[SonikKicks39]

Need repair advice, 2013 JK wrangler.

Hello fellow Jeepers, I am having a serious issue with my JK and need advice. For the last couple of weeks when first starting, Inwould hear a tick, tick, tick sound coming from the engine. I couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but it would go away once driven a few miles. Now fast forward to last night…I’m driving home from work and the engine starts shuddering badly. Engine light comes on and flashes, along with the traction light. I pull over and try to restart but it refuses to turn over. I get it towed to my local firestone (my close by one is generally really good). They look at it and say that the timing is all messed up and serious engine damage has occurred. Basically I need a new engine they said. They also tell me that there is an open recall on certain engine parts and the dealership would be better off handling this. I am bringing it into tmy dealer tomorrow, but wanted to get some input from you guys first. The jeep only has 24,000 miles and I treat it like a baby maintenance wise. I am livid about this. If there is a recall on engine parts I was never notified. I scanned for codes before firestone had it and multiple ones were being thrown (c121c, p0369, p0017, p0300). At this point I’m ready to just junk the vehicle if It comes down to buying a new engine (which sucks because I love my jeep) Any advice on what to donor has anybody had this happen?

 

[222Doc]

12 and 13 have a extended warranty it is ONLY the left head. If i recall it was 10 year/80k? mile part not sure about. THis is a well know issue that even jeep knew about why they issued that extended. Mine failed at 20k from new, it is a 2012 and that happened in late 13.

I doubt hey could tell at firestone what is IS. That would take a rather good look and would need to takethe intake down to even do say a leak down test for the issue of that if its the valves like the old ones had or is like the other issue no one talks about.....failing roller rockers that eat cams. to seperat issues and the latter is not covered unless under the genral warranty.

It sounds like you are in under the clock in a 2013. But if its anything else and they like to say that it in you now.

 

[SonikKicks39]

Thanks for the input. The wrangler forum guys are saying similar things. I just hope some of this is covered by some kind of warranty. I love my Jeep, but things like this make me wonder if it will be my last. I’ll just have to wait and see what the dealer says.

 

[Prot]

I would not set foot in that Firestone again even to just use their bathroom.


Basically they are parroting something that used to happen to some cars with timing belts without having a clue about what that means.

The pentastar uses a timing chain, so right off the bat that proves they are full of ****.

 

[SonikKicks39]

I would not set foot in that Firestone again even to just use their bathroom.


Basically they are parroting something that used to happen to some cars with timing belts without having a clue about what that means.

The pentastar uses a timing chain, so right off the bat that proves they are full of ****.

Thanks for the advice. This is why I always go to the forums…Firestone was a quick knee jerk decision since it was midnight and I don’t have a regular mechanic (I try to do everything except things beyond my ability/ means myself).

 

[Prot]

Thanks for the advice. This is why I always go to the forums…Firestone was a quick knee jerk decision since it was midnight and I don’t have a regular mechanic (I try to do everything except things beyond my ability/ means myself).

Did you at least take a **** in their bathroom?

 

[SonikKicks39]

Did you at least take a **** in their bathroom?

Haha, I will tomorrow when I have it towed to the dealer and need to make room for their reaming!

 

[SonikKicks39]

So here is an update….
Dealer says engine needs to be replaced…at a cost of 13,383 dollars! That is certainly more than I thought it would be, as I was thinking more in the 8000 range. Now what to do…

 

[AlaskaDiver]

Need repair advice, 2013 JK wrangler.

Hello fellow Jeepers, I am having a serious issue with my JK and need advice. For the last couple of weeks when first starting, Inwould hear a tick, tick, tick sound coming from the engine. I couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but it would go away once driven a few miles. Now fast forward to last night…I’m driving home from work and the engine starts shuddering badly. Engine light comes on and flashes, along with the traction light. I pull over and try to restart but it refuses to turn over. I get it towed to my local firestone (my close by one is generally really good). They look at it and say that the timing is all messed up and serious engine damage has occurred. Basically I need a new engine they said. They also tell me that there is an open recall on certain engine parts and the dealership would be better off handling this. I am bringing it into tmy dealer tomorrow, but wanted to get some input from you guys first. The jeep only has 24,000 miles and I treat it like a baby maintenance wise. I am livid about this. If there is a recall on engine parts I was never notified. I scanned for codes before firestone had it and multiple ones were being thrown (c121c, p0369, p0017, p0300). At this point I’m ready to just junk the vehicle if It comes down to buying a new engine (which sucks because I love my jeep) Any advice on what to donor has anybody had this happen?

Jezz...I put a new engine in my 2007 at 104,000 miles. Seems like a shame to junk a much newer one with far less miles on it.

Get another quote elsewhere. I had an independent shop put in a Jasper remanufactured engine for about $6000 all-in.

 

[SonikKicks39]

Jezz...I put a new engine in my 2007 at 104,000 miles. Seems like a shame to junk a much newer one with far less miles on it.

Get another quote elsewhere. I had an independent shop put in a Jasper remanufactured engine for about $6000 all-in.

Yeah I’m definitely not junking it. Thats funny, my local mechanic installs Jasper remanufactured engines so I am going to go that route if the price is right. They look like they do their homework and pretty much make them practically better than new. The Jeep itself is pristine and I put too much work into it to just get rid of it. After a new engine it will be like a new Jeep.

 

[AlaskaDiver]

I totally relate - although my Jeep was a lot less than pristine

You may want to review my thread here on my experience and costs: Engine Problem

 

[SonikKicks39]

I totally relate - although my Jeep was a lot less than pristine

You may want to review my thread here on my experience and costs: Engine Problem

Thanks for the info. The only reason it’s in good condition is because for 8 years I only drove it on weekends. Last month it became my daily driver, which makes me wonder if this issue would have happened years ago if it had been a daily driver when I bought it (and still under warranty!)

 

[SonikKicks39]

So I’m going to have my local mechanic put in a Jasper remanufactured engine. $8000 parts and labor, which is 5k less than the dealership quoted me. It won’t be in until mid-Jan, but at least the wheels are in motion!

 

[Prot]

I don’t get it. There is no way that engine self destructed and cannot be fixed with a reasonable amount of money. It would have to have extensive damage that is easy to document to justify replacement. I would ask for that proof in writing and to be shown exactly what is wrong.

If they cannot provide that evidence then go elsewhere.

And take a massive dump in their restroom and do not flush.

I swear I am beginning to hate mechanics more than lawyers

I remember many years ago I was working out of state and fir whatever reason my dad decided it was ok to drive my YJ around without me knowing since I would leave for a month at a time and then come home fir a week or two. Keep in mind I had my own place to live and was not living with my parents. I think I was in my 20’s or early 30’s at the time. Anyway, he drive my YJ and didn’t notice it was overheating until the engine seized. It was out of antifreeze and overheated and he drive it until it seized up. Guess what. I didn’t replace the engine. He may have done something but I am not sure because it was hard to even get him to tell me that much. Anyway, the Jeep ran and I kept it for a couple more years. Then again, it was the 4.0L straight six which is infinitely simpler and apparently more durable than these newer Jeeps.

 

[38Chevy454]

Did the dealership say exactly what happened? That is what we are not hearing besides "engine needs to be replaced". It may very well be the most cost effective is to replace the engine, but until you have more information on what exactly broke or failed, it is not able to say if fixing the original engine is better or not. A remanufactured engine might be a good solution, or if on a budget, a used junkyard takeout could be considered.

pssst.....HEMI swap candidate???

 

[SonikKicks39]

Did the dealership say exactly what happened? That is what we are not hearing besides "engine needs to be replaced". It may very well be the most cost effective is to replace the engine, but until you have more information on what exactly broke or failed, it is not able to say if fixing the original engine is better or not. A remanufactured engine might be a good solution, or if on a budget, a used junkyard takeout could be considered.

pssst.....HEMI swap candidate???

Sorry if I haven’t been completely clear. The timing chain jumped and catastrophic engine damage resulted. The timing chain issue happened while I was driving. The engine won’t turn over at all. I had it at Firestone, the dealer and (currently my local mechanic). They all said the same thing. Basically too much engine damage resulted to make any repair not make any financial sense. A complete tear down/ rebuild of the engine would still be thousands of dollars and I would still be left with an engine that may have other issues. Time is a factor too and I need the jeep back asap. Engine replacement seems to be the best option, still sucks though, but I’ve had enough second opinions at this point and need to act. Thanks for the input though

 

[Prot]

I come back to this sentence in your original post.

The jeep only has 24,000 miles and I treat it like a baby maintenance wise.

I am not sure how a 2013 model has so little mileage. My 2014 has almost 115,000 miles. Assuming that is not a typo and tge milage is really that low, is it possible something was wrong causing it to hardly be driven? If not, and it is just a case of being a fair weather weekend you contributing to the extremely low mileage, there is no way the timing chain jumped timing. Engines with timing chains run well past 200,000 miles before that becomes a concern, and many go past 300,000 before the timing chain gets replaced. Four cylinder engines of the late 80’s and 90’s used timing belts and many of those were interference engines meaning if the belt broke or jumped timing, the valves would contact the pistons or each other causing catastrophic damage. The pentastar isn’t made like that it prone to anything like that happening. What is common is rocker arm failure / premature wear which causes a loud tapping noise. If the worn rocker arms are not replaced, they eventually cause excessive wear on the cans which exasperates the problem and makes more noise in addition to causing other problems such as rough running, high fuel consumption, engine codes etc.

I just hate to see someone get taken advantage of.

 

[SonikKicks39]

I come back to this sentence in your original post.

The jeep only has 24,000 miles and I treat it like a baby maintenance wise.

I am not sure how a 2013 model has so little mileage. My 2014 has almost 115,000 miles. Assuming that is not a typo and tge milage is really that low, is it possible something was wrong causing it to hardly be driven? If not, and it is just a case of being a fair weather weekend you contributing to the extremely low mileage, there is no way the timing chain jumped timing. Engines with timing chains run well past 200,000 miles before that becomes a concern, and many go past 300,000 before the timing chain gets replaced. Four cylinder engines of the late 80’s and 90’s used timing belts and many of those were interference engines meaning if the belt broke or jumped timing, the valves would contact the pistons or each other causing catastrophic damage. The pentastar isn’t made like that it prone to anything like that happening. What is common is rocker arm failure / premature wear which causes a loud tapping noise. If the worn rocker arms are not replaced, they eventually cause excessive wear on the cans which exasperates the problem and makes more noise in addition to causing other problems such as rough running, high fuel consumption, engine codes etc.

I just hate to see someone get taken advantage of.

Hey Prot, 24,000 is certainly NOT a typo. I bought the jeep used in 2014 and it had only 3000 miles. Up until last spring, I had a job where I had a company truck I drove monday through friday. The Jeep was driven on weekends only. I made a point to try to take it out every weekend so it wouldn't just sit idle. I started a new job a couple months ago and the Jeep became my daily driver (about 40 miles per day). Maintenance wise I changed the oil and cleaned the air filter yearly. Checked fluids regularly and would fix anything that needed it (I never let a problem fester and get worse). The only major things I had to repair were brakes once (stuck/seized caliper) and replaced the battery. For aftermarket engine mods I just have a cold air K&N intake and a Flowmaster exhaust. I used correct fluids for all oil changes/ top offs. Believe me, its a mystery as to why this happened out of a clear blue sky. It's been at three shops in a week and I have no reason to doubt the current assessment. The mechanic is well known in my hometown with a great reputation and has been more helpful than Firestone and the dealership combined. I was there when the jeep broke down, based on the horrific noises, catastrophic damage to the engine did take place. I appreciate the advice and input, but wouldn't it not be cost effective to take apart the engine just to figure out it needs replacement? That alone would take hours of labor I would think. I had heard that these engines in 2012/2013 were still pretty new and were known to have certain issues. I feel like my Jeep is a special case, given that it wasn't a daily driver. I'm pretty sure if it had been a daily driver since day 1 a serious issue would have came up sooner and not 9 years down the road like it did. It sucks and is a real shame. At the end of the day the engine was clearly faulty in some way, as it should've lasted much longer and Chrysler is no doubt aware of issues with these engines and of course are hesitant to issue a recall. But it's like my mechanic said "put in a new engine and its still worth more than 15,000." It's an expense, but worth it in this case (even though it shouldn't have happened). Basically I blame Jeep/Chrysler for making an engine that failed so prematurely. Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do but eat the expense at this point.

 

[hil210]

So I’m going to have my local mechanic put in a Jasper remanufactured engine. $8000 parts and labor, which is 5k less than the dealership quoted me. It won’t be in until mid-Jan, but at least the wheels are in motion!

Old thread but was doing some research and came across your post. Hows the reman engine holding up? Any regrets with it? I may be in the same boat (hopefully not). Took the jeep in for the dreaded lifter tick and shop is saying may need a new engine. So just going over my options. Sucks because I just did a good amount of work to it (new radiator, new bigger brake kit, new oil cooler housing, tune up) becuase its older and then this happens. So not sure the route I may go if they say it needs new engine.

 

[SonikKicks39]

Old thread but was doing some research and came across your post. Hows the reman engine holding up? Any regrets with it? I may be in the same boat (hopefully not). Took the jeep in for the dreaded lifter tick and shop is saying may need a new engine. So just going over my options. Sucks because I just did a good amount of work to it (new radiator, new bigger brake kit, new oil cooler housing, tune up) becuase its older and then this happens. So not sure the route I may go if they say it needs new engine.

Hey hil210,
As soon as I get it I’ll let you know! lol Jasper was backordered when my mechanic ordered it for me, but its finally going to be put in next week (hopefully!). For me it was simple math and ease that made my decision. My JK is in almost new condition, except for the engine, so throw a new engine in for 8000 and its gonna be worth 15,000 or more again. Plus it will practically be like having a new jeep and I hope to get at least 5 more years out of it. I toyed with the idea of ordering a new wrangler, but obviously that would take months and for what I was looking for would be around 45,000 bucks. So since I love my jeep and have customized almost everything to my liking I decided to go the new engine route. I just hope I get it back soon, I am sick of driving rentals! Good luck with your issue, but if everything else is in great shape and you like it, then go for the reman engine. Jasper is supposed to be good and they remanufacture them better than new.