Dodge 3.6 Firing Order

It’s not easy to look down on the Dodge Charger. With an engine that has sports-car capabilities, how can you disregard it? One of the power plants of this sedan is a V6 engine. In this regard, what is the Dodge 3.6 firing order?

A Pentastar 3.6 V6 engine powers the Dodge 3.6 Charger. This engine has a firing order of 1-2-3-4-5-6. There are two other variants of this engine with bigger displacements, the 6.2-liter V8 engine, and the 5.7-liter and 6.4-liter V8 engine.

According to carbiketech.com, engine cylinders are not typically designed to fire in the 1-2-3-4-5-6 sequence because they can cause damage to the crankshaft or break it. However, the Dodge 3.6 engine has such a firing order, and it does not break but works efficiently.

Read on to learn more about the firing order of the Dodge 3.6 and its background.

Dodge 3.6 Firing Order

dodge 3.6 firing order

To repeat, the firing order for the Dodge 3.6 engine is 1-2-3-4-5-6. The Pentastar 3.6 V6 engine powers this particular Dodge sedan.

In general practice, car engine manufacturers don’t design their V6 engines with a firing order of 1-2-3-4-5-due to possible damage and breakage of the engine.

For some reason, the engineers who designed the Pentastar 3.6 V engine did it – and there seems to be no adverse consequence. The Dodge Charger is just one car model that uses a solar engine.

Other car brands and models under the Chrysler umbrellas also utilize this engine as their power plants. Among these engines are well-known and dependable vehicles such as the Jeep, Dodge, and Chrysler. 

The Pentastar 3.6 V6 engine powers more than one million assorted vehicles of these car brands. That is ample testimony that the Pentastar 3.6, including the Dodge 3.6, is a reliable and durable internal combustion engine.

What Is the Firing Order of an Engine?

To appreciate the Dodge 3.6 firing order, you must know the basics of an engine’s firing order. Engine firing order is the sequence by which the spark plugs of the engine fire or ignite in proper order.

You know that the spark plugs provide the sparks to all the cylinders inside the engine. If the engine has six cylinders, the engineers that designed it will also program the sequence or the timing that the sparks will give to each cylinder.

You can’t design an engine where the fuel and air mixture inside its cylinders ignite simultaneously. The ignition (which the spark plugs initiate) must occur at different times.

Since the ignition has a different time of occurrence, the engineers need to program the firing sequence. In short, this sequence is the firing order of the engine.

How Is Engine Firing Order Determined?

Engines with a Distributor

For engines with a distributor, the firing order is determined by routing the wires of the spark plug from the distributor cap to the spark plugs for every cylinder. In an engine, certain things happen during the combustion cycle.

Engines with No Distributors

With engines with no distributors, the firing order is coordinated by the engine computer or the ignition module. The crankshaft position sensor sends a signal to the computer to determine which piston inside the cylinder is going up to its top dead center during its compression stroke.

In some engines, the camshaft position sensor sends the signal. When the computer receives this signal, it will fire that particular spark plug, the next spark plug, and so forth, according to the engine’s firing order.

ICE’s Combustion Cycle

Four processes occur during the combustion cycle of an ICE. The first process is the intake cycle, the second is the compression cycle, then combustion and power stroke, and the last is the exhaust.

When the piston is at the top dead center of the cylinder at the end of the compression stroke, the rotor inside the distributor should already be aligned with the terminal of the no. 1 spark plug in the distributor cap.

Chrysler V8 Engines

The majority of the Chrysler V8 engines rotate clockwise. So, the next plug wire in the distributor cap goes to the next spark plug following the engine’s firing order.

Most Chrysler engines designate the no. 1 cylinder as the first cylinder at the front engine. This cylinder is on the left or driver’s side for rear-wheel vehicles.

On the front-wheel drive of 2.7-liter and 3.5 V6 engines, the number one cylinder is on the front right side of the engine. With 3.9-liter V6 vehicles, the number one cylinder is the first on the front left side of the engine.

The numbers of cylinders are in a staggered sequence in most engines. All the even numbers are on one side of the engine, and all the odd numbers are on the other.

Again, what is Dodge Charger 3.6 firing order? The Dodge charger firing order is 1-2-3-4-5-6.

What Is the Importance of Knowing the Firing Order?

dodge 3.6 cylinder order

Though you are generally not required to tinker with the technical operation of your engine, you still have to have some working knowledge about its firing order should there be a situation when your mechanic may ask you about its firing order.

Or you may be a person who tinkers with engines and modifies or upgrades them. You need to know what firing orders mean and how they work. In other words, it is essential to have a working knowledge of this subject if you own and operate a motorized vehicle.

For example, you need to know your engine’s firing order if you are trying to figure out its cylinder numbering sequence. Why do you need to know this? You need this knowledge to replace spark plugs, fuel injectors, ignition coils, and other fuel system components.

If you don’t know the correct firing order of your engine, you may mix up the spark plug wires. This will prevent your car from starting when you turn on the ignition key. It may also cause the engine to backfire and operate poorly, if it runs at all.

Dodge 3.6 Overview

Belongs to the Chrysler Engine Family

Let me now give you an overview of the Dodge 3.6 engine. The Dodge 3.6 belongs to the Chrysler engine family. This is an FCA Pentastar V6 engine with 3.56 liters that has a reputation for being a reliable and durable engine.

Can Provide Long Years of Dependable Service

Since 20910, this engine has been used as the power plant of over ten million Jeep, Dodge, and Chrysler vehicles. Given proper care, maintenance, and responsive use, this engine can provide long years of dependable service to its users.

Can Rack Up More Than 200,000 Miles

This engine has a reputation for racking up more than 200,000 miles without experiencing significant problems.

Some users of this engine have relatively hassle-free miles before 150,000 as long as they perform oil changes on time, maintain its cooling system properly, and do essential maintenance tasks regularly.

First Introduced in 2009

This engine was first introduced at the New York Auto Show in 2009. The demo vehicles were the Jeep and the Chrysler Dodge for the 2011 year models. Even today, this engine is the most technically advanced of its kind that Chrysler has designed and manufactured.

Now, the power plant is used for vehicles such as the Ram 1500, the Jeep Wrangler, the Jeep Cherokee, and the Dodge Challenger. The Dodge 3.6 was considered among the best ten engines in the US market for three consecutive years.

Other Features

Here are some of the good points of the Dodge 3.6:

  • It is more fuel efficient and consumes less fuel than its 3.5-liter predecessor by 11%.
  • It is also 38% more powerful than the 3.5-liter Dodge 3.6.
  • It is smaller than the 3.5 V6 being 94 mm. shorter than the 3.5-liter Dodge 3.6.
  • It comes with an open deck design. This makes it lighter and cheaper to manufacture by saving raw materials.
  • It effectively manages heat with its three-piston oil cooler, where every oil jet cooler cools down two pistons. This prevents the engine from detonating.
  • It uses a chain-driven, vane-type variable displacement oil pump.

How Fast Is the Dodge 3.6?

The Dodge Charger is considered a fast car in its class. However, the exact speed you can get from this engine can vary, depending on the model year and the engine configuration.

For instance, the 2021 Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye with a V8 supercharged engine can take only 3.5 seconds to reach 60 miles per hour from zero. It’s not surprising because its 3.6-liter power plant can crank up a massive 797 horsepower.

On the other hand, the base model of the 2021 Dodge Charger SXT with a V6 engine can only clock 6.4 seconds from zero to 60 mph.

Its power is less than the SRT Hellcat Redeye because it can only deliver 292 hp. That is relatively smaller than the nearly 800 hp that the SRT Hellcat Redeye can provide.

Is the Dodge Charger Reliable?

dodge charger 3.6 firing order

This vehicle is very reliable. However, its dependability depends on how well it is taken care of. If you are conscientious with its regular maintenance and follow all recommendations in its manual of operation, this vehicle will not give you a headache.

Based on a report from RepairPal, this vehicle has a reliability data of 4 over 5. That is an above-average reliability rating.

RepairPal’s reliability rating is based on a vehicle’s actual cost, maintenance on respective make or model for the 2006 to 202 models, and the frequency and severity of unscheduled maintenance and repairs.

Which Dodge Charger Should I Buy?

The right Dodge Charger that you should consider is the one that fits your needs and your budget. There are six trims of the Dodge Charger for the 2022 year model. They are the following along with their respective prices from the cheapest to the priciest:

  • Dodge Charger SXT RWD – $32,500.
  • Dodge Charger GT RWD – $35,275.
  • Dodge Charger R/T – $40,895.
  • Dodge Charger Scat Pack – $46,620.
  • Dodge Charger Scat Pack Widebody – $52,315.
  • Dodge Charger SRT® Hellcat Redeye Widebody – $85,695.

In Closing

The Pentastar 3.6 V6 engine powers the Dodge 3.6 charger. This V6 engine’s firing order is 1-2-3-4-5-6. There are two other engine variants of this engine with bigger displacements. One is the 6.2-liter V8, and the other is the 5.7-liter and 6.4-liter V8.

Internal combustion engines don’t usually fire in the 1-2-3-4-5-6 sequence, says carbiketech.com. The engine can deform or even break totally if it fires in this order, says this website. However, for some reason, the Dodge 3.6 engine was able to work to prevent this possibility.