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3.5l V6 Engine Record

223K views 172 replies 104 participants last post by  ViolentLee 
#1 ·
How is your 3.5l V6?
Running Strong, doesn't use any oil17524.44%
Running Strong, uses some oil (<1qt in 1k miles)35649.72%
Running Strong, uses more oil than gas (>1qt in 1k miles)11415.92%
Dead & Replaced (or sold). Used no oil when alive172.37%
Dead & Replaced (or sold). Used oil when alive547.54%
 
#154 ·
Here's another 2002 Trooper, in the Portland area (Eagle Creek), this one is 4WD for $500. Says the tranny fluid is black (!) and it slips after a while of driving. Gee, that's a surprise!!! :roll:

You'd have to trailer it back or bolt up a spare set of tires/wheels, 'cause he sold the tires off of it. But it's a runner for $500.

162K so the engine may have some life left in it. Who knows, it might even run with a transmission fluid flush!

https://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/cto/5919213530.html
 

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#155 ·
Okay so a quick update. I ran seafoam for about a hundred twenty five miles then change the oil. Now it was very cold in the garage but I am certain I saw little bits of Amber colored stuff sitting in the catch pan. Last oil change 3000 miles ago I saw amber colored jelly bits, very little but I know what I saw. When I looked it up I found info saying this was old oil gunking up. So now this stuff appears to be the same jelly just Frozen. Anybody familiar with this? I then used engine engine flush and motor oil at 4 to 1 ratio for 5 minutes, drain and refill with oil.

I refilled with 5/ 20 Pennzoil just as sacrificial oil because I added more seafoam and will drain and change again after another 150 miles. At this point all is experimental taking some hints and advice from everybody here on doing this procedure. I hope this helps my oil consumption problem some. But I still need to do an upper piston ring soak with seafoam to really break up carbon buildup in the Rings. On that note seems to me that the carbon buildup in the Rings is starving the Piston sleeves and the cylinder walls of needed oil. Instead that oil is being burned up in the combustion chamber. Would it then make sense to anybody that this condition also lends to the Piston slap condition I am starting to notice and others have noticed when the engine is cold?
 
#156 ·
Sounds like the Seafoam is getting a bite on the gunky engine deposits. So continuing that process is a good thing.

The thing about the ring problem is that there may not be enough oil drain holes in the 3rd (bottom) ring set, which are oil control scrapers. So what happens is, the oil "cokes" up, forming carbon deposits on the scraper rings and they can't do their job. In fact more oil is going past the rings and being burnt in the combustion process.

This problem can happen even in the later engines with improved oiling design, if the EGR system was abused or not functioning properly. Exhaust Gas Recirculation does cool the combustion chamber, so if the EGR valve & its control system aren't working right, or the EGR/passages are plugged the pistons are gonna run hotter, and this can lead to oil coking. Also check the PCV valve, if it's clogged it can cause oiling problems too.

The oil control (scraper) rings are suppose to pull down any excess oil on the cylinder walls, on the piston downstroke. So, the cylinder walls should be receiving adequate lubrication, the real problem is the oil is not being "scavenged" back into the crankcase.

Piston slap can be caused by many things but typically it's either mfr's piston-to-cyl tolerances, or extreme wear. Aggravated by the use of longer-throws on the crankshaft and really short "slipper" piston skirts. GM had such a problem with their 60-deg FWD V6's that they had to go with Teflon-coated pistons, running at extremely tight tolerances, to fix the issue.

When I rebuild a 2.8 into a "3.2 Stroker", the aftermarket pistons I used had the Teflon coating on the skirts. And specific instructions for the machine shop about the tight tolerances for boring & finish-honing the cylinder. It was a very tight engine and even after 10+ years it's running very well in the hands of my Nephew.

At any rate, what you're doing may be working, hopefully you'll be seeing an improvement in oil consumption. I would also be using the Gumout Regane fuel additive, to attack the problem from that end as well. You may find that using Gumout along with the Seafoam oil treatment, your oil consumption numbers may improve to where you don't need to do the Seafoam cylinder-soak.

I'd use the Gumout Hi-miles stuff as it has a small amount of top-end lubricant and that can't hurt a bit. Far as the piston slap goes, as long as it's going away when the engine's fully warmed, not as much of a concern. Especially if you start seeing an improvement in oil burning.

You could do a "shock" treatment with 2 bottles of Regane, with a one-bottle followup: https://www.walmart.com/ip/16888905

Geoff did the carbon-cleaning regimen on his Rav4 and noted an improvement in oil useage, so there's some good anecdotal evidence that the process can work.

HTH.........ed
 
#157 ·
Yeah I hope something improves. I am really not in the mood to overhaul the engine myself or to pay someone else to do it. I keep up generally with the EGR tube however it's been a little while since I cleaned it out. I'll probably do that tomorrow morning with a pipe cleaner brush. What do you mean about the PCV? What do you suggest I do with that?

On another note I bought a set of discs and pads all around because my rear wear indicators were just beginning to squeal. I wanted drilled rotors and performance pads anyway so I just went ahead and bought the whole shebang. But I think you'll agree seeing the condition of the old rotors that it was time. And just look at those new ones how can I resist?
 

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#158 ·
On the PCV valve, just a check to make sure it's not plugged. The spring-loaded plunger should rattle when you shake it; also it should pass air freely one way and clamp down on airflow in the other direction. Clean it up with carb cleaner or replace, as necessary.

Didn't see any pics of the old rotors but I concur with the drilled rotors, they do work very well. I installed drilled/slotted rotors up front for my Big Brake Mod, and they have an excellent feel when braking.

2002 3.5 should have a screw-in type PCV valve.
 

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#159 ·
Cool that should be easy enough with the PCV. I'll probably do that along with scrubbing out the EGR tube. I haven't replaced my front brakes yet because as you know it's a little bit more of a job then the rear. Specifically I don't know where to find the tool that removes the bearing retainer ring. I mean I guess I could fabricate something. Also I thought I should probably get a new set of front end wheel bearings since they will be removed while I'm at it. Even if they don't need replacement doesn't matter to me because their cost is insignificant considering everything else. In addition I have slightly oversized tires and 0 offset rims, which has probably stressed the front end bearings. May as well play it safe right?
 
#161 ·
Well folks I went and done it. My Trooper continues to give me trouble specifically in regards to the oil burning and piston slap. I haven't sold her but I bought a 2008 Grand Cherokee diesel today. Reportedly good drivetrain built by Mercedes and generally a decent SUV. However I know nothing about it beyond the little bit I have read online. Can anyone suggest a forum for me and does anyone here know much about them?
 
#165 ·
I'm at 127k on mine, burning a qt every 500-700 miles depending on how much highway I do. I am planning on the sea foam soak under the spark plugs in the next few months.
 
#167 ·
I did as best as I could, but with limited work space I couldn't spend much time, I will try that when I have access to a garage!
 
#168 ·
Silver2002Trooper said:
Soccer moms?
Soccer moms moved on the much more refined Acura MDXs and vans by then. When I was buying my 2002 Trooper, it was one of 50 or so in the Atlanta area, all in the 2WD flavor with the closest 4WD located in Chicago (among the sea of 5-spd S models for $19,999) Consumers in the South were not given any choice by Isuzu who by then was competing on price alone (~$10K off MSRP). 2WD was $2K cheaper and probably saved Isuzu quite a lot of money in TOD sensor warranty replacements...

The 10yr/120K powertrain warranty given to the original owner was quite unique, so I'm not surprised some qualified for engine replacements even in 2012 :)

I kind of regret I didn't try it myself but the original 2012 with 105K doesn't burn significant amount of oil as far as I can tell.
 
#169 ·
I just bought my new...well, new to me, 2002 trooper with only 105K on it. I've had a 94 and an 86 (hence the user name), and this one appears to be barely broken in. I'm going to run a cap or so full of seafoam through the oil to clear things out, and probably foam the engine to see if I can restore a bit. I'm more worried about the transmission than the engine...I can refill oil, but once the trany doesn't work I'm a little lost.
 
#170 ·
Silver2002Trooper said:
Well folks I went and done it. My Trooper continues to give me trouble specifically in regards to the oil burning and piston slap. I haven't sold her but I bought a 2008 Grand Cherokee diesel today. Reportedly good drivetrain built by Mercedes and generally a decent SUV. However I know nothing about it beyond the little bit I have read online. Can anyone suggest a forum for me and does anyone here know much about them?
Jeepforum.com. It's a great site with like 100x the activity on here, there's so much information. I used it often back when I had a 98 TJ. As far as those go, I've heard good things and an 05 WK was the most reliable vehicle I've ever seen (dad owned it- went 185k without more than oil changes and a few electrical bugs until he sold it
 
#171 ·
Yup it has been a joy for almost 3 years now. Im just under 200k on the odometer and it's required very few normal wear replacement items. A recent issue however is I believe with the glow plug system. Stumble starts when cold, but always starts then runs great. If I plug in the block heater it starts up perfectly. And yes jeepforum has been awesome and helpful. Hate to say it but I'm ready to move on to something newer while the jeep is still good and can be resold. Just want something different and newer. But these diesel jeeps are definitely unique and cool.
 
#172 ·
Silver2002Trooper said:
Yup it has been a joy for almost 3 years now. Im just under 200k on the odometer and it's required very few normal wear replacement items. A recent issue however is I believe with the glow plug system. Stumble starts when cold, but always starts then runs great. If I plug in the block heater it starts up perfectly. And yes jeepforum has been awesome and helpful. Hate to say it but I'm ready to move on to something newer while the jeep is still good and can be resold. Just want something different and newer. But these diesel jeeps are definitely unique and cool.
Just noticed your previous post was in 2017! Oops haha I'm glad to hear it's been good to you
 
#173 ·
I've decided that I'll rebuild the 3.6L that I have but I'd love to hear from anyone who may know firsthand if any of the engine rebuild kits that are current;y being marketed have pistons with the correct or enough holes in the oil ring groove. If I'm gonna rebuild, I may as well be that one step ahead if possible.
 
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