The 3.8 v6 - Is it really that bad???
 

Ok, looking for first Jeep and of course budget is a big factor as well as family size so was looking at 2010 - 2011 JK unlimited 4 door. During this search and talking to others it seems to be the consensus to avoid the 3.8 (2007 - 2011) and to look at 2012 on since it was replaced with the 3.6 v6.

Seems the 3.8 had not only issues burning oil but not much power. I’ve read a couple threads and a very lengthy poll and seems a lot have an issue burning oil. Seems some have somewhat corrected by changing oil to other than book suggests like 5w40 or 10w30 or Europe blend etc.
also seems that after a few years that at least with the 10 or 11 they would have done something to correct the issue and those 3.8 engines wouldn’t be as bad.

i would like to know more from those that actually own JKs with these engines and are they really that big a problem. If you had to do it over would you wait on 2012 or later for the 3.6.
The price difference between a 2011 and 2012 is noticeable and wondering if it’s not because of the engine change.

If someone could give me some opinions/advice I’m open to it all. Also if you know of specific threads I should read please provide a link. I’m continuing to search but not necessarily getting good results.

Thank you all and looking forward to my first Jeep.

Hi Colby, I'd say the 3.8L is an above average engine. The 3.6L is excellent as well. Forums are often about problems, and oil consumption is an issue for every manufacturer in the various car forums. It's not a new issue either. When I was a kid working on cars people were either complaining about oil consumption, or proud of how little was consumed.

Check out this thread of long term 3.8L owners -- They sound pretty satisfied to me. https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/stoc...ership-348520/

The 3.6L has significantly more power above ~4000 RPM and especially 5000+ RPM, below that not much difference. The automatic transmission with the 3.6L has more speeds, the manual is a 6-speed in either case. People are going to pay more for those advantages, plus 3.6L JK's are going to be newer and typically have less miles as well.

Mine is a 3.8L and I'm quite satisfied with it. If I was in the market for a used JK today instead of when I bought it -- I'd probably be biased towards the newer 3.6L because of the increased power. But the condition, model, and price would be a much bigger portion of the decision.https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...8ff1c77a27.jpg
Take both these graphs with a grain of salt, no idea of the source. The below graph is comparing the 3.8L with the 4.0L from the TJ -- Note how this 3.8L graph doesn't match up to the 3.8L above. In any case, the 3.8L has similar low RPM power to the 4.0L with more top end power.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jk-...9d748b94e1.jpg

Test drive both engines and see what you think of the power. :dontknow2:

And in addition to the engine, also note what gears are in the axles! (though with used vehicles you may have to ask or run the VINs or guess.) 3.21, 3.73 and 4.10 are the options. (unless the previous owner regeared, which is fairly common when going to larger tires.)
Higher numbers basically means higher RPMs, which gives more HP/Torque at a given speed - which comes in handy with a 3.8. Not a huge difference, but can be meaningful for comparison purposes.

Ex. for a 3.8 auto with 32" tires, at 70 mph, you're looking at 1629 rpm / 1892 rpm / 2080 rpm.

It gets a bad reputation and it's not a v8 by any stretch of the imagination but it does work well. I've racked up 190k miles on mine and put bigger tires without regearing (though I really should) and I've got to say that I still enjoy it every day. My friends have the 3.6 and it's nice, certainly has more oomph but I can't say I'd pay a premium for it.

The other thing to look at is maintenance. The 3.8 is an easy to work on motor. Plugs are easily accessible. On the 3.6 you've got to remove the intake manifold to get to them. Flip side- it has the cartridge oil filter as opposed to the standard can style of the 3.8. I agree though- drive both and go from there.

I've been following this forum for almost 7 years. There are a few outliers, but I'd say 98% of those people that had the 3.8 and switched to the 3.6 were enthusiastically satisfied with the significant increase in power. I will also note that the 3.6 has 10% better gas mileage. In my opinion, I would not even consider a 3.8 unless it was a ridiculously better deal than a 3.6. Another thing to keep in mind is your resale value at the back end. A 3.6 is going to be worth more than a 3.8 in future years.