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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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#255 ·
Good luck sgtjeep. I have had similar problems with chrysler dealerships. I am suprised someone named "Jeepcares" was so quick to dismiss himself from this issue. I also discount "barry / pezzo" whatever as he obviously has an agenda. I hope you keep us informed of the situation so we can see how it works out.
 
#256 ·
I'm not 100% sure.. but I believe after I read the full warranty coverage report on jeeps for this thing a while back.. the warranty covers you up to 21" of water as they are advertised as "water fording" vehicles. Anything less would be false advertising.

21" is plenty tall to get mud in your undercarriage which could have been splashed up to just about anywhere on the jeep... almost 2 feet of water is alot for a warranty to cover haha

Plus, I havnt seen the airbox on the JK but if its anything like the TJ or KJ.. doesnt it have that whole scoop with box thing and drain hole to keep splashing water from getting anywhere near the intake? You would have to be submerged down beneath the passengers headlight with that set up to hydro.
 
#259 ·
I'm not 100% sure.. but I believe after I read the full warranty coverage report on jeeps for this thing a while back.. the warranty covers you up to 21" of water as they are advertised as "water fording" vehicles. Anything less would be false advertising.

21" is plenty tall to get mud in your undercarriage which could have been splashed up to just about anywhere on the jeep... almost 2 feet of water is alot for a warranty to cover haha

Plus, I havnt seen the airbox on the JK but if its anything like the TJ or KJ.. doesnt it have that whole scoop with box thing and drain hole to keep splashing water from getting anywhere near the intake? You would have to be submerged down beneath the passengers headlight with that set up to hydro.
that reminds me, might be a good time for a snorkel.

sgt jeep, hope this gets rectified soon, we are all waiting to support you, or cheer when this gets cleared up. (I'm in for the $1 HEMI upgrade)

I will say "we" fight for others 1st am. rights to Freedom of Speech:rtft:
(US NAVY 18 years)

don't let Pezzo get to you too bad, Its his right to write or say whatever it is that is on his mind.
Its your right to retaliate as well

Just like the Overweight lady that cussed me out ("mother f***ing military think they own this place, mother f***er, a**-hole") for parking to close to her car door that she refused to shut because she was hot sitting there in her car so she just kept yelling at me.

But i had every right in the world to cuss her A** out right back (using every cuss word a Sailor can remember:eek:), that she should enjoy her rights to cuss me out as I get ready to Deploy Again :)cheers: to you and Skype) so she could have her rights to eat as much food and to cuss out as many American Military members that she could find :nono:
 
#257 ·
If Chrysler does deny this based on the input from the original dealer. I would be willing to donate money to help fund a billboard with a large picture of the blown engine asking why the dealer and Chrysler denied this warranty claim. I think it would look really nice next to the dealership!!!

 
#268 ·
Not that I don't think sending some green to the OP is a bad idea, but wouldn't our collective efforts be better put to use making an example out of the dealership or Chrysler in general? Getting the OP covered with a new engine certainly solves his problem, but Chrysler has a robust history of being extremely contemptuous of its customers. Remember the last time you heard a story where Chrysler went above and beyond for a loyal customer, treated them with respect and dignity, and made an actual effort to explore every avenue possible to get their situation resolved without any run-around or bull****? Yeah, me neither.

Even if the guy had treated his Jeep like a submarine and sank it to the bottom of the ocean, the dealership didn't even try to make an effort to provide any actual "customer service." Regardless of what Jeep you buy, what you do it, or how old it is, Chrysler has always seemed to put more energy into not standing behind their product and I've never understood why. Not one person should have had to fork over a dime to get their overflowing fuel tank replaced or get the WCM changed out because static electricity would prevent a Jeep from starting. Yet there are folks who, to do this day, get grief from a dealership about getting things like this fixed.

What about 20,000 e-mails to the dealership that felt the need to do a half-*** inspection job? How about 20,000 phone calls to the corporate office? How about getting the media involved? This correspondence doesn't have to be mean or hateful, but Chrysler needs to know they can't just walk all over the people who not only continue to purchase their products, but bailed them out in the first place. If Chrysler is going to kick out a commercial with Clint Eastwood babbling about how its "half-time in America," portraying the message that the American people have been getting shafted by big companies and that they deserve better, they need to practice what they preach.
 
#273 ·
Someone put together a good twitter msg with a tiny url embedded to this thread and I will post it - I can imagine if enough people do so it will start 'trending' - Companies watch twitter feeds more than anything else for 'sentiment' - Chrysler is watching that for sure.
 
#271 ·
What I think is really irking me about this is the following:

I received this e-mail from Jeep on May 8th about their new "Trail Guide". See screen shot:



For those who are having trouble reading it they are advertising the most recent Easter Jeep Safari with a heading "DRIVE THE WAY JEEP 4x4
WAS MEANT TO BE DRIVEN." The picture is of a group of modified Jeeps, but I will bet everything in my wallet not one of those Jeeps will be able to get issues fixed under warranty. They also have a segment on treading lightly and a "bragging" section where they brag about recent off-road related awards, and show a jeep treading through water.

It just pisses me off to know end that while Jeep is advertising the off-road capabilities of their products and off-roading lifestyle, they are declining warranty work based on customer's "off-roading". The OP was in the midst of his battles with Chrysler when this e-mail was sent out. If I was the OP and I received this e-mail in the middle of the feud I would probably lose my cool.

If they are going to constantly deny warranty work due to off-roading and modifying the vehicle to do just that, then every single piece of marketing materials with a Jeep that is not driving on the actual road, or modified, is false advertising and needs to be pulled immediately.

Just my opinion.....
 
#275 ·
It just pisses me off to know end that while Jeep is advertising the off-road capabilities of their products and off-roading lifestyle, they are declining warranty work based on customer's "off-roading". -----
If they are going to constantly deny warranty work due to off-roading and modifying the vehicle to do just that, then every single piece of marketing materials with a Jeep that is not driving on the actual road, or modified, is false advertising and needs to be pulled immediately.

Just my opinion.....
Warranty or Guarantee?
I hear your opinion and from what I know, so far, believe Jeep should cover it because it looks like a simple structural failure. But, people really need to put the warranty thing into perspective. A warranty isn't a guarantee. The Wrangler is designed to enable modifications to do those off-road things but the manufacturer can only warrant what they manufacture, not the million and six potential modifications an owner might do as seen in an ad. Some people push a vehicle too far. If you trash a tire on a jagged rock or a curb does the tire manufacturer owe you a new tire? A manufacturer should not be held at fault for a defect if the owner/user does something outside the parameters of the as-manufactured vehicle. If I drop-chute a Wrangler from a military transport plane and blow the shocks is it Jeep's defect? It doesn't matter how they advertise it unless they say "we warranty your vehicle when you to do this", but they don't. They enable you to modify it and advertise it that "Hey look you're able to modify it like this and go here!". It can drive through deep water, but not as deep as 4ft deep nor deep water at speeds of 60mph. If they'd warrant anything affected by a mod, then you'd have a $60,000 Wrangler. Do you want that instead?

IF the OP's engine hydro locked, and I'm not totally convinced -- we need to see the actual cylinder where it would have happened and the broken rod that we do see is certainly not the one. The broken rod would be on a power-stroke when another cylinder hydro locked if there was hydro lock. But, if NO other rods got bent/broken other than the one shown, then it isn't a hydro lock and IS a manufacturing defect and probably why we are siding with the OP. In doing that, it makes no sense to trash a company because they won't warranty things out of their control, but we do need to pressure the company to doubt the sloppy dealer and look closer based on what the OP stated.
 
#281 ·
I'm all for the Twitter effort. Companies tend to monitor them very closely and it's an underlying issue that needs to be addressed. If the OP is for some resins hiding something or misunderstanding the diagnosis (which I very much doubt), then Chrysler can assign someone to crack open the engine and set the record straight.

Until then, I think the world and the news deserve to know the treatment to expect when they purchase a Chrysler vehicle.
 
#283 ·
If it was a hydro lock (not saying it is, I believe its not) then its covered on your comprehensive coverage. They do cover stupid.

But the insurance company will want a shop to provide proof that it was a hydro lock.

On edit:
They do cover other engine related losses too. Like say you hit a giant obstruction in the road and it takes out your oil pan... Its covered. (just an example)
 
#284 ·
back in 2000, my 89 wrangler was one of many vehicles that was involved in a massive rain storm that hit the company parking lot where I work. My valve cover was 2" under water when i finally pushed it out to the shallow end of the parking lot. I had full coverage on it thru allstate and my insurance agent told me that it was fully covered, and he would send a tow truck to take it to the auto shop of my choice. I ended up learning how to get a dunked engine working again and didn't use the insurance to get it working again.

You might consider using your insurance coverage to get it fixed and let them fight it out with chrysler. from the pictures of the engine, it looks like it threw a rod and shattered the aluminum block skirt that newer engins seem to be using now a days and since its attached to the bell housing it took a piece of it too.
 
#285 ·
IF the OP's engine hydro locked, and I'm not totally convinced -- we need to see the actual cylinder where it would have happened and the broken rod that we do see is certainly not the one. The broken rod would be on a power-stroke when another cylinder hydro locked if there was hydro lock. But, if NO other rods got bent/broken other than the one shown, then it isn't a hydro lock and IS a manufacturing defect and probably why we are siding with the OP. In
This is an excellent point, if it hydro locked, the OP needs to go back with video and pull the other plugs, at least two others will have water in the cylinders if it hydrolocked. Maybe more. If none, then no hydrolock, unless water form head gasket failure which I've never seen, that usally fails into the radiator, not the cylinder.
 
#286 ·
Well, I call either C-rod failure or Piston failure.... the reason being...

This happened in flight on one of my old aircraft... Piston fractured, sending the c-rod through the bottom of the engine. I stood there and watched the pilot dead stick it in and make a perfect landing...while the front of the aircraft was on fire...

We tore the engine down and found a crack through the piston. There was so much damage inside the block. The Cam was twisted from the impact and the crank was toast... Similar damage...and this engine is air-cooled...


 
#288 ·
I've read this entire thread and have been watching the updates, but I had to post when I saw this post. Great laugh to start my day off.....

To the OP, I am sorry you have to go through all this. I am sure it will all pan out, it just sucks you have to wait and you may not be here to deal with it.

Good luck, and I will be watching and am willing to help once it is decided how we can...
 
#290 · (Edited)
Have you had the engine disassembled??
There is a lot of speculation about what caused this..
I recently lost a cylinder head (heat warped) because the radiator cap was left loose when the engine was serviced. Of course it overheated ... but was promptly cooled down and refilled. Everything was fine for several months then suddenly ... water in two cylinders. new heads $2500. Do you think Pep Boys would face the music?? What is strange about this? When I had the my dodge pickup towed back to the service point. Pep Boys paid my vehicle rental, refunded the service they provided for the truck which was a full service and a full brake job with new disks.. Several hundred dollars.. BUT they would never confess to the head damage as anything that they would be responsible for. The head service was done by my local Dodge - Jeep dealer and the even stated the head damage was from overheating.. I will only defend the dealer here on my repairs and they were good. The point of all this.. Until you actually get in the engine you may find a gasket, cracked head or cylinder that caused the damage.
 
#293 ·
I'm in for helping with a billboard too!

We have been fighting a ton of problems with our Chrysler Jeep product. As far as I'm concerned, Chrysler makes completely garbage products and so does "Jeep". As I stated in an earlier post, "Jeep" is just Chrysler garbage slapped together with a name on it. Until they work on their quality problems, I am doing my best to sway people against buying new "jeep" products.

A lot of these engines were put together wrong.
 
#294 ·
athos76 said:
Well, I call either C-rod failure or Piston failure.... the reason being...

This happened in flight on one of my old aircraft... Piston fractured, sending the c-rod through the bottom of the engine. I stood there and watched the pilot dead stick it in and make a perfect landing...while the front of the aircraft was on fire...

We tore the engine down and found a crack through the piston. There was so much damage inside the block. The Cam was twisted from the impact and the crank was toast... Similar damage...and this engine is air-cooled...
Subbed to see what happens.
Good luck OP, I hope everything gets made right.

I'm gonna assume that was a aluminum block and the connecting rod was forged steel?
When the piston discovers its afraid of the dark and decides to go to a brighter place the connecting rod will turn into a knife especially when the rod itself breaks at the end.
My dad has experienced more than his share of engines that were literally cut in half by a runaway connecting rod during his old job.
That was the Reno air races though with V-12's running over 100 inches of manifold pressure and pumping out over 4000 horses...
 
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