Is the RAM 1500 V6 3.6L Pentastar a good engine? I review this V6 RAM engine as a Heavy Duty Mechanic and give you my opinion on if I think this engine is a good engine. I also speak about the benefits of the RAM 1500 E-Torque system on these new 3.6L Pentastar engines.


I Hope everyone is having a good Monday! I figured it was long over due that I took a good in-depth look at the v6 engine option for the RAM 1500 pick up trucks. The v6 is the base model for these trucks and RAM does sell a ton of these engines.

my my old RAM 1500 I had the 5.7L Hemi which was an awesome power plant but with the price of fuel being so high these days it would make sense for more people to be considering the more fuel efficient V6 3.6L pentastar option for these ram 1500 trucks.

Right off the bat the 3.6L pentastar v6 engine has tons of real world experience. It is extremely reliable engine. it came out in 2011 and has been around ever since. it has been the best selling engine for RAM for 6 years in a row. chryslers has made over 10,000,000 units and this engine has won many awards.

this engine was more efficient, more powerful and smaller then the previous v6 generation from chrysler. in fact the 3.6 pentastar had over 38% more horsepower then the previous generation of engine.

this pentastar has 305 horsepower and can tow up to 7,600lbs which is not bad for a base model v6.

but there are issues as well.

1. head failures.
- the driver side head would fail because of the valve seats getting too hot causing detonation. this issues was mainly from 2011 - 2013 but there are rumours that this is still an issue.

2. rocker arm failures
- rocker arm bearings were an issue and failing in the earlier model pentastar engines. from years 2011-2014 these were an issues. ram updated the bearings and the issues does seem to be resolved.

3. coolant system issues
- lastly there are issues with the coolant system mainly because of the sand casted heads leaving sand in the cooling system. this can clog the radiator and other cooling components.


In conclusion guys I think this engine is very reliable and will serve you well. but in terms of the application of a pick up truck it does have its place but I would much rather have the larger 5.7 hemi as the over fuel economy difference is not that dramatic whereas the power loss is pretty substantial.

I hope you guys liked the video!