2012-2018 Jeep Wrangler: Pentastar 3.6-liter V6 DIY Oil Change How-To
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- Опубліковано 21 жов 2024
- This video shows a home oil change of a 2012 Jeep Wrangler fitted with the 3.6-liter V6 engine-the only engine offered in the JK Wrangler generation from 2012 through 2018. It’s a good engine, and maintenance is fairly straightforward. It’s especially easy to change the oil yourself. This engine employs a cartridge-style oil filter that goes in from the top. It’s very simple to remove and reinstall one of these filters, and there’s virtually no mess.
NOTE: The 2012 JK Wrangler V6, which this is, requires six quarts of 5w30 oil. But from 2013 onwards the recommended oil changes to 5w20. Check your manual to be certain, but it's usually safe to go by the recommendation that's molded into the filler cap. Interestingly, the recommended change interval also changed from 8,000 miles for the 2012 to 10,000 miles (as much as 10,000 miles, to be more accurate) for the 2013+ models. Why that change? 2013+ models have an oil life monitoring system that monitors driving style and engine load in order to adjust the oil change interval to suit. The 2012 doesn't have such a system, and since it can not monitor driving aggression it plays it safe by stipulating an fixed 8,000-mile interval.
The basics of this oil change procedure also apply to the newer 2018-2020 Jeep Wrangler JL, the 2014-2020 Ram 1500 pickup and the 2014-2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee because they all use the same engine and top-mounted cartridge-style filter. It's not the only engine these vehicles can have, so please make sure you have the Pentastar 3.6-liter gasoline V6. The actual filter part number and the amount and viscosity of oil may differ over time and by model, so always confirm those with your owner's manual.
My oil filter is on top? Well that's different!!! Not complaining, makes my life a whole lot easier. Thank you for the post!!!
Thank you for this! Your simplicity is greatly appreciated
Absolutely. There are other videos about this subject that are twice as long.
Very straightforward video thank you
To all... make sure you get that gasket on the oil filter cover in the right place. Not saying you didn't, Dan, but it's easy to mess up. I won't say how I know this - let's just say I know. lol
Dan, whats your opinion on 5w-30 vs. 5w-20 in the 3.6 wrangler. The owners manual list both weights... Thank you Sir.
My 2012 JK Wrangler manual only lists 5W-30, and the oil change interval is 8,000 miles. I just checked a 2018 Wrangler JK manual online and see what you see - 5W20 recommended and 5W30 OK if you can't find 5W20, and a 10,000-mile interval. I'd approach it that way - use 5W20 unless you can't find any. Oils have been evolving (especially during this period, where fuel economy standards have been going up) and manufacturers have been taking advantage of the better oil formulations to move toward lower viscosity oils to reduce friction and improve efficiency. The internal clearances and certain other design details are usually altered to go along with such a move, so I bet your engine differs in very subtle ways from mine. I'll see if I can get an answer from an FCA rep I know. But I'd follow the advice. And me, I'm a synthetic guy. Always have been.
@@DanEdmunds Thank you Sir! 👊 I'm looking forward to the further details from your contact as well.
Now you've got me going down a rabbit hole. (Which I like). It turns out that my 2012 and its 5W30 oil/8k interval is an outlier. That was the first year of the Pentastar in the Wrangler. From 2013 onwards it went to 5W20 oil/10k interval, and that year's owner's manual language changes to match your question. I'd still go with the oil cap that has 5W20 molded into it in your case; it was installed at the engine that made the plant, so its recommendation should conform to the engine's internal build specs. Why is my Jeep 5W30, I wonder? That engine pre-dates the JK, so maybe 2013 was the year that something changed internally across the board. I'll let you know if I can uncover the answer. But now it seems like a question of why I don't use 5W20 than why you do. ;)
Filter changes in 2014
Yes. Always buy any filter with your own model year in mind. The procedure is the same, though.