B Y D O U G A N D E R S O N , C O N T R I B U T I N G E D I T O R | danderson@enginebuildermag.

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C
hrysler introduced its new family of 60 degree V6 • They’re conventional 60 degree V6 motors with iron blocks
engines back in 1990, and we covered them through and aluminum heads, including some castings that are shared by
2000 back in ’03, but Chrysler has made a number of both engines and some that aren’t.
changes since then, so it’s time to update them through • The differences between the 3.3L and 3.8L engines are all
’09. Before we do that, though, here’s a quick overview of the 3.3L internal with different cranks, rods, pistons and cams.
and 3.8L engines: • Both engines were used exclusively for FWD applications

The 4666031AA block had three more bolt bosses on the passenger
The 4781511AA block had a flat pad for the oil filter adapter and side, but they weren’t drilled. The boss between the crossbolts (see
crossbolted mains. It also had one more bolt hole than the arrow) must be machined down flush with the block if the engine is
4781511AB (see arrow). used for an AWD minivan.

34 ENGINE BUILDER | March 2010

Circle 35 on Reader Service Card for more information
until ’07 when the 3.8L became the optional engine for the RWD most noticeable difference was the addition of a flat pad for the
Jeep Wrangler. bolt-on oil filter adapter instead of the cast boss for the spin-on fil-
• They were designed to provide good torque over a broad ter that was used on the earlier blocks.
range, reasonable fuel Sometime in
economy and long early ’03, Chrysler
life. They have devel- dropped the
oped a good reputa- 4621944AB casting
tion over the years and started using
because they have the same
performed well in a 4781511AA block
variety of applica- that had been used
tions. for the 3.8L since
• And, Chrysler ’01, but with one
has continued to major difference;
update them on a the bosses for the
regular basis so they’re crossbolted mains
still doing a good job were still there, but
nearly 20 years later. they weren’t drilled
With that in mind, when the block was
let’s see what’s Chrysler added another ear to the front of the 4666031AA block (center), but the extra hole used for the 3.3L.
changed since model These blocks all had
for the front cover wasn’t drilled until the 4666031AB block (right) arrived in ’07. The
year 2000, starting a 10mm hole for
with the blocks. 4781511AB (left) didn’t have the ear. the knock sensor
The 4781511AB block replaced the 4781511AA in ’04. The
BLOCKS only differences were the 8.0mm hole for the knock sensor, instead
Prior to 2001, Chrysler used the same block castings for both the of the 10mm hole that was found on the 4781511AA block, and
3.3L and 3.8L engines by simply changing the bore and stroke, so the absence of one bolt hole on the driver’s side that was close to
cataloging them was easy. That all changed in ’01 and it got real the front and just above the pan rail on the 4781511AA casting.
confusing through ’07, because there were several different blocks The 4781511AB and the 4666031AA were both used in ’05.
and there’s no information available on the specific applications for We’ve seen a 4781511AB with an 11/29/05 casting date on it and
any of them. So, this chronology is based on the cores we’ve seen a 4666031AA with an August ’05 Julian date on it, so we know
and the research we’ve done on related components, such as gas- they were both used during ’05. The 4666031AA was noticeably
kets and knock sensors, that have helped us to see when and why different than the earlier 4781511AB block, but it still wasn’t the
the blocks were changed. same as the 4666031AB block that was used in ’07. Here’s what
you can expect to see:
3.3L
The 4621944 casting was replaced by the 4621944AB in ’01.The

The 4666031AB block has crossbolted mains, two 8.0mm holes

and one 10mm hole for the oil filter adapter, a center dipstick and
This is a 4666031AA block for a 3.3L that’s date coded ’05. It one more bolt hole for the RWD motor mount (see arrow in front).
has three 8.0mm holes for the oil filter adapter, an 8mm hole for The upper hole for the oil filter is tapped so it can be plugged for the
the knock sensor and a front dipstick. Wrangler.

36 ENGINE BUILDER | March 2010

 The rods for the 3.8L (left) are shorter than the ones for the 3.3L
(right) because of the longer stroke.

Some of the counterweights on the 3.8L crank (right) are noticeably

larger than the ones on the 3.3L cranks (left).
1) The 4666031AA block had three additional bolt bosses on
the passenger side, but they weren’t drilled.
2) It has two bosses for the dipstick, instead of one, but the front The early forged steel rods were replaced by the powdered metal forg-
one was always drilled. ings with cracked caps in ’07. Note the capscrews and the small
3) There was an additional ear on the front of the block (see balance pads on the pin ends of the powdered metal rods.
pictures on page 34 and 36), but the extra bolt hole (#13) wasn’t This same basic block was used from ’07 through ’09 and prob-
drilled. ably in ’10, but it was identified as a 4666031AB casting because
4) There were three 8.0mm bolt holes in the flat pad for the oil there were several important differences:
filter adapter. 1) The three bolt bosses on the passenger side were always
drilled although they’re only used for the 3.8L in the RWD
Wrangler.
2) The center dipstick was drilled instead of the one in the
front. (Note: we have seen one of these 4666031AB blocks that
had a front dipstick…)
3) There’s one more bolt hole for the front cover in the ear that
was originally added to the 4666031AA block. That makes a total
of 13 bolt holes for the front cover instead of the 12 that were
found on all the previous blocks.
4) There’s one more bolt boss near the front of the block just
above the pan rail on the driver’s side that’s used for the motor
mount for the 3.8L Wrangler, too.
5) There was one more change, too; the lifters were downsized
The piston for the 3.8L (left) is smaller in diameter and has a lower from 0.900˝ O.D. to 0.840˝ O.D. in the middle of ’07.
compression height than the one for the 3.8L (right).

www.enginebuildermag.com | ENGINE BUILDER 37

 Chrysler changed to the smaller lifter on the left (0.840˝ vs 0.900˝)
in mid-’07 so the openings in the “dogbones” are smaller, too.
Both of the late model cams are 063 castings with the machined ring
(bottom) instead of the earlier 645 casting (top), but the lift at the the motor mount on the Wrangler.
lobes is 0.030˝ to 0.035˝ higher on the ones for the 3.8L. 2) The upper hole for the oil galley for the oil filter adapter was
tapped and plugged because the oil filter was moved to the front
3.8L cover on the Wranglers.
The 3.8L blocks are not as complicated as the 3.3L, but they have 3) The center dipstick was used for all applications.
the share of differences, too. 4) There was one more bolt hole for the front cover drilled in
The 4781511AA block that was introduced for the 3.8L in ’01 the ear on the front of the block.
had the flat pad for the bolt-on oil filter adapter and a 10mm hole 5) There was one more bolt hole toward the front of the block
for the knock sensor. on the driver’s side, just above the pan rail.
In ’04, it was replaced by the 4781511AB casting that had an 6) The three bolt bosses on the passenger side were drilled. We
8.0mm hole for the knock sen- have seen one of these blocks with the center dipstick that didn’t
sor and one less bolt boss on the have the three holes drilled; it would fit an ’07 minivan in that con-
driver’s side, just like the 3.3L. figuration so there may be a few more like that out there, too.
The 4781511AB and the 7) And, just for the fun of it, they switched to the small diame-
4666031AA were both used in ter (0.840˝) lifters in mid-year ’07, just like they did on the 3.3L.
’05. We call the 4666031AA the
“fits-all” block because it was
used for both the 3.3L and 3.8L
engines and for the RWD Jeeps
(beginning in ’07) along with all
the FWD applications. It was the
same casting that was used for
the 3.3L engines, so it had two
bosses for the dipstick and three
bosses for the RWD motor
mounts on the passenger side.
The bolt hole in the ear for the
front cover wasn’t drilled and it
had three 8.0mm holes for the
The ’04 cam gear (left) came with NGC, so it had 12 notches
oil filter adapter.
Then, beginning in model instead of the nine found on the earlier engines.
year ’07, the 4666031AB casting
became THE block for all 3.8L
applications and continued
The cam gear and chain were through ’09 or ’10. There were
reduced in width after 1/1/05. several differences between the
There’s about 0.125˝ difference 4666031AA and 4666031AB
between the wide gear (0.540˝) blocks:
1) The rear bolt hole for the
(left) and the narrow one The timing gears, from left to right, are wide w/o NGC, wide with
oil filter adapter was enlarged to
(0.415˝) (right). 10mm because it was used for NGC and narrow with NGC.

38 ENGINE BUILDER | March 2010

Circle 39 on Reader Service Card for more information
 The rocker rail was raised on the ’01 heads to help prevent oil leaks.

Chrysler modified the chambers and relocated the spark plugs for the
’01 heads (right).

CRANKS
There have been two cast iron cranks used for these engines, one
for the 3.3L and another for the 3.8L.
3.3L: The 3654 casting with a 3.19˝ stroke fits all the 3.3L
engines.
3.8L: The 3.8L uses a 6433 casting with a 3.42˝ stroke. It’s easy
to tell them apart because the second counterweight on the 3.8L
is noticeably larger along with some of the others.

RODS
There are two different rods for these engines, a long one for the
3.3L and a short one for the 3.8L, but there are several different
castings along with two powdered metal rods that have been used
over the years.
3.3L: There have been several rod castings used for the 3.3L, The ’01 heads (right) had seven rocker stands instead of the four
but the only noticeable difference between them is the size of the found on the earlier heads (left).
balance pads, so they’re all interchangeable in sets. The early
4621694 rods were replaced by the 4448903 rods that were some rebuilders reuse them and others replace them; it’s your
replaced by the 4654355 castings around ’01. The 014AA pow- choice. The powdered metal rods use capscrews that require a
dered metal rod with the cracked cap showed up in ’07. torque-turn procedure, so be sure to follow the right specifications
3.8L: Chrysler used two cast rods, a 4448904 in the earlier for each version.
engines and 4654356 from ’01 through ’06. The 0015 powdered
metal rod with the cracked cap was used from ’07 through ’09. PISTONS
The rod bolts for the cast rods are a torque-to-yield design that There have been two pistons used for the late model engines, one
are supposed to be replaced after being torqued three times, so for the 3.3L and one for the 3.8L.
3.3L: The original dished piston was
replaced in ’98 by a flat top that was used
with minor changes up through ’09.
3.8L: The early 3.8L piston had a deep,
oblong dish, but it was replaced by a flat top
that had a lower compression height in ’98,
too. The 3.8L continued to use this version
up through ’09.

CAMS
The late model roller cams for the ’01 and
later engines can cause some problems
The exhaust ports on the ’01 heads (left) were revised, too. because there are two different profiles, one

40 ENGINE BUILDER | March 2010

Circle 41 on Reader Service Card for more information
 LIFTERS
VIN CODES Chrysler used their standard 0.900˝ OD
roller lifter in these engines until mid-year
3.3L 3.8L ’07 when they changed to a new design
Minivan Minivan Pacifica Wrangler with a smaller diameter that measured
2001 R/3/G L 0.840˝.The new lifter is a p/n 4892465AA
and the matching “dogbone” is a p/n
2002 R/3 L 4892450AA.
2003 R/3 L
2004 R L TIMING GEARS
2005 R L L AND CHAINS
2006 R L L The timing components were changed
three times from ’01 through ’09 and
2007 R L L 1 they’re not interchangeable, so it pays to
2008 H L L 1 know the difference. Here’s what they did:
2001-’03: These engines used the same
2009 H L L 1 chain and gears that were used back in ’94
because all the vehicles used the same
NOTE: VIN 3 is flex fuel. “SBEC computer” which is commonly
called “w/o NGC” now. The cam gear is
for the 3.3L and one for the 3.8L, and they 063 casting number and by checking the p/n 4778707AB.
both use the same 063 casting that has a lift; it should measure approximately 0.250˝ 2004-1/1/05: Chrysler introduced the
raised, ground ring around the barrel at the lobe. The OEM part number is
behind the last lobe. 4781013AA.
3.3L: This cam can be identified by the 3.8L: These cams have the same 063
casting on the barrel along
with the raised, ground ring,
but the lift measures between
approximately 0.280˝ and
0.286˝ at the lobe, depending
on which lobe you check.
The OEM part number is
4781061AA. We wouldn’t
recommend interchanging
these cams with the ones in The gasket for the oil filter adapter had two
the 3.3L engines because the 8.0mm holes and one 10mm hole (with
profiles are considerably dif-
arrow) in ’07-’10 instead of the three
ferent.
8.0mm holes that were used for the ’01-
’06 applications.

The front cover gasket for the RWD engines had two
holes for the oil passages instead of the single lower hole The aluminum intakes used two of the fiber gaskets (top) instead of the indi-
that was open for the FWD engines. vidual molded ones (bottom) that were used for the plastic intakes.

42 ENGINE BUILDER | March 2010

Circle 43 on Reader Service Card for more information
These heads came with and without EGR and it was either on the The 4781547AA front cover with the post was used for the mini-
left front or right rear, so it’s easy to make a mistake when building vans in ’01 and ’02. Some of the posts were drilled and some
an engine. weren’t, so we suspect it wasn’t used very often, especially since the
replacement cover comes without it.

The 4781547AB/AC front cover without the post was used for the
minivans from ’03 through 1/1/05. It fits the engines with the
The front cover for the Wrangler is unique because the oil filter is on wide chain and gears.
the cover instead of on the side of the block. vans to the latest version that requires the use of a special narrow
“next generation controller” (NGC) in ’04, so there are three more gear and chain setup (p/n 68001398AA) for the engines that orig-
notches in the cam sensor and all of the notches are in different inally came without NGC. Be sure to check all of the narrow gears
locations; the new cam gear is part number 5127185AA. It still uses that come off any cores to see if they are with or without NGC
the wide gear that’s about 0.540˝ wide along with the wide chain before reusing them.
that measures about 0.685˝ across the links.
1/1/05-’08: Chrysler continued to use NGC setup, but they CYLINDER HEADS
switched to a narrow gear that’s approximately 0.415˝ wide with a There have been three different head castings used from 2000
chain that measures about 0.555˝ across the links.This gear is a p/n through 2010, including some that came with EGR and some that
5137663AA. didn’t.
There are a couple of caveats regarding the timing components, 2000: The 4694183 heads with the longer valve stems were
too: used from ’98 through ’00. These heads didn’t have provisions for
1) The front covers were modified to relocate the cam sensor EGR.
when the cam sprocket and chain were changed, so they’re not 2001-’07: The 4694688AA/AB castings that were introduced
interchangeable by application unless you use the matching chain in ’01 were considerably different. They had seven rocker stands
and gears. instead of the four found on the earlier castings, the exhaust ports
2) Chrysler has superseded all the old front covers for the mini- were flattened on the top and bottom, the chambers were revised

44 ENGINE BUILDER | March 2010

 CHRYSLER 3.3L/3.8L FRONT COVERS
Casting Number or
Application Part Number Notes

’01-’02 Minivan c/n 4781547AA With wide chain and extra boss
p/n 5019333AA
’03-1/1/05 Minivan c/n 4781547AB/AC With wide chain, w/o extra boss
p/n 5019333AB/AC/AD
1/1/05-’06 Minivan c/n 4666005AA W/narrow chain, w/o extra bolt hole
p/n 5019333AE/AF
’07-’08 Minivan c/n 4666005AC W/narrow chain and 1 extra bolt hole
p/n 5137544AD
’01-’10 Minivan c/n ???? W/narrow chain and 1 extra bolt hole
p/n 5137544AE Supersedes all minivan covers
’04 –’08 Pacifica c/n 4648947AB With torque axis mount
p/n 68001673AB Requires front cover package
’07 – ’08 Wrangler c/n 4666020AA With oil filter on front cover
p/n 68003438AA Requires front cover package
and the rocker rail was raised for better sealing. It appears that the
’01-’02 engines had EGR, most of the ‘03s didn’t have it, and all ROCKERS
the ’04 through ’09 engines have had EGR. Chrysler used their typical stamped steel, shaft-mounted rockers on
2008-’10: The 4666049AA casting that superseded the these engines through 2000.Then, in ’01, they switched to a set of
4694688AA/AB castings fits all the 3.3L and 3.8L engines from lightweight, welded rockers that looked a lot like the ones found
’01 through ’10.There are a couple of minor changes on the inner on the old Slant Six. They were still shaft-mounted, but they used
edge of the deck surface, but the head gaskets seal so everything fits seven pedestals instead of the four that were used for the earlier
and works. rocker assemblies.

The new style welded rockers (bottom) replaced the earlier “mag-
The hole for the cam sensor (left) was moved back about 0.125˝ on num” style, stamped steel rockers (top) in ’01. The assembly was
engines that were built after 1/1/05 because the cam gear was about held on with seven bolts instead of the four found on the earlier
0.125˝ thinner. heads.

www.enginebuildermag.com | ENGINE BUILDER 45

The 4666005AC front cover for the ’07-’09 minivan is held on by
one more bolt on the driver’s side for a total of 13 fasteners. We
believe it’s the same as the current fits-all cover serviced by Chrysler.

The front cover for the Pacifica has a torque axis mount for the
GASKETS engine.
There are several gasket sets listed for the late model 3.3L and 3.8L,
because there are some important differences, depending on both The front cover gasket is unique to the RWD application
the year and the application, but there are also a couple of mid-year because the upper oil hole feeds the oil from the block to the oil
changes that can really cause rebuilders some problems. filter that’s located on the front cover instead of on the side of the
Chrysler made a mid-year change to the intake plenum in ’02. block. Using a FWD gasket that has the upper oil hole blocked off
The early ’02 engines came with an aluminum intake and the later will cause oil starvation and an instant failure.We’d suggest check-
ones had the plastic intake that has been used ever since, so they ing this gasket before installing it on a Wrangler motor because we
switched from two fiber gaskets to six individual molded gaskets know of one supplier that originally had the wrong front cover
sometime in ’02. That means you will have to supply both intake gasket in their RWD set.
sets for your ’02 motors to make sure the installer has the one he The head gaskets for the FWD and RWD applications are dif-
needs. ferent, too, because the water outlet is on the back for FWD appli-
Likewise, Chrysler changed the rocker covers in mid-year ’04. cations and on the front for RWD applications. That means that
They switched from the stamped steel covers to the plastic ones the water flow is “reversed” from one to the other, so don’t mix
that used a different gasket, so you will have to include both pairs them up… The right and left gaskets must be installed correctly,
of rocker gaskets for ’04 applications. The plastic covers were still too.
being used up through ’09 and appear to be the same in ’10.
The gasket for the oil filter adapter had three 8.0mm holes up
through ’06, but it has two 8.0mm holes and one 10mm hole
beginning in ‘07 because the RWD motor mount is fastened to the
back hole for the filter adapter with a 10mm bolt.

The RWD head gaskets (bottom) have fewer holes and some that are
in different places than the ones on the FWD gaskets (top) because
The rigid rocker gaskets for the stamped steel covers are on the bottom the coolant flow is reversed due to the change in the location of the
and the flexible ones for the plastic covers are on the top. water outlets.

46 ENGINE BUILDER | March 2010

 haven’t been able to find a part number for it, so we’re putting a
OTHER Time Sert in the 10mm hole to convert an earlier block for a later
THINGS YOU application.
Dipsticks: All the ’01-’06 blocks had a front dipstick and all
NEED TO the ’07-’09 blocks used the center dipstick, so the 4666031AA
blocks are drilled for the front dipstick and the 4666031AB blocks
KNOW: are usually (almost always) drilled for the center dipstick.
EGR: Chrysler has an EGR blockoff Depending on the application, we convert some blocks by drilling
plate (PN 4591227) and gasket (PN both holes with a homemade fixture, plugging both of them, and
4663247AB) that can be installed on the telling the customer to remove the plug from the hole he needs for
heads or included with the engines that his application. If all else fails, and you get a late block out there that
don’t have EGR. The gasket for the has the hole for the center dipstick instead of the one in the front,
blockoff plate isn’t included in most gas- you can order a 4666148AB “oil indicator and tube assembly”
The knock sensor was
ket sets, so rebuilders will have to send it from Chrysler to move the dipstick to the center hole.
changed to an 8.0mm
along with the plate for the engines
bolt-on design in ’04
instead of the 10mm
without EGR. ALL WHEEL DRIVE
EGR Locations: The EGR valve is The 4666031AA/AB block can be used for the minivans with
screw-in design that was on the front of the left head for the
AWD by machining the third bolt boss from the front on the pas-
used previously. minivans and on the back of the right senger side pan rail down flush with the block.
head for the Pacificas and Wranglers.
Knock Sensors: These engines used a screw-in knock sensor
with a 10mm hole from ‘98-‘03 (PN 4686362AB). It was replaced FRONT COVERS
by the one that looks like a side-post battery cable in ’04 that’s still There have been seven front covers used on these engines since
used up through ’10 (PN 5033316AA). Selling a block with the ’01, depending on the year and the application. See the chart on
wrong hole for the knock sensor can cause a problem because the page 45 for more information.
wiring connectors are different, too, and the “conversion kit” that’s Note:The p/n 5137544AE cover supersedes all prior applica-
available from Chrysler costs about $100. Chrysler supposedly used tions for the minivans, but it requires a special timing set (p/n
a special stud that had 10mm threads on one end and 8.0mm on 68001398AA) that has the narrow chain with the old style cam
the other end to convert the early blocks for the late sensor, but we gear so it can be used on the ’01 through ’03 vehicles without
NGC.

NGC
All of the platforms, including the Pacifica and minivans, got
“NGC” for the 3.3L and 3.8L beginning in ’04, so the engines
must be built with the corresponding timing set and front cover.

CONCLUSION
Chrysler covers the EGR port with this plate and gasket when the So, that’s the story. These engines have been around for a long
vehicle comes without EGR. time and have been used in a lot of high value cars, trucks and
minivans, so we can expect to see quite a few of them for some
time to come. They’re easy to build if you pay attention to the
details, so you should be able to make some money on them
now that you know all the right combinations.

Doug Anderson is Manager of Technical

Services for Grooms Engines, located
in Nashville, TN. He has authored
numerous technical articles on engine
rebuilding for Engine Builder magazine
for nearly 20 years. Anderson has also made many
technical presentations on engine building at AERA
The new tube for the center dipstick (bottom) replaced the one that was
and PERA conventions and seminars. To find
used for the front dipstick (top) up through ’06.The inset photo is the
Dougʼs other articles for Engine Builder magazine,
fixture we made so we can drill both dipstick holes when converting a
visit our Web site at www.enginebuildermag.com.
block.

www.enginebuildermag.com | ENGINE BUILDER 47

Circle 48 on Reader Service Card for more information