What years of JKs to stay away from?

Plumber1

Tito's, Tacos and Trails
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I know this is the TJ Form but I know you guys know a lot about all Wrangler. I have a buddy that is considering buying a used JK and I now I have heard that some years had engine issues. Do you what years of the JK's to stay away from?
Thanks
 
The 3.8 is a POS, the 2012+ 3.6 pentastar is pretty good and still in service, if that tells you anything!
 
I would think 2007-2011 would be prime for an engine swap
If there was an easy way to, these would be the most sought after Jeeps on the planet- they can be bought affordably. I’m being totally serious. If there way to bolt in a good engine I would love to have one.
 
If there was an easy way to, these would be the most sought after Jeeps on the planet- they can be bought affordably. I’m being totally serious. If there way to bolt in a good engine I would love to have one.
That's what I meant, if you're looking to do an LS swap it would be a pretty solid platform. From what ive seen v8 or diesel swaps are not easy or cheap which is why starting with the cheapest jeep is a good idea!
 
I've looked into this, the 3.6 has some nasty issues as well. There aren't any great years for the JK not to simply badmouth it. The first year 3.6 has some pretty serious head issues going on. All of them have hub or ball joint things going on. I guess it's like anything but the 3.6 definitely isn't a magic bullet.
 
The '07 to '11 automatic JKs also used the same 42RLE transmission as our '03 to '06 models. In their infinite, read cheap, wisdom they didn't include factory transmission coolers. The did however eventually add a "hot oil" light to tell you your fluid was cooked though. As a result, there are documented cases of the transmission over heating, puking tranmission fluid onto the exhaust, then catching fire. I watched one burn up!
 
I had a 2011 and know this story well!
What is 82212486AB?
An optional cooler you or the dealer could add. Starting in 2012, a cooler was standard equipment.

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I know this is the TJ Form but I know you guys know a lot about all Wrangler. I have a buddy that is considering buying a used JK and I now I have heard that some years had engine issues. Do you what years of the JK's to stay away from?
Thanks
ALL of them ! Buy a YJ in good condition or a CJ 7 . Unless you can find one that's had an LS swap, or you have enough mechanical talent and knowledge to find a JK that has a blown motor or no drive train that you can get cheap enough To rebuild to your standards.
 
I was considering this but then I bought LJ2 for a swap instead.
Building an Lj from scratch is so damn expensive. Where I wheel the Jk wheelbase does awesome too. I think it'd be fun to build a 4 door. But I am very glad my first build was an Lj.
 
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