2008 JKU Overheat and Won’t Start

J

JGG

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Joined
Sep 10, 2021
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5
Location
Illinois
2008 JKU overheated and now it won’t start. After cooling down, tried starting and I get one click and nothing. Any advice is appreciated.
 
Have you tried to turn the engine over with a breaker bar using the crankshaft bolt? It could be locked up.
 
BLACKJKU said:
Have you tried to turn the engine over with a breaker bar using the crankshaft bolt? It could be locked up.
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This is my fear- I did and I couldn’t turn it. I’m new to Jeep’s and am not sure how easy it should turn over with serpentine and plugs in. Going to try with plugs out and see. Question- if it did eat itself, should I get much more obvious signs? I have no leaks, no oil coming out exhaust, and engine oil looks good. If it seized I would have expected signs of catastrophic engine failure.
 
I know the cylinder heads are aluminum but not sure of the block, from what I heard it doesn't take much to ruin a aluminum engine.

How hot did it get? I can turn a 6 cyl diesel engine over by hand and it has more compression then these engines do. If you can't turn it over with the plugs out then i'd say the engine is done for.
 
BLACKJKU said:
I know the cylinder heads are aluminum but not sure of the block, from what I heard it doesn't take much to ruin a aluminum engine.

How hot did it get? I can turn a 6 cyl diesel engine over by hand and it has more compression then these engines do. If you can't turn it over with the plugs out then i'd say the engine is done for.
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It got hot- temp gauge was pegged out and when I got out to look under the engine for an oil leak, the exhaust manifolds were glowing. My wife was driving (we had the top and doors off) and we’re on the freeway doing 70 mph. When she pulled off the side of the road, she noticed that the shifter was in 2 but doesn’t remember how it got there. Now I believe that driving in 2 at 70 can definitely destroy an engine, but I can’t imagine 70 is possible in 2 and you wouldn’t notice. With top off I didn’t hear high rpm and she didn’t notice any driving difference.
 
JGG said:
It got hot- temp gauge was pegged out and when I got out to look under the engine for an oil leak, the exhaust manifolds were glowing. My wife was driving (we had the top and doors off) and we’re on the freeway doing 70 mph. When she pulled off the side of the road, she noticed that the shifter was in 2 but doesn’t remember how it got there. Now I believe that driving in 2 at 70 can definitely destroy an engine, but I can’t imagine 70 is possible in 2 and you wouldn’t notice. With top off I didn’t hear high rpm and she didn’t notice any driving difference.
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That doesn't sound good.
 
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I agree. In her panic to get over to the side of the road and after the engine died, I think she somehow shifted into 2nd. I believe if we were going 70 in 2nd, the rpms and level of need accelerator pedal would have been noticeable. We noticed nothing out of the ordinary until my wife heard the clunk followed by a dead engine
 
JGG said:
It got hot- temp gauge was pegged out and when I got out to look under the engine for an oil leak, the exhaust manifolds were glowing. My wife was driving (we had the top and doors off) and we’re on the freeway doing 70 mph. When she pulled off the side of the road, she noticed that the shifter was in 2 but doesn’t remember how it got there. Now I believe that driving in 2 at 70 can definitely destroy an engine, but I can’t imagine 70 is possible in 2 and you wouldn’t notice. With top off I didn’t hear high rpm and she didn’t notice any driving difference.
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Sounds like you need a new long block :( That engine sounds cooked !!!
 
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