[Gary Kline]

Excellent answer.

Thx Rob

 

[Gary Kline]

Well, during my test drive of the 2017 Trailhawk 3.2 L, I got the "Service Shifter" message; of course I was 10 miles off grid so could not look up how serious this was and could now not trust the dang Jeep to do any 4WD. Getting stuck in the back country the middle of a hurricane is just poor form!



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Sorry to hear .

BTW, if you do continue to look for another used vehicle, one thing that I always do (and you probably do this already) is that I bring my OBD2 dongle and app and plug into the car. Of course I look to see whether there are any pending or confirmed codes (and if there are, then the dealer is a fool for at least not trying to clear [aka 'hide'] them but actually what I'm looking for more is what is under "Number of Start Ups (or sometimes labeled 'Drive Cycles') since DTC's last cleared" and similar options such as the Monitors not being ready that indicate any codes/issues were recently wiped. This isn't Cherokee-specific but just to me, a red flag, if the car recently had any codes cleared whether they be generic (like a misfire) or manufacturer-specific (like the service shifter) in its recent history. That's of course an indication there's something wrong but the code was just cleared (long enough to sell it)

 

[Flechtight]

Feel the carpet on drivers side and passengers for water, check the spare tire well for water leak signs, quite a few here with 2017 water leak issues, I was one

Whether tech floor mats take care of the wet boots, Seems Jeep had a bad batch of vehicles with missing body sealer in various places, Check TSB’s. Leaks are a royal pain to find and dealers suck at it, very time consuming and on your dime.
my 2017 TH, leaked along the fire wall ( to be simple ) left and right side, taillight removed found gaps in body seal that leaked into the wheel well area, took months to find each one.
Drove around for months with only the driver seat in trying to find leaks.
I fixed them all but most would not go as far as I did to fix it themselves
Sours me that the factory screwed up, but it became my problem to fix.
I guess a plus is, I had to buy new front carpet from the dealer but it was a far better grade of carpet than what came with the car.

If I was looking again at the same year, I would run my hand up under the firewall blanket inside and feel it, it’s like a sponge, and if it had been leaking the foam backing will be discolored from mold.

 

[maxrfinch]

oil cooler can develop a leak over time

Has anyone had any experience with any of these replacements with full aluminum housings? I've been eyeing them for when mine goes bad.

 

[Flybynightcru]

Has anyone had any experience with any of these replacements with full aluminum housings? I've been eyeing them for when mine goes bad.

I know there's quite a few people who are using the Dorman unit. I personally don't have the Pentastar 3.2 in my Trailhawk, I have the 2.0T, but if I did, I would recommend the Dorman...😎

 

[Gary Kline]

Has anyone had any experience with any of these replacements with full aluminum housings? I've been eyeing them for when mine goes bad.

Hi @maxrfinch ,

I/M/O....

• Any of those will do. I replaced mine with a no-name Amazon < $75 unit. All of them are solid aluminum, there's not much that can go wrong. If you really want a name brand then go Dorman but again, there's not much that can go wrong with the metal so I/M/O a $75 unit is just as good as a $175 unit.

• What you DO want to splurge on is getting the GENUINE MOPAR GASKET & O-RING set! Unlike the aluminum unit itself, there's a lot that can go wrong with a bad seal and this is not the job you want to do a second time because of a leaking seal. The first time I ever did this swap out I used the gaskets that came with the unit. Everything seems fine until 4 weeks later I start noticing small amounts of oil and coolant filling the valley. Switched to genuine Mopar gaskets and have done another car's cooler (with the Mopar gaskets) and both bone dry. If for some reason you can't get Mopar, get FelPro or other name, quaility brand. They're not expensive but don't skimp on the gaskets and use whatever no-name gaskets came with the unit!

• Lastly, swap your current oil pressure sensor from your existing thermoplastic unit to the new aluminum one. While almost all of these units come with the oil. pres. sensor already installed now, for some reason there's a high initial-failure rate on this style pressure sensor. The sensor is another thing that is not fun doing a second time. The oil temp sensor I've never heard of an out-of-box failure but the oil pres. sensor, I've heard about it and had it happen to me as well. Use the good one you have now on the new unit.

 

[maxrfinch]

@Gary Kline I keep seeing people mention they can see a pool of oil, I've looked and have yet to see anything but not sure if I'm looking hard enough. Is it pretty easy to spot once it happens?

 

[grizzstang]

Yes it is pretty easy to spot. Shine a flashlight down the into the valley where the filter housing is. If it's leaking it will be oily in there.

Also keep an eye out for oil leaks underneath when you are changing the oil. On our Wrangler the oil runs out the back of the intake valley and down the transmission bell housing. That is how I initially found our leak.

Since the Cherokee engine is sideways I assume it will run down the backside of the trans bell housing if you have a leak.

 

[Gary Kline]

Yes it is pretty easy to spot. Shine a flashlight down the into the valley where the filter housing is. If it's leaking it will be oily in there.

Also keep an eye out for oil leaks underneath when you are changing the oil. On our Wrangler the oil runs out the back of the intake valley and down the transmission bell housing. That is how I initially found our leak.

Since the Cherokee engine is sideways I assume it will run down the backside of the trans bell housing if you have a leak.

Re: Also keep an eye out for oil leaks underneath when you are changing the oil. On our Wrangler the oil runs out the back of the intake valley and down the transmission bell housing. That is how I initially found our leak.

Yes you're correct, same on the Cherokee. If you see what appears to be motor oil underneath the car on the rear of the transmission housing (use a paper towel to confirm it's brown motor oil and not something else), then likely it's the oil overspill from the engine valley ("V"). Using a flashlight to see orif you have a thin stick (e.g. like a dowel), you can probe down in the valley without taking anything off. If fresh oil comes up on the stick or fresh coolant, then the oil cooler or its seals have been compromised and need to be replaced.