# 2009 4.0L vs 2011 3,6L



## kalebcarter (Jan 14, 2015)

My wife and I are currently looking at Routans. We have found a 2009 with the 4.0L and a 2011 with the 3.6L. We have had some bad luck with vehicles being unreliable and don't want to make that mistake again. If everything else were the same, which engine would you choose? I have owned the 4.0L in an old Jeep Cherokee and people say it's one of the best of all time, but I know the 3.6L is much newer, but just how reliable is it? Thanks in advance!


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## Zambee500 (Jun 23, 2011)

I'd go with an 2011 all other things being equal. Most of the trouble-spots on the Routan are issues shared across model years and less engine-specific, such as the brake rotors warping and the Y-diverter on the coolant line cracking. Sliding door issues. Those sorts of things. Same transmissions. The 2009 was essentially a continuation of the 2008 Chrysler run, so more like a 1st year vehicle with those types of teething problems. By '11 (or '12) you have better odds that those problems were worked out in assembly, and with a 2011 you also have a better chance of avoiding the brake rotor warping problems. (2012 with the larger brakes would be even better.)

The Chrysler 4.0L V6 is different motor than the Jeeps that had the AMC 4.0L straight-6. Nothing related. The Chrysler V6 is based on the 3.5L motor, which did have some problems early on in the 1990s. But as far as I know by the time they increased size/power to 4.0L Chrysler had gotten it to be fairly reliable. It is known for using oil a bit - I add a half to full quart between oil changes - but that seems consistent and just the 'personality' of this engine (and it doesn't have the severe oil problems the 3.8L are known for). It also has a timing belt (a plus in my view) that needs to be replaced at 102k miles, so if you go with it just know you have a pretty big scheduled maintenance event at 102k miles. While the 4.0L EPA figures show pretty good fuel efficiency (better than the smaller 3.8L), those numbers are overly optimistic. This motor guzzles gas in city driving and I'd be surprised if you even reached the city MPG rating in 50/50 mixed driving. We usually get somewhere between 15-17mpgs with mixed driving and we've gotten <15 mpg on a few tanks where we had a lot of rush hour type of driving. It does great cruising at interstate speeds though - 25-26 MPGs is very doable if you run a full tank at cruising speed. But any acceleration/braking/acceleration really takes a particularly bad hit in fuel efficiency with this vehicle/motor pairing.

The 3.6L Pentastar motor was fairly new in 2011 and had some early teething problems in other Chryco vehicles, like the Jeep Wrangler, but I haven't heard or read that the minivans were really affected so Chryco may've corrected the problems before they rolled that motor out in the minivans. It does have 4 chains, which scares me a little bit. But overall it's got more power and better fuel efficiency and AFAIK a pretty good history so far. Time will tell how durable it is after getting past 100k or 150k miles though.


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## kalebcarter (Jan 14, 2015)

Thanks for the info Zambee500, I think we have decided to go with an 2011 or 2012 with the 3.6L. Seems to be a solid engine so far. Now to decided on colors and options haha.


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## Zambee500 (Jun 23, 2011)

kalebcarter said:


> I think we have decided to go with an 2011 or 2012 with the 3.6L.


Well, as long as I'm spending your money go with a 2012. Sometime during the MY2012 production run the brakes were beefed up with the Dodge R/T version. Chryco went to dual piston calipers and noticeably larger rotors. The rotor warping problems are so bad on the smaller ones that you may want to look for the larger brakes. There are some threads here with pics of the differences if you search.


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## cccjrsbox (Feb 9, 2012)

We have a 2009 with a 4.0, about 44k miles now. Motor is good and strong. Brakes and fuel economy are my biggest complaints. Brakes/rotors in front and rear fully replaced 3 times each under original warranty. Aftermarket gear works great though (local firestone shop). Mileage hwy = 26, City = 15, for my wife anyway - but she is constant velocity challenged. Everything else solid as a rock.


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