2014 grand cherokee oil filter housing

TL:DR: I gave this part a fair chance and it failed catastrophically after 12,000 miles. After replacing this part with a Mopar version, I found this aftermarket park skipped applying Red threadlocker on the bolts that hold the metal heat exchanger to the plastic housing and as a result all of the bolts rattled loose, intermittently spraying engine oil everywhere as I drove about. After you buy some Locktite Red and better seals for the bottom of the housing, you could have found the Mopar version for the same price online. And even if you take my advice and build this part up to spec, the plastic is hard and brittle out of the package. Read the top half of my review to see cross listing numbers to get the lower cost version of this part that is compatible with nearly all Pentastar I engines. But steer clear of this.

With an impact driver to speed up unfastening the intakes, you'll need 2.5-3 hours to swap this. Read my review for install directions and a detailed lost of tools. To start, you'll need a vacuum pump or canister, shop towels, E8 external torx, 8 and 10 MM sockets and ratchet, 3 and 6 inch ratchet extensions, 13 MM deep well socket, 10mm wrench (ratcheting works best) TORQUE WRENCH, hook pick, long flat head screwdriver, drain pans, funnels and tunes up grease, hose clamp tool (I like the pneumatic type with the wire and lock) and T30 torx socket.

Update Final: 5-4-20: Thought that maybe the aftermarket seals may have failed, but no. This part was leaking 2 quarts of oil for every 6 hours of engine run time.

Before throwing this thing in the garbage, I took a closer look at the part to try to understand why it failed. There was a cracked plastic bit on th he side, but the crack wasn't where any of the oil passages were. Ok, not great but fine. Just before I take it to the dumpster, I took out my socket wrench and a T30 torx socket and went to open the metal cooler housing and I found the likely culprit--the bolts holding the cooler to the plastic filter housing were FINGER TIGHT. I unscrewed all of the bolts with just the T30 socket in my hand, no leverage tool needed. After lifting the cooler I could see clearly the oil soaked on top of the outer edge of the passage gaskets and atop one of the bolt receivers. Since this device is supposed to operate under pressure, I figure that the loose cooler sprayed oil almost as if it wasnt attached at all.

I still had the Dodge cooler that failed that began my misery. I took the T30 and my ratchet and I needed to use great effort to back a heat exchanger bolt out and I figured out why the bolt was resisting--the Mopar version put Locktite Red on their bolts. This cheap replacement replacement had no threadlocker of any kind any where.

So, yeah, it's not worth it to save $25 or $50, not on a part this critical. If not for the pandemic, this much downtime would have crippled my budget. By Mopar and be donr with it.

Update 2, 4-11-20 : Cooler has already failed. In my repair log, I changed this part in at 121,000 miles and it's dead at 142,600 miles, and these were mostly highway miles.

Did an oil change this day and only drew out 4 quarts. Can see the oil pooled up in the engine valley all over again. Sent a message to the seller for the "lifetime warranty" and got no reply. It will still be a major pain but with the experience of changing the first one, I should be able to swap this with a Mopar OEM version in short order.

Here is another tip: this part is hella crosslisted because Mopar charges more money for the same part based on the model of vehicle it goes in. The series of numbers listed in the product description are for Jeeps and Dodge sedans and coupes with the 3.6L Pentastar. I had saved the old, factory cooler I pulled out of the van and compared the part number: 68310865AB is the most current revision, and the OEM listing is actually much cheaper (60-70 percent) than 68105583AF, and they are the same exact part (which is why this seller used this part number but is selling the part as fitting other applications with the 3.6 engine. So for about $150, you can buy the Mopar OE version of this part and save a headache.

I use my van to feed my family and we are in the middle of an unprecedented emergency. A "lifetime" warranty is worth squat, whether its honored or not, if the part is only good for a hand full of months or miles.

Update 1: 6,000 miles and first oil change done since cooler swap. Leak is gone and the new housing has performed as expected thus far. Mix of city and suburb driving and nearly 4,000 cross continental winter road trip from Chicago to Vegas and back again. On that trip, saw temps as low as zero degrees F to 72 F. I will keep updating until this unit fails or I pull it out for preemptive retirement. I still plan on changing the O rings annually or every 80-100,000 miles because I think the older vehicles should have coolant flushed and changed every 100,000 miles or so. Since I have all the tools and know-how already, I can probably do the swap much faster the second time around.

So it was my turn for the dreaded 3.6L Pentstar oil leak down the transmission housing, in my case a 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan. If you have an oil or engine coolant leak running down the transmission on the drivers side (inverse mounting) or down the back (linear mounting as in the Wrangler and Charger), this is what is broken. If your car is past 80,000 miles and out of warranty, go ahead and buy the whole housing. This is because the lower half is made of all plastic with rubber seals that need the aluminum block of the engine. The factory one I pulled out had machining ports that were bulging outward, which was rather abnormal. So definitely treat this a wear item.

As to this part, I've never heard of this company. But this part is a piece of complex engineering and will fail on nearly every Pentastar on the road. Additionally, Mopar does not specifically list companies that are the original supplier of their parts (Chrysler, like most auto companies designs parts for cars but outsources the building of those parts.) What I figured is that this manufacturer either acquired the schematics for the housing or is likely a supplier to Mopar itself because this part takes many service hours to change and is a critical engine component--if it is made too cheap, it will fail prematurely and everyone will complain to AZN. The new part feels as sturdy and heavy as the one I pulled out. This part, as the factory original, uses rupper seals. The failed factory unit's seals were rock hard. I figured that the value the aftermarket can squeeze out of building this thing is from the seals and the two sensors installed with the unit. I went ahead and swapped the seals from this replacement housing with a package from Fel-Pro, ES-73012. The Fel-Pro seals have a silicone blended rubber that should take the abuse of sitting on top of the engine block better than the rubber seals used here. NOTE: if you examine the cooler upon delivery, you will notice that one of the 5 mounting studs does not have a metal collar like the other 4. This is normal as specified by a Mopar revision some time ago. Also, this part came with a new filter, and the O-ring for the filter housing and 2 of the seals on the bottom were lined with of fresh oil, as specified by Mopar. Time will tell, but I drive an Uber so I'll know sooner than most if my gamble with the aftermarket is a fail or not. Watch this space.

The new part fit snug and firm into its port mounts. Only issue was with the larger, grey colored sensor connector. The connector here is a micron or so fatter than the wire that plugs into it. I used dieletric grease to impede water intrusion and plastic fusion, aligned the male and female ends along the index and pushed firmly and carefully until it clicked together. Install the coolant hose, then the sensors wires, then the cooler, filter side first as the port there is angled. Once you align that angle and seat firmly, the cooler can then settle in only one way or else the 5 mounting bolt holes wont align. USE A TORQUE WRENCH to secure the 5 E8 bolts to the engine block.

If you are researching the fix for this, here's a brief write up. There is a great video by Fix it Angel on YouTube changing this out on a Town and Country van that you should study and commit to memory before attempting this repair. If you are used to fixing your own cars, this is not so much hard as it is tedious. Additionally, general maintainence items that are doable whilst your intake assembly is removed will take longer than swapping out the cooler. I'll explain:

To do this work, make sure you have the following on hand:

-8 MM deep, 10 MM regular and deep sockets. For the Pentastar, I think 1/4 drive ratchets are more useful in the tight confines. You'll need these to unbolt the intake plenums, air hose worm clamps and etc.

-T25 and T30 Torx sockets (torx bits are designed to fail, so have at least two of each size, especially the T30, on hand in case you destroy one.)

-6, 12 and 16 inch extensions

-Razor blade for scraping the AL block where the lower intake seals meet.

-WD-40 with the metal flex straw for cleaning everything, especially seats and mating areas for seals.

-CRC or equivalent throttle body cleaner (the electronic throttle attaches with 4 bolts, easily removable from the intake and easier to clean after its removed. There is a seal between the throttle body and the intake plenum, if its healthy you can reuse it. Use CRC and WD-40 to clean plastic intake components.

- Stubby flathead screwdriver (to open radiator petcock (left loosey).

-Long solid core flat head "demolition" screwdriver (should be a mainstay in your toolkit, but you need this here to assist in carefully pushing plastic wiring connectors loose, opening the heater block air bleed valve (passenger side of engine atop the thermostat. Use a cloth rag to catch leaking coolant to keep it away from fan belt)

-Metal drybar to remove plastic fasteners (another mainstay tool, needed here to remove wire harness clips to minimize breakage (note: you WILl break some wire clips, zip ties are the answer for when you do)

-External torx size E8-to unbolt and install the oil cooler. I bought a deep version in 1/4 drive and a normal one in 3/8ths, didn't need the 3/8ths version at all.

**Torque wrench-dont even thing about working on this engine without one. The block is Aluminum and everything else is plastic. Write down the proper torque specs to reference for reassembly. After a successful repair and 100 hours of engine run time, check torque of intake assembly because it can loosen up. I recommend a 1/4 drive or a reliable digital version, both small enough to keep in a vehicle-specific tool kit.

-Look on AZN for a 4 size ratcheting wrench by Gear Wrench in the sizes of 8-10-12-13 MM. This will remove 4 10 MM nuts and a 13 MM stud from the upper intake with ease.

-5 LB teloscoping magnetic retrieval tool (use to keep from dropping nuts into the abyss, or pick up what you do drop)

-Blue shop towels, for cleaning and to plug the intake holes to keep debris out!

-Locking pliers or pneumatic hose clamp (to remove tension band from oil cooler)

-Hose picks, to remove hoses without destroying them

-thumb twist worm clamps of varying sizes (to extend life of old hoses where they meet openings if the fit is too lose. Thumb twist will keep you from cracking the housings because you really do not need much force to secure the hose to the fitting)

-Something to vacuum liquid (I use a pump vacuum container). The valley where the cooler lives can trap nearly a quart of fluid before leaking visibly. I used the narrow straw on the vacuum jug to clear the valley and drain the exposed block ports of their liquid so as to minimize cross contamination.

-New oil cooler comes with a filter. Have the correct weight of a quality synthetic oil on hand for refilling. I like to start my filters with fresh oil , but especially in this case as you will have drained the block of all of its fluids during the repair.

-Radiator fill funnel, to bleed as you fill. Refilling the radiator will take FOREVER without this funnel. I used the one from Ares which had a radiator cap to fit Chrysler products.

-If your coolant is old or discolored, buy fresh coolant. You'll want 3 gallons on hand. I recommend you stick with Mopar and buy it here cheap on AZN. The aftermarket "compatible" stuff is not that much cheaper honestly, and the aluminum and plastic radiator will leak if the wrong cooling is used. The aluminum engine block can also corrode.

-I choose to do a partial system flush with 2.5 gallons of distilled water. The Pentastar flush procedure is drain old coolant from radiator, drain coolant from reservoir (I used a vacuum pump), fill radiator with distilled water, run engine to operating temp with a heater's on full hot, highest fan speed. This will open the thermostat and allow the distilled water to dilute the coolant in the heater core, and flush out your new oil cooler. You will need to open the core bleeder valve to let trapped air escape so that the distilled water can flow fully through the system. Once a few minutes have passed with the engine at operating temp, shut down and CAREFULLY open radiator petcock to drain out the coolant-distailled water mix. The service procedure needs you to flush with distilled H20 3 times. I didn't have any solids in my old coolant and I drained out at 120,000 miles, so I did one flush. After water flush, secure drain petcock-not too tightly as its fitted to a plastic housing, and refill with coolant. Old coolant may bubble up into radiator fill funnel as system balances out, pour contaminated coolant out of the funnel and reload with fresh coolant. You're done when engine temp is at the normal reading on your dashboard. If the needle is running slightly high, you likely still have an air bubble in the system, use the bleeder valve. This is the longest part of the cooler replacement by far.

-While you're here, you can do your spark plugs quickly, and the intake seals. Fel-Pro has silicone blended ones here on AZN. You'll need 12, 6 upper and 6 lower. Fel-Pro packs will have the 12 you need. Clean gadget seats with WD-40 to ensure a proper seal.

-Bonus job: if careful, you DO NOT need to remove the fuel rail from the injectors on the lower intake assembly on some installations if you have enough fuel hose to move the intake away from the engine valley. If you want though, you can unbolt the fuel rail and firmly pull the injectors out of the lower intake. The injector seals are color coded (blue upper, red lower) and remove easily with a hook pick. I didn't have new seals on hand so I cleaned the old ones with WD-40 and inspected each injector, spraying them with throttle body cleaner to freshen them up. Push accurately and firmly to reseat injector into lower intake. Fuel rail has index points so that the injectors can only fit on the rail one way. Once properly rotated and seated, you will see that the electrical connections will all angle in the same direction on each cylinder row. Use torque wrench to tighten to spec once you have properly seated all 6 injectors. The fuel rail is made of cheap plastic and will not stand up to abuse. Use care around it.

-Lastly, I use dielectric tune up grease on all electrical connectors to keep water out and make the next repair faster without breakage.

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