I was told not to use anything but 0-20 in my 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 3.6 V6. The reason was that the cam phasers need that weight oil and if i went to 5-20 or 5-30 the computer would start acting up because of the thicker oil exiting the cam phasers. I know this engine started a bunch of years back with 5-30 and went to 5-20 then 0-20. I'm also told they did this to achieve a fuel mileage rating. I would like to use 5-30 or 5-20. Is this true or was I just told that by a non informed mechanic?
Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.6L proper oil?
- Thread starter EBruce
- Start date
I have Pennzoil euro 5w40 in my 3.6, it’s in a 2015 wrangler tho, and I have no issues with cam phasers or anything like that.
I've been running 5W-30 in my 3.6 for the last 15,000 miles or so. No noticeable change in mileage, and it's been working fine.
Whoever said that means well but he is wrong. Many 3.6 owners on here use 40 grade. In my cam phaser equipped 6.2 I use 5w-40 instead of 0w-20. If you want to keep the cam phasers and timing components working best then you should use thicker oil which protects timing components far better.
Perfectly fine. My 3.6L Pentastars have both run 5w-30 and one 15w-40 is zero problems. Together that have about 225k miles on 5w-20, again perfectly fine.
He was probably told that on 0w-20 must be used in factory training.
0W-20 is a fuel economy / EPA play.
5w-30 all day if it was my Jeep.
5w-30 all day if it was my Jeep.
Are you running hot laps at a track? If not, a good quality 20 weight will be just fine. I run mine pretty hard from spirited driving to rock crawling off-road in the hot desert on Mobil 1 EP 0w20.
I have a 2018 JL Wrangler 3.6 with 100,000 miles on 0w20 and no issues with the cam phasers or anything else. I have a 2021 Gladiator 3.6 with 55,000 on 0w20. No issues. And the coup de grace......A close friend has a 2014 JK Wrangler 3.6 that just turned 260,000 miles on 5w20 the entire time, mostly bulk oil from oil change places, typically 7,000+ mile OCI. No failures of any kind. He's simply replaced the spark plugs (at about 200,000 miles...yikes!) and he had a coil pack that he thought went bad and found a loose connection. Once properly connected, it ran like new again.
So humbug to the backwoods mechanics that keep spreading this kind of BS. If it were true, every one of them would fail early.
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I've seen many of these engines on this forum running 0w20 to 0/5w40 and these engines are happy.
In terms of is a xw20 any good, we just saw a report yesterday from a Honda (very different engine I know) with over 350k miles and for the significant majority of it's life it's been running a xw20 oil with no significant internal engine work.
xw20 is fine. Can xw30 be better? Yes, that's a fluid dynamics question, thicker oil = thicker film. But ultimately, is your engine going to suffer using 0w20? IMO no.
With that said, I have a 5w20 spec Hemi and I'm running 5w30 and I'm contemplating blending 50/50 5w30 and 5w40 in the future. Thicker is better, until it's too thick for the circumstances.
In terms of is a xw20 any good, we just saw a report yesterday from a Honda (very different engine I know) with over 350k miles and for the significant majority of it's life it's been running a xw20 oil with no significant internal engine work.
xw20 is fine. Can xw30 be better? Yes, that's a fluid dynamics question, thicker oil = thicker film. But ultimately, is your engine going to suffer using 0w20? IMO no.
With that said, I have a 5w20 spec Hemi and I'm running 5w30 and I'm contemplating blending 50/50 5w30 and 5w40 in the future. Thicker is better, until it's too thick for the circumstances.
Wife's '20 JL gets Redline 0w-30. Summer only car and I believe, my opinion, that xw-20's are a CAFE driven recommendation....I could be wrong and time will tell.
Time has already told. And they are fine. This engine has been running around on 20 weight since around 2010 or 2011 and 14 million plus have been built. BY FAR the majority have been run on 20 weight oils.
How much more time is needed to tell?
Time has told. And it says it's fine.
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The 3.6 will be happy with any 20/30/40 grade you can buy at Walmart.
My daughter traded an 18 Chrysler with that same engine and ran past the OLM. I used the cheapest oil I could get just to keep up. Not a Daimler fan, but that engine was an all star. And, I never cracked the filter cover when she let it go with 170k.
2018 Durango 3.6L with just over 138k running 5w30 for about the last 75k. Same miles per gallon , same oil pressure, no issues.
I'll add my experience.
I ran 5w-30 in my 2019 JL Wrangler and my 2021 Gladiator. They ran great on it.
I ran 5w-30 in my 2019 JL Wrangler and my 2021 Gladiator. They ran great on it.
Fact: This is a proven, stout engine with over 14,000,000 built.
Fact: It has one of, if not THE lowest warranty claim costs in the industry for a mass produced engine....of all time.
Fact: It has been on Wards 10 best engine list many times.
Fact: The VAST majority have run on 20 weight bulk (cheap) oil.
Fact: They are known for long term durability. You don't have to look far to find one with over 200,000 miles and they are not hard to find with 300k.
Fact: If .01% have a given issue, most mechanics in the country will have seen it and think it's a huge issue.
Fact: It is not uncommon for mechanics will swear it is some Hocus pocus reason, such as 20 wt oil.
And for you "my valve train will thrash itself to pieces without thick oil" folks.......
Fact: You won't hurt it with 5w30, 10w30, or even a 40 weight oil. So you can calm down and feel better.
My best friend runs 5 quarts of 5w20 in his 2012. He then adds 1 quart of Lucas Oil Stabilizer, which is at the thickness level of cold molasses. The viscosity of that stuff is 110 at 100 degrees C. YIKES!!!!! But somehow, his Pentastar still runs fine. Funny thing...all the guys whose heads tell them that 5w30 quiets the valve train...his Pentastar makes as much clattering noise at idle as any I've ever heard. More than either of mine running 0w20.
Run what makes you feel good. But let's not spread the garbage about 20 weight oils harming these engines. I doubt any of you run yours harder than I run my 2018 JL, and it's crossing the 100k threshold on a 100% diet of 0w20, running just like new. This engine is just a hoot with a manual transmission and sounds wonderful with an axle-back Magnaflow. Especially with the doors off of the Jeep, all summer long.
2018, 6 speed manual...ready to pass 100,000 miles. I have towed a lot with this, too! From 100+degree rock crawling in deserts in the SW to aggressively trying to keep up with my kids' sports cars on twisty roads, it has had a diet of mostly M1 EP 0w20 with a few runs of Shell RGT 0w20 and one of Valvoline EP 0w20. UOA's have been good.
2021 Gladiator...3.6/8 speed auto...Lots of towing so far, it's off-road career is just beginning. I don't run it as hard as the Wrangler, but as it should, it runs and sounds and feels identical to its twin in the JL. Bulk 0w20 from the dealer for the first 35k miles and its previous owner. 20k with me on Mobil 1 EP 0w20. 55k on it now. I'll probably run this thing for 20 years.
2008 JK Wrangler...Sold with 196,000 miles on it. Diet was mostly 5w20 Mobil 1 with experimentation with other oils on occasion, including a few franken-brews. Last 5 or so OCI"s were on 0w20. 3.8 engine/6 speed manual continues to run like new with new owner at about 215,000 miles. He's continuing with Mobil 1 0w20. It always used a bit of oil, as 3.8's do. But never let me down. That's another engine that could run on anything and outlive it's host vehicle.
Fact: It has one of, if not THE lowest warranty claim costs in the industry for a mass produced engine....of all time.
Fact: It has been on Wards 10 best engine list many times.
Fact: The VAST majority have run on 20 weight bulk (cheap) oil.
Fact: They are known for long term durability. You don't have to look far to find one with over 200,000 miles and they are not hard to find with 300k.
Fact: If .01% have a given issue, most mechanics in the country will have seen it and think it's a huge issue.
Fact: It is not uncommon for mechanics will swear it is some Hocus pocus reason, such as 20 wt oil.
And for you "my valve train will thrash itself to pieces without thick oil" folks.......
Fact: You won't hurt it with 5w30, 10w30, or even a 40 weight oil. So you can calm down and feel better.
My best friend runs 5 quarts of 5w20 in his 2012. He then adds 1 quart of Lucas Oil Stabilizer, which is at the thickness level of cold molasses. The viscosity of that stuff is 110 at 100 degrees C. YIKES!!!!! But somehow, his Pentastar still runs fine. Funny thing...all the guys whose heads tell them that 5w30 quiets the valve train...his Pentastar makes as much clattering noise at idle as any I've ever heard. More than either of mine running 0w20.
Run what makes you feel good. But let's not spread the garbage about 20 weight oils harming these engines. I doubt any of you run yours harder than I run my 2018 JL, and it's crossing the 100k threshold on a 100% diet of 0w20, running just like new. This engine is just a hoot with a manual transmission and sounds wonderful with an axle-back Magnaflow. Especially with the doors off of the Jeep, all summer long.
2018, 6 speed manual...ready to pass 100,000 miles. I have towed a lot with this, too! From 100+degree rock crawling in deserts in the SW to aggressively trying to keep up with my kids' sports cars on twisty roads, it has had a diet of mostly M1 EP 0w20 with a few runs of Shell RGT 0w20 and one of Valvoline EP 0w20. UOA's have been good.
2021 Gladiator...3.6/8 speed auto...Lots of towing so far, it's off-road career is just beginning. I don't run it as hard as the Wrangler, but as it should, it runs and sounds and feels identical to its twin in the JL. Bulk 0w20 from the dealer for the first 35k miles and its previous owner. 20k with me on Mobil 1 EP 0w20. 55k on it now. I'll probably run this thing for 20 years.
2008 JK Wrangler...Sold with 196,000 miles on it. Diet was mostly 5w20 Mobil 1 with experimentation with other oils on occasion, including a few franken-brews. Last 5 or so OCI"s were on 0w20. 3.8 engine/6 speed manual continues to run like new with new owner at about 215,000 miles. He's continuing with Mobil 1 0w20. It always used a bit of oil, as 3.8's do. But never let me down. That's another engine that could run on anything and outlive it's host vehicle.
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Fact: Lucas Oil Stabilizer is complete garbage and is most likely doing more harm than good.
It doesn’t surprise me one bit it’s not quieting his valve train as it’s not fully formulated and is diluting his fully formulated 0w20. Friends don’t let friends run Lucas. Just have him run a fully formulated higher grade oil if he wants something thicker.
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Yep, and his Pentastar now has gone over 80,000 miles on that crap without issue. And I'll give him your number and let you try to persuade him. Good luck with that.
I think his engine is around 150k or 160k total.
My point is that these engines are stout. We're sitting around here debating the splitting of hairs over an engine that has shown it can take significant abuse and still go the distance.
I'll keep the hive updated as he adds the miles. Oh, and he probably does 10k OCI's, if he feels like changing it. LOL. Lots of off-roading and crawling with this Jeep, too. So he does not baby it with driving profile any more than he does with oil. It's really a fun test case.
He had a late 80's Tahoe with a 350. He just kept adding oil and did not change it for the last 100k of life. It finally gave up the ghost at over 200,000 miles. LOL. It was smoking and burning oil pretty well for the last 20k. His preferred oil to add was Mobil 1 5w30.
I would not recommend buying a used car from him. But then again, he never sells them. He just runs them into the ground. Funny, though, he's an outstanding mechanic. He replaced a cylinder head gasket on his Sierra in his garage and did a mighty fine job of it. Not sure what brew he's running in that truck, but I do know he changes the oil on it. I would imagine he's running the Lucas brew in it, as well. 6.2 engine in that one, I believe.
And before anyone dismisses him as a fool, he has higher character than any man I've ever met. I grew up with him from 5 years old and I've never, ever, seen the guy tell a lie or even exaggerate something. He's a great man. And a great friend. But you won't convince him that the Lucas is a bad idea. I have tried.
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The 3.6L in my 2019 is the ONLY engine that I ever owned that failed at 50K miles (cracked head or block). There are PLENTY of cam/upper valvetrain issues noted with this engine and while that points to a bad design, you can bet that xW-20 is not helping with that either. Most of these engines run much hotter than what would be considered normal >224F oil temperatures particularly if used off-road.
I would not run anything less than a xW-30 in it just for the extra protection that it affords. The VVT system in a 3.6L is electronic and not viscosity dependent so even a heavy xW-40 (depending on ambient temperatures) will run just fine--there is NOTHING in a 3.6L that requires xW-20 oil. I have a friend in TX who bought his at the same time as I did and he has ran Castrol 0W-40 in it from the first oil change--140K miles later and ZERO issues.
I would not run anything less than a xW-30 in it just for the extra protection that it affords. The VVT system in a 3.6L is electronic and not viscosity dependent so even a heavy xW-40 (depending on ambient temperatures) will run just fine--there is NOTHING in a 3.6L that requires xW-20 oil. I have a friend in TX who bought his at the same time as I did and he has ran Castrol 0W-40 in it from the first oil change--140K miles later and ZERO issues.
Hey all you can do is try. My father was the same way. Refused to use synthetic oil because he never had a problem with conventional. Couldn’t convince him otherwise. 10W30 or 10W40 white bottle Valvoline in everything no matter what.Yep, and his Pentastar now has gone over 80,000 miles on that crap without issue. And I'll give him your number and let you try to persuade him. Good luck with that.
I think his engine is around 150k or 160k total.
My point is that these engines are stout. We're sitting around here debating the splitting of hairs over an engine that has shown it can take significant abuse and still go the distance.
I'll keep the hive updated as he adds the miles. Oh, and he probably does 10k OCI's, if he feels like changing it. LOL. Lots of off-roading and crawling with this Jeep, too. So he does not baby it with driving profile any more than he does with oil. It's really a fun test case.
He had a late 80's Tahoe with a 350. He just kept adding oil and did not change it for the last 100k of life. It finally gave up the ghost at over 200,000 miles. LOL. It was smoking and burning oil pretty well for the last 20k. His preferred oil to add was Mobil 1 5w30.
I would not recommend buying a used car from him. But then again, he never sells them. He just runs them into the ground. Funny, though, he's an outstanding mechanic. He replaced a cylinder head gasket on his Sierra in his garage and did a mighty fine job of it. Not sure what brew he's running in that truck, but I do know he changes the oil on it. I would imagine he's running the Lucas brew in it, as well. 6.2 engine in that one, I believe.
And before anyone dismisses him as a fool, he has higher character than any man I've ever met. I grew up with him from 5 years old and I've never, ever, seen the guy tell a lie or even exaggerate something. He's a great man. And a great friend. But you won't convince him that the Lucas is a bad idea. I have tried.