Pentastar 3.6 oil cooler failure. What really causes or exacerbates it?

[4WD]

I've found that the issue isn't really about over-torquing during filter changes. In fact, setting the filter cap to about 16-17 ft-lb is usually sufficient; there's no need to max out at 18 ft-lb. The real problem lies with the plastic oil filter housing supplied for these vehicles. It's simply not well-designed or well-made. I experienced a failure myself with a brand new Jeep at just 6000 miles. One evening, I noticed a smell of burnt coolant while driving. Despite using dye and a black light, I couldn’t locate the leak. However, after warming up the engine and literally sniffing around the center of the engine compartment, I pinpointed the source. I ended up replacing the faulty housing with a Dorman aluminum unit made in Malaysia, and since then, I’ve had no issues with smells, leaks, or anything else. Now, I make sure to tighten the oil filler cap to 17 ft-lb with each oil change and use Mopar gaskets for the housing.

As for the Baxter plus, it seems like it's a solution looking for a problem. I’ve looked into it too. Perhaps the version with the filter relocation kit might be useful, but I would avoid the model with the filter on top. It's quite heavy and could potentially introduce more issues. Also, the argument about preventing "dry starts" doesn't hold much water for me. Unless your engine sits idle for weeks, you're unlikely to hear any lifter clatter. Even with a Baxter unit, lifters can still bleed down over time.

The spin-on filter on top of the adapter is pretty goofy - it just seems like more stress on the unit - not less.
How do you know if the Dorman will be made in Malaysia?

 

[The Lube Guy]

The spin-on filter on top of the adapter is pretty goofy - it just seems like more stress on the unit - not less.
How do you know if the Dorman will be made in Malaysia?

It says on the box and on the filter housing unit. Funny enough, when I got a Made in USA unit I was very excited. Then when I opened the box I was sorely disappointed.

Funny enough, Hyundai uses a similar oil filter housing setup on their V6 Lambda series engines (including the expensive Bi-Turbo model). Theirs doesn't have an oil heat exchanger and it's supplied by MAHLE. Guess what? They never leak, they don't have any issues. Unless you install the oil filler cap with a breaker bar, you can even over-torque it and it won't break. Then again, it's supplied by MAHLE, not by random Chincon supplier.

 

[4WD]

It says on the box and on the filter housing unit. Funny enough, when I got a Made in USA unit I was very excited. Then when I opened the box I was sorely disappointed.

Funny enough, Hyundai uses a similar oil filter housing setup on their V6 Lambda series engines (including the expensive Bi-Turbo model). Theirs doesn't have an oil heat exchanger and it's supplied by MAHLE. Guess what? They never leak, they don't have any issues. Unless you install the oil filler cap with a breaker bar, you can even over-torque it and it won't break. Then again, it's supplied by MAHLE, not by random Chincon supplier.

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Yeah - wish the 3.6L had a half normal oil cooler …
Not even like it’s a great place for heat to dissipate …

 

[The Lube Guy]

Yeah - wish the 3.6L had a half normal oil cooler …
Not even like it’s a great place for heat to dissipate …

It's not an oil cooler really, it's an oil heat exchanger. It's meant to warm up the oil and keep it in sync with the coolant temperature. The problem is that it does a very poor job at that, and it's unnecessary given where the oil filter housing is installed - that's why Hyundai didn't bother with an oil heat exchanger on their V6 engines.

A true oil cooler would be a radiator at the front with engine oil passing through it, like the SRT models have.

On the Pentastar, only ~50% of the oil goes through the heat exchanger, the other half bypasses it. That's why it's a bad design. Basically they half-arsed an already bad design, and made it worse. Otherwise, the Pentastar is a decent engine. I like it for what it is.

 

[MattPersman]

Not that I’ve ever seen them leak lol. But usually looks like the round cap things at the bottom and or front o ring. New ones come with a red o ring for the “older” applications like 14-22 apparently the black one they had been shipping them with is not correct size