Yep, it's the CRD difference then. Tucked well down in the bowels of the engine, definitely more stuff to remove / refit for access. I've no doubt the 4 hrs also covers their smoko and lunch breaks though.

Yes it does not look easy on the diesel. I would think it actually exits from underneath otherwise the high pressure fuel pump may need to be removed first.

It is also quite low not great for water crossings.

NEW......T36 Alternator Recall
 

I changed our diesels alternator when it failed in laramah nt, on the ground with basic hand tools, remove bash plates, drivers side inner wheel guard, engine belt, cables to alternator, 4 bolts holding alternator in then remove through bottom front.
A bit fiddly because of the tight spaces, but 3 hours remove and install, if a dealer needs 4 their F ing useless

Perhaps its time taken for an apprentice.

I've been feeling a bit ripped off even before I get to the dealer, so earlier today I phoned an independent GC specialist workshop I found online (apparently works only on WK GC's). He quoted 1-2 hours at 1/3rd the dealer price for fitting. It'll be done while I wait, which is great since he's across town. Sounds like the guy is an ex. Jeep dealer mechanic who's gone out on his own fairly recently. Seems to know what he's talking about and said that access is "a bit fiddly" on the CRD but no big deal. I can believe it would take 3 hrs for a DIY roadside job, but with a hoist and full gear, 1-2 hours sounds about right. So, I've booked in for next week.

He has a few reviews each rating 5 stars, but I'll report back for the benefit of Melbourne people when I've met the guy and the job's done.

Well it's been two weeks and still no response from Rob Lawson (Resolutions Desk Officer @ Fiat Chrysler Australia) so I followed up today, fingers crossed:

Good afternoon Robert,

It's been two weeks since my enquiry with no response to date. Are you able to provide advice on what timeline I can anticipate a response to my enquiry dated 02 Feb 18?

Is there someone better positioned than yourself to provide a qualified response that I should be communicating with? Do you require any further information from me in order to provide a response?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Cheers

Saw a facebook post today that one 2012 petrol went up in smokes, and fire brigade had to put it out. Alternator bug. The 2012's are rolling in like no tomorrow...

I see the US 3.6 owners are finally getting their new alternators installed. Seems they have bigger diodes....

Interesting. My last email was 8th Feb, no response either. I'm guessing that either Robert has gone on leave and no one check his emails, or they've adopted a cone of silence at FCA. I noticed yesterday they are currently seeking to fill the role of National Training Manager, let's hope they focus on communication and customer relations as the first priority.

Had my 2012 GC crd done by a private 4x4 place, he charged 3.5 hrs @$100 so not too bad, had the alternator rebuilt by another place , so far all good , total cost with new battery $1237

I received response from Rob Lawson (Resolutions Desk Officer @ Fiat Chrysler Australia) today:

Hi Lee,



I have been annual leave for the last two weeks and have only returned today



In regard to your question, I am not technical trained and am unable to answer your question



You can speak to your dealer and if they cannot answer your question, they can submit a technical request to get an answer to your question



Regards



Rob

Robert Lawson

Resolutions Desk Officer

Fiat Chrysler Australia
437 Plummer Street
Port Melbourne, Victoria, 3207
Australia
Telephone: 1300 133 079
Email: robert.lawson@fcagroup.com

I responded:

Good afternoon Robert,

Thank you for your response. I do appreciate that you may not have the technical training that would enable you to personally answer my enquiry. However I am equally sure of the following:
That you are better positioned to source a qualified response than a local dealership to the following enquiries;
What the difference is between petrol powered Grand Cherokees equipped with the 220 Amp alternator/electrohydraulic steering combination that are subject to the T36 recall and the diesel powered Grand Cherokees with the same 220 Amp alternator/electrohydraulic steering combination that are not recalled?
Please provide assurance that this difference is such that "When the diodes fail, the alternator will no longer supply electrical energy to the vehicle and may lead to a vehicle stall without warning. Failed diodes may also develop a resistive short circuit that can result in heat, smoke and/or fire originating within the alternator" is not a condition that owners/drivers of the Diesel Grand Cherokees will experience.
That my addressing the enquiry to Fiat Chrysler Australia is exactly what FCA US advised I do.

I note that as awareness of this outstanding issue grows in social media that more and more diesel Grand Cherokees have experienced "heat, smoke and/or fire originating within the alternator".

If you require any further information in order to source a qualified response to my enquiry please let me know.

Cheers

Fingers crossed for a response that is a little more helpful

Yeah they are tap-dancing all over this and what a piss weak reply.

Political ping pong again, lol. I'd love to see the role description and KPI's for those working the "resolutions desk". They should rename it the deflection desk.

Great reply Buffomarinus ; Is this something Ashton of destroyed Jeep fame? should be Ccd.... in on and I would of though if this question was above Robert's pay grade he'd flick it up line until someone had the ability to answer.
Oh My, at 3years old and 55k on the clock it does not feel good about hooking up a van and doing the big lap, ( unless I stay near major cities) :(

My take is to just make sure that the battery is in very good condition. I suspect that the diode failure is happening as batteries have shrunk in capacity, leaving the alternator to supply transient demands from the EHPS.

I appreciate that the stress on the diodes can be cumulative, so am not suggesting that a new battery today will guarantee no alternator problems tomorrow... but it will surely go a long way.

Cheers, Steve

Would a Dual battery put more stress? A 220A is relatively on the larger end of your typical alternator. Most car alike are lesser from that I've seen.

Well if your accessory battery has been heavily discharged, the alternator will have to provide the energy to charge it whilst still supplying the transient requirements for the EHPS... so kinda yes.

However when your accessory battery is near fully charged, it will assist with peak loading... so in that instance no. There again, how much resistance is in the link cabling???

I guess the answer is to idle the car for a few minutes if the battery/ies are somewhat discharged. AGM recharge current is usually down to a moderate level after several minutes. It can be very high initially.

Cheers, Steve

Just a quick follow up to my post a few days ago:

The independent Jeep mechanic I found in Melbourne has now installed the new (Jaylec) alternator I sourced from US Auto Parts. The old unit (still functioning) now rests on the shelf as a spare which I hope will never be needed, but who knows....

I'll put up a separate thread for those who might be interested, suffice to say I was impressed with this guy's service and his workshop. He also completed the job in 1.5 hrs as quoted @ $198, a far cry from the dealer insisting it is 4 hr job @ $600.

With a new battery and a new alternator now on board I'm hoping it will be good insurance.

Well Robert consulted with the technical team and provided this response:

Hi Lee,

I have spoken to our technical team, and below is what they have sent me

To answer these two questions as best as possible.

There are 2 main differences between the petrol and the diesel alternators is their design and operation. Although they both are rated at 220 amp they operate in different ways.

1. The voltage regulation is controlled in two completely different ways. The petrol is controlled by the PCM and the diesel has its own regulator which sends a signal to the PCM of what the alternator is charging at.

2. With the limited amount of failed diesel alternators we have seen by comparison to petrol alternators. None of the diesel alternator failures we have seen have resulted in a Thermal incident. And not all diesel alternator failures are related to the diode failing.

With the design of the diesel alternator, in the event of a diode failure, the driver will receive a warning on the dash, with a chime notifying them of an charging fault well before it has any effect on the vehicles operation.

Regards

Rob

Robert Lawson
Resolutions Desk Officer
Fiat Chrysler Australia
437 Plummer Street
Port Melbourne, Victoria, 3207
Australia
Telephone: 1300 133 079
Email: robert.lawson@fcagroup.com

Hmm, I'm sure I've seen some diesel failures on the facebook page with smoke/heat, I'll have to have a look.

I find that hard to believe seeing as how my 2012 CRD GC alternaor failed and everything shutdown , the only warning I got prior to this was the battery light came on when I first started it and then went off after about 3 mins, it didnt come on again until everything started to shut down some 45 mins later. The mechanic that repaired it said diode failure was the cause. I have also entered it as a fault on the Recall page listed earlier, I suggest everyone with a CRD and alternator failure do the same.

"And not all diesel alternator failures are related to the diode failing."

"in the event of a diode failure, the driver will receive a warning on the dash, with a chime notifying them of an charging fault well before it has any effect on the vehicles operation."


I wonder what the other causes of failure are, and what warning you would get, if any.....

Looking through the facebook group reported failures, I can't find any diesel owners describing smoke or fire, but they do describe losing power without warning. Surely its still a safety issue and needs to be addressed.

Yes it is especially when you are in the 110K zone on the M1 and you lose all power including power steering, engine the lot, not a good feel I can tell you, my only saving grace was that I was at the exit I needed and was able to wrangle it off the highway safely.

FWIW, the mechanic who just fitted my new one said he'd replaced a few petrol ones where smoke and burning had been detected, but on the diesel ones he's replaced, apparently they had just packed up with no similar tell-tale signs.

My response:

Good afternoon Robert,

Thank you for your response and the input from the technical team.

I note the advice of the differences between the design of the alternator between the petrol and diesel variants of the Grand Cherokee. Unfortunately, first-hand experience of owners of the diesel Grand Cherokees whose alternators failed indicates that the impact of failure is no less a safety implication than in the petrol variants.

There are plenty of testimonials on a number of forums that discuss this issue in depth, please let me know if you need any further detail.

I also offer the following:

1 That it is reported you have been contacted by a number of other diesel Grand Cherokee owners and advised of their concerns

2 That it is reported that you have helped Grand Cherokee owners who have experienced failures of their alternators, including providing support for the replacement of PCM’s that were damaged. Thank you.

3 That Ashton Wood of “Destroy My Jeep” Facebook fame is reported to be in contact with the CEO of FCA about this issue.

4 That there is a reported lack of availability of replacement alternators.

5 Advice from owners who have already experienced this issue is to contact FCA directly to mitigate disappointment that results from dealership response to this fault. Opportunity for improvement there?

6 That owners of diesel Grand Cherokees who experience an alternator failure are being advised to provide details to “Report an Unsafe Product” with the ACCC https://www.productsafety.gov.au/con...unsafe-product

Are you able to provide an update on the progress to include diesel Grand Cherokees in the recall program that addresses alternator issues?

If, as your technical team advise, there is “limited amount of failed diesel alternators we have seen by comparison to petrol alternators” then perhaps the commercial impact of including diesel variants in the recall would be outweighed by the comfort given to owners (current and prospective) of Jeeps premier off-road vehicle that Jeep has their back.

If you require any further information in order to support a response please let me know.

Cheers

Well I got a (classic Jeep) response:

Hi Lee,

At this point in time we have not been advised that there will be a recall to include diesel Grand Cherokees

If this situation changes you will be advised by mail

Regards

Rob
Robert Lawson
Resolutions Desk Officer

Fiat Chrysler Australia
437 Plummer Street
Port Melbourne, Victoria, 3207
Australia
Telephone: 1300 133 079
Email: robert.lawson@fcagroup.com

My reply:
Good afternoon Rob,

Thank you for your response, it was polite but familiar.

Cheers

Same stock standard reply I got 3 weeks ago, looks like they dont give a shite, like I said earlier, everyone with CRD that has the issue should register a compliant with the regulator advising of the issue and the conditions that you experienced.

I never received a reply to my last email. Doubt it would have been informative if I had.

If its not one thing its another, this time the condenser , had the o ring in the whatever valve done just after Christmas , the AC died again and they tell me its leaking all around the condenser, so looks like more expense $950 including re gas he said. Ah well at least it will be cool again when it gets fixed,

TXValve. Under warranty?

I had the works done under warranty earlier in the days.

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Anyone recieved the official fix yet? I spoke with FCA in Feb and the new parts were meant to arrive end of March. Just spoke with them again and apparently the parts have arrived but in short supply and I need to ring my dealership to go on a waiting list.

WTF am I not already on a list to be replaced hence the recall notice!?

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No... you need to be on the list to go on the list to get the chance of entering the lottery where you might win one of the three alternators made available for the hundreds of vehicles affected.

It's normal.

Different story at dealership still waiting on parts

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I'm guessing they have an urgent list and a 'can wait til later' list.....

The "has burnt" list and the "will burn" list.

Question is who are they prioritizing? If it's burnt it's either written off or got a new alternator so least likely to burn.

Dealer hadn't recieved any new parts yet, so sounds like excuses from FCA.

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Yeah I'm making fun Cam... but which ever way you roll it, the situation is appalling.

Is your VIN on that recall excel file that was posted?

Do you currently have a fault or waiting for a fault/pending replacement?

IF you already have an Aftermarket fitted by the dealers AWAITING for an Oem fix, its probably your BEST interest to stay on the aftermarket alternator for as long as you can to which later in the year/next year then only arrange for the OEM fitment. That is to get the most/longivity out of your parts. Which is where I am at now.

Im sure the OEM fix is no better lol...

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Hi Imaz, where was the excel file posted? Definitely got a recall letter and spoken to FCA about it, but no fault. Just don't want to lose all power while driving.

In other news had my GC booked in for service and T59 brake booster recall for over a month, get to the dealership "sorry we don't have any parts for the T59 recall, maybe give us a call in 3 weeks". WTF you knew the job was coming and why is it my job to check for when parts are available?