To date there have been over a dozen engine failures reported by forum members (failed head gaskets leading to coolant in the cylinders leading to misfires; some have cracked blocks). It would be nice to know if this is a systemic problem, or if it is related to preventable causes.
It appears most reported failures were caused by overheating. Many overheating events are caused by:
None of the reports have said anything about faulty thermostats or radiator fans, so that leaves low coolant level and faulty head gaskets, and sometimes the first leads to the other.
But I'd like to introduce another possibility:
- incorrect coolant added to the system
There are documented cases from 20 years ago of various GM head gaskets failing due to the wrong coolant used to top off the reservoir. The resulting combination of approved and unapproved coolant created a chemical combination that became deadly to head gaskets. Thousands upon thousands failed.
Could that be happening here? The Pacifica owner's manual is very specific about the kind of coolant that is supposed to be used. What happens when unauthorized coolant is used in our Pentastars?
To those who have a pretty good background on the Pentastar V-6, your thoughts and ideas would be most appreciative. Perhaps there are other possible causes of overheating that could be causing these failures.
It appears most reported failures were caused by overheating. Many overheating events are caused by:
- low coolant level
- faulty thermostat
- faulty radiator fan
- faulty head gasket
None of the reports have said anything about faulty thermostats or radiator fans, so that leaves low coolant level and faulty head gaskets, and sometimes the first leads to the other.
But I'd like to introduce another possibility:
- incorrect coolant added to the system
There are documented cases from 20 years ago of various GM head gaskets failing due to the wrong coolant used to top off the reservoir. The resulting combination of approved and unapproved coolant created a chemical combination that became deadly to head gaskets. Thousands upon thousands failed.
Could that be happening here? The Pacifica owner's manual is very specific about the kind of coolant that is supposed to be used. What happens when unauthorized coolant is used in our Pentastars?
To those who have a pretty good background on the Pentastar V-6, your thoughts and ideas would be most appreciative. Perhaps there are other possible causes of overheating that could be causing these failures.
