Let's talk about those engine failures in Pacificas?
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Without English translation, I'm guessing based on your previous post that you are letting us know of other brands that do indeed have a sensor for low coolant. As it relates to this topic, yes, it is a great idea and would certainly help folks whose Pacificas have been losing coolant spot the problem before it ran so low that it overheated beyond repair. Folks would be able to get head gaskets replaced in time to prevent such damage.
But I don't think it will help prevent a failed head gasket that is allowing the loss of coolant. We are still mystified as to why that is happening.
Both of our other cars have them.
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2018 Pacifica Touring, S package. Purchased new, now with 49K on it and I noticed coolant resevoir low, been refilling. Took it to the dealer today and apparently the radiator is cracked??? Out of warranty and they want $1,600. For it plus it's backordered 2-3 weeks. I'm shocked this isn't covered. Any suggestions @ChryslerCares
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2,126 Posts
Model Year:
2018
Gas / Hybrid:
gas
Trim:
Touring L Plus
A radiator is not part of the power train, so you would only have had 3 year 36K miles coverage for that part. You might want to check out local radiator service shops near you. Depending on where the crack is, they may even be able to fix it.
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3,325 Posts
My wife's van is a 2018 Pacifica Touring L. I have done all the routine maintenance. Other than taking the car to the dealer for sliding door wackiness and typical premature battery deaths (both batteries - 3x AUX and 2x main), it's been trouble free.
My wife loves it. I like it because, compared to her Mom's 2014 Sienna, it gets much better gas mileage and is much nicer van. I do hate the start/stop, but what can you do.
The car has never overheated. The coolant reservoir has never been below the low level mark on the reservoir. I've always used genuine Mopar MS12106 50/50 as per the sticker on the reservoir.
Just shy of 104,000 miles the CEL came on (solid) and would run rough on start up and then run flawlessly after backing out of the driveway. Code said was a misfire on cylinder 1.
Took it to the dealer and they said coolant was getting into cylinder 1. They pulled the head and said the mating surface of the engine block was out of spec and it would need a new engine.
We just got the van back today. The engine is a new (not reman) long block and per the dealer, it comes with a 2 year/unlimited mile warranty through Mopar.
Do NOT own this car without some type of drive train warranty.
My wife loves it. I like it because, compared to her Mom's 2014 Sienna, it gets much better gas mileage and is much nicer van. I do hate the start/stop, but what can you do.
The car has never overheated. The coolant reservoir has never been below the low level mark on the reservoir. I've always used genuine Mopar MS12106 50/50 as per the sticker on the reservoir.
Just shy of 104,000 miles the CEL came on (solid) and would run rough on start up and then run flawlessly after backing out of the driveway. Code said was a misfire on cylinder 1.
Took it to the dealer and they said coolant was getting into cylinder 1. They pulled the head and said the mating surface of the engine block was out of spec and it would need a new engine.
We just got the van back today. The engine is a new (not reman) long block and per the dealer, it comes with a 2 year/unlimited mile warranty through Mopar.
Do NOT own this car without some type of drive train warranty.
At some point the coolant level in reservoir must have fallen below spec for there to be coolant in the cylinder, or am I missing something here? After all, you stated you used nothing but Mopar MS12106 coolant. Was that for topping off or did you flush out and refill the coolant yourself?
I've only added a very small amount of coolant 2-3 times when doing oil changes and it was to get it to the full line, but it was never below the low line.
When it started running rough, I noticed the coolant had dropped about 1/2" from the full line and I'd never seen it that low. I topped it off only to have it drop another 1/8" in a few days, which accounted for maybe 60-90 miles of driving total. I was hoping it was just the water pump (hard to see a leak with the van's catch pan/cover) that coincided with a dying coil or plug, but no such luck.
@dcloes, I have added your userid to 2017+Pacifica Engine Failure Owner's List.
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131 Posts
How many owners feel the cause is defective head gaskets? Mopar had updated the 3.6 head gasket a few years back. Ford had similar issue back in the 90's with 3.8L engine head gaskets failing.
Ford 3.8L Head Gasket Trouble - The Center for Auto Safety
Ford 3.8L Head Gasket Trouble - The Center for Auto Safety
It makes sense that head gasket failure would be caused by a defect in the manufacturing process, but in my mind the number of failures would then be much higher. Or, maybe a defect in the head gasket doesn't manifest itself unless something else is going on, like the engine overheating due to low coolant level.
I just spoke with the service folks at the Chrysler dealer I frequent about changing out the coolant at 50k miles and 5 years on our '18. She explained that as long as I have been topping off with the approved Mopar coolant and did not use unapproved coolant, it should be good for another 5 years and another 100k miles. Well, the coolant still has the correct purplish color, it has never gotten below a 1/2 inch below the MIN line, and i have used nothing but MS12106 Mopar coolant to top it off. Fingers crossed! 🤞
My coolant was still purplish, it had never gone below the MIN line, and I had used nothing but MS12106. Just shy of 104k, coolant was getting into cylinder #1. IMO, it's a design flaw that allows the rear of the engine to overheat despite the cooling system functioning as expected.
I have a GMC truck with 250k miles and a Lexus with 230k. I like to think my attention to their maintenance has helped get me that far with them.
I noticed you purchased your 2018 used. Is it possible the previous owner or owners were not as diligent about monitoring the coolant level as you?
Previous owner was a large nationwide rental car company. Not sure of their diligence on maintenance. But it took another 70,000+ miles to exhibit any issue. I'd think that rules out an overheat issue from before we owned it?
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2 Posts
Model Year:
2017
Gas / Hybrid:
Gas
I am not able to send you a private message as it says I have to post somewhere first. I need assistance asap.
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3,325 Posts
Hello!
Our team has responded to your previous private message about an hour ago. Are you unable to access it? If so, we can send you a private message to continue our conversation.
Hannah
Chrysler Cares
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