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Chrysler's Problem With the Pentastar V6 Oil Filter Housing & Libation Associates and What Information technology Means for Oil Filter Installers

The Pentastar Trouble

The Chrysler Pentastar V6 oil filter housing and cooler assembly for iii.2L and 3.6L engines tin become warped, brittle and crack over fourth dimension with abiding exposure to engine bay heat. This serious flaw in the design of the Pentastar oil filter housing and libation assembly often consequence in severe oil and coolant leaks and tin can accept catastrophic consequences.

Affected Pentastar engines:

3.2L & 3.6L V6

Affected Applications:

  • Chrysler 300
  • Chrysler Pacifica
  • Chrysler Voyager
  • Chrysler Town and Land
  • Contrivance Challenger
  • Dodge Charger
  • Dodge Durango
  • Jeep Gladiator
  • Jeep 1000 Cherokee
  • Jeep Wrangler
  • Ram 1500
  • Ram 1500 Classic
  • Ram Promaster

Over the concluding few years there has been some speculation that Chrysler cut a few corners with the Pentastar V6 and the original equipment parts for it. The nigh mutual example is the plastic oil filter housing & cooler assembly. Like annihilation else that's made of plastic, the housing and gaskets for oil and coolant line connections get very difficult and brittle while exposed to extreme oestrus over fourth dimension – leading to cracks and warping which eventually manifest equally severe oil and coolant leaks. The number of complaints regarding the Pentastar V6 oil filter housing and cooler assembly is staggering. See them hither, at carcomplaints.com . There have been so many complaints – with the OE replacements even, that Chrysler has discontinued the manufacturing of the Pentastar oil filter housing and cooler assembly. Fifty-fifty more surprising is that Chrysler has known about this trouble for a long time and has never issued a retrieve.

discontinued Pentastar V6 oil filter housing and cooler assembly discontinued Pentastar V6 oil filter housing

What Does the Poor Design of the Pentastar V6 Oil Filter Housing and Libation Hateful for Installers?

Equally you'll encounter in the examples ahead, professional installers are often blamed for problems related to the Pentastar V6 oil filter and cooler housing assembly's poor design. If an installer'south client happens to bulldoze a Pentastar V6 equipped vehicle and the housing becomes warped or croaky in anyhow, a significant oil and/or coolant leak will occur, and the consequences could exist catastrophic. When said customer experiences the problem and has the vehicle looked at by dealership service, the dealer usually attempts to redirect blame to the installer by implying that the oil filter housing cap was over torqued, causing the housing to scissure, and leak. These excuses seem implausible, as the issues often happen many months after the oil change has taken place. As an aftermarket filter supplier, we've experienced firsthand issues with this housing and our ain installer customers. At first, we idea the problems might be a case of installers merely putting the cap O-ring in the wrong groove. Equally unlikely as information technology sounds for professionals to make this error, we went so far as to create an instructional cartridge filter oil change video with a 2016 Jeep K Cherokee iii.6L Pentastar as the subject vehicle. Now there is indisputable evidence that the existent problem is the plastic design of the oil filter housing and cooler assembly.

These are but a few examples of Pentastar V6 complaints from effectually the web:

Example ane

Chrysler Town and Country owner complains of Pentastar V6 oil filter housing leak

"Howdy all, I've been surfing through the net define something about this oil housing filter that leaks. I have a 2014 town and state. I likewise experienced droppage a boil all of my driveway. I brought the automobile into Garden Metropolis Chrysler and they told me that someone tighten the oil filter Too tightly and a cracked therefore having this oil drip all of my engine and driveway. Since they did non do the oil change, it is non their responsibility and is non covered under warranty. I exercise non bulldoze his automobile often so my old modify was washed 5 months ago. This just started happening a few days agone. The dealer told me that it's going to cost $800 to supervene upon the oil filter housing. I contacted Chrysler and they simply gave me the runaround and told me that at that place's nix they can exercise after 45 minutes on the phone just they did give me a complaint number for me to keep for my files. I contacted some other dealership they told me the party is going to cost me $125 and is extremely simple to supervene upon information technology should take me no more than an hour so I contacted my mechanic and brought the car over to him along with the $125 office he then charged me $65 to put it on. Unfortunately I had to go somewhere else to go get my oil changed because Garden City Chrysler kept on telling me I'thousand lamentable they don't have the time they're very decorated I would take to leave the auto for about a week. So that'southward why I went to Thursday you to a local place to have my own oil changed. I'thousand then glad this is a leased vehicle and I take ane more year to become rid of this POS! I just desire to thank Chrysler and Garden City Jeep Chrysler for the wonderful service that they would never provide me.

This volition exist the last Chrysler vehicle I lease." – Long Island Larry

Click here to read the balance of the forum.

Example 2

Another Pentastar owner complains about oil filter housing and cooler assembly leak

"I have had this issue and did some research every bit to what it is and t it was nether warranty with the dealership. Set up an appointment for terminal Thursday dropped my truck off and waited for them to call me from the dealership. When I was called dorsum I was told that it was $589. Whoa await who does something without quoting and what about the warranty? I was told that the cooler housing was cracked by someone changing the oil. That considering of that they weren't honoring the warranty considering t was croaky voided it. I wasn't having that and called Chrysler. The start person I spoke with her sided with the dealership and we got into information technology ending when she hung up on me. I chosen back got someone else and they verified it was under warranty from any bending y'all wait at it it was under warranty. He thanked me for being a long time Chrysler customer 20 years full of 1000 cherokees a Cherokee a commander and at present a Ram 1500 combined well over a million miles. He escalated the consequence and put in a ticket. Waiting for them to review it hopefully hear from them Mon. If I have to pay for this I will never buy Chrysler over again. Either way I will never purchase a nut or commodities from this dealership. Has anybody else had this issue concerning warranty?"

Click here to read the residuum of the forum.

Example 3

Dodge charger owner reports Pentastar V6 oil filter housing and cooler assembly leak

"Well troops,

2014 Dodge Charger Constabulary with the 3.vi.

Started smelling oil yesterday, thought I was just following some other vehicle burning oil, today while driving to work the check engine light comes on, not the oil pressure calorie-free. Scroll down the bulletin center to the oil force per unit area guess and information technology's all good and go along driving to work.

Become to work and noticed the pooling of oil nether the intake, check the dipstick and she's almost dry. 4 liters later we're GTG and I drive to the dealer with the engine light nevertheless on.

The first thing the dealer said was who did the terminal oil modify?

Oil Changers did, a month ago and I accept put on near 3500 kilometers since. If over torquing the filter cap was a cause it would of leaked right away.

More than details, auto has 28,000 kilometers and half dozen oil changes and so far.

I drive 99% highway at 100+ kph, about 600-700 kilometers a calendar week (120 klics round trip)

When it started leaking was the coldest day this year -27 Celsius.

It's still at the dealership and hopefully get repaired tomorrow, although they did spring for a rental.

cheers

– Rick South., Napanee, Ontario, Canada"

Click here to read the original post.

Example 4

The Pentastar V6 oil filter housing and cooler assembly flaws are frustrating and expensive for owners of these vehicles besides as the professional person installers that service them. It's an unfortunate state of affairs because Chrysler could've easily opted to make the housing out of some blazon of metal instead of plastic and, had their engineers done that, these issues would non exist.

What Tin can Installers Do to Avoid Issues with Pentastar V6 Oil Filter Installation?

Professional person installers should proceed with the usual due diligence when performing a Pentastar V6 oil modify. This should involve inspection of the housing for any warping, cracks, or other defects. If there is an existing oil or coolant leak, it should exist obvious when inspecting the back of the engine as this is where the leaks tend to be seen. Many times the leak may appear to be a rear master seal leak, just is not. Installers should be cognizant of this possibility, specially if the vehicle has low mileage and is already leaking oil. If possible, have a conversation with the customer most the potential problems they could feel with the Pentastar oil filter housing and cooler assembly especially if the vehicle has higher mileage. If unknown, the conversation will put the event on the customer'due south radar – They won't be completely surprised if something does happen and will be less likely to blame your installation on Chrysler'south problem oil filter housing.

A Feasible Aftermarket Solution

Dorman has just delivered an aftermarket oil filter housing and cooler associates that Pentastar owners and professional installers have been waiting for. The Dorman oil filter housing and cooler associates is made of aluminum, so it won't experience the aforementioned negative effects of excessive oestrus that the original plastic housing suffers from. Being fabricated of aluminum means that there is little gamble of cracking when the cap is tightened after every oil change, which bodes well for installers working on these vehicles.

This image depicts the new Dorman oil filter housing assembly for Pentastar V6 vehicles