3.8 Noise

[M. Bright]

Are 3.8 motors normally a little noisy?
Just curious this is my 1st one.
It seems a little noisier than other motors I had experience with. Thanks.

 

[BLACKJKU]

Not sure what your meaning by noisy, mine is really quiet compared to my 12v Cummins.

 

[John Cooper]

When I first got my 08 JKU a couple of months ago, it had a slight noise. I couldn't pinpoint it due to poor hearing.

It started getting louder and i knew it was a pulley type noise. So I removed the serpentine belt and checked all the pulleys and found the water pump had a slight noise, not like I was hearing with the Jeep running.

Made me think timing chain, with 214xxx miles on it.

So with the belt off I fired up the engine and wow...... normal engine running.

Went and bought a water pump, replaced it and its been quite ever since.

 

[pc1p]

The 3.8L is certainly noisier than the later 3.6L and other modern V6 engines, but I wouldn't say it's a particularly loud engine (we have 2 in the house!). They are known for having issues with the exhaust manifold studs, which can make it a bit noisy, especially on start-up.