Yeah another. I've only had this 2006 3.7L for a year. Has about 40k on the engine.
Two problems:

1) when I turn off the car the power windows still work. One time the dash digital Tachometer stayed on until i turned on/off again.
I'm guessing a short somewhere? Any idea where to start?

2) I've had a "random misfire" code three times now over the course of about 3 or 4 months. I just cleared the code the first time and it ran great after that. Then I started it up in the morning a few weeks ago and it seemed to stutter a bit at first. Then it threw the code.
I cleared the cde and took out the copper core spark plugs: all have about 5k on them, when looking down at the engine the middle plug on the right was th only one that came out with a little green corrosion and appreared to have physical damage - the ground electrode bar was slightly bent to one side and looked like the gap had gotten wider.
I replaced them all with Platinums gapped at .040 just to see if they worked better. It starts great and runs very smooth when warm now (smoother than before), but when its warm from being run and i start it back up it runs rough for awhile. And it threw another code last night, i'm guessing another misfire.
I've had to add coolant, not sure if its burning it and maybe dumping into the cylinder with the little bit of green spark plug corrosion, no white smoke coming out the exhaust.

So. I'm f'in pissed. I've had this thing for a year and spent so much darn time/money already trying to find the first coolant leak which turned out to be the water pump - which i replaced myself as well as the coolant hoses and thermostat... And now this B.S.

I have an "Extended Warranty", but they won't pay for any issues related to a bad gasket. So if i take it in and say the head gasket is leaking into that one cylinder, i'm on the hook for a lot of cash. If i try to see if it's a leaking head gasket myself i'm in for an adventure because i hear its a pain on these and it might not even be the problem.

Is it possible these two problems are coming from an electrical short only or am i looking at two seperate issues? Anyone with an experience like this?

I have th next 5 days off. I was leaving the family behind for some quiet time alone to camp and do some fly fishing. looks like i might be working on this POS instead?

Hi Boomerang, I'm no expert in these things, but here are some ideas.

1) In my '08 the power windows and radio keep working for about a minute after I turn it off, or until I open a door. Maybe your '06 is designed like that too? If you've owned it for a good while and you know this isn't it, sorry for the silly suggestion...

2) From what I've read, plain copper plugs work best for these Jeeps. I'm curious that you got the random misfire code, not the code for misfire in that one specific cylinder that you suspect might be bad. I would try replacing the plugs again with copper, and keeping an eye on that cylinder in the future. You might also try cleaning out the injectors with Lucas Oil injector cleaner or Seafoam in the next tank. These suggestions are pretty inexpensive and not too time-consuming. If they don't fix the problem, you won't be out that much money, and you can still enjoy most of your fishing weekend.

How often do you have to add coolant? Your hypothesis about the head gasket leaking into that one cylinder sounds plausible. Hopefully, it's not really doing that, especially at 40K! In my Jeep the OEM coolant is red, not green. But copper turns green when it oxidizes. Unless you have green coolant, I don't know if the green on the old copper plug would be coolant residue or just oxidation. The physical damage to the plug is a bit worrying, though. Do you know if the new platinum plug has been damaged like that, too?

Sorry the Jeep is having fits. It's frustrating!

_________________
2008 Liberty Sport 4x4 Automatic

Jeepin By Al 4" Lift Kit
BFG KO2’s 245/75R16
Full MOPAR skid plates
Rock Lizard Skink Super Sliders
AtTheHelm Front Recovery System & Roof Rack
M116A3 Trailer build thread: viewtopic.php?f=72&t=77997

Ifhoward thanks for the ideas,
It's possible about the power windows still working until you open the door, I'v enever heard of this and will give it a try today.
Also I have only had the platinums in for about 2 weeks so i've not taken them bak out. Replacing them with coppers (again) did cross my mind. That was the 3rd spark plug change in the year i've had this Jeep. The first was right when I bought it with Copper cores as recommended on this site. No damage to any of them at that time. I seafoamed the tank and intake as recommeded (very gently, didn't even puff white smoke out the exhaust) and have once or so since then used another injector/fuel system cleaner since then... After seafoaming I replaced all the plugs again. Then a few months ago got the fist code (random misfire) after i parked, waitied 15 mins at the store and restarted, it was rough for a min and the code appeared a mile down the road. After i turned off the engine and took a look under the hood to make sure i wasnt out of coolant or something immidiate (didnt know what the code wa for just then) i turned it back on and it ran like a champ so when I saw the code I thought it was maybe just a little piece of carbon or something that came loose and made its way out.
My coolant is red, the stuff these Jeeps require. The water pump went out right after I bought the Jeep (with 39k on it) and so i made sure to use all manufacturers parts and coolant.
Tomorrow I will replace the parks plugs again i think. I have heard that the plats dont work well in these, but it would surprise me that they would cause a misfire code. (I still need to verify that this one is a misfire).

Anyone else with this type of experience let me know, I need to make some decisions soon on this. If the head gasket or something is out I may take this bak to the dealership if i can and make them take it back. Its only been a year!!! (and i take very good care of my vehicles!)

edit: I have had to refill the coolant resivoir once. did that this last spark change.

My 06 the power windows will work for a minute after turned off as well

I FEEL LIKE A MORON because i went out and tried it and they do sto working after a minute. LOL

pulling the platinum's out tonight and replacing with NGK V series. Scanner says number 3 cylinder misfire this time.
loud clicking noises coming from same side of engine when warming up then goes away, running even rougher and having a harder time starting.

After a quick internet search i found someone with the same issue, same cylinder:
http://www.obd-codes.com/forums/viewtop ... d&start=15


I hope i can post the above link without being in trouble. I think i'll replace the spark plugs tomorrow, feel it out with a test drive and if that fails fall back on the extended warranty I bought. i looked around the engine compartment not sure I'm the kind of handyman that can replace this if it is a head gasket anyways.

stay "tuned"

Update:
I removed the ACDelco platinum's I put in two weeks ago and replaced with copper core NGK V series.
Two of the plats were very clean, the others were kind of dirty with two of them covered in carbon and a little bit of green corrosion. I suspect that the platinum's do not burn hot enough as the coppers do so as to burn through the carbon. The worst was cylinder #3 which was bad enough to possible impede the firing process, thus the misfire.
Since I put in the new plugs the pinging and "click-clacking" noise from that cylinder has stopped and it starts like a champ again. Idle is still slightly rough, but mostly smooth. I took the thing on a long road trip with lots of start/stops and had no problems.
I hear that the #3 cylinders on these are prone to excessive carbon and valve issues.
I also put a pint of Seafoam in the gas before i left for my trip so hopefully that will help clean it out a bit. It's been a year since i put any Seafoam through it, tough I have used HEET during the winter to help draw out moisture.

Yup, its true - platinums and these engines do NOT play well together!

Hi Boomerang, it's nice to hear the Jeep is running better with the copper core plugs. I would keep an eye on it to see how it does in the long run. One thing that I still wonder about is where the coolant is slowly going. I am not a mechanic, but I had coolant loss in my XJ a few years back and my mechanic and I worked together to identify where it was going. It seems to me like there are three possible options. 1) There could be a slow leak at a radiator seam or a hose or the radiator cap. To figure this out, you could spray everything clean up front with brake cleaner and then check later to see if/where the leak happens. 2) The head gasket could be slowly leaking coolant into the oil. Sending a sample of your oil to Blackstone Labs (http://www.blackstone-labs.com) to have it tested. This saved the engine on my XJ a few years ago, as I caught the problem before there was too much bearing damage. 3) The head gasket could be slowly leaking coolant into cylinder #3, as you suspected. I think there is some sort of compression test that could help identify this, but I don't know the details. Anyone have any experience with this sort of thing? I would suspect this if there is no leak at the radiator/hose, the oil test came back fine, and the plug in cylinder #3 gets fouled up again in the near future, this might be the culprit. Hope this helps!

_________________
2008 Liberty Sport 4x4 Automatic

Jeepin By Al 4" Lift Kit
BFG KO2’s 245/75R16
Full MOPAR skid plates
Rock Lizard Skink Super Sliders
AtTheHelm Front Recovery System & Roof Rack
M116A3 Trailer build thread: viewtopic.php?f=72&t=77997

So it ran great for a day or two, got worse and has thrown another check engine light. I guess I need to take the darn thing into a repair shop. I hope to sweet baby jesus it's not a leaking gasket because they will not cover it. The above link I posted is the same problem I'm having, so I'm hoping for that instead.

I hear it will be a fight with the extended warranty company over paying on the warranty coverage. First they send out someone to tell me they are paying for nothing, then I have to threaten a lawsuit, which I already signed away as not going to happen when I signed the paperwork. Then maybe they send out someone else a month later to decide exactly how much if anything they will pay.

Mechanic is reporting misfires on 3 cylinders and thinks the engine needs to be rebuilt. He's getting prices on parts for a repair. This Liberty has 47k miles on it.

Above, I posted this link to some info on a service bulletin for these engines: http://www.obd-codes.com/forums/viewtop ... d&start=15


I brought it to their attention when i brought the Jeep in because the service Bulletin describes the problem on Cylinder 3 I was having, exactly.
Unfortunately it looks like the issue spread to some other cylinders as well. He says the valves are not closing completely and the valve stems or push rods are bent.

I've never had car issues before outside of a bad thermostat that had to be dealer replaced because of the location and that was on my wifes Saturn Vue. Thus, I have little experience with shops when it comes to my own cars, but being that this place has been in business since 1947 or something rediculous like that, has good online reviews and the people seem ok, I'm going to trust their experience on this one.

I authorized the $2890.00 tear down and in a couple days an "adjuster" from the extended warranty place is going to the shop to verify that it's what they say it is. If its normal wear and tear (yea right), they will deny the payment. if it proves to be an accurate assessment in that the engine basically broke, they will pay for it, eventually.

Wow. I've got 160,000 on my 05 Liberty and this just started happening. First was the misfire (but #2 cyl), then I put in plat plugs (which I am going to replace right away) and then it overheated. Replaced the water pump, the thermostat (acted like a thermostat issue but at 160k I thought what the hell). Then it still ran hot so I pulled the radiator and found out it was 70% clogged. Replaced the radiator and all was well for two weeks then the misfire happened again. Runs rough at start up then levels out.

Then my wife pulls in the drive and I see water pissing out from the new radiator. Pulled it out and took it back and am getting it replaced under warranty and my radiator guy says it looks like a pressure problem blew it out and I may have a head gasket leak allowing compression gases into the coolant system. Hmmmmm, wouldn't the recovery tank handle the extra pressure though? darn I hate to tear into this thing. Its been rock solid for this long.

_________________
Jack Sharp
2005 Jeep Liberty Limited
1990 Mazda B2200
1874 Suzuki TTR250 (project - under renovations)

Called the shop to get my warranty number since i gave them all the paperwork i have for my extended warranty. Wanted to start calling the warranty place and hassel them until the "adjuster" showed his booty up at the repair shop.
Mechanic says he now thinks it's not the valves, but a blown head gasket instead. The warranty does not cover this. Anyone know how much a fair price for this would be?

The adjuster showed up and said they won't cover it. Both head gaskets are blown. Maybe get it done today..who knows...

Finally picked it up last night,
they took 20% off the bill for it taking so long, so i paid $1800 for both head gaskets, cooland and oil.

So now that it's "fixed" with new head gaskets, oil and coolant... it seems to be idling rougher than it had before it blew the heads. gar!