rubicon. Under 36,000 miles.

So take a look at these pics and tell me what could have caused this. Anyone ever seen anything like this before?

Veh was on dry pavement, going about 60mph, step on gas pedal to accelerate, engine noise, puff of smoke seen in rear-view. Engine dies and Jeep is pulled over to side of road. Big puddle of oil. Towed to dealer.
 

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#45 ·
DavidJeep said:
I have pulled cars out of fields that have been sitting for years checked the oil and radiator ( New Battery ) and gas down the carb oh and about 2 gallons of fresh gas into the gas tank pumped the pedal and brought life back to that car and others the same way THEN drove it like I stole it !!! never any problems Your gonna tell me that it's HIS fault because he let his Jeep sit for a year Sh_t I have seen new Jeeps sit on a dealer lot for months and months then a tire kicker jumps into it fire's it up and floors it ( I have done it ) I feel you gotta be joking Thanks for the laugh BUT this guy needs support Chrysler better do whats right !!!!!!!:cheers2:
This. Exactly. Even 30,000 mile old oil doesn't mean the engine will detonate. Lotsa wear, ya.
 
#46 ·
Listen guy,......I hear you on this one. You (the OP..) are the boss in this situation. Take a close look at your photos. Here are some obvious points...

This engine exploded. Look at the way the metal is torn. The back of the oil pan is bent downward from the force. No indication of external damage on the oil pan or the trans case. Torque converter 'looks' okay but would need a complete revolution to tell more. Some possible damage to the ring gear but most probably was an effect of this rather than a cause. There are any number of possible causes, some of which have already been mentioned here. I am not sold on the hydrolock theory, but I guess it is possible. I have built a lot of engines in my time, and seen more than a few destroyed. There is always a cause. I would lean more toward a materials failure here. Yes, the connecting rod is broken---but why? Not likely a bearing failure--you would have heard it LONG before it gave up entirely. Looks like an instant catastrophic failure. Maybe a flaw in the con rod---broken crank could have caused it too. Snap....boom, instant failure. Bottom line is this engine and trans are toast. Someone is going to pay. Lets hope the cost is born by the responsible party.

Definitely, contact Chrysler. I have not had a truly bad experience when dealing with the corporate. They USUALLY look at the big picture. They won't want this kind of negative image out there in the public..Someone needs to do a teardown on this and I would think a Chrysler field tech would be the one to do it. Talk to them first...I will bet that they will be responsive. But be ready....sometimes these things do not go the way we want them to! There is always the possibility that something you did or did not do could have contributed to this----not sure what it would be :confused:--but at the very least you deserve an explanation..

Thanks for your service to our country. I am a disabled vet, I've been there.
 
#168 ·
Thanks! I hope they look at the big picture too.
 
#47 ·
I examine and revise semi-truck engines for my job and I see this kind of damage almost every day. It's definitely a rod that came out through the oil pan and most likely cause is structural failure.
When an engine hydrolocks the rod bends/snaps on the upgoing stroke and it can (most of the times) not build up enough energy to go down through the block again. If it shoots out, it goes sideways. Most of the time in hydrolock the engine is blocked but intact, the cilinder head is damaged because the piston shoots up or the rod and cilinder are damaged if it just bends.

My best guess is a snapped piston pin or rod or a broken crankshaft which causes the piston to block and the rod to snap as a reaction. I would bet on structural failure. Bad lubrication will lead to bearing damage and it will cause the block to get stuck and go nowhere, rather than make the rods shoot out of the block.
 
#48 ·
That rod looks like it twisted. I have seen and engine gernade from someone forgetting to put the clip holding the wrist pin in location. It slid out to the side, hit the wall and twisted/broke the rod and piston skirt. Are the wrist pins held in with clips on the 3.8L or are they pressed into the rod? -Jon
 
#51 ·
I think what he was trying to say is with a loss of oil the rotating assembly will eventually seize up leaving the block in tact.

I had a motor lose oil pressure in a 1970 Chrysler Newport. 383 big block. I was young no had no clue what all that ticking was so I kept driving. It eventually had 2 of the rods seize on the crank turning them into hammers that took out the cam, and block. Damage looked very similar to these pics. But there was ticking and a hug loss of power leading up to the failure.
 
#52 ·
Jos360;13511739............ said:
It's definitely a rod that came out through the oil pan and most likely cause is structural failure. ...........
My best guess is a snapped piston pin or rod or a broken crankshaft which causes the piston to block and the rod to snap as a reaction. I would bet on structural failure....
Well, in the first place, the rod did not exit through the oil pan. Oil pan is intact. Rear lip is damaged and bent downward (as I mentioned previously..) so damage originated from the inside. This is apparently a bottom look at the rearmost cylinder and rod journal. This would place it closest to the rear main bearing. Without a better picture you can't tell much about the crankshaft. But, if this is a standard engine (not a specialty or hi-perf..) there will not be any main support in the engine. Crank could have snapped between the two most rearward main journals, anywhere else and it would not have shown up like this. So, rod snapped and busted up the block and the trans case. Lots of force to do that. That reinforces the OP's story about it happening at 60 mph. I just can't see an engine hydrolocking at operating temp while moving at 60 mph. I have had two engines hydrolock on me over the years. One four cyl in a Ranger, and one aluminum V-6 in an Olds. Both started runnning really raggedy and eventually would not run, but did not lock until 30 min or so after the engine died. Both required new heads (warped and cracked..) so, I just can't see it.

Anyway, We can speculate about the cause all we want, but that's all it is, speculation. AND, it really doesn't matter..!!! Engine and trans are now toast. No repair. The only question is..."Who is going to pay..?"

I default here to my previous post...Call Chrysler...Field tech inspect/teardown...Chrysler pays if they're at fault...Otherwise, well.......just hope for the best.
 
#53 ·
Material failure, no way a hydrolock. Why it failed can only be determined by cracking it open, yet, you may never know EXACTLY why it happened.

No big deal. Chrysler will cover it if it is under warranty. If you get any attitude from Corporate let us know and I'm sure something can be worked out. :cool:

I also am one who would like to know the name of the dealership where you were accused of hydrolocking it.
 
#60 ·
Gary Mathews of Nashville

5800 Crossings Blvd
Antioch, TN 37013
sales Sales: (888) 691-1690
service Service:877 481-2642

Charles was the guy I spoke with.
 
#66 ·
i will throw in my 2 cents. on the not changing engine oil thing-a few years back i bought 2 toyota celicas from the seventies that had been sitting for 12 years in a barn. did some work to get them running again but in my excitment i forgot to change the engine oil (my bad) but i drove both cars 150 miles before changing the oil with no issues at all. both cars are still driving to this day. so i do not think this is the issue. as for the hydro-lock deal im on the fence with it. in my experience hydro locking bends the crap out of the connecting rods/holes in pistons/ect, but i havent seen them blowing out the BOTTOM of the engine (not to say it cannot happen). obviously it is a snapped connecting rod but as to the cause of this there can only be assumption until the engine is torn down. given the situation of driving down the road, the only way it could hydrolock would be oil, coolant, or fuel? maybe a valve dropped? blown head gasket? im not 100% in any direction. Best of luck to the OP on getting this fixed.
 
#82 ·
you're right, and that's probably a good thing.

As for the OP, wow, what a thing to come back to :thumbdown:
 
#76 ·
Figured I'd throw this out there. When I used to work at Ford Essex Engine Plant, I saw guys on the line dropping conn rods all the time and just pick'em up and slap them in the engine anyways. There were signs EVERYWHERE saying something to the effect of "a dropped plug/rod/bearing/lifter is a scrapped plug/rod/bearing/lifter". Didn't matter to a good chunk of those guys. I've seen those engines in the major repair area have candy wrappers, glove fingers and all kinds of other garbage removed from the inside of the valve cover, oil pan, etc.....

So, you guys with F150's with Triton engines, or 4.6 Mustang GT's...those engines went in your vehicles.

I don't know if dropping a rod from waist hight could cause it enough stress to fail, but you never know. I guess there's no way to tell that though.

Good luck OP. It's too bad you had to come home to this, and may very well deploy again without a resolution to this issue.

FWIW....thank you very much for your service.
 
#97 ·
I don't know if dropping a rod from waist hight could cause it enough stress to fail, but you never know. I guess there's no way to tell that though.
I've thrown the balance off of a few forged crankshafts and a few driveshafts by dropping/tipping an end from just a few inches to foot off the ground. I'd check clearance and balance in any rotating or reciprocating part if it gets dropped just to be sure. Although a rod is a part I never dropped, I'd bet that a dropped rod would need some work if dropped from waist high.
 
#77 ·
Subscribed! I feel like I will be in your shoes eventually. 7k on my 2011 and it's been tapping since day one. You can really hear it when close to a building or in garage. And I personally think there is a bottom end knock too. ( I am an ASE certified tech). Both oil changes have been at dealer and of course they " could not duplicate noise" Total BS... Seems like Chrysler, or at least Jeep, has been dodging engine issues left and right.
 
#79 ·
#80 ·
The connecting rod is broken in half you can see a piece hanging of the piston. doesn't look like it spun a rod bearing so the most likely cause is some form of hydrolock. Now what caused it, is open to interpretation, could be something else in the engine let go to lock it up or dump a ton of coolant in that particular cylinder. Something caused the rod to snap.
 
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