My son is going to look at a new to him JKU Rubicon

Wildman

Wildman

Over Analyzer Extraordinaire...............
Staff Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2015
Messages
36,558
Location
In the hills of WA
So I just got a call from my son who lives down in Florida and he is going to look at a JKU Rubicon that he is pretty excited about. This is his dream rig as he has 2 small boys so wants the rear doors for getting the kids in and out of it. Before this he has always owned XJ's and his last one was a nice 1994 4 door model. But he had to sell it when he moved from Washington to Florida for a new job. Wish I was closer so I could go with him.

https://www.vatlandcdjr.com/invento...r-unlimited-rubicon-4wd-suv-1c4bjwfg9cl171958
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rick Flair
Be careful with the 2012 models. Being the first year of the Pentastar engine, they had some issues with the cylinder heads being bad. Not all of them had it, but enough of them had the problem for 2012 to be a year to "watch out for".
 
He has been researching them so I think he knows this but will check. He did verify that all the recalls had been completed on it.
 
Wildman said:
He has been researching them so I think he knows this but will check. He did verify that all the recalls had been completed on it.
Click to expand...

Okay, as long as he has done his research and is aware of what to look out for, that's what matters!
 
Chris said:
Be careful with the 2012 models. Being the first year of the Pentastar engine, they had some issues with the cylinder heads being bad. Not all of them had it, but enough of them had the problem for 2012 to be a year to "watch out for".
Click to expand...
Ahhh sounds like the OPDA issue on 05 and 06 TJs right?? lol some stuff is overblown and doesn’t happen.
 
Well he knew about the issue and is getting a drivetrain warranty included in the deal if he does buy it. It's been a long haul for him. But he is finally able to get the rig he has wanted for years.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chris
The nice thing about those Pentastars is they came in everything from a Chrysler minivan to a 300, so there's no shortage of them!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Starrs
Chris said:
Be careful with the 2012 models. Being the first year of the Pentastar engine, they had some issues with the cylinder heads being bad. Not all of them had it, but enough of them had the problem for 2012 to be a year to "watch out for".
Click to expand...
You are right Chris. I had a 2012 and at 22,000 Number two cyclinder had the problem. Was a very wide spread problem. At that time I was pretty active on the JKU forum and there were pages and pages on the issues. Fortunately, mine was fixed under warranty. Actually sounded like a loud lifter, but wasn’t. Good news, is it was a race car compared to the 2010 we had. It was a POS.
 
DC0046 said:
You are right Chris. I had a 2012 and at 22,000 Number two cyclinder had the problem. Was a very wide spread problem. At that time I was pretty active on the JKU forum and there were pages and pages on the issues. Fortunately, mine was fixed under warranty. Actually sounded like a loud lifter, but wasn’t. Good news, is it was a race car compared to the 2010 we had. It was a POS.
Click to expand...

Yes, those pre 2012 models were horrid in terms of performance.

I knew that issue with the cylinder head on the 2012 models was more than just a few cases. I’ve read a substantial number of owners have had it. Not sure what the actual cause or solution is, but it’s definitely worth looking out for.
 
Well he bought it and is HAPPY AS HECK.
So it is a late year build 11/12 is the build date. So he grinning from ear to ear.
He had to drive 2 1/2 hours to go get it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Starrs
Wildman said:
Well he bought it and is HAPPY AS HECK.
So it is a late year build 11/12 is the build date. So he grinning from ear to ear.
He had to drive 2 1/2 hours to go get it.
Click to expand...
Great. We loved ours except for the issue with the head. I think Jeep narrowed it down to specific manufacture dates so he probably has a good one since he did the research. Congrats to your son.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Wildman
Congrats to your son!

To compound the 2012-13 head problems many that were repaired under warranty were replaced with heads with the same problem. It took some time before Jeep actually found a solution to the problem.
The 07-11 3.8s gets such a bad rap because it has the high geared 42re and a high geared axle ratio along with the heavier JKU. Most put on bigger tires and blame the motor for being a "dog or gutless". For example, a JKR came with 4.10s and 32'' tires and is barely adequate, the equivalent 3.21 gears would have a 25'' tire. How many are out there with 3.21s and 35-37''s?
I loved my old JKUR except for 2 things, it was too big for the small trails we have around here, and the B-pillar always in my peripheral really made the "open" top feel, feel not so open.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom
Back