Jeep Commander Forums: Jeep Commander Forum

Had my 4.7L Head Gasket Replaced

djmaro76 — Sun, 19 May 2013 17:02:04 GMT

This is a follow up from a previous thread
http://www.jeepcommander.com/forums/...ht=head+gasket

This is a long one but I learned a lot of valuable info I want to share with everyone.
Moral of this story is listen to your XK. If you have any of my symptoms, get it checked out immediately.
Just had my head gasket replaced for my 2006 4.7L

Symptoms:
Over the past few months, I could hear coolant flowing through the heater core and I've been loosing coolant since at slow rate. Plus, I've been getting P0301, Cylinder 1 misfire codes as well. Cylinder pressure test was at 180 psi for all cylinders. But Cyl 1's pressure dropped 5psi every 5 seconds. All other cylinders seemed to stay right at 180..

A coolant system pressure test was the confirmation my head gasket was toast. With cyl 1 spark plug removed, I could hear coolant dripping into cyl 1. It did this while pumping to add more pressure. Once I got to 18 PSI, I couldn't hear the drip noise. But the pressure stayed right at 18% for almost 2 minutes. I carefully stuck a pipe cleaner into cylinder 1 and it was soaked with coolant.

Shop Experience:
I found a shop which specializes in Jeeps with mechanics which consist of Chrysler alumni. I let them do the repair and my experience was the best I've ever had with any auto business, hands down. The service manager sent photos to me along the way.

I talked to almost 10 different shops including my local Jeep dealer and they all had the same response.
"4.7L Head Gasket? That's the first I've heard"
"What makes you so sure it's the head gasket? Are you a mechanic for a living?"
Plus the quotes I got ranged from $2000 up to $3900, mostly because their estimates for total labor were almost random.

When my repair was complete, I spoke to the mechanic that did the work. He said the 4.7's always have this issue and over his career, my XK was his 37th head gasket job he's done on the 4.7.

PM me for shop info if you're in the chicago area... I'll never take my XK to anyone else. I not only gained a lot of knowledge along the way but also gained some new friends.

Services Performed:
Total cost was $1950. My initial quote for just replacing the left Cyl head gasket was $1500

1. Replaced left cylinder head gasket

2. Cylinder head was sent to a local machine shop.
- It was warped by only a few thousandths of an inch so they resurfaced it.
- Pressure test revealed exhaust valves and guides were shot in Cly 1 and cyl 3 so these were replaced.
- Resurfaced valve seats in cyl 1 and cyl 3
- The valve in Cylinder 3 was extremely loose which they thought was odd because there was no leakage present. But they thought it may be related to the river sludge they found on the valve stems.

3. Installed new camshaft after mechanic noticed slight pitting on the tips of the lobes.

4. Installed new water pump. My water pump was fine but since the pumps have a history of issues for the 4.7, it was a no-brainer to toss a new one in for under $100.

5. Flushed and filled coolant system

6. Full Service oil change

7. Full mechanical inspection

Parts List:
Valves and Guides $55
Gasket Kit $197
Tensioner $79.95
Coolant Pump $83.35
Coolant $19.95
Timing Gasket $3.20
EGR Gasket $5.80
Camshaft $189.99
4 x spark plugs $16.64

Cost Summary:
Parts: $639
Shop Labor: $667
Machine Shop Labor: $375
Additional cost was for coolant flush and oil change

My only regret was not servicing the right cylinder head. Knowing of the river sludge, I should have had it checked as well and I'm kicking myself for not doing it. That was another $950.
Unfortunately, we're undergoing some costly and necessary home repairs which didn't leave enough in the kitty to allow for the additional work.

Pictures - Not for the faint of heart:

Leakage spot on head gasket

Cylinder 1 Piston

Notice discoloration in Cylinder 1 from Coolant wash

Cylinder full view

Cold Air Intake Concerns

djmaro76 — Sun, 19 May 2013 15:24:11 GMT

I know there's been a lot of discussion around this topic and wanted to get some feedback.

I installed the AEM Brute Force CAI model 21-8310DP around 5 months ago.
As others have noted, it exposes many areas for water to get into the filter.
I was aware of the risk but really had no idea it was this bad.

I know this all too well because it was confirmed when my shop found river sludge in the valves when my head gasket was replaced 2 weeks ago. They did say it looked recent.

Head Gasket Story
http://www.jeepcommander.com/forums/...ad.php?t=21146

Anyway, we had some heavy rains 5 weeks ago and I'm almost positive thats when it happened. I tried to be cautious but apparently not cautious enough.

The XK should be able to handle some water without causing damage to the engine. Yes, stock XK has no issues but those of us that want to use a CAI have potential issues to address.

Water can easily get into the filter through the areas around the headlight and under the front bumper. Other CAI's look like they have a housing which protects the filter from the back, top and front but still leaves the bottom completely exposed. So any big splashes can easily get into the filter.

Blocking off these areas will fix the water issue but now the filter would almost be suffocated and causing possible performance loss.

A quick thought I had was to relocate the air filter directly into the throttle body then surrounding that filter with a housing of some sort. Then running a new intake tube to the front of the vehicle or through the bottom. This way, its only sucking in outside air and the additional angles would allow for water run-off preventing it from getting into the filter. I have yet to see any design like this.

I'm definitely switching back to the stock filter system for now.

Anyone out there find a solution which prevents water from getting in from the bottom while still getting acceptable performance from the CAI?

Need advice on potentially major issue...

raptoid780 — Sun, 19 May 2013 04:43:29 GMT

I'll try to make this short and sweet as I can since I'm sure there are other threads about it.

'07 3.7L V6...43,000 miles

Never had any engine issues up to this point at all. Not many issues at all for that matter. Drove it a few short distances last Thursday. Parked it in the garage and everything was fine. Got in it the next morning, turned key, tried to start for a few seconds. Didn't start. Tried again, and again. Nothing. The motor WAS turning over and trying to start. So not a charging system issue. Turned key again, hit the gas a few times and it started for a second. It ran for about 15 seconds very rough and the RPMs were up and down, then it stalled. Popped the hood once I gassed it up and started it again and the motor had more "movement" than normal. It looked like it had about a 100lbs of weight on one side of it and was causing it to run physically rough. Didn't really hear any ticking or noises...besides just running louder than normal. It did throw a ck engine light while it was running for the short time.

Towed it to the dealership. They called me a few hours later and said that cylinder 2 had no compression. I signed authorization for the shop rate $95 bucks to just pull it in. Service writer said they took off the valve cover to look deeper into it, and couldn't find the reason for the compression issue. Now, they are telling me that it's going to be $1250 to get down to the cylinder area of the motor to find a solve. They said that this price covers: disassembly, diagnosis, and re-installing the defective part. Parts would be ON TOP of that $1250!

This seems a little over the top for what needs to be done just to diagnose the issue. For giggles, I called Chrysler to see if they would assist me with the cost since it only had 43K on it. I know it's a long shot, but I'm about to pay for my wedding and this repair couldn't have come at a worse time. So I'm willing to try anything! Chrysler told me they escalated it and a "case rep" said they would call me on Monday. She said to have all my service records handy to help my case. I've gotten oil changes every 3K at a national oil change place, religiously.

So I'm ready for when they call, but
I'm trying to see if theres anything else you guys, the experts, can think of. Also, does anyone have any experience with trying to get Chrysler to cover something like this out of warranty??? Thanks a ton!!

Small slow leak from rear diff cover

AustinGt — Sun, 19 May 2013 03:01:19 GMT

Hey everyone,

Noticed a few oil spots in the garage under the rear diff case. I took a look and it looks like it is definitely coming from the cover and not from the front. I assume that it is sealed up with RTV not a gasket, right? Not sure if the last change was just poorly done or if this is a sign of something that I need to look into further. What do you think?

Thanks.

FS: Remote start kit & REN AM/FM MP3 Player

iTz Anthonyyy — Sat, 18 May 2013 18:04:13 GMT

Hey guys I have a remote start kit that I never installed on my 08' Commander and also have the REN MP3 player I purchased from justforjeeps.com. Selling my Jeep so selling some of the extra stuff I have. Email anthonym@lgintl.com if you are interested. Thanks!

1 Millionth JK Wrangler

jeep5253 — Sat, 18 May 2013 16:34:58 GMT

Yesterday (5/17/13) the 1 millionth JK Wrangler rolled off the assembly line. That's a lot of JKs made since 2007 !

http://blog.jeep.com/2013/05/17/1-mi...y1713Facebook1

You Tube

Strange Oil Light Condition

CommanderinWi — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:25:29 GMT

2006 4.7L Commander 116K. The Oil light has come on twice in the last week. Both times the chime does not sound. Both times the light would not reset with cycling the key. However, on both occasions if I turn the truck off, remove the dipstick, reinstall the dipstick and turn the truck on the light goes out.

Anyone every have any experience with this? I would think that perhaps it was time related as it takes longer to walk up to the front, check the oil and walk back. But my wife was stopped for several minutes and tried to start up and light came back on. She then removed the dipstick and started it again. Light went out.

I'm at a loss as to how removing the dipstick would effect anything? Pressure may be?

08 4.7 Commander intake

Hawkeyes — Fri, 17 May 2013 02:11:48 GMT

Best intake for 4.7 2008 commander? only one I can find is the k n and heard others are better...problem is noone lists one for the 4.7.

Tpms

XKDC — Thu, 16 May 2013 21:41:16 GMT

I just bought 4 Goodyear Duratrac tires for my 06, from a local tire shop and had them mounted on the stock rims, now im getting the TMPS system message, took back to shop they checked all 5 sensors and say they are all good and its reading accurately in the dash. Now the re-set procedure is suppose to be for the 06, driving over 20 mph for 10 min, this does not work....... Deal says bad sensor? maybe its the battery in the sensor since its still reading accurately? anyone got any ideas? please and thank you.......

WTB: 1.5" wheel spacers

Oleblue27 — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:08:00 GMT

Need some ASAP! Thanks!

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

Finally i made it black but...

filo8818 — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:33:38 GMT

Hello everyone,
Today finally arrived my OEM black rims, i really love it on my black 2007 jeep.

Are the original rims but shiny black they look like something better.

The company who paint it for me lost my central cap that btw were very dirty and ruin, i was wondering if i can find online the central cap for my rims on black...can someone help me?
thanks a lot

Attached Thumbnails

Drone after lift

lekmedm — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:23:56 GMT

Hi all! A couple of weeks ago I had the Superlift installed on my XK. I have the AEV XK Pintlers with 285/70R17 Wrangler Silent Armors installed.

So now at highway speeds (> 50mph) I have a drone of sorts that's rather annoying. I have had these tires in the past in stock size and know they can be nice and quiet. So I'm wondering if the drone has to do with the balancing method used. Anyone have any knowledge/experience with this? Could the drone be due to something else?

2010 limited hemi

Steelframer — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:15:56 GMT

Just a quick question. I upgraded from a 07 commander V6 sport to a 2010 commander limited with all the bells and whistles two weeks ago. I was wondering what the plug was for that is in the glove box. It is about 6" long and the end looks like it could plug into an IPad? On a side note, I am still getting used to the power and all the other awesome things they put into these Trucks, but I am also saddened jeep stopped producing the Commanders. Thanks for any info.

Quadra Drive 1 vs Quadra Trac 2 Comparison

kjpeaco — Wed, 15 May 2013 03:57:29 GMT

I currently have a 2001 Grand Cherokee Limited with Quadradrive. I do some off-roading and have been impressed with the Quadradrive. I am considering a Commander and want to know how the QT2 compares to my QD1?

Hood Fluttering

AustinGt — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:38:23 GMT

Does anyone else have a hood that flutters or moves as they are driving? It isn't the entire hood, just the part right in front of the driver from what I can tell, almost like someone is pushing on it from the engine compartment. Seems to start about 55 MPH.