Overheating problem with 2014 Grand Cherokee Diesel

[Wombat6]

The saga continues ... after having the car for 2.5 weeks they found some fault in the replacement water pump which they fixed. It now runs cooler around town - but still over heats under load. I am now solely talking to Jeep Aust who are trying to get in touch with Knox Jeep after some sort of implosion in their service centre.

I’m now going to see how much of a penalty I will endure if I trade it in on a new Grand as this is still the most suitable car for our needs.

Very disappointed and frustrated.

[Wombat6]

So in just a few hours, some 9 months after the engine initially overheated, I am going to pick the Jeep up and I now have some hope that the overheating problem has been fixed. To get to this point, late June Knox requested that they take the car for a tow test with the caravan to see the problem first hand. Not willing to trust an unknown person to tow our large caravan I took their specialist mechanic for a trip down Eastlink. Sure enough, soon after reaching highway speeds it over heated and finally the mechanic believed me. He eventually concluded that the exhaust gases must be escaping which cause the overflow bottle to overflow and also to expose the heater unit causing the heater not to work. At last!

A couple of days later they phoned to say that the engine had failed a compression test and they wanted to send the head(s) off to be tested externally. I then heard effectively nothing for a month until finally I was told that the testing people had found it very unusual but eventually worked out that it had a blown gasket and they also planed it back a little. They then needed to order some parts, and have the radiator tested as well. For some reason the radiator started leaking when they tested it so it also had to be replaced (but good news, their on special this week for only $500 and you won't have to pay for the radiator flush test!).

So now it is all ready to pick up and tomorrow morning I really hope I will be taking it for it's final tow test.

[desertman]

Good that you eventually got it fixed.

Your symptoms sounded exactly the same as mine (as mentioned in an earlier post) but in my case they replaced both heads instead of machining them. Took them 3 months to get and replace the heads.

Not sure if you still have a warranty but I would be requesting an extension or some other guarantee - just in case.

As with your experience, the dealer and FCA were in denial and tried to suggest the overheating was normal. Really frustrating when you have your travels interrupted on so many occasions. My vehicle went through 3 dealerships and they all just tinkered around the edges.

Cheers,

DM

[Wombat6]

DM, I did read your post a long time ago but it really wasn't until they had replaced all the low hanging fruit and finally seen the problem for themselves that Knox Jeep finally started looking at this area. For them it seems that because that could not even come close to simulating the problem themselves it seems that they were reluctant to fault the engine.

Unfortunately the car was 3.3 yr's old when it happened so out of warranty. I did take out an extended warranty but that only covered much of the earlier costs, and certainly not the engine rebuild. I do to a degree understand the process they followed. However, what most angered me was the time it took (the last operation took 2 months to do a compression test, take the heads off and have them tested and then repaired, order all the replacement parts, rebuild the engine and replace the radiator). That should have taken weeks not months.

[wari]

Originally Posted by Barboots

A true 45 degrees plus, a full-height 2.5T van, 275/65R18, mild headwind and the posted limit for several hours didn't phase our MY14.

Has your coolant been added to? The required coolant is hard to find, and not compatible with off-the-shelf products.

Cheers, Steve

Sorry for digging up the old thread but what is the fancy coolant type?
I have a MY2015 wk2 diesel and although the last service invoice shows coolant flushed and topped up it looks murky af.

Plus Yesterday morning there was no hot air in the cab and the engine ran hot , not in the red but higher than normal and the fan was on after killing the engine (doing my regular commute - never had problems with this before even driving highway at summer for all-day-long)

Now I want to do a proper flush and refill, but the coolant is so murky and brown I can't tell what colour it's supposed to be

[Barboots]

Originally Posted by wari

Sorry for digging up the old thread but what is the fancy coolant type?

Now I want to do a proper flush and refill, but the coolant is so murky and brown I can't tell what colour it's supposed to be

There's a variance between models if I recall, but my 2014 built MY14 takes "OAT" which is red (as a general rule).

Red coolant will brown off as it ages. Contamination left from manufacturing is not uncommon in the VM Motori, which can produce the same quite early on. Heavy sludge is indicative of oil in the coolant and requires urgent attention.

I would pay for a system flush, as opposed to drain and fill. Reason being, it's impossible to empty the system so some of that old stuff will remain. It's not an insignificant amount...

Cheers, Steve

[TR Laredo]

Originally Posted by wari

Sorry for digging up the old thread but what is the fancy coolant type?
I have a MY2015 wk2 diesel and although the last service invoice shows coolant flushed and topped up it looks murky af.

Plus Yesterday morning there was no hot air in the cab and the engine ran hot , not in the red but higher than normal and the fan was on after killing the engine (doing my regular commute - never had problems with this before even driving highway at summer for all-day-long)

Now I want to do a proper flush and refill, but the coolant is so murky and brown I can't tell what colour it's supposed to be

I have a Jan 15 build diesel & it takes this premixed coolant:
MOPAR # 68163849GB /MS12106, 10 Year/240,000 km.
I also found the cooling system wasn't holding pressure so I checked the coolant hoses (including the one under the inlet manifold) & they were ok. I then checked the radiator cap & found some scale buildup under the vacuum valve. After a quick clean with a toothbrush I took it for a 30minute drive & presto the system was holding pressure again (radiator hoses firm when squeezed)

Cheers