Wrangler 392 Blown Head Gasket

[Guest2157]

Hi yah’ll, so my Jeep Wrangler 392 2021 with less then 15k miles has a blown head gasket and the top of motor has to be rebuilt. I was driving and shortly after was parked. Moments later steam/smoke was coming out of the hood and a puddle of coolant was on the ground. I opened the hood latches and I could see a stream of coolant coming out of the bottom of the recovery bottle. I checked the cap and it was loose and I screwed it down a few turns. I called the dealer he told me to bring it in. Low and behold it wasn’t holding pressure. Has anyone had this happen, is this common? Also do you think since the cap was slightly loose it created poor coolant pressure and allowed for the engine to overheat. To note I got no previous notification from the Jeep of the engine over heating, nothing. Thank you

 

[Robr651]

Good luck on the repairs. Hopefully they have it back to you soon!

 

[Guest2157]

Good luck on the repairs. Hopefully they have it back to you soon!

Thank you, super frustrating. I don’t even run the Jeep hard. They said 2 weeks.

 

[CAMEL2R]

Thank you, super frustrating. I don’t even run the Jeep hard. They said 2 weeks.

Damn! I feel for you man.

 

[Ted392]

Sorry to hear. At least you were parked when it let loose.

 

[Guest2157]

Sorry to hear. At least you were parked when it let loose.

Thanks, Absolutely who knows what would’ve happen if I was on the hwy cruising.

 

[guruman]

I've seen several accounts on here of folks with leaking or failed coolant overflow tanks.... Coolant leaking or spraying out of the bottle does not scream head gasket failure to me.

Coolant in the oil?
Coolant coming out the tailpipe?

Maybe it's just a failed coolant tank? Good luck.

 

[stumblinhorse]

That is a big jump from a leaking overflow to a blown head gasket. That overflow is very full…. It would be very empty with a blown head gasket. Sounds to me like a simple fix. I hope it is.

 

[Guest2157]

I've seen several accounts on here of folks with leaking or failed coolant overflow tanks.... Coolant leaking or spraying out of the bottle does not scream head gasket failure to me.

Coolant in the oil?
Coolant coming out the tailpipe?

Maybe it's just a failed coolant tank? Good luck

 

[Guest2157]

Thank you for your response. Actually I’ve noticed a muffler liquid discharge when ever I start the car. More noticeable in the morning, cold start. I wonder if that’s makes any difference. All I know is that they pressured tested it and he said blown head gasket and top of the motor has to be rebuilt

 

[stumblinhorse]

Thank you for your response. Actually I’ve noticed a muffler liquid discharge when ever I start the car. More noticeable in the morning, cold start. I wonder if that’s makes any difference. All I know is that they pressured tested it and he said blown head gasket and top of the motor has to be rebuilt

These engines condensate a lot, so water out the tail pipe is normal. Hope it is not a head gasket…

 

[Guest2157]

That is a big jump from a leaking overflow to a blown head gasket. That overflow is very full…. It would be very empty with a blown head gasket. Sounds to me like a simple fix. I hope it is.

So I allowed the truck to cool down and then went to the auto parts store to add coolant so I could safely drive to the dealer. When I opened the hood this is what I found, It was empty. Now what do you think?

 

[Guest2157]

These engines condensate a lot, so water out the tail pipe is normal. Hope it is not a head gasket…View attachment 25789

Thanks, sadly the dealership saids blown head gasket

 

[Guest2157]

These engines condensate a lot, so water out the tail pipe is normal. Hope it is not a head gasket…View attachment 25789

Holy moly, is that an icicle?!

 

[Turboencabulator]

Thanks, sadly the dealership saids blown head gasket

That is a bummer.... As @guruman said there have been multiple accounts of the Coolant Recovery Bottle (Part #68519243AA) leaking, mine did that too. On my 392 it leaked right at the seam that joins the upper and lower halves. I only noticed it because there was some residue on the cover next to the no. 7 cylinder which caught my attention. Because it was remaining full to the seam it 'looked' ok, but was not. Very tricky Jeep ... Yours was a clear leak, glad they are making it right. I think some of these Coolant Recovery Bottles are just defective, now that I know that I am keeping an eye on it more carefully. Remember the coolant level varies with engine temp and should be above the seam when the engine is hot, if it's not then don't remove the cap till it's had a chance to cool down.

 

[stumblinhorse]

Holy moly, is that an icicle?!

Yup, or my 392 was excited to seem me.

 

[bkilby]

So I allowed the truck to cool down and then went to the auto parts store to add coolant so I could safely drive to the dealer. When I opened the hood this is what I found, It was empty. Now what do you think?

Sounds like the radiator and engine sucked the fluid back in now that it's cold. I think I'd just add water since they're going to tear it apart anyhow. And it'll just gush it out anyhow. But I guess the real question is, how far is the dealer from you?

 

[Guest2157]

Sounds like the radiator and engine sucked the fluid back in now that it's cold. I think I'd just add water since they're going to tear it apart anyhow. And it'll just gush it out anyhow. But I guess the real question is, how far is the dealer from you?

The dealership was 20 min away. I drove slow and at no point did the engine temp show elevated as I would’ve parked the Jeep and had it towed in. My prayer is that the dealer clearly identities the problem. Because it would sure suck to get stuck in the middle of nowhere with the same issue again or worse an engine fire or loss of control of the vehicle.

 

[ValB]

Dam, that sucks! I have run mine hard from day one. Heading towards 30k and no issues. I hope it is a fluke !
Sorry buddy!

 

[Guest2157]

Dam, that sucks! I have run mine hard from day one. Heading towards 30k and no issues. I hope it is a fluke !
Sorry buddy!

Me too, I pray it doesn’t happen again. I was planning on getting a Mopar extended warranty If I keep it long term, now I know it’s a must. I’m just hopeful that it was just a one off. Glad to know your 392 is symptom free even running it hard, gives me optimism.