[arudlang]

Some on this site have been touting the superiority of the Cherokee because it wasn't having this problem.

I hope you are not referring to me, I have never once not been crystal clear in my posts in saying that the V6 Cherokee is superior. Oil consumption issues are virtually unheard of in the 3.2 V6, and FWIW it uses a more traditional 5w oil as well instead of a 0w like we have in the 2.4

 

[Jasmine]

I hope you are not referring to me, I have never once not been crystal clear in my posts in saying that the V6 Cherokee is superior. Oil consumption issues are virtually unheard of in the 3.2 V6, and FWIW it uses a more traditional 5w oil as well instead of a 0w like we have in the 2.4

May have been others with the 2.4. I had no one particular in mind. It may not even have been on this site but this is where I am rather frequently.

 

[Chaz09]

It’s not just the Compass. I have a 2016 Jeep Cherokee with the garbage 4 cylinder tiger shark engine. They changed there parameters now so when I had my oil consumption test there was a tiny speck of oil in between the lines after 1500 miles. They said that this is normal lol. I doubt this software thing will help an engine that burns oil. I go through 5 quarts of oil between oil changes. It’s terrible and Jeep needs to own up to it and issue a recall! There name is mud until they do.

 

[Jasmine]

It’s not just the Compass. I have a 2016 Jeep Cherokee with the garbage 4 cylinder tiger shark engine. They changed there parameters now so when I had my oil consumption test there was a tiny speck of oil in between the lines after 1500 miles. They said that this is normal lol. I doubt this software thing will help an engine that burns oil. I go through 5 quarts of oil between oil changes. It’s terrible and Jeep needs to own up to it and issue a recall! There name is mud until they do.

Have you had the recall done? Like you, I'm a skeptic, but some are saying it actually worked for them. All I can say is that my 2018 used oil and my 2019 does not. They must have made the change at the factory before issuing the recall.

 

[Baja-D]

I wonder how you could check for this issue on a used Jeep vehicle? Go to a dealer and have them run the service log to see if there are any complaints, look for excessive oil spilled around the oil fill cap, or get a 3 day return contract and go for a 500 mile test ride?

 

[Jasmine]

I wonder how you could check for this issue on a used Jeep vehicle? Go to a dealer and have them run the service log to see if there are any complaints, look for excessive oil spilled around the oil fill cap, or get a 3 day return contract and go for a 500 mile test ride?

IDK if a Carfax report would show everything. Seems to me a lot of people with problem vehicles have found ways to avoid Carfax reporting.

If you're looking for a used 2nd gen Compass, I'd say take your chances. Best case scenario yours will be recalled and you'll be all set. Worst case scenario you have to add a couple quarts between oil changes. That adds up to a couple cases of oil over the life of the vehicle. A nuisance, yes, but if you know how to read a dipstick you may be able to find a bargain out there because some else was POed at their vehicle and just wanted to be rid of it.

 

[mikes]

I wonder how you could check for this issue on a used Jeep vehicle?

Carfax provides fairly good maintenance logs, depending on where the PO had stuff done. Dealer records are there, as well as those for some independent shops. Getting dealer to pull logs is probably a good thing to do. If there was an issue and the PO tried to get it fixed under warranty - you'd see either notated or at least more frequent than expected service visits.

Bought a 2018 a couple of weeks ago. Used about 1/2 qt. oil in 1200 miles - and the W20 campaign hadn't been done. But most of those miles were highway (driving back from out-of-state purchase). We'll see - my understanding is that the issue is mostly associated with city driving. When the next oil change is due (top ups, too), it will be 5W-30 full syn oil. They "recommend" 0W-20, but that's a CAFE (fuel economy) thing. Same reason not even a skinny spare tire or 4 ounce cabin air filter is standard.

For some reason ($$$), Jeep thinks 1 qt/1000 miles is acceptable (someone who has been through the wringer with oil consumption tests correct me if that's wrong). I would find that completely unacceptable - we got the Compass to replace a 184K mile RAV4 which was totaled after being rear ended. That used ~1 qt/5000 miles, and It would go 10K between oil changes with no need to top up when it was <100K..

 

[arudlang]

All I can say is that my 2018 used oil and my 2019 does not. They must have made the change at the factory before issuing the recall.

You say this all the time and I always have to chime in with a reminder that your sample size of two cars is far, far too small to draw any such conclusions from. Very, very few of these cars rolled out with the oil consumption issue. It feels like a lot because those who have those issues are very vocal, but the Compass is selling by the tens of thousands of units, most have no oil consumption issue. To get one with oil consumption issues was to win an unlikely lemon lottery. You maybe won (lost) the lottery with your first car and then prevailed with the second Compass because the overwhelming odds were always going to be that it wouldn't be an oil burner.

It still may be that they fixed/changed something between your cars, however your evidence is insufficient due to small sample size and therefore we really don't know if or when something was changed to address this.

When the next oil change is due (top ups, too), it will be 5W-30 full syn oil. They "recommend" 0W-20, but that's a CAFE (fuel economy) thing.

For God's sake please do not do such a foolish thing. You think you are smarter than the TEAM of engineers that designed these engines and spec'd its oil requirements?? The oil in this engine is not just for lubrication, the valves are hydraulically actuated by the engine oil and it uses variable controls there for the Multi-Air system on the intake side, its a really high-tech thing and you should not be compromising its performance by going off-script with what viscosity of oil should be in there. Circling back to lubrication, a lot of places in this engine the "thin"* oil is sprayed almost as a mist and if you go putting "thick"* oil in there those lubrication processes may not work properly, you risk excessive wear on your engine and reduced performance of the multi-air system, not to mention your warranty. And why, because you think that they would not have ran the cheaper and more readily available 5w oils in this engine if they could have?? Nonsense.

*Its technically incorrect to refer to oils as "thick" or "thin" as these terms are not accurate and become misleading, but "thick" and "thin" are terms most people readily understand so sometimes I still use them for simplicity's sake.

Same reason not even a skinny spare tire or 4 ounce cabin air filter is standard.

There IS a cabin air filter, not sure what you mean there.

Skinny spare is an upgrade option your dealer can order and full-size spare is standard on Trailhawks and all trims with a factory-equipped towing package. You bought a cheaper lower-trim model with fewer upgrades or extras, so you saved money on your purchase price up-front and get slightly better fuel economy carrying less weight, so quit crying about it. You can buy a spare tire so cheaply and easily if you want one just go get one. You would have paid for it in the cost of your car a few hundred dollars more if you had it, you end up paying for it either way. Most people these days are not even capable of changing their spare tire if they had one, so can you really go around complaining about it at the end of every one of your posts? Go get a cheap tire on a steel rim from discount tire, a $20 scissor jack, $10 beam torque wrench, and a $4 socket from your local shops and call it a day.

----------------------
That was a bit rude of me but I'm going for another cup of coffee now, hopefully I'll get some of it down before I post anymore this morning...

 

[mikes]

For God's sake please do not do such a foolish thing.

Use care when calling people fools. Are you aware that substantial testing of these engines was done with 5W-30, and they went all the way to 20W-50 for the "thick" oil in testing? Or that there's anecdotal evidence from multiple sources that 5W-30 reduces oil consumption without causing problems?

There IS a cabin air filter, not sure what you mean there.

link

You bought a cheaper lower-trim model with fewer upgrades or extras, so you saved money on your purchase price up-front and get slightly better fuel economy carrying less weight, so quit crying about it.

No, I bought one with a factory tow package and a full sized spare. You're simply making unjustified assumptions.

 

[arudlang]

I apologize @mikes . My choice of words was poor, however I stand behind the notion that nothing but the factory specified 0w oil should be used in the 2.4 engine. I don't care if a group in Illinois was testing canola oil in these engines or anything else, and I don't care about anecdotal evidence either (which should be apparent, based on my note to Jasmine on a 2-car sample group to draw conclusions about what FCA has or hasn't done to address oil consumption issues. For me, the actual specification from Jeep on what to put in the motor stands. My book and cap says 0W-20. On the one hand you own the car today and you are free to put whatever you like in it. On the other hand I feel terrible for whatever person has to inherit a prematurely worn engine when you sell or trade that car someday. But, to each their own, and again I apologize for being rude.

I have a replacement cabin filter sitting in a box, going to be interesting to see if my Limited already has one in there or not when I open it up.

 

[mikes]

group in Illinois was testing canola oil in these engines or anything else

That's quite the understatement. It was done by two staff members and a research assistant of the Southern Illinois University Dept. of Automotive Technology, with the support and cooperation of FCA.

I have a replacement cabin filter sitting in a box, going to be interesting to see if my Limited already has one in there or not when I open it up.

Limited probably includes it. And, I'm pretty sure the "Air Cond ATC w/Dual Zone Control" option does, too. Here's a link to a JK Wrangler thread about the lack of cabin filters. I ran across a similar one for the Compass, but can't find it right now.

 

[NewCsport]

while I agree that 5w-30 helps vehicles that have oil consumption, in this case that might be a stretch. Full synthetic 0w-20 High Mileage, 5w-20 or 5w-20 HM would be a better/safer choice. On the other hand if its high consumption of 1qt/1000 miles then I guess not much to loose going to a 5w oil. FCA guidelines are 1qt/2000 is acceptable, Over at Bobistheoilguy, they suggest I use Rotella gas truck 5w-20 ... I'm guessing you are out of the 3/36k warranty ?

edit : Just skimmed thru your link on the Dart forum. I remember this now when researching solutions for our oil consumption too and decided against that route ...

 

[Jasmine]

. . . FCA guidelines are 1qt/2000 is acceptable . . .

Balderdash! That's like the bank establishing an acceptable level of embezzlement!

 

[Grayrider84]

I own a 2018 Compass (2.4L) and had the PCM update per W20 Customer Satisfaction Notification performed in early February. After driving over 1,000 miles since, I for the first time did not notice any change in the oil level from the dipstick since the update. (I had dealer perform a oil change and filter change at same time.) In the past, I was adding about 1/4 of a quart every few weeks. I am hesitant to say this, but in my case the "Reprogram of Powertrain Control Module" so far seems to have worked. (I was a bit apprehensive of the dealership's work quality, as this is how the dipstick appeared when I opened the hood upon returning home. Maybe not fully inserting the dipstick was part of the solution? )

 

[mikes]

(I was a bit apprehensive of the dealership's work quality, as this is how the dipstick appeared when I opened the hood upon returning home. Maybe not fully inserting the dipstick was part of the solution? )

I don't think I've ever had dealer work done where they didn't screw something up (not just Jeep). When I had the W20 done, they helpfully overfilled the rear tires (all pressures were correct when it went in). The pressures are on the B pillar, how hard is it to open the door so you know what you're doing?

 

[Jasmine]

I own a 2018 Compass (2.4L) and had the PCM update per W20 Customer Satisfaction Notification performed in early February. After driving over 1,000 miles since, I for the first time did not notice any change in the oil level from the dipstick since the update. (I had dealer perform a oil change and filter change at same time.) In the past, I was adding about 1/4 of a quart every few weeks. I am hesitant to say this, but in my case the "Reprogram of Powertrain Control Module" so far seems to have worked. (I was a bit apprehensive of the dealership's work quality, as this is how the dipstick appeared when I opened the hood upon returning home. Maybe not fully inserting the dipstick was part of the solution? )
View attachment 15036

Thanks for checking back. If you read my previous posts I was definitely suspicious that a software update was going to fix this but you and others confirm that apparently it is working.

My 2019 has not had the recall; maybe it won't. My 2019 was an oil burner and I got a recall for that, but that vehicle was wrecked so it didn't matter.

I noticed that my Compass was highly inflated all around (40PSI). Is this something all dealers are doing? And if so, I wonder why. I suppose it will improve fuel economy, but it also shortens tire longevity.

 

[Eugene@2018]

Had my CSN "W20" done today. I have good records on oil usage (I do my own oil/filter changes).
Some of the ranges per quart that I got were...2560 miles, 3345 miles, 3004 miles, 1399 miles (Hot summer, short trip driving) and 2540 miles. I topped off the oil on Saturday and had the update today (Wednesday). We'll see how it does.

 

[Baja-D]

"After driving over 1,000 miles since, I for the first time did not notice any change in the oil level from the dipstick since the update."

Yahoo...this is great news. Hope this holds true for the rest of the oil consumption crowd! Wonder what they specifically changed in the engine to achieve this miracle?

 

[Arow]

I purchased a pre owned 2018 compass through a Nissan dealer ( yes I know should of bought one from jeep) in feb of 2021 with 36,000 miles on it. I just hit 40,000 miles and wanted to schedule an appointment to get the the pcm update for burning engine oil, through a local Jeep dealer.

I was under the impression this would just prevent the engine from stalling after the oil level went to low not really fixing the oil burning issue. As stated above it looks like this did have and impact on consumption.

Looking at the front left and right corners of my engine block I have two spots of what i know to be oil leaks. One on the left is by the alternator one on the right is under the exhaust manifold but leaks coming from where the cylinders meet the block.

Does anyone seem to have this issue?

 

[Jasmine]

In answer to your question, No, I don't have your issue. Your photo looks like a failing gasket to me.

As for the software update, I believe it corrected a vacuum problem that was sucking up the engine oil, so it seems to have solved that problem. I doubt your problem is related.

The engines were shutting down because the hydraulic lifters use the engine oil to operate the valves. If/when the oil level drops, the hydraulic lifters can't get oil, the valves stop working and so the engine quits. Anytime these engines run low on oil for any reason, including leaks, they will shut down. That hasn't changed.

I suggest you keep a close eye on your dipstick to find out how serious your problem is.