I thought the heads were basically non servicable? I would feel sorry for the person who got my old head. It was pretty much trashed. LOL. I wish we all could find out what the redesign or fix actually is.

Just heard from the dealer. The "tick" is NORMAL and there's nothing to fix. They did however replace the E-brake for free because it was making a "popping" sound.

Grrr.....

2 weeks after my CEL light came on, and we were still waiting on the bolt kit, I actually towed my camper for a weekend and had no issues. Day I got back the bolt kit had come in so I brought it in then. In the couple forums I follow, I haven't seen anything catastrophic come from this issue. Dealer just said if the CEL light starts blinking you gotta stop and tow it. Obviously that's no 7k mile trip though.

BTW, mine (and at least 2 others I've read) didn't happen until after 19k miles so you can't stress about it. Point is just drive it man! :rock:

Don't know when the build sheet is printed... it is available after you are assigned a VIN from Jeep I think. Anywho, your build date (and hour) is located on the drivers door jamb.

Look on the bottom right of my build sheet above ^^^^^^^^

Listen to the poster above.. your build date is on the driver door.

MDH ... month, day, hour.

:gak:

Had a small conversation with my service adviser and parts manager today. They both admitted Chrysler does acknowledge the issue, but isn't really telling them anything more. The RL in front of the cylinder part number stands for re-labled. (He hadn't ever heard of RE.) He said its used when they make a change to a part, but it happens all the time to different stuff. They both agreed the heads they are getting are probably repaired ones, which they both thought was better.

Also, most of the head replacements they've been seeing at this dealership are rental cars (they have a decent contract with Enterprise near them). It is a bunch of models though. He showed me some of the current shop orders he has in for head replacements, Durango, T & C, wrangler, etc. So it is not just us! He also hasn't seen anyone come back yet from a replacement, even though we've seen a couple reports of that online.

I have a little to add, and it's not fun...

January 12 build Wrangler Sport. Has 724 miles. Been to the dealer 4 times initially for loud clanking tick...was told it was normal. So loud that the girl at Taco Bell couldn't hear my order; had to shut off the engine. Finally threw a code, cylinder misfire. Dealer replaced cam phaser and lifters on left side. Came back with massive oil leak due to dealer forgetting to tighten something...never did find out what. Went back to the dealer, fixed oil leak. Got Jeep back...ticking louder than previously, horrible rough idle. Brought it back, Dealer says noise and rough idle are "normal for a Jeep" again. Notified dealer of head replacement issues, threatened buy-back. Contacted Chrysler, started a case file. Dealer called ME, said would replace the head. Left head replaced, got Jeep back. Driver's side of engine quiet. Now, immediately, passenger head side loud ticking. Again, told it was normal, and to drive it to let it "break in." Had it for a day. CEL light again, this time towed back to dealer. Called Chrysler. Both heads then replaced at same time by dealer, don't know why both were since driver's side at previous replacement was finally quiet. Got Jeep back, both sides seemed quiet. Drove it about 200 miles in one day, sudden loss of engine power with check engine light. Towed to dealer...cylinder #2 misfire CEL. Not only that, valve bent with interference, top of piston cracked, metal in oil. Chrysler wants to replace left side head again but nothing else. I've been nice through the ordeal, but I will not accept any more engine repairs. It's either a new complete engine with verified properly made parts or a buy-back. I haven't heard from Chrysler since Thursday. Come Monday the nice hat is off and we switch into possible litigation mode. 724 miles. :gak:

News: Fix coming for rare Pentastar problem


Posted on June 25th, 2012 • by David Zatz
Several dealers have reported a problem with some Pentastar engines, involving premature cylinder head failure on cylinder number 2. The issue seems to affect cars with around 20,000 miles, and while it is rare considering the number of these engines produced, it has become an issue for dealerships in some areas due to the lack of readily available service parts. The V6 is Chrysler’s only six-cylinder gasoline engine except for the Ram 1500′s 3.7 liter powerplant.

Attachment 335756

A fix has been engineered and has reportedly entered production. As tooling is created and tested, revised heads will be used on all engines. In the meantime, a backlog of cylinder heads for service replacement is being addressed, with the heads reportedly going into distribution now.

Because the issue seems to make itself known relatively quickly, it should come up within the warranty period, and “the new Chrysler” has proven itself likely to stand behind known defects long after warranties are over. The problem affects a small percentage of engines; while numerous sources have reported it to Allpar, the reason is likely due to the lack of replacement heads in the channel. Now that service parts are being produced in quantity, that issue is likely to disappear and the affair may not be remembered as more than an early glitch.

I would be in military issue and prepared for war.... no question, you should demand a buy back. I would also escalate this to the local news, do something creative like placing a lemon tree in the middle of your Jeep (top removed) and park it in front of the dealer. A huge sign "Chrysler 3.6 Pentastar"