Service Bay
JEEP WRANGLER JK 3.8 V6
Rob Hawkins visits independent Jeep specialist Hargreaves Garage to discover what’s involved in servicing the JK generation of the popular Wrangler.
Manufactured between 2007 and 2018, the third generation of the American Jeep Wrangler is a purposeful off-roader with front and rear live axles, each controlled by leading or trailing upper and lower links, a Panhard rod, anti-roll bar, coil springs and telescopic dampers. The vehicle we’re servicing is owned by independent Jeep specialist Hargreaves Garage of Keighley in West Yorkshire. It’s powered by a 3800cc V6 petrol engine and mated to an automatic gearbox. Proprietor Phil Boocock has owned the vehicle since 2013 and uses it both on and off-road, so he has not only kept up with servicing and rustproofing, but has also added a few upgrades, including adjustable telescopic dampers at all four corners, ARB front and rear diffs and LED exterior lighting.
Overall, the Wrangler is a straightforward vehicle to service, but at nearly two tons and a little over 1.8m wide and tall and almost 4.2m long, it’s quite a large vehicle to work around. Fortunately, thanks to a generous amount of ground clearance, the servicing work we’ve shown can be conducted on the floor, or by raising the vehicle a little with drive-on ramps.
Equipment required
› jack › axle stands (or ramp) › oil trays › oil filter wrench/strap › 13mm socket › 16mm spark plug socket › 8mm and 10mm Hex/Allen key bits › screwdrivers › pry bar › battery tester or multimeter › spray grease › petroleum jelly › tyre pump/gauge › torch › torque wrench › clean measuring jug › brake pad thickness gauge › Vernier calipers › antifreeze hydrometer › brake fluid tester › oil pump
1 TOP-UP COOLANT
There’s a coolant expansion tank behind the radiator. Check the level inside (it’s a translucent tank so can be checked by looking at the side of it) and top-up if necessary. This engine has a small coolantng-up every few months.
2 TEST COOLANT
It’s worthwhile checking the freezing and cooling capacity of the coolant using an antifreeze hydrometer (not so relevant if you’ve just topped-up the coolant),so extract some from the expansion tank. If the tank has leak from around the inlet m
