2001 Jeep Wrangler

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 JEEP WRANGLER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS MANEUVERED TO A SAFE LOCATION. THE CONTACT NOTICED THE ENGINE OVERHEATED AND THE RADIATOR RESERVOIR WAS EMPTY. THE CONTACT DISPENSED COOLANT INTO THE RESERVOIR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO REPLACED THE BLOWN HEAD GASKET. ONE WEEK AFTER THE REPAIR WAS PERFORMED THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT FURTHER REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE MALFUNCTION. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000.

I HAVE AN 01 JEEP TJ WRANGLER, I HAVE RECENTLY NOTICED A DROP IN PERFORMANCE ALONG WITH SLOWLY VANISHING COOLANT. SEVERAL DAYS AGO WHILE IN TRAFFIC, THE OIL PRESSURE DROPPED LOW ENOUGH TO SET OFF THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. AS SOON AS I BEGAN DRIVING AGAIN THE OIL PRESSURE RAISED HIGH ENOUGH TO TO CLEAR THE LIGHT. HOWEVER AS SOON AS I CAME TO THE NEXT LIGHT THE OIL PRESSURE DROPPED AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. UPON RETURNING HOME I LOOKED UP THE SYMPTOMS ON THE INTERNET AND IT ALL LED ME TO A VERY COMMON CRACKED HEAD BETWEEN THE 3-4 CYLINDER. I WAS ALL TOO SURPRISED TO FIND OUT HOW EXTREMELY COMMON THAT IS. *KB

2001 JEEP TJ, 40,000 MILES, SLOWLY LOSING COOLANT OVER THE COURSE OF 4 YRS. USED A PRESSURE TESTER AND VERIFIED NO EXTERNAL LEAKS. HOWEVER, USED THE SAME PRESSURE TESTER WITH ENGINE RUNNING, PER THE INSTRUCTIONS, AND THE SYSTEM GRADUALLY BUILT PRESSURE FROM 18 LBS TO 25 LBS BEFORE I STOPPED THE TEST. THIS INDICATES COOLANT LEAKING INTO THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER. CURRENTLY MY OIL PRESSURE IS GOOD AND THERE IS NO COOLANT CONTAMINATION ON THE DIP STICK OR UNDER THE OIL FILL CAP. AT RISK (LONG TERM) IS THE INTERNAL ENGINE BEARINGS: CAM AND CRANKSHAFT. I FOUND A THREAD ON THE INTERNET THAT COVERS MANY JEEP TJ OWNERS WITH THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM OF COOLANT LOSS. THIS IS ALL DUE TO A BAD BATCH OF CYLINDER HEADS WITH CASTING # 0331, MANUFACTURED FROM 2000 THROUGH 2006. *TR

I BOUGHT THIS USED WITH ONLY 54,000 MILES ON THE ENGINE. WITHIN A YEAR AND AT 65,000 MILES, IT BEGAN OVERHEATING AND LEAKING COOLANT. MY BROTHER THOUGHT IT WAS A CRACKED HEAD OR GASKET. AFTER TEARING THE MOTOR APART AND SENDING THE HEAD TO BE CHECKED, TWO LARGE CRACKS WERE FOUND. THE CASTING # IS 331. MY BROTHER HAS BEEN TRYING TO FIND ANOTHER HEAD FOR ME AND WAS TOLD BY ONE OF THE SELLERS THAT HE CAN'T KEEP THE PARTS IN STOCK DUE TO THE HIGH NUMBER OF DEMAND FOR THIS PART. *TR

WE PURCHASED A 2001 JEEP WRANGLER ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO. BACK IN NOVEMBER, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO OVERHEAT. THINKING IT WAS THE HOSES OR RADIATOR CAP, WE REPLACED BOTH, WHICH STOPPED IT FOR AWHILE. IN DECEMBER, IT BEGAN TO LEAK AGAIN, SO WE REPLACED THE RADIATOR. IT IS NOW JANUARY AND IT HAS BEGUN TO LEAK AGAIN. WE HAVE ORDERED A NEW RADIATOR, BUT IT DOESN'T APPEAR THAT THE LEAK IS COMING FROM THE RADIATOR, AND AFTER READING SOME OF THE COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET REGARDING THE 2001 WRANGLER, WE ARE AFRAID IT MAY BE A CYLINDER HEAD. HAS THERE BEEN A RECALL ON THIS? THERE SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF COMPLAINTS RELATED TO IT' *TR

HAD VEHICLE FOR THREE YRS AND IN DECEMBER STARTED LOOSING COOLANT AND COULDN'T FIND THE LEAK. I TOOK IT TO JEEP AND TOLD THEM THE HEAD GASKET IS GOING . THEY SAID THEY WOULD CHECK IT OUT AND LATER TOLD ME IT WAS A AIRPOCKET. I PICKED IT UP AND RAN IT FOR ANOTHER WEEK, STILL LOSING FLUID. THIS HAPPENED OF AND ON FOR 3 TIMES. ON THE 3 TIME OF ME TAKING IT BACK THEY ADMITTED THE HEAD GASKET WAS SHOT AND THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE HEAD. I WENT TO TAKE IT HOME AND 1/2 WAY THERE MY ENGINE STARTED MAKING HORRIBLE NOISES AND JERKING. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND HAD IT TOWED BACK THE NEXT DAY. THEY THEN TOLD ME DUE TO COOLANT CONTAMINATION THE ENGINE WAS RUINED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED WITCH WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. I NOW HAVE 3410 MILES ON NEW ENGINE AND IT HAS STARTED MAKING NOISE. TOOK IT BACK TO JEEP AND THE WILL NOT COVER THE WARRANTY SAYING I HAVE WATER AND DIRT MARKS IN AIRBOX. THESE WERE IN THERE WHEN THEY FIRST REPLACED ENGINE AND I AM NOW SEEKING LEGAL COUNSEL. *TR

I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE IN MAY 07. 2001 JEEP WRANGLER SAHARA WITH 4.0L. @ MONTHS AFTER BUYING THE VEHICLE I LOST OIL PRESSURE. VEHICLE RETURNED TO DEALERSHIP AND THE OIL PUMP WAS REPLACED. LESS THAN 500 MILES I RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO SAID DEALER WITH A NASTY INTERNAL ENGINE RATTLE. DEALER REPLACED COLLAPSED LIFTER AND BENT PUSHROD. LESS THAN 100 MILES LATER VEHICLE RETURNED TO DEALER AGAIN WITH THE INTERNAL NOISE. VEHICLE TORN APART AND HAD THE CAMSHAFT, LIFTERS PUSHRODS REPLACED. IT HAS BEEN 7500 MILES SINCE MY LAST VISIT. I NOW HAVE A SLOW COOLANT LEAK THAT IS MAKING ITS WAY INTO THE OIL SYSTEM. I HAVE REMOVED THE CYLINDER HEAD AND FOUND A CRACK IN THE CASTING. THE CASTING # IS 0331. I HAVE SPENT NUMEROUS HOURS RESEARCHING THIS SPECIFIC CASTING # AND IT IS NOTORIOUS FOR CRACKING AND SLOWLY LEAKING COOLANT INTO THE OIL SYSTEM. MY JEEP ONLY HAS 71,000 MILES!! THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE LET DOWN AND HAS TARNISHED MY OUTLOOK ON CHRYSLER AND THE QUALITY OF THEIR PRODUCTS. THE TYPICAL LIFETIME FOR THESE HEADS IS BETWEEN 60-85,000 MILES. DO A SEARCH FOR JEEP 0331 ON GOOGLE, YOU'LL SEE THE OVERWHELMING NUMBER OF JEEP OWNERS WITH THIS PROBLEM. CHRYSLER NEEDS TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR LACK OF QUALITY AND MANUFACTURING AND SELLING A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT. *TR

HOW DO YOU CONVINCE AN AUTOMAKER TO DO A RECALL? DO YOU HAVE TO FILE A CLASS ACTION SUIT? IF YOU GO OUT TO YOUR PARKING LOT AND LOOK AT ALMOST ANY JEEP WRANGLER, 4 CYLINDER ENGINE, YOU WILL SEE THAT THE FRONT BOLT FOR THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD IS BROKEN OFF. THIS WILL OFTEN LEAD TO EXHAUST LEAKS AND MAY CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO FAIL A SAFETY INSPECTION. THE HEAD MECHANIC AT THE JEEP DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT ALL WRANGLER 4 CYLINDERS DO THIS. HE WENT ON TO SAY THAT HE HAS DONE A HUNDRED OF THEM. THE DEALER SHIP WANTS HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS TO FIX THIS. I HAVE ASKED AROUND AT OTHER AUTO REPAIR SHOPS AND THE COST IS NOT THAT MUCH LESS. IF ALL WRANGLER 4 CYLS DO THIS, AND IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE, WHY ISN'T IT A RECALL ISSUE? MICA CALFEE FLOWER MOUND, TEXAS *TR