pentastar head problems?
JK Junkie
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 2,192
Likes: 2
From: SoCal
33
JK Freak
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 696
Likes: 0
From: Hilmar, CA
UPDATE - Just got back from the dealer. Much to my amazement, the dealer I bought from has yet to fix a Pentastar (still hard to believe). That said - the dealer tried to be as helpful as they could. The Restricted Status was present on my Jeep for BOTH HEADS as well. Also note - the Restricted Status on the system now has a note next to it to "Contact S.T.A.R. for further instruction."
Once they tested it - they confirmed something is wrong (ticking, lower power, etc.) and contacted S.T.A.R. And...(Wait for it)....S.T.A.R. told them to (verbatim off my service order) "...Contacted S.T.A.R. - recommend driving to see if problem has any change." My service advisor, apologized profusely and said they want to help but S.T.A.R. told them not to. W-T-F?!
I immediately called Chrysler Customer Affairs and I now have a case number. This is absolutely absurd.
JJ
Once they tested it - they confirmed something is wrong (ticking, lower power, etc.) and contacted S.T.A.R. And...(Wait for it)....S.T.A.R. told them to (verbatim off my service order) "...Contacted S.T.A.R. - recommend driving to see if problem has any change." My service advisor, apologized profusely and said they want to help but S.T.A.R. told them not to. W-T-F?!
I immediately called Chrysler Customer Affairs and I now have a case number. This is absolutely absurd.
JJ
You are the original owner right? Why do your heads already have a restricted status on them? Have you already been to the dealer on several different occasions? Possibly, they noted your issue without your knowledge and still did nothing. I noted that your issues started in 2,800 miles. That was quite a while ago...how much could possibly change if you continue to drive it?!?
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 115
Likes: 0
From: Connecticut
Ok, so that lifter is probably toast. You shouldn't be able to push on it with your hand and have it give - the lifter contains a valve and when you push down on it you are forcing the valve closed. The valve prevents the oil from leaving the lifter and since the oil is not compressible, the lifter acts like a solid slug of metal when it is like this. The lifter shouldn't behave like a spring unless the valve is busted or there is air in the lifter. A tiny speck of dirt or a metal particle of the right size would be enough to hold the valve open.
Like I said in my original text there was no damping where there would have been if there was any oil remaining in the failed lifter. Also every lifter cross section image I googled had it's own internal spring.
I know, after I submitted this text I realized what I said was redundant.
I don't think we can have much of a discussion here until we agree on the basics: Oil completely enclosed in a container with no air in it will not give under pressure, or at least the ability of the oil to compress is extremely tiny and so small that we can safely ignore it for the purposes of our discussion. In much the same way, any object that has mass generates its own gravitational pull but for most objects this force is so tiny that it is almost always ignored (Yes, a paperclip generates its own gravitational pull).
A cylinder in an engine sucks up air during the intake cycle, the cylinder is sealed, and the air is compressed to a much smaller volume. This works because the gasses in the atmosphere are compressible. If the cylinder is filled with water instead and then sealed, what happens? The engine will hydrolock because the water is incompressible - there is no way for the piston to physically be able to move up in the cylinder if the cylinder is filled with water and the water has no way to escape. People don't normally end up with large amounts of oil in their air intake by accident, but if you did manage to suck a bunch of oil in through an intake port somehow the same thing would happen.
Don't be confused by the difference between pressure and compressibility: oil can be under pressure, it will just refuse to decrease its volume when placed under pressure.
A cylinder in an engine sucks up air during the intake cycle, the cylinder is sealed, and the air is compressed to a much smaller volume. This works because the gasses in the atmosphere are compressible. If the cylinder is filled with water instead and then sealed, what happens? The engine will hydrolock because the water is incompressible - there is no way for the piston to physically be able to move up in the cylinder if the cylinder is filled with water and the water has no way to escape. People don't normally end up with large amounts of oil in their air intake by accident, but if you did manage to suck a bunch of oil in through an intake port somehow the same thing would happen.
Don't be confused by the difference between pressure and compressibility: oil can be under pressure, it will just refuse to decrease its volume when placed under pressure.
This original thread began with your disagreement of my claim that there is a spring integral with the lifter. That is still my belief from what I physically experienced when examining my failed lifter at the dealer.
JK Freak
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 692
Likes: 12
From: Arkansaw, Wi
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JK Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 115
Likes: 0
From: Connecticut
You're right. That's crazy.
You are the original owner right? Why do your heads already have a restricted status on them? Have you already been to the dealer on several different occasions? Possibly, they noted your issue without your knowledge and still did nothing. I noted that your issues started in 2,800 miles. That was quite a while ago...how much could possibly change if you continue to drive it?!?
You are the original owner right? Why do your heads already have a restricted status on them? Have you already been to the dealer on several different occasions? Possibly, they noted your issue without your knowledge and still did nothing. I noted that your issues started in 2,800 miles. That was quite a while ago...how much could possibly change if you continue to drive it?!?
Have you looked underneath your Jeep and seen all the bar code stickers? What does that say? They are very capable of tracing every major part that was made by them or sourced through a vendor.
JK Junkie
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 2,192
Likes: 2
From: SoCal
The restricted status is applied because Chrysler knows which heads will/could be faulty. I believe Chrysler knows exactly where every head on every engine was made and where it now resides.
Have you looked underneath your Jeep and seen all the bar code stickers? What does that say? They are very capable of tracing every major part that was made by them or sourced through a vendor.
Have you looked underneath your Jeep and seen all the bar code stickers? What does that say? They are very capable of tracing every major part that was made by them or sourced through a vendor.
https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/stoc...ost3183920#132
33
JK Newbie
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 85
Likes: 0
From: PASADENA CA.
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 274
Likes: 0
From: Boston
Isn't there a lemon law in place? How many times can you bring your vehicle to the dealer for the same problem?? My 12' Rubicon was ordered and built the month of september 2011 and I picked it up October 1,2011.... I am going to the dealer for the 3rd time this week due to the check engine light. 13,000mi. The code coming up is cylinder head problem. I hope this time it gets fixed! After the second time they cleared it with a software update, a week later the light is back on again.