Should I trust Jeep engineers on 0W-20?

J

Jeep Junkie

Joined
Oct 16, 2024
Messages
79
My Wrangler is 2024 with the 3.6L Pentastar V6. Manual and oil cap say 0W-20 but Pentastars in the past have used 5W-30. What has changed? Does the 0w-20 have more additives to make up for being less thick? And has anything changed on modern Pentastars to make them function with 0W-20? I have 11,000 miles on my Jeep and have been using Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 0W-20 since day one.
Educate noob me and show me the right way.
Thanks!

Oh, I live in Seattle and 90+ degree temperature is only a few days in our short summer.

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the Pennzoil ultra 0w-20 is a excellent oil , it has all the proper additives and good gtl base oil, the lower viscosity is more in tune with fuel economy results pertaining to the cafe standards ,just stay on top of your oci ,as 6 month/5k intervals and use a good oil filter like Fram ultra or Wix xp,. You will not have any issues with this, you probably could use Amsoil ss,0w-30 if you really drive the vehicle hard or want longer oci,but myself would just use the Pennzoil ultra 0w-20.
 
Jeep Junkie said:
My Wrangler is 2024 with the 3.6L Pentastar V6. Manual and oil cap say 0W-20 but Pentastars in the past have used 5W-30. What has changed? Does the 0w-20 have more additives to make up for being less thick? And has anything changed on modern Pentastars to make them function with 0W-20? I have 11,000 miles on my Jeep and have been using Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 0W-20 since day one.
Educate noob me and show me the right way.
Thanks!

Oh, I live in Seattle and 90+ degree temperature is only a few days in our short summer.

View attachment 245710
Click to expand...
Nice Jeep!! Nothing has changed with the engine. You can go to 5w30 or 0w30 without issue. Especially for off-roading.
 
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They’re not picky engines. I have ran 0w20, 5w20 (what mine calls for), 0w30, and 0w40. It will live the rest of its life on HPL Supercar 0w30 because that enables me to get away with a once a year/~12k oil change interval…. And that’s also what I run in my truck so it simplifies everything.
 
Off topic a bit. My 3.0L Supercharged Jag engine (AJ126) spec's 0W-20 oil. Jag did a great job enlarging the connecting rod bearings to avoid oil related failures. Jag even DLC coated (diamond like carbon, hard coating) the cam followers (buckets) to ensure they would hold up, used coated pistons and even coated timing chain pins.

What actually happens is the main bearings wear, the chains fail once the coatings wear off and the DLC valve bucket coatings are eventually breached by the cam lobes due to inadequate viscosity.

What holds up are the pistons, rod bearings, cam bearings (with special long travel oil passageways) and oil pump.

At this point, some manufacturers get it 100% right, others do not. Here in South Florida, I never run 0W anything.
 
That didn't take long. Another "thick vs. thin" thread. Perhaps you can find noob nirvana in one of these threads, there are lots more if you need them:

DrivinWest

Thread 'Seeking recommendation: 0W-20 MS-6395 oil for 3.6L Jeep Wrangler'

Hey folks, I've got a 2020 3.6L Jeep Rubicon on order and will begin the stockpiling of oil because that's what us folks do.

Chrysler changed the recommend weight from 5W-20 to 0W-20 for its 3.6L Pentastar engines. 5W-20 MS-6395 oils seem cheaper and easier to come by than 0W-20 MS-6395 do. On my last-generation Wrangler I used Pennzoil Platinum 5W-20 for the first change, then Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W-20 on the next change. The difference in lifter noise at startup was drastically reduced by using the Ultra.

I'd be going for the 0W-20 Pennzoil Platinum Ultra if it weren't twice...
A

Thread '5W-20, 0W-20 or 5W-30 for 3.6L Pentastar (Jeep)'

Just switched my 2016 Jeep Wrangler (3.6L) over to 5W-30 after the infamous oil cooler failed and I replaced it with the Dorman aluminum one. That engine is around 70K. Now that I've replaced the dadgum rocker bearings, tappets, etc. on my 2014 Grand Cherokee (same engine) at 127K miles, I'm thinking about moving over to the 5W-30 as well.

I'm down in hot San Antonio, TX. Thoughts on a year around swap and what brand would you guys recommend? I've been running Mobil 1 in both since I purchased them.
T

Thread 'Solid choice 0w-20?'

I upgraded my vehicle to a 2020 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. I stayed with the 3.6 Pentastar. It now calls for 0w-20 for CAFE numbers I guess. My old Jeep JK called for 5w-20. I used Kendall Gt-1 or Castrol black bottle in it. I want to use the recommended oil viscosity but 0w-20 is new to me and I have some concerns. Looking for recommendations for a solid choice in 0w-20. I went through the owners manual and there is no "may use 5w-20". I wanted to see what recommendations the forum had for 0w-20. Thanks!
R

Thread 'Oil for Jeep'

I have a 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited with the V-6 engine. It calls for 0-20 and I think it has Pennzoil synthetic in it. What oil would you uae? Just a question because I never liked Pennzoil.
harbor

Thread '0W20 Required for Jeep Auto Stop/Start'

Wife's 2018 Jeep GC with a PentaStar V6 is coming up on it's first oil change, and 0W20 is recommended in the manual for the auto stop/start. Any problem with using syn 5W20?
G

Thread 'Jeep Grand Cherokee'

I just delivery of a new JGCL 3.6. today.... I noticed its now 0w 20 vs 5w 20 in the older penstar engines.....when did FCA change it. I was told that they think it has syn Penzoil from the factory.....If true I will stay with the Pennzoil syn if thats what they come with?
R

Thread 'Toyota 0W-20 in 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee?'

A friend of mine just traded a RAV4 in on a new Grand Cherokee. He has $200 built up on his Toyota rewards credit card that they said he could use in their parts dept. He was considering stocking up on oil to use in his Jeep but the local Toyota dealer only carries Toyota 0W-20 in full-synthetic (he is strictly a synthetic user, won't even consider dino.) Does anyone see a problem with him using 0W-20 in his Grand Cherokee (spec'd for 5W-20)? I told him get onto some user forums and he might find others have done it without issues or even that Jeep had back-spec'd it, but I thought someone...
Nuclear_42

Thread 'Amsoil Signature 0W20 8k Miles 2021 Jeep Gladiator'

Here’s my second report. The report does show my previous sample as a comparison so it’s a little confusing to analyze. My fuel dilution has disappeared either my rings have fully seated or stopping my habits of long warm up idles in Minnesota winter or both. Overall I’m happy with this oil and may push 12k before changing this oil out.

IMG_0886.webp
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cb4017

Thread 'First UOA, 2019 Jeep Wrangler, Rotella Gas Truck 0w-20, 4306 miles'

First UOA on my 2019 Jeep Wrangler with 3.6L Pentastar engine. New engine but I just wanted to make sure nothing was way out of wack. Looks like it will be a good engine. Oil is Rotella Gas Truck 0w-20.

img076 (Medium).webp
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B

Thread 'Penzoil Platinum High Mileage Full Synthetic 0w-20, 4,933 Miles, 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited'

Sharing my first UOA of my 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited. The oil was paired with a Fram Tough Guard TG-11665 oil filter cartridge.

I would appreciate the sharing of UOAs of vehicles with the Pentastar 3.6L V6. I’d like to see if the iron shedding reduces over time. At 28,933 miles I was expecting mine to be lower than the 21 on my report; more in the 8-10 range. I would also appreciate insights on different oils being used. I’ve been using Penzoil since day one because it meets the Chrysler MS-6395 spec.

Thank you!
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