A look back at our Jeep Patriot 2015 2.4L AWD repair project

 

This had been my weekends for almost three months.

2024 Repairs in the order of encountered (from 108,000 to 110,000 miles):

• Noticed a stumble during the ignition and later found a bulging coil pack.
• New coil packs installed with new spark plugs.
• Intake Runner error code: required the removal of intake manifold and cleaning of the air flap bearings and removal of carbon build up.
• Discovered a radiator leak that was unrelated to the work being done to the intake.  The leak located along the front of the mount point of the tank end, passenger side.
• Took apart the nose because I didn't want to have the AC emptied, and dropped the old radiator downward for removal.  New radiator installed.
• Cleaned intake manifold re-installed it and the actuator motor, error gone.
• First transmission fluid exchange of four quarts with four quarts of Amzoil.
• While under the Patriot working on the transmission fluid exchange, I discovered the tires on one side were horribly worn on the inside shoulder, this indicating that the passenger side 2023 fall and after winter and tire rotations 2024 kill the inside of the threads.
• Oil change with new Amzoil.
• Next four quart exchange of transmission fluid.
• Diagnosed severe negative camber from bad control arms as the cause of the tire damage.
• Installed new rear control arms.
• New PCV installed.
• While working on rear control arms I noticed that the front control arms are also showing negative camber.
• Front control arms replaced and old control arms found with cracked or spit bushings.
• Battery tested low after manual charging... only 12.5 volts after charging and should have been around 13.6 when moments fully charged.
• New battery was installed.
• Performed a more thorough four sided brake pad install and cleaning of all calipers guides and carriers and scrubbing the channels for new slide plates.
• While testing the new control arms and brakes out, the Skid/ABS error light occurred on the dash.  The ABS system attempted to activate.
• Diagnosed ABS/Skid lights as being on the driver's side rear sensor coming loose from mount due to rust rotting out clip, the message was "not sending signal".
• New driver's side rear bearing hub was installed and the ABS/Skid light errors self cleared.
• While replacing the rear bearing, it was noticeable that the brake back plate was badly corroded and may need replacing sooner than later.
• During the test for the new hub bearing, a battery problem light then shown on the dash.  Along with the battery light was a squawking from the serpentine belt area of the engine.  It was a random subtle noise at first, but now was steady and louder than usual.
• Diagnosed as a total failure of the alternator pulley (Alternator Decoupling Pulley).
• Entire alternator replaced.
• Needing new rotors on all sides.

Coming up repairs for the remainder of this year:

• Switch out bad tires before getting inspection sticker done.
• New rear back plates.
• Trailing arm bushings.
• Installing all new parts and pads for e-brake.
• Winter salt proofing spraying applied to critical areas.
• Rebuilding the winter tire set, rims are badly corroded.

Hope to not deal with until next year:

• Struts all around
• Tie-rods.
• CV axle.
• Subframe front and back.
• Engine and transmission mounts
• Water pump

...and then there's the 2010 Chevy Malibu.

Alternator installed

At first, things went well and as described by many sources.  Wrenching the tensioner to slack the serpentine belt.  Unthreading the belt off the pullies and accessories.  Finding all the electrical connections in the way and struggling with the AC connector.  Located AC compressor's bracket and removed the three bolts alone the oil pan and the three bolts for the AC condenser was next, but actually putting a wrench on the lone bolt in the rear location was tight, it required a quarter inch socket wrench and a long 13mm socket.  However, I had achieved clearing the AC compressor away and moved to the two bolts for the alternator.  It was hard to back out the alternator from the lower support of the bracket.  The two flanges of the lower part of the alternator was sleeved and could have been intended to put tension on the lower bracket to keep it secure due to varying widths of similar vehicles this model alternator was designed to fit.  

The alternator should have dropped off easily as it did from the upper bolt position, but that was the claim from sources.  My situation was that rust had built up and kept the sleeve locked in place.  However, I rigorously wiggled it side to side managed to loosened it to slip off.

The real challenge was to take the path out of the chassis and the majority of sources would never actually demonstrate this claimed procedure.  The most popular tips online was based on the instructions published from Chrysler and that seemed to have meant that models up to 2010 maybe.

In my case, things like the the type of AC condenser and power steering cooler and chassis configuration had changed slightly over subsequent years from 2008.  

My intended goal was to pull the alternator out from the wheel well side of the Patriot and with the AC compressor pulled as far down and back towards the middle as it could go, I given it the try.  Quickly, I learned the truth, alternator could never sneak past the gap in the side of the engine bay.  The bumper support area just above the repositioned AC compressor still cut off the path.  Further proof was that the body of the alternator body was clearly too big to fit between any part of this area due to the bracket of the alternator protruding far enough to be in the way.  

Short of removing the alternator support, which was never listed as a method, but a moment after pushing the alternator back up to its starting position to rethink the attempt again.  I had then noticed something odd about the AC compressor's position, it seemed to have room more room to move in either direction.  I ended pulling the AC compressor towards the wheel well side and the alternator was able to revolve down towards the oil filter direction.  There was one source that mentioned removal of the oil filter mount and filter, but I had originally discounted this solution.  I suppose the results may vary always and I had lucked out discovering this direction was far easier.

It didn't take long to bring the new alternator up the way the same way the old one came down from.  Moments later and I had the new alternator up on the bracket and waiting for the bolts.  Not long after, the bolts were tightened in, connections were carefully attached and the plastic protector was snapped in place.  

The AC compressor follow right after and the bracket for it was bolted under.  The AC connector was reattached and the pulley for the alternator, but then I had the notion about that old pulley.

I had decided to installed a new alternator pulley since the original one was looking filthy.  However, I soon was greeted with an abrupted slap sound upon start up the engine.  I had then turned off the engine to quickly inspect what I knew had happened, a dropped belts immediately upon starting the engine.  I had inspected and could not discover the reason for it and only then more carefully re-threaded the belt.  Someone could say I might have carelessly not looked at some point and that would explain the alignment issue the first time, but the second and third were carefully checked by putting a hand on each wheels and pulley to verify the alignment.  Again and again the belt slapped when it came off the pullies.  After the third time, I went back to the original pulley and after cleaning it carefully and checking to make sure it was still in usable shape, it was wrenched back in.  Then, all was back to normal again.  

The engine started up and I let it idle for a few minutes with no issues.  The new question was, "Is it possible to make a belt pulley that bad? ".  By the way, that was a Gates brand pulley and funny thing was that the original pulley that came with the Patriot was made in Canada and so were the Gates pulley.

Reworking the junk storage that is the basement.

Welding bench with metal walls and can double as a battery building area, but the big plan is to rebuild the main workbenches.  The first part is the prototype 4 or 6 foot bench for woodworking projects.  

The design allows for peg boards and anchor points.

Also is a sealed area with air control for camera repair and watchmaking.  

Another area is the darkroom and custom wet area for 8x10 and color work.  With room for storage of course.  

This will also need a new draining system and 220V power.  The welding area will need a new door and some concrete installed.

New bearing installed and the ABS and Traction light dropped off and now another error light appears that is unrelated

 

Looks like we have a battery problem or its the alternator and the engine sounded like crap as well (symptom).  I worried about spending up to $400 on an alternator as well as new pulleys and while I would be on that side of the engine, the water pump as well.

The current symptoms was a noisy scraping at the pullies, no sign of the battery charging and of course the light in the dash.

The conditions were that the terminals are freshly cleaned, a newly replaced battery that took the place of a battery that was listed good for 5 years of service. 

Prior conditions was  a freshly charged old battery via a battery maintainer device.  The first battery stress test was performed prior and did pass, but was on the low end of acceptable.  Soon after the battery's reinstallation, a required air bleeding procedure post installation of the radiator was performed.  The Jeep was off to the local garden center the next day and back to sit for a few days in the driveway.

The stress test had shown an output of 13.8-14.2 volts at 1500 rpm which is lower than usual, but still better than the 13.6 noted as too low.  The battery resting voltage was 12.4 volts, which was very low and not ideal for cold starts.

Realization: 

The stumbling on to some information that seems a match to my symptoms.  Declared a common problem, the "noisy pulley" would be a sure sign of the cause being the decoupling device on the alternator failing.  A few times it would sound normal and then to turn screechy.  This would seem to match the descriptions I've found from car groups and video clips.  Thanks to the higher than normal amounts of corrosion noted every where else on the Jeep, it seems the alternator didn't get out of being damaged.  However, I'm still moving forward with the replacement of the entire alternator, but this means I could save the old alternator by replacing the OAD.  The pulley or the... Overrunning Alternator Decoupler might be replaced later on the original alternator and I'll have then a back up.