Jeep 392 Fail

[AlloyPony]

the 392 is not bulletproof and that dude that got over 300k miles had some repairs done to reach that mileage, namely the rocker arm failures. my nephew had a 392 and every time he went to car meets and shows, all anyone talked about was if they had the rocker arms fail yet and how much did it cost to fix. its all over any forum that uses the failure prone arms, and the 392 got them.

you can google it, there is class action lawsuit because of those rocker arms.

i looked at the gladiators and that is how i found out about it.

It is bulletproof, and he has had no repairs to the engine.

Also, the 392 in my car has 80k miles of hard use with zero issues or repairs so far.

Lastly, there are countless 6.4/392 engines in work truck fleets all over America that get beat on daily and have very high mileage on them.

The modern Hemi is one of the best engines ever made, and they are backed up by the best transmissions money can buy. The main issue with the 392 Jeeps is that they used the clutch-based transfer cases in them, and those are garbage because they overheat very easily.

The "Hemi tick" on the 5.7L started after FCA began to spec oil that was too thin for the engine in a quest to score points on EPA certification. You never heard about it when 5W30 and 5W40 oils were spec'd. But after they dropped it to 0W20 with no changes to engine internals, then obviously the valvetrains got noisy. On a new 5.7L Hemi, the tick is easily cured by switching to proper oil viscosity. Sadly, too many people let dealers and shop do their oil changes, which keeps 0W20 in the crankcase, and eventually it wipes out the cams and/or lifters on some trucks.

I've had 5.7L engines with over 100k miles and zero issues or ticks....because I do my own maintenance and don't use watery oils.

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[Lion77]

2012 3.5L reached 300,000 miles | Page 2 | F150 Ecoboost Forum

Even with poor maintenance, most engines nowadays will go 100k. Between 200k - 300k is a more long-term benchmark.

My wife's 2018 CX-9 is only 7 years old and just passed 125k miles....no issues either, doesn't use any oil etc.

I think the issues with the Hemi's isn't so much design but quality control from the parts vendors. That's where Ford outdoes their two domestic competitors, volumes and average quality.

You can find horror stories from every auto maker, including Toyota's. Just gotta look at the whole picture and of the domestic brands, Dodge / Jeep / Chrysler is the worse of the big 3.

Doesn't mean everything they make is garbage, you'll find people with Dodge / Chryslers that lasted 250k (like my parents cheapo Dodge Avenger that just passed 240k, but it's had a lot of home repair work on stupid things like the cooling system etc., body is rusted beyond repair now etc.). But, it will hit 250k soon!

I still wouldn't buy one lol.

 

[JPJr70]

Had a Wrangler 392 for a short while but sold it shortly after I got it when the market was crazy during 2021.
Fun, but even in the short time I owned it, the driver seat manual height adjuster locked up.
I'm in a 2024 Rubicon 4xe now. Love it, but it's been nothing but problems.
After fighting with Jeep for 8 months, they finally agreed to buy it back.
So here I am looking for a replacement.
Another Jeep, but the 3.6L?
RR?
4 runner?
The more you look, the more trouble you find with everything!

 

[Lion77]

The RR is a driver's truck, through and through. You won't find the overall handling / powertrain package in a Jeep in this price range (392 Jeep is way more expensive, compare that to a F-150 Raptor R).

If 4x4 trails is your thing, the RR is good, but not the best without mods because it's more rally focused for speed / handling dynamics than sheer ground clearance / articulation. That's what I like about it.

It has good approach, departure, breakover and clearances, but not he best if your pushing crawling / rough trails. But nothing else in it's price range comes close to the handling dynamics and powertrain.

With just a Pro Cal ECU flash, there's quite a few hitting mid to low 13 second quarter miles. Even stock it was considerably faster than all the other mid-size trucks and Jeeps in its price range. That's really the core nature of the RR, it's the sporty one in family.

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