onecrazyfoo4u

Finally got around to doing this. I was only able to get about 6 quarts of fluid in after the change. That's just the capacity of the radiator, reservoir bottle, and hoses it seemed like. So over half the fluid you can't get it since it's stuck in the HVAC system. I drained it, then refilled with water. Let it warm up and circulate fluid, then drained again and refilled with fluid. When I refilled, I open the bleeder screw on the hose by the thermostat mount. I'm not too concerned with only changing out half the fluid. Fluid looked perfect coming out, at 105k miles of hot desert usage.

BTW, the radiator drain petcock is the worst ever. You loosen it completely, and it only pisses out a tiny stream, would take an hour to drain. So you have to loosen all the way and pull the whole valve out, making a huge mess all over yourself. But whatever, it's done now. The hardest part of the job was taking out the dozen bottom air dam panel fasteners without trying to break them!

Yep just holes to access the bumper bolts. Nothing is missing...

If you ever plan to have passengers in the back though, I would definitely get the third row option just for the rear HVAC vents and controls. That's a huge benefit in cooling the vehicle quickly. I can't imagine it's that much extra weight, maybe 50 lbs or so. Nothing like the extra weight of AWD.

Yeah, it's 14.5 quarts, but there's no way I'll actually get that much in the system since probably half of it is in the lines and rear hvac unit. Just wondering if anyone has actually changed it and seen the quantity required.

Alright, I guess no one on here has done it yet. Anybody know how much fluid to use for the change? It isn't cheap from the dealer...don't want to waste it.

So I hit 103k miles the other day. I already changed my transmission fluid and spark plugs recently. The next big maintenance item looks like a coolant flush at 104k miles. It's still on the original coolant on my 2012 3.6l. Are there any gotchas to the coolant change for this vehicle? Or is it just a simple normal change:

1. Open the radiator drain and the coolant reservoir bottle. Let it drain completely

2. Refill with distilled water. Run vehicle for awhile till thermostat opens and circulates the fluid

3. Then drain the fluid again. This is to get rid of the hidden remaining fluid after running the engine for awhile.

4. Then refill with the proper 50/50 mix of Chrysler MS-6395 compliant red HOAT coolant.

5. Then bleed the system. Do you just run the vehicle with the coolant reservoir cap left off? Run it long enough until the thermostat opens and fluid level drops a bit?

How much fluid should I expect to use? The 3 zone climate control says 14.5 quarts. But I highly doubt you can get it all out of the system. Unless there's some special way to drain everything from the system? How much do you actually drain from the radiator?

Side topic, I haven't replaced the PCV valve yet. Where is that located?

I'm used to seeing a small oil coating in the intake from the PCV. But not so much as to have oil running/dripping down the intake runners. I was just worried my PCV was in need of replacement.

Either that or a flood? Maybe the interior/electronics was flooded. Can't really tell by the pics.

Freak, it was too cold to take pics and do a writeup. Maybe if I had done it in the summer!

Exactly what dhh3 said. I spray white lithium grease on the hinge joints about twice a year...when the start making popping noises.

So I finally got around to changing my spark plugs at 100,500 miles. The job was much easier than anticipated, 2 hours methodically taking my time since I hadn't done it on this vehicle before. The plugs were definitely in need of replacement, couple of them had a decent amount of buildup around the electrodes. I'm sure I'll pick up a couple mpg's hopefully!

There was quite a bit of oil in the intake manifold running around. I cleaned it out the best I could. Should I be concerned about so much oil there? Does that mean there's a problem?

FYI, you only need the 6 upper intake manifold gaskets (the square ones). You don't pull the lower intake manifold off, so no need to replace the lower intake gaskets (roundish ones).

Man, inflation is a bitch. Glad I stocked up a couple years ago when I got the deal!

I think you'd be better off pulling the spare tire and stripping weight off to save mileage. Not worth it IMHO.

I always buy my Mopar oil filters on ebay in packs of 5 or 10 at a time. Usually end up paying about $4-5 a piece for them that way. Dealers and auto vendors sell them. If you guys are paying $10+ a piece for them, you're all getting ripped a new one...

I don't want all you creepers to see where I live

Just get some channel locks latched onto the bolt then whack it with a hammer. That's always my last ditch for a stripped bolt

Yep, chrome clad covers can not be removed, I've tried. Plastidip is your best bet to change the look of the stock wheels

Power steering pump whine is normal as well, for the first couple of seconds after starting. Mine never does it when parked in the garage. But the power steering pump will whine for 1-2 seconds if I leave it outside overnight in the 10-20deg F range. Common issue you can see by searching on here.

Lol, never would have thought to barter with the dealer parts department.

2late4u, I was talking for the same oem mopar parts. The prices are drastically cheaper online, for the exact same parts you'd get at the dealer.

Thanks bama, just what I needed!

Just for kicks I called the dealer to ask for pricing. It was 40% more to get the parts through them, than to order online with free shipping. That just confirms why I never buy parts at the dealer...huge markups! Granted it's only a few bucks difference here, but gets costly for other major parts.

Getting ready to do my spark plug change and realized I need new intake manifold gaskets...I believe there's 12 total (6 upper and 6 lower). Is this correct? Does anyone have the part numbers? I see rockauto has Mopar 5184331AC, but I believe that's only for one section (upper or lower). What are both part numbers...I think they're different?

I would love to, but my wife would probably stab me in my sleep for spending $153 on fog lights .

However, $128 sounds much more reasonable. Put me on the list at number 25! Come on guys, need 22 more to fill in the gap!

Wrong vehicle for that badge...

Now that's a good idea. Do you have a pic of how it turned out? Much cheaper than $100 for something similar! Can't believe I never thought of that!

Wow, kudos to you. I think you're the first on this forum I've seen that's swapped an engine. I'm at 97k and hope to go another 100k miles before having to do this!