2006 Wrangler, slight knocking issues

[djmoore85]

knocks when cold, until the engine gets to 180 + degrees then the knock goes away. Best heard under or beside jeep, not the top end. Chrysler tech told me it was common for the 4.0, is this true? Any help or suggestions appreciated.

[wrigley123]

Originally Posted by djmoore85

knocks when cold, until the engine gets to 180 + degrees then the knock goes away. Best heard under or beside jeep, not the top end. Chrysler tech told me it was common for the 4.0, is this true? Any help or suggestions appreciated.

Sorry to hear you are having problems. I have a 2006 Wrangler Unlimited
4.0L automatic that currently has 18,000 miles on it. I have been the sole owner of this Jeep and have never had a engine knock issue. I have had an issue with the engine idle from the day I bought it. At times the motor's idle drops so low you sense that it is going to die out. The first time I had it in for that they told me one of my spark plugs was bad and changed it. The problem never really got any better. Each time I have taken it in for that problem since, they tell me they cannot find anything wrong!!!!!

[Ray H]

Originally Posted by djmoore85

knocks when cold, until the engine gets to 180 + degrees then the knock goes away. Best heard under or beside jeep, not the top end. Chrysler tech told me it was common for the 4.0, is this true? Any help or suggestions appreciated.

What does the tech mean by "common"? Does he mean its a "common" problem, as in "he knows what the problem is and is going to fix it, or does he mean "common" as in its normal and not a problem?
I hate that word "common" when used to justify not fixing a problem.
If you feel the knock is not normal, take it back and tell that tech that if its such a "common" thing, it should be easy for him to fix.
I cant tell you if the knock is a problem or not over my computer. I will say that if its something that has suddenly developed, its probably not normal, especially on a low mileage engine. Take another 4.0 Jeep for a test drive and see if it makes the same sounds under the same conditions. Sometimes the best way to isolate (or prove) a noise is through comparison to a Jeep thats not making the noise.
Get everything in writing. Every visit should have paperwork with it. Youve already done the hard part, the tech has recognized the noise by stating that it is "common". Make sure you get that comment in writing so 60000 miles from now, when its out of warranty and the engine throws a rod, youve got evidence of a preexisting claim that shouldve been handled within the warranty period. If you can get them to put it in writing that they recognize a problem but refuse to fix it under warranty and something related occures to that engine down the road, youve pretty much got a free ride if you are willing to fight for it.
You dont need to be nasty about asking them to put everything in writing. Just tell them matter of factly that you want the event recorded so if something happens in the future, there is a record of it, they should create a repair order even if all they do is test drive it and you should get a copy.

[djmoore85]

Ppreciate the info, I actually posted this on behalf of a friend stationed here. I'll pass it on to him and let him know what needs to be done. Thanx again

[athame1983]

I have a 2006 wrangler 4.0 and have experienced similar problems. The vehicle also makes a slight rattling noise when cold along with the knocking. When I brought it up to the dealership, they also assured me that this problem was normal and was to be expected with jeeps. I have generally had a bad experience with this vehicle and would never buy a Jeep again as it's been one problem after another and the dealership mechanics are extremely unhelpful. Sorry I can't help you further....

[Ray H]

Originally Posted by athame1983

I have a 2006 wrangler 4.0 and have experienced similar problems. The vehicle also makes a slight rattling noise when cold along with the knocking. When I brought it up to the dealership, they also assured me that this problem was normal and was to be expected with jeeps. I have generally had a bad experience with this vehicle and would never buy a Jeep again as it's been one problem after another and the dealership mechanics are extremely unhelpful. Sorry I can't help you further....

I have three Jeeps and have had really good luck with all of them (knock wood). I understand it when people get frustrated though. Before you write Jeep vehicles off, you should consider if its the vehicle thats the problem, or the dealership thats the problem. Ive been so frustrated with dealers in the past that now, I absolutely do not put up with any crap. It helps that I was a warranty manager for a dealership a number of years ago and Ive always worked on my own vehicles when I can, so I know the deal with warrantys and I know Jeeps pretty well. I can stand in the tech or service writers face and call BS with confidence in most situations.
My feeling is that the warranty is part of the vehicle. Its a condition or agreement of sale and has to be honored, otherwise, why would we pay so much for new vehicles.
It burns me to see someone pay $30000 for a vehicle and warranty and end up with a vehicle that doesnt work as it should, and on top of that, a warranty that doesnt work as it ahould.
Theres a story behind my strong feelings concerning warranty issues, I wont go into it unless Im asked to, except to say that at one point in time I was the bad guy whos job it was to come up with excuses to NOT fix peoples vehicles. That job didnt last long for me.

[athame1983]

I don't know, I decided to buy this jeep because I also own a 1995 wrangler that i've had for years and has never given me problems. I've brought the new one to 2 different dealerships to get fixed because there is also a steering problem and I haven't had any luck. This last one had my car over night and put 100 miles on it and tried to deny it! I don't really know what to do besides take it to another dealership.

[scoobytuff]

I have owned 5 jeeps all of them 4.0 sixes. They have all to some extent had this "knock" My current Jeep has 144,000 miles on it and has done this since I bought it with 60,000 miles. I have not heard many Jeeps that don't do it.

[athame1983]

Honestly, I don't think that there is any excuse for a brand new $25,000 car to have these issues. My mother also bought a 2006 4.0 wrangler at the same time and has not had this experience. Of course, when buying a car with 60,000 miles on it you would expect this sort of thing but certainly not at 0...

[scoobytuff]

I agree, there really is no excuse for a vehicle to make those kinds of sounds when new. I have in the past bought new Cherokees with 0 miles that did the same thing from the start. The Jeep I own now just happens to be the only one I have owned that had that many miles. My Dad used to sell used cars and of the Jeeps he had most of them knocked like this, all of them ran really strong and some had over 200,000 miles. My point is that while this is an annoyance the motor will probably still live a pretty long life. I hate the way mine sounds in the morning but I do like my Jeep. There is really no simple fix for this problem short of trading it in for a different car. Jeeps just make noise, they are crude vehicles compared to most, and up until this year their engines were based on a decades old design.

[djmoore85]

I appreciate all the responses. My friend took it to the dealership last week, and there happened to be a Chrysler rep there at the time, apparently enough issues and complaints came down about this particular one to have Chrysler send a rep to check it out. He also had a problem with his rear-end, it had to be rebuilt at 7,000 miles due to it being too tight. It had actually ran so hot it burned the paint right off the diff cover. Then at 9,000 he had me look at it for a noise and I found the axles in the back had about a 1/2" of playwhere they would actually slide outwards and make a popping noise. So he got to speak face-to-face with the rep and hopefully it will all get resolved. It's sad to me, I owned a 94 YJ and never had any issues, it ran strong. I've heard of quite a few issues with the later models that have come out. Thanx again everyone

[AZLugz]

Wow, interesting stuff. I have an '06 unlimited and all is fine with mine too, guess I am lucky!!!

I did have paint bubbling on the hood in three places the size of a quarters, they said it was prolly bird crap, the Jeep had less that 5K on it. Corporate told them not to fix it till they found out we were in the middle of a deal on a Hemi Commander limited, then they auth. the repaint!!!!