Expert suggestions on 2011 DJ issues?

[Mowlgi]

Hi, I am new to this forum, so apologies if this is not the place or the way to ask this. I recently found a 3rd hand 2011 Dodge Journey Mainstreet 3.6L. I am not knowledgeable about cars but the price seemed adequate for the state of the car so I bought it for getting around. It has 136k miles on the odometer and it works well. I took it to the mechanic for a safety inspection and to change some filters. 

 

With the safety inspection I received two comments from the mechanic:

1. Engine has tapping noise possible bad rocker arms
2. Inspected brakes front pads 50% front rotors has uneven ware, rear pads 75% 

 

I am a bit tight on cash and the mechanic said that the 1st point would cost around 1.8k dollars. Not sure how to ask this but is this something I should be actively worried about and trying to solve in the short term? He said that this is typical of the 3.6L V6 motor, but to be honest I am not sure what are the implications. With regards to the breaks, they seem to work just fine is this something that can damage the car?

 

Anyway, thanks a lot, and again, apologies if this is not the place to ask this.

[tsteves5]

If the bad/tapping rocker arms are left alone long enough they can damage the cam shaft, which will result in an even higher repair bill.  Since you recently purchased this vehicle, it's possible that the cam shaft is already damaged.

 

The $1800 estimate to repair that is most likely based upon the service manual which indicates that the cam shafts must be removed in order to replace the rocker arms.  This isn't the case, and it is possible to to replace the rocker arms without pulling the cam shafts.  There are plenty of videos on YouTube that show how to do this.  I've done it myself a couple of times and the job only takes me about 2 hours plus the cost of new rocker arms and valve cover gaskets, usually just a few hundred dollars.

 

I would suggest finding a mechanic who is capable of the non-cam removal repair and have them remove the valve cover to see if the cam shaft is damaged.  Unfortunately, if it is damaged then you are looking at a costly repair bill.

 

I wouldn't worry about the brakes yet.  50% still has plenty of life remaining.

[2late4u]

replace the engine and cabin air filter yourself and only spen around 25 for both of them,,,youtube will show you on both how easy it is, brakes and rotors can wait till you notice them pulsating when you press on the brake pedal,replacing the trans fluid will cost around 350 at a dealership , and i would have the tapping noise of the rocker arms taken care of right away,,,this is off a jeep site but same engine also this also is out of your age and miles but i would check with your dodge dealership

to be sure they might still cover it for you.........

Detroit –  Good news for 2011-2013 Jeep JK Wrangler owners plagued by the left-cylinder head cracking issue.  Chrysler Group has extended the 5-year/100,000 mile warranty out to 10-years/150,000 miles on the left-cylinder head for customers who purchased a segment of the 2011-13 vehicles with 3.6-liter V-6 Pentastar engines.

In a small percentage of these engines, the left cylinder heads have failed due to excessive wear.  Chrysler will extend its 5-year / 100,000 mile engine warranty to 10 year/150,000 miles.   All other engine components will still be limited to the automaker’s 5-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty.

 According to Chrysler, around the time of a 2012 design change, approximately 7,500 engines were susceptible to the cylinder head failure.  Chysler’s spokesperson would not say whether the estimated affected engine count still holds true however Head of Quality, Doug Betts,  said that the cylinder head problem has been found in an estimated 1/2 of 1 percent of Pentastar equipped vehicles.

In 2012 Chrysler was made aware of the problem soon after customers began filing complaints of a “ticking sound” and other related issues including an illuminated check engine light.  Chrysler’s months-long investigation of the issue tracked the problem down to what they refer to as a combination of contributing factors including poor-quality fuel and specific driving conditions that resulted in excessive wear on the left cylinder head of the affected engines.  Chrysler said in a written statement about the extended warranty,  “A small percentage of these 2011-2013 model year engines may be susceptible to an engine misfire which is caused by a combination of rarely occurring factors, including drive cycle and fuel quality.”   “The issue does not disable the engine. Dealers will replace the left cylinder head with a new part with a minor design modification.”

According to Chrysler, a cylinder head design modification was made in August of 2012.  Since the design change the company says they have not had any reports of the issue happening in 3.6-liter V-6 Pentastar engines manufactured after that time.

See your dealer for details on the warranty extension.

[Mowlgi]

Thank you both tsteves5 and 2late4u, my takeaways are:

1. I need to make sure that the cam shaft has not been damaged by the bad rocker arms (the bill could be higher)
2. Find a mechanic who can do a non-cam removal repair and have them remove the valve cover to see if the cam shaft is damaged
3. Leave the breaks for now until they are pulsating
4. For the future rely on Youtube videos to make things cheaper
5. Check with the dodge dealership about the potential warranty extension on this issue (but likely not going to help since it is out of age and miles)

Let me know if I got something wrong. Thanks for the suggestions.