Jeep 3.8L Oil Pressure Problem
Many late model 3.8L Jeep engines are losing oil pressure at the oil pump due to failure of the bypass valve. This results in destruction of not only the crank- shaft, but the connecting rods. To fix the problem, you need to find the bypass valve inside the plastic timing cover. To get to the valve, you need to disassemble the cover and remove the oil pump. Chrysler sells an upgraded bypass valve made of metal instead of plastic, which solves the problem, helping your engine build go farther in the long run. My machine shop customers also tell me that replacing the late-model rods with the earlier forged rods will help make the engine more durable. There may be modifications required to make the early rods fit in the late engine.

Roy Maloney
Engine & Performance Warehouse
Houston, TX
November, 2013