Jeep Gladiator 3.6 Oil consumption

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Apr 29, 2022
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148
Location
USA
Hi everyone,

I recently changed my oil on my 2021 Jeep Gladiator 3.6. Current oil run was 9.5k miles. Vehicle has 12k total lifetime. It has a 5qt sump and burned roughly 0.8 to 1.0 Quarts during this interval. So roughly 0.5 Quarts every 5k is the current average. I’m running Amsoil Signature 0W-20 with a Wix XP.

I’m thinking this is pretty normal for a new engine still breaking in. This oil change went through Minnesota Winter and towing a 5k lb trailer cross country once. No oil leaks or visible smoke. Here is a link to my oil analysis when oil was 7k old.

 
That's darn good giving the circumstances and without towing and that load on the motor I bet it would be less. The 3.6 is a great motor - have a 2014 Grand Cherokee with it and at 150k troublefree miles it does not use a drop of oil. I would be running 5-6k miles changes if it were mine thought. Just personal [preference.
 
Seems good to me. My brothers 3.6 has zero noticeable consumption at about 5k so that makes sense.

Be thankful your engine isn’t the dreaded 3.8 V6. Lol
 
Dreaded 3.8? Some call this the dreaded 3.6!

Oil consumption typical only goes in one direction and is an indicator. How you translate that indicator is up to you. Its never a problem until it is. Goal is to break-in the engine and get that consumption down to zero, and maintain it well enough to keep it there. I won't comment on the lack of success of lower tension oil rings for longevity and oil consumption.

If it were my 3.6, I would change the oil/filter every 5000 miles, and seriously consider stepping up to synthetic 5w30 if the fuel doesn't taper down. 0w30 is a great choice if you live in a cold part of the state with cold winters. Oil pan and block heater would be smart if not garaged. That much diluted fuel with MPFI???? We'll just blame the winter, excessive idle warm up time, and 'possible' not enough longer commutes. Hopefully your future data improves.

Oil consumption is pretty normal for the 1st couple thousand miles. Oil consumption should be nil by now. Pretty sad how too many owners, and forum members, are accepting various engine issues as normalcy. I guess I would recommend checking oil every 1000 miles and adding the couple ounces needed at each check. I could care less what a dealer or automaker says concerning any oil consumption.

Concerning the UOA, fuel dilution is not acceptable even if normal. Cancer is normal and doesn't make it acceptable.

I wouldn't bother on extending intervals without seriously researching the engine's historical issues. Depending on driving style, that fuel will tear up the valvetrain, slowly and surely. And, any oil burned will crud up your rings leading to even more consumption.

Flushing the engine with solvents this early? Please, before doing anything, ask more questions. My flushing of my new engines were done by a few shorter oil change intervals and no solvents... on both newer cars in the driveway.... ~600 mile break-in oil change, and 4000, 8000, 12000 mile oil/filter change intervals. Both engines had oil consumption in the beginning that tapered off rapidly and was obvious with frequent weekly dipstick exercising. Both consumed much for the first few couple hundred miles and almost nothing after 2000 miles. That towing trip should've help get those engine parts properly seated!

I would skip Amsoil's marketing concerning their filters and oils. I am a fan of their products but will not blindly use them for extended runs just because they said to. It takes more than a little extra TBN, fancy base stocks, and good filtration to extend an oil change interval. If your fuel soaking oil doesn't taper off, then your interval should be shorter. You'll gather more UOAs and hopefully the fuel soaked oil goes away. If not, plan on more frequent oil changes which contradicts 'Signature' marketing.

Consider particle counts to see how well whatever filter you choose is doing. And, pay attention to engine noises.

And, I would not exceed whatever the auto manufacturer recommends for interval changes. Keep your warranty happy with a good log book of maintenance.

Btw, since 0w20 is your only recommended grade option, using any other grade is something for you to research. Both of my engines use, either a thicker grade at the OCI, or are spiked with a hopefully helpful amount. One engine is noisy and 1 quart of 5w40 is added to the automaker 0w20 and eliminates the noise. The other runs strictly now on 5w40(in place of the 5w20/5w30/10w30 recommendations).

For any oil consumption, if your are sticking with 0w20, consider adding a thicker 40 or 50 grade for that "quart" of topping off during your chosen interval.

From the owners manual:
Oil changes should be consistent with anticipated climate conditions under which vehicle operations will occur. Why? no grade choices, and intervals are determined by calendar, mileage, or the oil change indicator oil life monitoring system.

Under no circumstances should oil change intervals exceed 10,000 miles (16,000 km), 12 months or 350 hours of engine run time, whichever comes first. The "whichever comes first" that so many forget.... Does it come with a Hobbs meter for the 'remote starter' junkies?

The engine oil filter should be replaced with a new filter at every engine oil change. Don't fall for the "look at me crowd" using the oil filter 2x-3x intervals because of a box marketing label.
 
Dreaded 3.8? Some call this the dreaded 3.6!

Oil consumption typical only goes in one direction and is an indicator. How you translate that indicator is up to you. Its never a problem until it is. Goal is to break-in the engine and get that consumption down to zero, and maintain it well enough to keep it there. I won't comment on the lack of success of lower tension oil rings for longevity and oil consumption.

If it were my 3.6, I would change the oil/filter every 5000 miles, and seriously consider stepping up to synthetic 5w30 if the fuel doesn't taper down. 0w30 is a great choice if you live in a cold part of the state with cold winters. Oil pan and block heater would be smart if not garaged. That much diluted fuel with MPFI???? We'll just blame the winter, excessive idle warm up time, and 'possible' not enough longer commutes. Hopefully your future data improves.

Oil consumption is pretty normal for the 1st couple thousand miles. Oil consumption should be nil by now. Pretty sad how too many owners, and forum members, are accepting various engine issues as normalcy. I guess I would recommend checking oil every 1000 miles and adding the couple ounces needed at each check. I could care less what a dealer or automaker says concerning any oil consumption.

Concerning the UOA, fuel dilution is not acceptable even if normal. Cancer is normal and doesn't make it acceptable.

I wouldn't bother on extending intervals without seriously researching the engine's historical issues. Depending on driving style, that fuel will tear up the valvetrain, slowly and surely. And, any oil burned will crud up your rings leading to even more consumption.

Flushing the engine with solvents this early? Please, before doing anything, ask more questions. My flushing of my new engines were done by a few shorter oil change intervals and no solvents... on both newer cars in the driveway.... ~600 mile break-in oil change, and 4000, 8000, 12000 mile oil/filter change intervals. Both engines had oil consumption in the beginning that tapered off rapidly and was obvious with frequent weekly dipstick exercising. Both consumed much for the first few couple hundred miles and almost nothing after 2000 miles. That towing trip should've help get those engine parts properly seated!

I would skip Amsoil's marketing concerning their filters and oils. I am a fan of their products but will not blindly use them for extended runs just because they said to. It takes more than a little extra TBN, fancy base stocks, and good filtration to extend an oil change interval. If your fuel soaking oil doesn't taper off, then your interval should be shorter. You'll gather more UOAs and hopefully the fuel soaked oil goes away. If not, plan on more frequent oil changes which contradicts 'Signature' marketing.

Consider particle counts to see how well whatever filter you choose is doing. And, pay attention to engine noises.

And, I would not exceed whatever the auto manufacturer recommends for interval changes. Keep your warranty happy with a good log book of maintenance.

Btw, since 0w20 is your only recommended grade option, using any other grade is something for you to research. Both of my engines use, either a thicker grade at the OCI, or are spiked with a hopefully helpful amount. One engine is noisy and 1 quart of 5w40 is added to the automaker 0w20 and eliminates the noise. The other runs strictly now on 5w40(in place of the 5w20/5w30/10w30 recommendations).

For any oil consumption, if your are sticking with 0w20, consider adding a thicker 40 or 50 grade for that "quart" of topping off during your chosen interval.

From the owners manual:
Oil changes should be consistent with anticipated climate conditions under which vehicle operations will occur. Why? no grade choices, and intervals are determined by calendar, mileage, or the oil change indicator oil life monitoring system.

Under no circumstances should oil change intervals exceed 10,000 miles (16,000 km), 12 months or 350 hours of engine run time, whichever comes first. The "whichever comes first" that so many forget.... Does it come with a Hobbs meter for the 'remote starter' junkies?

The engine oil filter should be replaced with a new filter at every engine oil change. Don't fall for the "look at me crowd" using the oil filter 2x-3x intervals because of a box marketing label.
The fuel dilution actually was user error. I would idle the engine 15 minutes every time in the Minnesota winter sub freezing temps. Which I believe contributed to it. I’ve changed my habits since then. I have relocated to MN and the new annual mileage should be around 7k miles give or take 1k miles. So I plan on just changing the oil once a year with the same oil. However this oil change I upgraded to an Amsoil filter. I plan on sticking with 0W-20 oil and honestly the engine’s pretty quiet. The 3.6 has a bad rep for valve issues but honestly by this point in time most of the issues have been remedied and hope to get many trouble free years of service.
 
As long as you take good care of it, that engine should bring you many happy miles. I mean really, it’s one of the only engines left that is neither turbo charged nor uses direct injection which makes its good mpg numbers all the more impressive. And given the many continuous improvements that have been made to it over its lifespan, the 3.6 is a keeper, at least compared to a lot of the other ICE’s currently in production today.
 
Looking for a Gladiator right now for the wife. The crazy resale value has used one's costing the same or within a few thousand of brand new. I like the truck but the one she has spec'd out is a Rubicon with the optional selec trac rock crusher 4:1 transfer case (has 4WD part time and 4WD auto modes), leather, painted 3pc top, LED light pkg and other options pushing the darn thing to $67k! I do not see 67k of content in that truck lol - I can get a Z71 Tahoe for less than that with my discount. But - we love Jeeps and I even still have my 1st Jeep I got in high school which is a 78 CJ7 Golden Eagle.
 
The 3.6 in my minivan doesn’t use any oil, as in the level stays the same on the dipstick. Doesn’t matter if it’s used mostly for short local runs or long highway trips. Last year I did a trip from Austin TX-Buffalo NY and back in less than 48hours. Fully loaded one way and let’s just say I was pushing my luck with speed. Oil level was still at full mark afterwards.

I broke it in fairly aggressively and used 5w30 from the first OCI. It specs 5w20 but was speced for 5w30 few years before with little to no changes.
Yours is probably DI, one more reason to step up a grade.
 
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I started my 3.6 with 4k intervals then went year with 5.5k interval which was just over 200 hours with no oil consumption. First change lost a quart in 4k. Van has no oil consumption between yearly changes and now is at 28,600 miles. Oil is 0w20. (I have 4400 miles on now with just getting back from 400 mile trip in near hundred degree heat with speeds between 25 mph to 85 mph and will take a trip first of the month of just over 400 miles without worry.)
 
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the 2021 3.6L capacity is now 5quarts? It used to be 6...
i do remember reading something like ' the 3.6 pentastar has the most moving parts of any naturally aspirated gas V6 . '

iMO: if they reduced the capacity to 5 quarts I would not allow such a long drain interval with all those extra moving parts .
Even if the oil monitor says keep going. Lol
a 2014 3.6L all highway takes you well past 12,000 miles on regular oil.... a bit too long IMO. Any other thoughts?
 
Hi everyone,

I recently changed my oil on my 2021 Jeep Gladiator 3.6. Current oil run was 9.5k miles. Vehicle has 12k total lifetime. It has a 5qt sump and burned roughly 0.8 to 1.0 Quarts during this interval. So roughly 0.5 Quarts every 5k is the current average. I’m running Amsoil Signature 0W-20 with a Wix XP.

I’m thinking this is pretty normal for a new engine still breaking in. This oil change went through Minnesota Winter and towing a 5k lb trailer cross country once. No oil leaks or visible smoke. Here is a link to my oil analysis when oil was 7k old.

also remember, most 0w oils have like a 10% or higher NOACK. That means over a fill almost that amount will evaporate. In a 5 qt sump thats about 1/2 a qt right there.
 
Just bought my third Gladiator a few week ago. They seem to break in nice around the `10K mile mark with noticeable less consumption issues after that.
 
Dreaded 3.8? Some call this the dreaded 3.6!

Oil consumption typical only goes in one direction and is an indicator. How you translate that indicator is up to you. Its never a problem until it is. Goal is to break-in the engine and get that consumption down to zero, and maintain it well enough to keep it there. I won't comment on the lack of success of lower tension oil rings for longevity and oil consumption.

If it were my 3.6, I would change the oil/filter every 5000 miles, and seriously consider stepping up to synthetic 5w30 if the fuel doesn't taper down. 0w30 is a great choice if you live in a cold part of the state with cold winters. Oil pan and block heater would be smart if not garaged. That much diluted fuel with MPFI???? We'll just blame the winter, excessive idle warm up time, and 'possible' not enough longer commutes. Hopefully your future data improves.

Oil consumption is pretty normal for the 1st couple thousand miles. Oil consumption should be nil by now. Pretty sad how too many owners, and forum members, are accepting various engine issues as normalcy. I guess I would recommend checking oil every 1000 miles and adding the couple ounces needed at each check. I could care less what a dealer or automaker says concerning any oil consumption.

Concerning the UOA, fuel dilution is not acceptable even if normal. Cancer is normal and doesn't make it acceptable.

I wouldn't bother on extending intervals without seriously researching the engine's historical issues. Depending on driving style, that fuel will tear up the valvetrain, slowly and surely. And, any oil burned will crud up your rings leading to even more consumption.

Flushing the engine with solvents this early? Please, before doing anything, ask more questions. My flushing of my new engines were done by a few shorter oil change intervals and no solvents... on both newer cars in the driveway.... ~600 mile break-in oil change, and 4000, 8000, 12000 mile oil/filter change intervals. Both engines had oil consumption in the beginning that tapered off rapidly and was obvious with frequent weekly dipstick exercising. Both consumed much for the first few couple hundred miles and almost nothing after 2000 miles. That towing trip should've help get those engine parts properly seated!

I would skip Amsoil's marketing concerning their filters and oils. I am a fan of their products but will not blindly use them for extended runs just because they said to. It takes more than a little extra TBN, fancy base stocks, and good filtration to extend an oil change interval. If your fuel soaking oil doesn't taper off, then your interval should be shorter. You'll gather more UOAs and hopefully the fuel soaked oil goes away. If not, plan on more frequent oil changes which contradicts 'Signature' marketing.

Consider particle counts to see how well whatever filter you choose is doing. And, pay attention to engine noises.

And, I would not exceed whatever the auto manufacturer recommends for interval changes. Keep your warranty happy with a good log book of maintenance.

Btw, since 0w20 is your only recommended grade option, using any other grade is something for you to research. Both of my engines use, either a thicker grade at the OCI, or are spiked with a hopefully helpful amount. One engine is noisy and 1 quart of 5w40 is added to the automaker 0w20 and eliminates the noise. The other runs strictly now on 5w40(in place of the 5w20/5w30/10w30 recommendations).

For any oil consumption, if your are sticking with 0w20, consider adding a thicker 40 or 50 grade for that "quart" of topping off during your chosen interval.

From the owners manual:
Oil changes should be consistent with anticipated climate conditions under which vehicle operations will occur. Why? no grade choices, and intervals are determined by calendar, mileage, or the oil change indicator oil life monitoring system.

Under no circumstances should oil change intervals exceed 10,000 miles (16,000 km), 12 months or 350 hours of engine run time, whichever comes first. The "whichever comes first" that so many forget.... Does it come with a Hobbs meter for the 'remote starter' junkies?

The engine oil filter should be replaced with a new filter at every engine oil change. Don't fall for the "look at me crowd" using the oil filter 2x-3x intervals because of a box marketing label.
I think you worry a bit much.

My 3.8 has been an oiloholic for 14 years and runs like new at 172k miles. I used to worry about it. Now I don't. I just top it off.
 
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