[Grayrider84]

Actually, in my case what the "Official Mopar" indicated above makes sense in my particular case (2018 Compass.) On long trips, several hundred miles on Interstate Highways at steady 70 mph, no oil consumption noted. Doing same or shorter distance around town (over several weeks), with suburban type "stop and go" traffic, is where I note my oil consumption. (Luckily, nowhere near the FCA "allowable" 1000 miles per quart threshold.) In conversations with my dealer's Service Advisor a year or two ago, he also mentioned that other owners were reporting the similar situation - namely higher oil consumption "around town" versus highway speeds.

In any event, anyone have a new TSB from FCA addressing this supposed remedy?

 

[arudlang]

On long trips, several hundred miles on Interstate Highways at steady 70 mph, no oil consumption noted. Doing same or shorter distance around town (over several weeks), with suburban type "stop and go" traffic, is where I note my oil consumption.

Interesting.

You know, if their general explanation is true/correct then its technically still possible that the heart of the issue still comes down to piston ring tolerances, its just that our understanding of it was slightly off and they are able to re-frame it as a different-sounding issue as a result.

Check out this article on crankcase ventilation systems: Crankcase ventilation system - Wikipedia

We (or at least I) had always kinda assumed that oil was coming UP, into the combustion area of the cylinders (due to loose rings), but it may very well be that its actually the force of combustion gasses going DOWN into the crankcase of the engine that kicks off this issue. The core idea being that these "looser" piston rings allow blow-by to happen much more than on other engines of the past. That would actually make more sense.

Excess crankcase pressure (blow-by) combined with an engine using pretty "thin" oil that is "sprayed" in several places in the motor as part of lubrication sounds like a recipe for aerosolizing oil and carrying it into the intake to be burned via the PCV system. That right there might be your full explanation, and it is still technically an issue with piston ring tolerances at heart.

The vacuum/PCV system that FCA is trying to name as the problem is probably doing its job to a T. When blow-by enters the engine crankcase you gotta get those gases out of there, and for emissions reasons they route those gasses into the intake to be burnt to reduce pollution.

If it were a problem with the PCV itself they would redesign it, or add a catch can maybe, but if their only move is to provide a software update that tweaks engine running and idling parameters to avoid whatever scenario exacerbates the issue the most then that means the PCV probably already works as good as it can, and excessive blow-by is the real source which again is piston rings and again would be a complete engine teardown to replace.

"I'd like to solve the puzzle!"

 

[Jasmine]

Nice meme.

 

[barhoc11]

I got the W20 notice and scheduled my reprogramming for next week. We don't drive the car much but did just do an oil change so it will be interesting to see if this does anything. I haven't noticed abnormal consumption, but again, don't drive it too often.

 

[Grayrider84]

Received my Customer Service Notification letter today. Like the phrase: "... some vehicles may have an engine that consumers more oil than usual ..."

 

[CanadaEastKTM]

Would guess it’s a little in vain and wouldn’t expect a flash to change oil consumption but curious is anyone in Canada have this recall?

 

[arudlang]

I wonder, when they say "continuous stop and go driving" if they mean stop and go driving with the use of the ESS system? As many of you know I disabled my ESS permanently a couple years ago and even when it was enabled I was in the full-time habit of turning it off as soon as I started the car each day. I never really had oil consumption issues to speak of. Every great once in a while I would top off a pint before a road trip at most, and although I always check it 3-4 times on road trips I've never needed to add a drop of oil on any of the 3,000+ round trips we take to Washington and back 🤔

I do end up doing a lot of idling, mostly in the winter, because I use the remote start so so sooooo much in the winter. Virtually every start is via remote 5-10 minutes before I leave for work or anything (and on return trips as well). I don't think I've observed any excessive oil consumption in the winter... but like most people I don't track it scientifically either.

Who knows, maybe raising the idle from 750 RPM to 900 is enough to reduce the "sweet spot" where the blow-by happens the most, or vice versa, I'm not sure what they are adjusting.

I've been meaning to circle back with HPTuners and see if their latest updates allow reading my PCM (was not working previously, I sent in the debug and log info to them and they said they would work on it). If I could get a full read of my PCM before any such service department updates maybe we'd be able to suss out exactly what is being changed. I don't know if mine will even get the offer for the PCM update, though.

 

[Eugene@2018]

Got my letter today. 2018 Latitude built 11/28/17, in service date, 3 years today, 1/15/18. 854 miles since I changed the oil 10/4/2020. Mostly local driving except for a 200 mile round trip to Cape May. Oil level is down about 1/2 pint. I also have the ESS disabled.

 

[Rederrabbit]

Would guess it’s a little in vain and wouldn’t expect a flash to change oil consumption but curious is anyone in Canada have this recall?

Dealer went ahead and flashed mine without my permission when it was in for a faulty seat latch replacement. When I asked them what the flash does, they had no idea. I wasn't planning on getting it done because mine only uses a liter every 4000km or so. I doubt it does anything useful as I can't imagine they could mess with the vacuum in the cylinders without compromising how the engine runs. Probably just turns on the change oil light sooner or something like that.
Also we did a 3000km road trip last year and it seemed to burn about the same amount of oil on the trip as around town.

 

[Jasmine]

Dealer went ahead and flashed mine without my permission when it was in for a faulty seat latch replacement. When I asked them what the flash does, they had no idea. I wasn't planning on getting it done because mine only uses a liter every 4000km or so. I doubt it does anything useful as I can't imagine they could mess with the vacuum in the cylinders without compromising how the engine runs. Probably just turns on the change oil light sooner or something like that.
Also we did a 3000km road trip last year and it seemed to burn about the same amount of oil on the trip as around town.

I'll be curious to know if the flash changes performance or anything else.

 

[NewCsport]

I'll be curious to know if the flash changes performance or anything else.

same here, curious to see what happens with others ... we also got a notice, but I don't plan on bringing it in anytime soon ...

 

[Furryfan]

Just got this in the mail today and was just wondering myself.. What does this recall fix exactly or what does it do? Any issues after the reprogram? Anyone here know?

 

[Jasmine]

Just got this in the mail today and was just wondering myself.. What does this recall fix exactly or what does it do? Any issues after the reprogram? Anyone here know?

Apparently certain conditions cause the engine to draw a vacuum that must suck oil into places it shouldn't go. The software is supposed to reprogram the engine to avoid this. @georgef turned up this post on another automotive thread: Jeep Cherokee Oil Consumption TSB/Recall Sounds credible to me, but I'd love to hear from those who have had the update done. Did it cut oil consumption? Was there a trade-off in performance?

 

[misskassidyxo]

Would guess it’s a little in vain and wouldn’t expect a flash to change oil consumption but curious is anyone in Canada have this recall?

I haven’t heard anything about a recall but my Jeep has been shutting off randomly and I think it’s due to low oil without any indication it was low. I went In for the diagnostic today as well as an oil change and they plan on running a new update in the software that came out in September. Not sure if this is the “recall” but I think it might be the hush hush update to fix it. I’ll let you know if this “update” fixes my oil and doesn’t make my vehicle shut off in the middle of the road.

 

[arudlang]

@georgef turned up this post on another automotive thread: Jeep Cherokee Oil Consumption TSB/Recall

An interesting quote from Mopar Cares on that thread:

Hello, the oil consumption concerns are caused from vacuum being created in the cylinders during deceleration. Software changes the events, internal to engine, that lead to creation of vacuum.
If you need any help setting up an appointment, feel free to let us know.

Kaitlin
Mopar Cares

So maybe its not blow-by and the PCV system as I previously thought. Just excessive vacuum in the cylinders during decel when the fuel is cut off? They could easily adjust that with a software update. If its mainly a condition that occurs during deceleration there would not necessarily be any reason to imagine it would impact performance or power output.

 

[Jasmine]

I haven’t heard anything about a recall but my Jeep has been shutting off randomly and I think it’s due to low oil without any indication it was low.

The problem with it shutting down due to low oil level can be easily prevented by checking the oil on a regular basis -- if it is low, add however much is needed. This is standard operating procedure for a brand new engine or a very old engine, albeit for different reasons.

I hope the update solves your problem.

 

[misskassidyxo]

The problem with it shutting down due to low oil level can be easily prevented by checking the oil on a regular basis -- if it is low, add however much is needed. This is standard operating procedure for a brand new engine or a very old engine, albeit for different reasons.

I hope the update solves your problem.

I disagree. My oil wasn’t old, nor did my sensor go off. I don’t think I need to check my oil when I recently had an oil change and it’s a fairly new vehicle. I paid for an expensive vehicle with a sensor. Everything on my dash is showing good and it runs perfectly smooth until it shuts off. Ive never had an oil issue before. I also drive it only once a week. But yes, I hope it also solves this problem. It’s not safe. Period.

 

[Jasmine]

I disagree. My oil wasn’t old, nor did my sensor go off.

The age of your oil has nothing to do with it. The oil change light (if that's what your talking about) factors in miles driven and your driving conditions to give you an approximate warning that it's time to change (not fill) the oil.

I don’t think I need to check my oil when I recently had an oil change and it’s a fairly new vehicle.

You always need to check your oil, and for a variety of reasons. Engines can leak oil, mechanics can accidentally (or intentionally) short your fill after a change, or in our case the engine can consume it because of a flaw in the software design. New engines almost always use some oil, probably up to 10,000 miles. The problem with the Compass is that it is using way more than an owner would normally expect.

I paid for an expensive vehicle with a sensor. Everything on my dash is showing good and it runs perfectly smooth until it shuts off. Ive never had an oil issue before. I also drive it only once a week. But yes, I hope it also solves this problem. It’s not safe. Period.

I don't believe any Compass comes with an oil level sensor. I've had cars that have such a sensor, but not my Compass.

However, I agree that it would be a real good idea, especially considering the design of these new engines. Presently, the only way to know your oil level is to check the dipstick -- that's why it's there and as far as I know every car has one.

The reason your engine shuts down is because, besides lubrication, it also uses the oil to operate the valve lifters. If there's no oil they can't open and your engine stops -- it's about the same as running out of gas.

After a couple of years of posts on this site, probably lots of complaints, and repeated denials from FCA, they have finally admitted the problem and they are doing something about it. Time will tell if this update solves the problem.

 

[misskassidyxo]

The age of your oil has nothing to do with it. The oil change light (if that's what your talking about) factors in miles driven and your driving conditions to give you an approximate warning that it's time to change (not fill) the oil.
You always need to check your oil, and for a variety of reasons. Engines can leak oil, mechanics can accidentally (or intentionally) short your fill after a change, or in our case the engine can consume it because of a flaw in the software design. New engines almost always use some oil, probably up to 10,000 miles. The problem with the Compass is that it is using way more than an owner would normally expect.

I don't believe any Compass comes with an oil level sensor. I've had cars that have such a sensor, but not my Compass.

However, I agree that it would be a real good idea, especially considering the design of these new engines. Presently, the only way to know your oil level is to check the dipstick -- that's why it's there and as far as I know every car has one.

The reason your engine shuts down is because, besides lubrication, it also uses the oil to operate the valve lifters. If there's no oil they can't open and your engine stops -- it's about the same as running out of gas.

After a couple of years of posts on this site, probably lots of complaints, and repeated denials from FCA, they have finally admitted the problem and they are doing something about it. Time will tell if this update solves the problem.

Yes. My Jeep Compass is equipped with an oil level sensor. It has gone off once, I checked, and I brought it in for an oil change the next day. The Jeep was going on 10,000 km without an oil change (pure synthetic oil) and it was all fine. I didn’t even KNOW that Jeep compasses had issues with oil consumption, or I wouldn’t of bought it. It’s unfortunate your compass doesn’t have a level sensor. And no, the age of the oil doesn’t have anything to do with it but if I bring my Jeep to a dodge to get an oil change, you would think they put enough oil in.

 

[Jasmine]

Yes. My Jeep Compass is equipped with an oil level sensor. It has gone off once, I checked, and I brought it in for an oil change the next day. The Jeep was going on 10,000 km without an oil change (pure synthetic oil) and it was all fine. I didn’t even KNOW that Jeep compasses had issues with oil consumption, or I wouldn’t of bought it. It’s unfortunate your compass doesn’t have a level sensor. And no, the age of the oil doesn’t have anything to do with it but if I bring my Jeep to a dodge to get an oil change, you would think they put enough oil in.

Agreed, I think most dealers are honest, but some aren't and sometimes a mechanic gets distracted and short-fills accidentally.

I guess you are one of the unlucky ones that have the oil consumption problem. Most don't but a minority do. Hopefully the software update will solve the problem for you. Here's hoping so.