So my daughter's Jeep has the dreaded Pentastar 3.6 tapping - Anybody Else?

[C-2]

And to boot, wifey's Honda and my Excursion are giving me electrical problems. At least the 3-year old, $2K frig was fixed and my dryer replaced. Been a great month!

Anyhow, because I've been throwing my time at researching the Honda and Excursion issues, I haven't started research on the Pentastar, but a quick look reveals it's a well-known problem.

2014, 80K miles, we've owned it for 1.5 years, bought from dealer, no warranty, tapping on the left side of the motor and now a CEL that says Misfire in Cyl 5 - also on the left side.

I fear the motor is toast based on what I've read.

Any other experiences?

 

[PaPaG]

Whats going on with the Excursion? I have no useful info on the other two rides.

 

[C-2]

Excursion is a 2003 V10. It has a persistent buzzing/clicking, turn signal sound coming from the flasher relay and I'm reasonably confident it is due to the multi-function switch (turn signal/wipers/hazards) on the steering column. But I could be wrong. While I'm in there I also need to look at the wire lead going to the Overdrive switch - Ford wrapped it around a post and when you move the shift lever it pinches the wire and eventually wears a hole on on it, or even severs it. So that will be a little preventative maintenance.

The trucks are known for windshield leaks too and I recently had the windshield changed. It could also be water damage on the CJB. A few years back I had a stall issue, Ford dealer and the engineers in Detroit couldn't figure it out. Ford owners did - it was a bad fuel relay that is soldered onto the CJB. Bad due to water damage. Water comes in from the inadequate windshield gasket and follows a wiring harness down onto the CJB. I pulled the CJB, sent it to some guy in Virginia, who rebuilt the box for $125. It's a known problem on Expeditions too - there are several guys who rebuild boxes on eBay.

So it could also be the CJB...but in a few hours I will tear down the multi-function switch and replace it.

I also think the VSM is bad, it causes little wonky problems like the lights not turning off after power is off (they time out), lights on the small light panel don't work, and there's a door open light that never goes away even though the doors are closed.

 

[RichieRich]

call the dealer...I think there is an extended warranty on the left side head for 10 year 150k miles.
good luck
rich

 

[2Driver]

Jeep extended the motor warranty for that issue out to 100k miles or so. I know they did it for 2012 and 2013. My buddy and I both had 2012 and he got a new crate engine from Jeep.

 

[Dalton]

Excursion is a 2003 V10. It has a persistent buzzing/clicking, turn signal sound coming from the flasher relay and I'm reasonably confident it is due to the multi-function switch (turn signal/wipers/hazards) on the steering column. But I could be wrong. While I'm in there I also need to look at the wire lead going to the Overdrive switch - Ford wrapped it around a post and when you move the shift lever it pinches the wire and eventually wears a hole on on it, or even severs it. So that will be a little preventative maintenance.

The trucks are known for windshield leaks too and I recently had the windshield changed. It could also be water damage on the CJB. A few years back I had a stall issue, Ford dealer and the engineers in Detroit couldn't figure it out. Ford owners did - it was a bad fuel relay that is soldered onto the CJB. Bad due to water damage. Water comes in from the inadequate windshield gasket and follows a wiring harness down onto the CJB. I pulled the CJB, sent it to some guy in Virginia, who rebuilt the box for $125. It's a known problem on Expeditions too - there are several guys who rebuild boxes on eBay.

So it could also be the CJB...but in a few hours I will tear down the multi-function switch and replace it.

I also think the VSM is bad, it causes little wonky problems like the lights not turning off after power is off (they time out), lights on the small light panel don't work, and there's a door open light that never goes away even though the doors are closed.

Just to double check….you tried replacing the flasher relay right?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[C-2]

Just to double check….you tried replacing the flasher relay right?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks. I initially thought that too, as did countless others, but apparently changing it out does not resolve the issue.

 

[C-2]

Thanks guys, any idea how I find out when the motor was built? Dealing with that motor sucks. I was blown away at the process just to get to the plugs, WTF

 

[RichieRich]

Thanks guys, any idea how I find out when the motor was built? Dealing with that motor sucks. I was blown away at the process just to get to the plugs, WTF

call the dealer and give them the vin and they should be able to tell you

 

[ridebig]

My daughter's 2015 Jeep started the same thing at about 80k. I called a friend at our dealership and he pulled up the vin number and we had 3 day's left on the 5 year warranty lol. He took it himself into the service and bingo! New top end and no bill.

 

[C-2]

Cool, on the Excursion the multi-function replacement stopped the clicking/buzzing. That was an easy fix, no more buzzzzzz click click click..., whew!

Also, the overdrive wire was in fact worn thru the outer plastic, but it did not grind thru any of the 4 or 5 smaller wires. The small harness is pushed down onto the metal by the shifter boot.

I got lucky as I read the fix is a lot more difficult when the small wires shear in half. Glad I looked! Keep in mind this issue is present on most F250/350/Excursion trucks. If you're snapping #19 fuses, here's the culprit.

Here you can see how the wire loom rests directly on the metal and is held down by the shifter boot. The repetitive action of the shift lever causes wear to the wire loom.

At the end of my thumb you can see where the wire has worn thru

Some guys take out all the wires at the plug on the other side of the wire loom, and shrink wrap the outer cover to strengthen it.

Me, I'm ghetto and since I couldn't find any bailing wire or duct tape to fix it correctly, I used electrical tape. Lots of it. Wound tightly. I even laid down a couple of layers of electrical tape over the metal. More importantly, I made sure the wire no longer rested on top of the metal column before I reinstalled everything.

 

[TimeBandit]

What's the issue with your Honda?

 

[stoker2001]

had a Dodge Pentastar V6 here at work start a misfire at 40k miles.no noise,but was lash adjusters collapsing (common prob with these engines)they replaced under warrantee.seems these lifters are real sensitive to oil viscosity and change intervals..

 

[jetboatperformance]

And to boot, wifey's Honda and my Excursion are giving me electrical problems. At least the 3-year old, $2K frig was fixed and my dryer replaced. Been a great month!

Anyhow, because I've been throwing my time at researching the Honda and Excursion issues, I haven't started research on the Pentastar, but a quick look reveals it's a well-known problem.

2014, 80K miles, we've owned it for 1.5 years, bought from dealer, no warranty, tapping on the left side of the motor and now a CEL that says Misfire in Cyl 5 - also on the left side.

I fear the motor is toast based on what I've read.

Any other experiences?

If you DM me the complete vin my guy can run it for TSBs and "Star" bulletins

 

[C-2]

What's the issue with your Honda?

2013 Honda Accord 4cyl/200K has an intermittent "check charging system" message. Just a message, no CEL and no red battery light. I changed out the "battery sensor." I caught the error message once and put the multimeter on it, and the alternator was charging the battery. Double checked the battery, too. Then the air stopped working, I thought maybe the charging system error could be tied to the ac clutch not kicking in. Took it to the dealer who said two leaks; replaced the evaporator ($950)

Message showed up again, and this time the red battery light briefly flashed but then disappeared.

We take good care of this car, full synthetic changed every 3500-5000, full tune 3 months ago, new tensioner/alternator/serpentine belt 3 years ago, on the 3rd starter.

The other day I went around the corner and I heard a rattle, I was like WTF did the dealer do? I searched it out and consensus was low oil condition. Blasphemy I thought, not my car. But I checked and yup, low oil. I think my mechanic said he changed the oil, but didn't (for regular changes we use Valvoline drive-thru). I topped it off; two quarts.

Since adding the oil the message has not reappeared and I drove the vehicle for 2.5 straight yesterday.

Wifey finds a couple fo posts that say a low oil condition can cause the "check charging system" message. Along with other nuances like blown fuses, LED lights, different stereos - none of which apply to this car.

So, with help from this board I picked up a new tensioner/alternator/belt, all OEM.

Just drove the vehicle for another 1.6 hours and no message.

It's wifeys car and she drives it a lot - telling her not to sweat it is not an option.

Since I have the parts, I will change them tomorrow.

But any other thoughts are welcome!

 

[C-2]

If you DM me the complete vin my guy can run it for TSBs and "Star" bulletins

Wow, thanks bud. Check DM's in a few minutes. Thanks again

 

[zhandfull]

Well shit I have the same year Jeep/motor 2014 with about 90k. No problems yet. I hadn’t heard about an issue till now.

 

[C-2]

Well shit I have the same year Jeep/motor 2014 with about 90k. No problems yet. I hadn’t heard about an issue till now.

It's funny because on the Excursion, spitting plugs was a known issue. But Ford changed the heads in November 2002. My truck is an 03 and when I re4searched it out I discovered my motor was built in...November 2002. But it never spit any plugs, so I think I got the good heads.

On the Jeep, I started it up yesterday morning and was like WTF is that tapping noise? I also noticed it had a small miss. She drove it to work and then later that day it threw the code, I checked the cylinder order and it was coming from left side #5, same place as tapping noise.

I'm guessing I'll need to prove the motor was built in 2013 before they changed the head design.

Maybe you got lucky like I did on the Excursion

 

[motormonkey]

had a Dodge Pentastar V6 here at work start a misfire at 40k miles.no noise,but was lash adjusters collapsing (common prob with these engines)they replaced under warrantee.seems these lifters are real sensitive to oil viscosity and change intervals..

Solid advice.
I know it sounds like snake oil, but run some marvel mystery oil in it. Tolerances are really tight and if oil gets grimey or wrong viscosity it will cause tics. Works in gm engines all the time.

 

[C-2]

If you DM me the complete vin my guy can run it for TSBs and "Star" bulletins

Shoutout to jetboatperformance for helping me - it is appreciated.

 

[TimeBandit]

2013 Honda Accord 4cyl/200K has an intermittent "check charging system" message. Just a message, no CEL and no red battery light. I changed out the "battery sensor." I caught the error message once and put the multimeter on it, and the alternator was charging the battery. Double checked the battery, too. Then the air stopped working, I thought maybe the charging system error could be tied to the ac clutch not kicking in. Took it to the dealer who said two leaks; replaced the evaporator ($950)

Message showed up again, and this time the red battery light briefly flashed but then disappeared.

We take good care of this car, full synthetic changed every 3500-5000, full tune 3 months ago, new tensioner/alternator/serpentine belt 3 years ago, on the 3rd starter.

The other day I went around the corner and I heard a rattle, I was like WTF did the dealer do? I searched it out and consensus was low oil condition. Blasphemy I thought, not my car. But I checked and yup, low oil. I think my mechanic said he changed the oil, but didn't (for regular changes we use Valvoline drive-thru). I topped it off; two quarts.

Since adding the oil the message has not reappeared and I drove the vehicle for 2.5 straight yesterday.

Wifey finds a couple fo posts that say a low oil condition can cause the "check charging system" message. Along with other nuances like blown fuses, LED lights, different stereos - none of which apply to this car.

So, with help from this board I picked up a new tensioner/alternator/belt, all OEM.

Just drove the vehicle for another 1.6 hours and no message.

It's wifeys car and she drives it a lot - telling her not to sweat it is not an option.

Since I have the parts, I will change them tomorrow.

But any other thoughts are welcome!

Low friction piston rings.... great gas mileage, not so great for oil consumption. No recall for 2013 best to check oil level every first of the month.

There was a recall for the battery sensor.

without checking for DTC's it's hard to say what might be wrong, messages do come up that are meaningless if something else is going on.

down and dirty test, with car running at idle/accessories off remove either battery cable and see if it dies... if it does, bad alternator.

 

[Bigbore500r]

call the dealer...I think there is an extended warranty on the left side head for 10 year 150k miles.
good luck
rich

That’s in 2012 models only I believe

 

[OCMerrill]

On the Pentastar Its the roller follower of the rocker located under the cams. There are countless YouTube vids on it if your out of warranty. Keeping the oil clean seems to help but the issue seems pretty random. It needs to be addressed because if the roller breaks it will take out the cam.

Go to 18:45 to see the issue.

 

[Bigbore500r]

On the Pentastar Its the roller follower of the rocker located under the cams. There are countless YouTube vids on it if your out of warranty. Keeping the oil clean seems to help but the issue seems pretty random. It needs to be addressed because if the roller breaks it will take out the cam.

Go to 18:45 to see the issue.

Yep, this is the issue. Gotta catch it quick though because it doesn’t take long for the roller to completely fail and then you have to replace the camshaft.
We just went thru this on my friends jeep, 2012 with 80k.
My wife’s jeep is at 110k and running fine knock on wood

 

[CLdrinker]

I have 2 of these engines 1 is a 2015 with 65k miles the other a 2018 with 26k miles.

Do I need to worry about this?

 

[LBZRCKS]

On the Pentastar Its the roller follower of the rocker located under the cams. There are countless YouTube vids on it if your out of warranty. Keeping the oil clean seems to help but the issue seems pretty random. It needs to be addressed because if the roller breaks it will take out the cam.

Go to 18:45 to see the issue.

This^

Not too hard of a fix, did my wife's Jeep in an afternoon. The part is only like ~$8

 

[bonesfab]

Just
Empty
Every
Pocket

 

[2Driver]

That’s in 2012 models only I believe

2012 and part of the 2013 year as I understand it. The Vin will tell you when the issue was “corrected” at the factory and what gets the extended coverage.

I met a guy with a 2012 JK and he was telling me replaced his engine at 75k miles. You should have seen his face when I told him it probably would have been covered.

 

[PaPaG]

Glad you figured that clicking out, good to know for future issues. Also good to see you found the overdrive culprit.

 

[ElAzul]

Just
Empty
Every
Pocket

Junk
Each n
Every
Part

 

[C-2]

Okay so the Honda is squared away, alt/tensioner/belt changed, no light, fingers crossed.

Excursion fixed on Friday, Honda on Saturday.

Now I'm tackling he 2004 Infiniti FX35 that I parked a year ago. I just got it to start and will change out the plugs and coils to see if it will clear the rough idle and "misfire in cyl 6". No CEL, just running like crap, thus the reason I parked it. The deal with this is a leaky valve cover gasket resulting in oil drip onto the plug. To properly fix you need to pull the valve covers, but they need to be replaced with updated models/gaskets, kind of spendy. Car has 130K and ran pretty good, so I'll probably just change them out withoyut fixing the leak. The jury is still out as to whether or not it impacts performance, I guess unless you did your own maintenance, most Infiniti owners never knew about the problem and either their cars ran okay, or they had them fixed at the dealer.

My idea is to get the Infiniti going for the kiddo until the Jeep issue is resolved.

On the Jeep, it apparently has been tapping for the past twpo months. Not sure of that means there is a damage, or if this could be a DIY fix.

LBXRCKS, or anybody else - did you change out all the rockers arms or just the bad one?

 

[LBZRCKS]

On the Jeep, it apparently has been tapping for the past twpo months. Not sure of that means there is a damage, or if this could be a DIY fix.

LBZRCKS, or anybody else - did you change out all the rockers arms or just the bad one?

Just the bad one