Home » How One Faulty Engine Part Put Millions Of Chryslers, Dodges, Jeeps, And Rams At Risk Of Major Oil Leak

How One Faulty Engine Part Put Millions Of Chryslers, Dodges, Jeeps, And Rams At Risk Of Major Oil Leak

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The Pentastar V6 has been a workhorse for Chrysler. Since its introduction in 2011, over 10 million have been built, and they’ve shown up in everything from minivans to trucks to sedans to coupes to offroaders. The only problem is that Chrysler cheaped out on one crucial component that has irritated owners to no end. Worse, this silly little flaw puts the whole engine at risk.

It all comes down to oil. As we all know, the engine cannot run without it. Given its importance, you would think Chrysler would have done everything it could to make sure the engine’s lifeblood stays inside the crankcase where it needs to be. As it turns out, the company kinda messed up on this crucial detail.

Vidframe Min Top
Vidframe Min Bottom

Whether you talk to forum users, NHTSA, or mechanics, the answer is the same. This one cheap plastic part afflicts Jeeps, Rams, Chryslers and Dodges alike. It’s got them spilling oil, and badly—with nasty consequences to boot.

3.6 Liter Pentastar V 6 Engine And Torqueflite Eight Speed Autom
Got a Pentastar? You might run into this very problem at some point. Image: Stellantis

However, this engine has lots of other applications too. You’ll find the same engine in Jeep Gladiators, Ram 1500s, Chrysler Pacificas, and Dodge Durangos, just to name a few. Ultimately, this is a problem that affects just about every 3.6-liter and 3.2-liter Pentastar V6 in the Stellantis fleet, including those built today.

A Slippery Situation

This oil leak problem came to our attention while researching the Pentastar Tick issue on the NHTSA complaints database; we noticed that so many more folks were complaining about the oil cooler. Seriously, look at these complaints, and you’ll realize just how shocking the scale of this problem is:

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These engines feature a combined oil cooler and oil filter housing that is bolted to the engine. The oil cooler is plumbed with coolant to keep the engine oil at a stable temperature. From there, oil then flows on to the filter section—a simple housing for the replaceable cartridge oil filters.  The part is naturally plumbed with coolant and oil, and also plays host to the oil temperature and oil pressure sensors.

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Plastic? Yes. Fantastic? No. via Maxspeedingrods

So far, so simple. The problem is that Chrysler made one choice that seriously compromised these parts. The whole part is made out of plastic. That’s not such a problem when the vehicle is new. The plastic, likely nylon reinforced with glass fiber, is able to hold up to hot engine oil without issue. However, aging is a real killer when it comes to components like these. Repeated heat cycles and the simple passage of time make the plastic brittle and weak over time.

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The basic anatomy of the part. This sits on top of the Pentastar V6, in the valley between the two banks of cylinders. The coolant port and sensors face towards the firewall in the Wrangler engine bay.
Image315
The part with the oil cooler removed.
Image8514
The base side which mounts to the engine.
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This is what the part looks like in situ with the intakes, etc. removed.

Eventually, cracks form in the plastic, and you get a major engine oil leak. This can often happen during an oil change, particularly if the oil filter housing is overtightened during reinstallation. The oil filter cover is only supposed to be torqued up to a mild 18 foot-pounds. It’s relatively easy to exceed this, with damage to the plastic parts a likely result.

Thanks to the position of the part, most of the oil ends up running into the valley of the V6. From there, it then drips down the back of the engine and transmission and on to the ground. It’s easy to mistake the leak for a worn engine rear main seal because of the location the leak appears on the ground. Ideally, though, the leak is caught quickly and the part can be replaced. However, in some cases, the part can fail while the car is running and dump a lot of oil very quickly. In this case, the engine has to be shut down quickly before the oil supply runs completely dry.

Crop To Ago
When a seal or the housing fails, you can expect to get lots of oil or coolant leaking into the valley on top of the engine.
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Getting to the part requires pulling a bunch of intake components and hoses out of the way.

Other failures are possible, too. If the plastic cracks or breaks around the oil cooler section, a coolant leak may develop instead. Or, even worse, a failure in this area can lead to coolant and oil mixing, which is similarly awful for the engine.

The plastic doesn’t have to crack to cause problems, either. Sometimes the housing just warps over time and stops sealing properly in various locations. Alternatively, the O-rings sealing the part to the engine block start leaking, or the plastic lip holding them in place just falls to pieces.

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If any of the seal lips fail, the part will almost certainly leak. These lips must remain intact to hold the o-rings in place.

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Block-off ports can blow out in some cases, causing major loss of coolant or oil.

Owners can be found complaining about this problem all over the Internet. Wrangler Forum has a whole cavalcade of posts, with owners reporting oil leaks, coolant leaks, and oil ending up in the coolant reservoir. You’ll hear the same from owners of the Chrysler Pacifica, Dodge Durango, and even the Volkswagen Routan. Yep, since it’s a rebadged Chrysler, it came with a Pentastar, too.

[Ed Note: These complaints are rampant with early Pentastar engines, but they appear to be less prevalent with the “Pentastar Upgrade” that came around 2016 in some products. The “Pentastar Upgraded” entered the Wrangler when the JL model came out; there are some oil filter housing complaints with the JL, but they seem significantly fewer than on JKs. Maybe this has to do with miles driven, but it’s worth noting that significant engine redesign. -DT]. 

NHTSA has received some harrowing complaints. One owner reported a “small fire” occurred when leaking oil came into contact with the hot exhaust system. Others have reported having to replace the parts three or even four times in under ten years of ownership.

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Stories like this abound online. via Reddit
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via Reddit

It’s easy to understand why people are pissed off. We expect to change our oil and oil filters regularly, that’s just normal automotive maintenance. The oil filter housing, though? We kind of expect that to be a hardy part of the engine that lasts for the lifetime of the vehicle. The fact that the part can fail quite easily within a few years of ownership, and potentially lunch your engine in the process? That’s no bueno. The fact that simply overtightening the filter cap can destroy it in one misguided tug of a wrench? That’s pretty annoying, too.

The Fix

Swapping out the part is not the easiest job, either. It requires removing the entire upper and lower sections of the intake manifold in order to gain access to the valley of the V6. From there, the part can be unbolted and lifted off the top of the engine.

Guides on how to manage this problem are all over YouTube. David from the MotorCity Mechanic channel notes that there are two main routes to fix this problem with OEM parts. You can either replace the whole housing, or start by just replacing the set of O-rings that seal the part to the engine block.

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Solely replacing the o-rings is the cheaper route, but not a guaranteed fix. “That’s just something that at the dealership we would have to struggle with,” David explains. “In order to get paid for warranty, Chrysler said we had to do [the o-rings] first.” If that fix failed, the whole housing would be replaced, at greater expense.

Either way, neither of these methods is a permanent fix. You can expect the replacement housing to last maybe as long as the original OEM part. Perhaps less so if it’s subjected to heavy-handed techs during your regular oil changes at your local Lube-E-Mart.

(1) The Best Oil Filter Housing Upgrade For Pentastar Engines Dorman’s Patented Oe Fix™ 926 959 00 03 19
Enter: the all-metal replacement part, courtesy of Dorman.

Eventually, however, a better repair became available from the aftermarket. Well-known parts company Dorman started manufacturing an all-aluminum version of the oil cooler and filter housing. It solves the plastic problems with good old fashioned metal.

The redesigned part eliminates the problem of embrittlement and cracking over time, as well as collapsing lips that hold the o-ring seals in place. It also solved the problem of block-off ports blowing out by using proper threaded plugs with sealant holding them in place. The Dorman part is made with high-pressure aluminum casting techniques.

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You have to pull a lot of parts off to get down to the oil filter housing. It’s not necessarily a super difficult repair, but it’s time consuming to a greater or lesser degree.

The Dorman part is intended to be a one-stop fix for this problem. To that end, it’s shipped with a full set of seals. This includes the seals for the upper and lower intakes that need to be replaced when removed to execute the repair.

The core aluminum housing is just a replacement for the plastic part. In Dorman’s original design, the sensors and oil cooler itself had to be swapped over from the original OEM housing. This created compatibility issues—early Dorman parts were designed to suit the oil cooler from post-2014 Pentastar V6s.

However, Dorman now provides an updated version that comes with an oil cooler of its own that works with earlier Pentastars, too. It updates any Pentastar to work with the more modern post-2014 oil filter design. Either way, there have been a few revisions over the years, too, so it’s important to make sure you get the right Dorman housing to suit your particular vehicle.

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The Dorman kit aims to be a more permanent repair solution, and comes with all necessary seals.

As you might expect, there’s a reason Chrysler didn’t go this route in the first place: Cost. Making the part out of plastic was a great way to go—it’s far cheaper than machining the same part out of aluminum. As long as the part doesn’t fail too often during the warranty period, the savings are worthwhile. Plus, the cynics will suggest that it’s a great way for Chrysler to make some money on parts on the back end.

If you own one of these Pentastar powered vehicles, you can make the call yourself. If you go with the plastic OEM part, the official Mopar replacement part costs around $170. You might find it cheaper if you hunt around the place. I found another part for around half that price from an Australian seller, though it’s likely not OEM grade and doesn’t appear to come with any seals. Meanwhile, the Dorman part comes in around $202 on what appears to be Dorman’s official Amazon store—and that’s including all the intake seals, an oil filter, and a new oil cooler to boot. It’ll cost you a little more from Advance Auto Parts, which currently has it listed for $308.99, or $262.64 with a coupon code.

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The all-aluminum option isn’t that much more expensive if you look around.

Given the relatively minor price difference, it’s easy to see the appeal of switching to an all-metal replacement part. Oil leaks are a pain to deal with at best. At worst, they can trash an engine or set your whole car on fire. If you have to get in under the intakes to fix one, better to do it once and be done with it for the foreseeable future.

Why Is Everything Like This?

Unfortunately, problems like these are pretty common in modern vehicles—and modern technology across the board. It all comes down to money. Engineers are seldom tasked with designing for the best longevity or performance. They’re generally told to design vehicles that can be produced with excellent profit margins. If a plastic part is cheaper and lasts long enough, forget metal—it’s not happening.

Chrysler isn’t the only one playing this game. BMW’s cars are famous for using cheap plastic parts in the cooling system. GM has done much the same. There are a million other examples out there. Parts that would never fail on a classic car from the mid-20th century are now regular replacement parts on modern engines. [Ed Note: My experience at Chrysler was that engineers would have run tests on all parts, and had they seen a concerning failure, they’d have fixed it to avoid warranty costs. I’m a bit perplexed by the fact that this failing part remained in production for years and years despite numerous failures. -DT]. 

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Photo: Simon Palfrader© Editorial Use Only
Bottom line, if your Pentastar-engined vehicle is leaking oil or coolant… get it checked out, quick smart.

The trick is to be aware of the cheap, crappy parts on your car. That way, when one fails on you, you’re already educated on what’s broken and how to fix/upgrade it, before you end up as a giant ball of fire barreling down the highway. Stay safe out there, and maybe share today’s post with your poor Pentastar-owning friends. Though I bet they already know all about this.

Image credits: Jeep, Ram, Stellantis, Chrysler, Amazon, Dorman, MotorCity Mechanic via YouTube screenshot, ATEM Offroad via YouTube screenshot, Maxspeedingrods

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Banana Stand Money
Banana Stand Money
16 days ago

This article gave me mild PTSD from my old BMW N54 oil filter housing leaking. In BMW’s case the filter housing is robust, but the factory gaskets used to seal it are prone to early degradation.

John E
John E
16 days ago

Toyota had to replace more than 2 million 2.0L and 2.5L 4 cylinders from the early 2000’s due to build up of sludge that eventually plugged up the ports and pickup tube. They initially blamed customers for neglect and abuse. Just because the brainwashed Toyota sycophants choose to believe the marketing hype and don’t bother to educate themselves, doesn’t make Toyota saints. Further proof: if you think the engine throttle problem was because of floor mats, congrats, you’re a sucker. They were fined $1.1 billion because the knowingly produced a bad throttle and tried to hide it-NOT because of floor mats. But Toyota has worked hard to convince their cultists, er, buyers that they’re “smarter and better” than everyone else who buys anything else. Toyota cultists literally build their psychology around the belief that Toyota is nearly god-like and can do no wrong, so they automatically filter out anything outside that lense.

Last edited 16 days ago by John E
Utherjorge
Utherjorge
16 days ago
Reply to  John E

On the one hand, you’re not only right, you’re understating the sludge problem. I had a V6 Tundra that absolutely was a sludge monster, and this problem is well-known. I haven’t looked in a very long time, but I’m pretty sure it was a much larger problem than just those two 4-cyl mills. Like….way, way, worse. And, as I lived it…there was very little help to solve the problem even as the after market did offer some possibilities.

However…no matter what you say about the floor mats, it was absolutely floor mats. It was other things too, but really, floor mats were a huge part of that.

Sadly, you’re back on that jingoistic anti-Toyota thing again, but you be you. I always enjoy the many Ford disasters that cascade through my mind when I see a John E post digging agai on Toyota

Colin Althen
Colin Althen
16 days ago

Had this happen to my 2013 Town and Country. Brought in for an oil change few days later start it up and my driveway is full of oil. Had it towed to the dealer they replaced the oil cooler (good old mopar super lifetime warranty). But it ticked a little afterwards. Drive it like that another 6 months and the tick got worse so I brought it back and they swapped the cams and lifters. Been fine now for almost a year but now that it’s colder it does seem to have a slight tick again.
Now in this case it happened around 175k miles so not as bad as when they go at 100k miles. But very common nonetheless. No idea why they didn’t fix this years ago.

JDE
JDE
16 days ago

Sad day when we are proudly pushing anything with the word Dorman on it. The parts they make are notoriously suspect and sketchy, but I suppose not any worse than the myriads of Jungle Website unknown brands which are likely just Dorman parts that did not pass QC.

Sounds suspiciously like Stellantis went the route of BMW B58’s here. Also probably why I got one of these aluminum housings from an amazon blind box at the last white elephant party.

SBMtbiker
SBMtbiker
16 days ago

Cars from the mid 20th century would be lucky to make 100,000 miles, and if they did you had replaced multiple parts (Toyota is an exception). The expectation on modern cars is at least 150,000 and more like 200,000.

TheDrunkenWrench
TheDrunkenWrench
16 days ago
Reply to  SBMtbiker

Given what vehicles cost these days, it’s a fair expectation.

SBMtbiker
SBMtbiker
16 days ago

Absolutely!

SBMtbiker
SBMtbiker
16 days ago

My dad purchased a 58 Bel Air Sports Sedan with 283 which burned oil since new. Took it to the dealer 6 month into the 1 year warranty. They poured something into the oil that stopped the smoking for the next six month. Then started to use oil! He just added a quart of oil every time he filled the tank! Did this until he traded it in on a 1963 Bel Air wagon!

JDE
JDE
16 days ago
Reply to  SBMtbiker

Toyota and Datsun did not start this way. many considered Japanese products Junk back then. But then Toyota pulled a modern Hyundai and learned from their errors and just got better with time, all the while many us manufacturers hit the Engineering hurdles of some good, some bad and using the Public as Beta Testers to ID the issues, but rarely held onto inherited knowledge when making decisions like these. Bean counters see a part that should last past warranty and say, good enough. Perhaps even many think it is a good thing as it results in the vehicles producing revenue stream in the form of replacement parts sooner than later. Planned Obsolescence is a thing, and those in charge try to balance how good they have to be to avoid a negative reputation.

SBMtbiker
SBMtbiker
15 days ago
Reply to  JDE

They also suffered from rust in the 70’s! I’m on the west coast, so didn’t see as much as the people back east!

JDE
JDE
15 days ago
Reply to  SBMtbiker

Certainly the Beds were especially bad about this, but sadly GMT800’s are also known for this and even more so in the cab corners. GMT400’s were seemingly superior here, but based on even just 10 year old GM Silverado wheel well rust, I don’t know if the companies fully understood things. I know the GM sunroof drains are and issue as they clog and then the valleys that they drain away just overflow onto peoples heads, all that water causes rust if not fixed quickly and often it seems. Dodge filled the quarter panels in the Challenger and Chargers, then did not actually connect the sunroof drains to the weep holes so many are clogged and cannot be unclogged easily, worse the water is trapped up close and personal to the metal by the foam. they rust behind the doors from the inside out. Carpeted wheel liners are also water holders that keep the paint where they touch around the wheels nice and moist and on the way to rusting out from day 1. It’s almost like the new designers were told to do something and they got overruled or were just plain blind to cause and effect.

Fez Whatley
Fez Whatley
17 days ago

Add this to the heater cores that clog too with Mopar installed stopleak from the factory. The hits keep on coming for these motors…

Angry Bob
Angry Bob
17 days ago

Angry Ex-Wife took all that sweet sweet alimony and bought a new Chrysler Pacifica.

Lol.

Shinynugget
Shinynugget
17 days ago

The trick is to be aware of which manufacturers are in the habit of using cheap, crappy parts in mission critical areas of a car. Then not buying those cars.

Fez Whatley
Fez Whatley
17 days ago
Reply to  Shinynugget

At this point – it’s every car company now.

Shinynugget
Shinynugget
17 days ago
Reply to  Fez Whatley

All manufacturers have an issue at some point. But I’ll put my money on Toyota/Lexus and Honda/Acura any day.

JDE
JDE
15 days ago
Reply to  Fez Whatley

to this point, the next thing to consider is parts cost and availability. And how poorly the vehicle seems to have been laid out to work on in your own garage.

the 3.5 Ecoboost in an F150 Versus the incorrectly orientated versions in most Ford Suv’s

1961ford
1961ford
17 days ago

The Hemi (used in Police vehicles) are suffering as well. Different root cause, same end result.
Nice going, Stellantis.
Oil cooler issue sidelining the new Indiana State Police Dodge Durangos | WBOI – NPR News & Diverse Music in Northeast Indiana

Andy Farrell
Andy Farrell
17 days ago

Don’t forget the plastic y-splitters in the cooling system they used in the minivans with rear heat, they also fail when you least expect it.

Last edited 17 days ago by Andy Farrell
JDE
JDE
15 days ago
Reply to  Andy Farrell

This is a similar complaint I have with the LS 5.3 Water pump plumbing design. It is at least in the engine bay and sort of accessible, but why would they used a plastic elbow on anything with high water/fluid running through it.

Redapple
Redapple
17 days ago

$200 huh? Tons of profit in parts I guess. That die casting cost about $15 to make.

Josh Frantz
Josh Frantz
17 days ago
Reply to  Redapple

Especially when the manufacturer leaves a door open with junk like this off the line, or the plastic oil pans in the 2.7 EcoBoof as another example.

Last edited 17 days ago by Josh Frantz
LastStandard
LastStandard
17 days ago
Reply to  Redapple

I mean, it’s not like they just poof out a finished part with no other costs related to it..

World24
World24
17 days ago
Reply to  Redapple

Before 2023, they used to be 3 to 4 hundred dollars but came with everything connected to the housing.
$200 just gets the housing now, no sensors.

World24
World24
14 days ago
Reply to  JDE

Sorry that I trust the OE more than the aftermarket, of which I handle the former of the two daily.

JDE
JDE
11 days ago
Reply to  World24

Rock Auto sells OE parts. the ones cited in this for the money you were talking were Dorman which is notoriously the worst stuff on the market. That was all I was trying to point out. Even O’Reilleys has lately been supplying junk aftermarket brands and charging premiums for no real reason.

Dodsworth
Dodsworth
17 days ago

There’s also a company called Baxter that makes an all metal replacement.

Danny Zabolotny
Danny Zabolotny
17 days ago

Good news, BMW is also using crappy plastic oil filter housings for the B46/48 4-cylinder engines and B58 6-cylinder engines. Same basic design as the Pentastar one, and it’s also hidden under the intake manifold. They fail pretty quickly here in the AZ heat, but in the future we’ll probably see them failing in more temperate places. Plastic is such a cop-out with modern cars, I don’t think I could ever trust a modern car if I were driving it on a long road trip to somewhere remote… so many shoddily engineered parts just waiting to strand you.

Do You Have a Moment To Talk About Renaults?
Do You Have a Moment To Talk About Renaults?
17 days ago

I get a feeling that with engineering and manufacturing getting better and better over the last few decades, automakers have had to deliberately add design features that ensure their engines don’t last forever. In cases like this one, it seems like those features are working a little too well to go unnoticed, but then again what were they expecting, with a plastic part for such a crucial function, knowing all too well it was going to be subjected to heat cycles that obliterate plastic?

Danny Zabolotny
Danny Zabolotny
16 days ago

The engineering itself technically isn’t bad, it’s more so just cost-cutting that gets in the way. Like the original engineers would probably prefer to build a more durable part, but then the accounting department says to make it cheaper.

Do You Have a Moment To Talk About Renaults?
Do You Have a Moment To Talk About Renaults?
16 days ago

I wasn’t saying the engineering is bad, quite the opposite. Its has objectively become so good, it feels like they have to deliberately include achilles’ heels in new engine designs, otherwise they’ll put themselves out of business. I think it’s deeper than cost cutting alone, altough sure, if they can both cheap out on parts and low-key compromise an otherwise well engineered engine, that seems like a win-win for automakers (as long as they don’t make it as obvious as Chrysler did with the Pentastar).

Last edited 16 days ago by Do You Have a Moment To Talk About Renaults?
Slow Joe Crow
Slow Joe Crow
17 days ago

I guess Dorman needs a win sometimes, their “fix” for Ford Triton spark plugs was abominable. They made a thread chaser style insert that held a three valve Triton spark plug. My 5.4 had 4 of them when I bought it and it launched one, which led me to put reman heads on the engine as an expensive but permanent fix.

JDE
JDE
11 days ago
Reply to  Slow Joe Crow

eh, reman heads only help if they are later or revised versions. the insert was a bandaid on a Ford Failure of a design. Honestly the 3V Triton engine is notoriously bad on many levels. Try out the Dorman Cam Phaser fix and see how long that lasts.

Slow Joe Crow
Slow Joe Crow
11 days ago
Reply to  JDE

There is some confusion here, my truck has a 2 valve Triton. Use solid inserts for the spark plugs, torque to 20 ft. lb and have cast iron timing chain tensioners and it’s a solid engine. The three valve is a time bomb.

Double Wide Harvey Park
Double Wide Harvey Park
17 days ago

What I’m getting from this series is that Stellantis vehicles are garbage, yet unnamed EICs still love them enough to own 50 of them. It’s must be a jeep thing.

PlatinumZJ
PlatinumZJ
17 days ago

I’m pretty sure none of his are Stellantis-made though (and I guess we’re starting to see why!).

Double Wide Harvey Park
Double Wide Harvey Park
13 days ago
Reply to  PlatinumZJ

Stellantis/Jeep/DaimlerChrysler/AMC. They’ve always been trash.

Last edited 13 days ago by Double Wide Harvey Park
Rick Garcia
Rick Garcia
17 days ago

Another story making me happy in 2016 I bought an Odyssey and not the highly reviewed Pacifica. I knew not to trust Chrysler.

That Guy with the Sunbird
That Guy with the Sunbird
17 days ago
Reply to  Rick Garcia

We were in the market for a minivan recently and I purposely excluded the Pacifica for reasons like this (and others).

American Locomotive
American Locomotive
17 days ago

These engines are just a complete disaster. It’s a shame because they’re otherwise pretty efficient, powerful and competitive.

When they first hit the streets back in ’11, they had some apparent issues with casting porosity. Then they had some issues with valves. Then a year or two later, reports about the oil filter housing issues started showing up. Then the rocker arm failures started happening. Then they redesigned the whole cylinder head, and THAT design still has rocker arm issues and then added head-gasket blowing problems on top of it.

This is supposed to be a boring, bread-and-butter N/A V6.

That Guy with the Sunbird
That Guy with the Sunbird
17 days ago

That’s my thing. A boring ol’ V6, the type that’s been made for years and years, and it has all of these issues?

Keon R
Keon R
17 days ago

I agree. The only thing one can praise about these motors is how well they deliver power – nice torque curve, and they don’t need a lot of gas to make 285 hp. It’s a shame that they have so many critical design faults! Toyota made V6s with similar power, but they have a peaky powerband and worse fuel consumption, so I guess you have to make sacrifices no matter what.

Maybe the best bet is to throw a GM 3800 in everything!

M Wilkins
M Wilkins
16 days ago

Totally agree. I just don’t understand how Stellantis can get it so horribly wrong. On the 3.5L V6 in our old Odyssey, we did all recommended maintenance over the course of 14 years/185,000 miles of ownership, and that was it. No leaks, no failures, nothing. It started every time we turned the key and it never stranded us.

StupidAmericanPig
StupidAmericanPig
17 days ago

My grand Cherokee srt has a hybrid aluminum and plastic radiator. Guess what part of that failed at just over 100k miles?

While Dorman isn’t quite a well respected parts vendor if the difference in price is around 100 bucks or less for something that should last at least 2-3x longer than the oem part I’m not sure why anyone would even consider using another plastic part.

Do You Have a Moment To Talk About Renaults?
Do You Have a Moment To Talk About Renaults?
17 days ago

The vast majority of owners are probably going with whatever the shop wants to install, and are likely unaware of a superior aftermarket alternative. Shops, on the other hand, seem to have quite the incentive to use the OEM part, as it’s better for future business.

Last edited 17 days ago by Do You Have a Moment To Talk About Renaults?
Cheap Bastard
Cheap Bastard
17 days ago

I’m seeing non-Dorman versions for as low as $50. There is one under $50 but it looks suspiciously like plastic despite being touted as aluminum.

Squirrelmaster
Squirrelmaster
17 days ago

Huh, it sure seems like I dodged some sort of bullet in selling my JKU Rubicon after just five years of ownership. Between this and the Pentastar lifter tick, it seems like it was a ticking time bomb…except it was completely reliable without any issues, especially compared to my JK Rubicon with that pile of crap 3.8L V6. I often miss the JKU and wish my family hadn’t outgrown it and forcing me to sell it.

TOSSABL
TOSSABL
17 days ago

Wait; the problem-solving replacement part is made by Dorman?!
Christ, Stellantis, when your OEM part is so shitty that freakin Dorman makes a better one, well, sepukku is always an option

Mechjaz
Mechjaz
17 days ago
Reply to  TOSSABL

Right? That’s the real twist of the knife here. Dorman is always, always the “really? no one else is making this part? ….siiiiigh” choice.

TOSSABL
TOSSABL
17 days ago
Reply to  Mechjaz

From experience, you buy 2–and keep the specific tools you need in that car at all times.
-think that was a Saturn sensor. To be fair, the 2nd one lasted long enough to get the oem shipped in

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