Jeep Liberty Diesel

thstranger

My 2006 crd owners manual say's to check the boost pressure solenoid filter at 12000 miles. Could someone tell me where it is and what I need to look for ? Thanks

mdamick

Its on the passenger side and looks like a fuel filter for a lawn mower.

farout

DCX bought our 05 CRD back last April, so maybe I can help a little. You dont say if you bought it new or used. IFyou bought it new, and IFyou have had all your problems well documented, and IF you have less than 36,000 miles on the CRD you can proberely get a buy back form Chrysler. IF you bought it used then there is a slim to none chance Chrysler will do or that any State Lemon law can do with a used vehicle.
Post a response to this note and I will explain what direction you might have open for you.

farout

thstranger

Thank you "mdamick",
If it needs changing, will it be black or how can I tell ?

mdamick

I have over 90000 mi on mine and the filter looks pretty much like it did when new.
Mine is currently a tan/yellow color.

I would take it off and blow it out-if it is plugged replace it, but I think the unit draws so little air through it, that unless you drive in dust all the time it should last as long as the engine.

stucolts

Hi where is the MAF sensor and
plug located? Are you diconecting them from the top or from under the jeep/ thank you !

zachinmi

As I have posted, I traded in my CRD about a month ago, but am still following this discussion out of curiousity. Recently I did the first oil change on a diesel-engined farm tractor I own, which has a 2.9L, 3-cyl, non-turbo, non-EGR engine rated for 50hp. This change was done after 110 hours of use, which is about a year's worth for me (the manual indicates first change at 100 hours and subsequent changes every year or 250 hours). Based on experience with the CRD I was expecting the oil coming out to be pitch black and full of soot/carbon. Surprise! Oil coming out was still transparent, only a light to medium brown, in fact no darker or dirtier than what I am used to seeing drained from gasoline engines in good shape, and not much darker than brand new oil.

Did I mention my tractor doesn't have EGR? I think EGR is very, very bad news for diesel engines, especially running on the 500pm "low sulfur" diesel vs. the new standard of 15ppm ULSD. I can see another reason why people who disable the EGR valve have better results. Me, I could never do that (at least on a nearly new vehicle), but I do think selection of oil with a CI-4+ (or possibly CJ) rating will make a big difference over the ancient CF rating that DCX originally specified. As has been noted, the CI-4+ rating is specifically designed to handle soot associated with diesel EGR systems. I am using Shell Rotella-T synthetic 5W-40 in the tractor and in our Ram/Cummins pickup, and I had used this same oil in the CRD. Other good choices would be Mobil 1 diesel formula or Amsoil, I think.

Anyway, this is my 2 cents and worth what you paid for it, but for those still fighting the good fight to keep their CRDs running, I hope it's helpful.

caribou1

Zachinmi, YOU are able to burn SVO with your 3 cyl engine.
I'm desperately trying to find a reasonable alternative source of energy for the common rail. It seems the higher the cost of petrol, the higher the price of alternatives fuels. There's no easy way out.

If you use Rotella synthetic, you can extend your service interval to two years :shades:

mdamick

It is attached to the hose right off of the air filter housing.
Passenger front top.

bmartinpe

I find it interesting that there are only 43 posts for the diesel Grand Cherokee compared to over 9,000 posts here for the Liberty CRD. I don't see the same excitement and anticipation for the GC diesel that showed up early on in this forum. Anyone have any thoughts on the lack of interest in the Grand Cherokee CRD?

shizzznit

Lack of confidence in the vehicle and the unbelievable price of diesel fuel.when compared to the cost of regular gas -- or hell -- even the cost of premiun gas!

backhoebob

Fellow Liberty owners, what will happen if I disconnect my egr valve and will disconnecting it improve my mpg's.
Thanks,
Backhoebob

zachinmi

I think the diesel GC is priced out of the market. Have they even sold any of them? Last I checked you could only get the diesel on a GC Limited or Overland, and it was a multi-thousand dollar option from those already overpriced trim levels. Basically, a diesel GC is priced over $40k if I understand right. Why bother? Anyone spending that on an SUV is either looking for a really upscale SUV (which diesel, so far, doesn't scream) or is looking for serious towing capacity beyond what the GC realistically can do, regardless of its engine selection. Anyone really interested in the diesel probably doesn't want, or want to pay for, the foofy stuff that goes on the Limited and Overland models.

I haven't heard anything bad about the GC diesel driveline, and being a straight MB port-over it should be fine.

IMHO, the Liberty was a much more reasonable shot for a diesel SUV in the US, apart from the very large extended-full-size SUVs that had diesel options prior to 2005 or so (the Ford Excursion and the 3/4 ton Chevy Suburban). There will soon be diesel options from Honda in their Pilot and Ridgeline, and not long after that probably in Ford and GM full-size 1/2 ton pickups and SUVs. I don't think Chrysler will get anywhere with the MB diesel in the GC unless the price can be reduced by $10k.

winter2

An interesting happened on the way to and from a wedding in Baltimore this weekend. Whilst climbing a hill at 49 MPH, tachometer showing 1550 RPM, I experienced a delightful shuddering, not once but three times. I have had the F37 recall done. Only my spouse, myself and a little cargo were in the CRD. The hill was not all that steep or that long. Trans fluid is full and clean. Methinks that the torque converter is a hunk of garbage or will be in the future. I have 27.8K miles on the CRD and will be adding transgo's update kit for the RFE 545 when the trans fluid gets changed in the very near future. To hell with the warranty.

I will call the dealer in the morning to make an appointment.

zachinmi

That sounds very, very familiar. I would also check your fuel type (ULSD or LSD) and fuel filter status. I found that shuddering was much more frequent on LSD than on ULSD, although it never totally went away on ULSD. I wonder if there is some feedback loop among the EGR valve, oxygen sensor, and maybe even the transmission/torque converter, and maybe it is all triggered by soot or uneven combustion. Just guessing on my part, but when I had the CRD there was a strong correlation between LSD in the tank and shuddering problems.

If you're still in the warranty - and I hope you are at that mileage - personally I would start working on a buyback. I know you've been fairly happy with the CRD and seemingly committed to keeping it even if modifications are needed, but IMHO it is going to be one of the worst orphaned vehicles in the US market in a long time. If you want a reliable diesel get one of the 3/4 ton pickups - they DO work in the US, but of course that puts you in a very big and pricey truck (I have one, a 2006 Ram, which has had only minor warranty items and no driveability issues). If you want an economical diesel get a VW TDI, and be prepared to put up with some level of hassle - though not nearly as much as the CRD causes.

nescosmo

I think that because you had a bad experience with your CRD, does not means that somebody else will.
If you look at the CRD, there are not too many parts that could go wrong. The engine is solid and the sensors; will all know were they are; After that we have the EGR valve, the FCV that control the fresh air, The fuel filter, that we all know the issues with it and that is about it. So I think we have a very strong vehicle in our hands.

Nescosmo.....

caribou1

The GC sells for 45,000 Euros (~65,000 USD here). People forgot 'JEEP' was a utility vehicle, not a Rolls Royce :surprise:

caribou1

Zachinmi, I repeatedly had misfiring (felt like side kicking) when I ran ULSD-B5. Now I'm back to the cheap LSD fuel that leaves a strong smell on my hands and the engine runs well.

My mileage reached 13.2 Liters/100Km with ULSD-B5 instead of 11.5 for the same traffic and weather conditions (20.5 down to 17.8 US mpg) just after the 60,000 miles service. I had the cetane booster added in the tank, new filters, no more EGR (the dealership agrees it's better this way), no reprogramming and the same old tires. Now I'm just comparing between (the most expensive) fuels with a vehicle in top notch condition.

Some thing's wrong somewhere :confuse:

caribou1

Winter, have you tried going slightly slower or slightly faster?
I think you were just on the edge of the razor where the ECU compares the achieved angular acceleration versus a mapped value. The reinforced transmission elements are invisible to the ECU, but your Lambda sensor will always have it's word to screw up your expectations :sick:

zachinmi

That's really strange. My CRD ran really well on biodiesel proportions from 5% up to 20% (highest I ever used). Much smoother, quieter, no smoke. I can't remember if I ever had ULSD B5 in the tank, but I know mine ran better on ULSD than on LSD. Wonder if this is another tuning difference between euro and US markets.

As for the critical speed idea, my CRD seemed to have a critical speed at 56-58mph, prior to F37. F37 seemed to eliminate the critical speed shuddering, but didn't eliminate shuddering in general, particularly after accelerating hard or accelerating uphill. In some cases after accelerating the shuddering became a violent bucking.

zachinmi

Nescosmo, I'm trying hard not to be a troll, but I'm not going to hide my view. My view on future reliability is this: the CRD, like all modern road vehicles, operates as an integrated system. Not only is reliability of individual pieces essential, but the system as a whole must be reliable. While I think the VM Motori engine by itself is fine, I think the CRD as a system is a complete failure due to inadequate tuning and/or engineering failures by DCX. Because a number of CRDs, including mine and those of numerous prior posters on this board, could not be made to work reliably after numerous dealer visits (10-12 in my case, something like 25 in Farout's case) I don't think the system has EVER worked reliably, and therefore I see no reason to think it will get more reliable with age. Instead, I think what tiny little engineering resource were still working on it at DCX are or soon will be abandoned and owners will be completely on their own in the immediate future. When that happens, who here can realistically re-engineer the system that DCX's engineers couldn't engineer right? If it were gasoline I would say throw a carburetor on it, but that's impossible with a diesel.

caribou1

It's not because we have good wines that our diesel is as good as yours.

I bought crappy fuel just after you suffered from Hurricane Katrina and now that crude oil speculations predicted low US oil reserves, I have the impression we have been given the same soup :sick:

What you define as being the critical speed applies to my truck as well. The 'fifth' or 'last' gear selection occurs around 56 and 58mph. The only way to understand what's going on is to observe the RPM: if the engine starts bucking, the engine RPM stay at the same value. If the clutch opens and closes the RPM will show a variation.

When you accelerate hard or go uphill you don't burn all the injected fuel; at least mine doesn't. I noticed this when I worked pulling trees out of the forest: I had lots of white smoke with the smell of diesel fuel as soon as I let go the load. This is also what surprises me about the after market tuning chips: if I can't burn the default dose, how could I burn more fuel to produce more HP :confuse:

nescosmo

Caribou1... I send to InMotion-USA my ECM for re programing and I been running it for about 3/4 of a tank and the results are: The CRD run smoother, the shifting are about the same but with more power. Now, at 48 or 52 when the 5 lock up it run smooth but if I step a bit hard on the pedal I experience a corrugation on the speed; I did not have the before. I wll call In Motion to see what they said. I don't know if I should go to the expense of a Shifter and or a TC by Suncoast.

caribou1

Nescosmo, I have the impression it would be the same 'corrugation' if you had a manual shift and you would accelerate hard being in high gear. I think your lockup condition has a 'larger window' to react, perhaps simply a longer waiting time before it unlocks again or only reacts to engine rpm. Remember that a shifting program is no more than what a human could do, but much slower.

The only firm statement (friendly advise) I received from my dealership is never use the full torque during long periods at low rpm on the standard automatic tranny. This will rip it apart, it's simply a matter of time.

On the other hand, 200 HP out of this diesel engine with a manual shift would be fun as long as you could afford premature tire wear

mdamick

Mine has had the shudder since the 2nd Torque Converter. It is at the same speed and when I get on the throttle, mainly uphill, it does this.
I think the TC can't handle the torque and is slipping.
I have looked at the Suncoast upgrades and may do that when the trans fails again.
I am also debating converting it to a stick.
It still runs good at 91500 mi once I got rid of the EGR.

nescosmo

Mdamick.....91k, you have to be from another country.
My only have 13k and is an 05.
Somebody told me that if I change the shift kit it wil be ok ever with the TC from Jeep. I will love to replace the TC and the shifter but the price is high and the Job situation arround here is slow. Winter is here and the A/C bus. is slow. I think that I can do it my self but will see. I think I will start buying the sensors that I can buy for now before they go too high.

Nescosmo.

mdamick

I put on over 400 mi/week just going to & from work.
I have put on over 250 mi in a day running between jobsites.

caribou1

Mdamick,
Have you had the timing belt changed?

mdamick

No.
I think the recommendation is 100000 so I will wait a while yet.

winter2

Before I respond, I would like to thank everyone for their input.

As to the fuel issue, I can rule that out. I have only had one bad load of fuel that I unknowingly purchased on a long trip and that caused the CRD to not run at all until it was fully purged from the system. I buy my fuel consistently at one or two places where they have lots of truck traffic and turnover lots of fuel.

The trans was trouble free before I had the F37 recall done and would shift perfectly, not shudder or slip under load. I am inclined to think that the F37 recall has something to do with this issue. I will be seeing the dealer this coming Thursday. The service manager, the diesel tech and I will be taking a little trip so they can witness the problem first hand. If it is the TC, then it will need to be replaced. I will want them to add a Transgo kit to the trans to resolve other issues that the RFE-545 has, even if it means warranty loss on the trans. I will also want them to get the TC from a place in Texas that builds an improved TC for any Chrysler vehicle using the RFE-545. I am willing to pay the difference between what it costs Chrysler and the cost of the better TC.

The service manager wants to see info on the Transgo kit and if it resolves issues that plagued the trans, he told me he would go to bat for me to have it installed and still retain the warranty. I will pass on more info when I have it.

Otherwise, I am happy with my CRD in spite of some of it's quirks.

nescosmo

What type of oil do you use, also let me know if you use some additive on the fuel.

Nescosmo.

caribou1

Mdamick, the recommendation is "between 100 and 120" thousand Kilometers

mdamick

According to my manual 100000 miles or 160000 km.
They say the serpentine belt at 37500 which is awfully light in my opinion.
I am still on the original.

Nescosmo
I use Rotella 5W40 and Power Service at each fill up.

caribou1

I didn't change the serpentine before 105,000 Km. It was not worn and never needed tightening. When you change the timing belt, just beware of the way the A/C pipes are handled. Mine were twisted probably because they were not disconnected nor detached from the fan shroud. Both tubes were rubbing against the steel stiffener right above where they connect into the radiator. I was lucky to notice this before they punctured.

mdamick

Thanks for the info.
I will keep that in mind when the time comes.

winter2

Caribou,

Does the water pump run off of the timing belt and if so, should it be changed when the timing belt is replaced?

Winter2

caribou1

Winter, yes the water pump is located behind the protection plate of the timing belt. By driving it with the timing belt you need less radial force on the front bushing and this should make it last longer. Mine hasn't been replaced and I haven't heard about leaking water pumps in the past 20 years. Look at the hose going to the top of the radiator and you will locate it easily.

jeepown2005

Have a 2005 Jeep Liberty CRD, its in the shop again, Oil Cooler went bad. Has anyone had an experience with this problem. I have 71,000 miles on the jeep.

emp2

Research when looking for a towing vehicle led me to the liberty diesel as the vehicle that fit my needs . I purchased a 2006 limited used, build date march 06 and was not aware of the recalls and other problems that came with my jeep. I have the service history on my jeep and it did not have the f87 recall done and it appears it was not required as jeep says there are no out standing recalls on mine.So to help me sort out some of this I have come up with the following information wich only makes things more confusing .
Information from EPA "google then enter epa420-b-07-003"says chrysler did the f37 because high torsional forces led to tc over heating, ect . Also states that there were 11,286 vehicles recalled . My information is there were about 11000 made, so this would seem that every diesel should have been recalled. To futher confuse the issue the 2006s have an additional recall #F31 as disclosed in report to the EPA.
and I would rather have any one interested in that recall to bring it up themselves by " googling the (EPA f31 )
I love this machine and am going to try to work things out even though it has already 2 recalls and 6 warranty issues before got it,and have only taken it in once for warranty sevice two days after I purchased it.
Emp2

mdamick

Where is the oil cooler located? I did not know the CRD had one.

storageguy

You have picked a great vehicle when it comes to towing. Strong with good pulling power. My 06 was running fine, but I did the tranny recall and the blower motor recall, both without any adverse effects. My expectations of this vehicle were and are good fuel economy and long life. I believe the motor itself is very good, however there are some tuning problems that this blog identifies. I have had the shudders a few times but my CRD will return to normal after shutting off , waiting a few secons and then re-starting - kind of a re-boot. I use mine in winter and back road conditions from time to time, and it performs well. I would'nt want to be in anything else. I look forward to the long term reports on this blog to see how the Liberty stands up after 100K miles.

synlubes

my crd is a 2005 march build had all the same problems last fix at 18000 miles have 38000 now and has worked great love it milage not as good as some about eighteen to nineteen in town and twenty two to three on the road do drive a little hard have a nice day

winter2

Thank you. That is encouraging news.

zachinmi

I haven't read anything on here about oil cooler failures and certainly didn't have a problem in the 35.6k miles I had a CRD.

Oil coolers are simple tech and likely sourced from 3rd world shops. Quality control is probably erratic and you probably just got a bad one. As long as it didn't throw any junk in the oil system you should be able to replace it for under $100 and be on your way. I don't think it matters if you have one identical to OEM as long as it is the same basic size and flow rating.

emp2

I would like to talk about the diesel warranty and will give some facts I have in hopes of getting some answers .
Jeff Bell Vice Pres. of Chrysler Jeep had a press release that stated all 2006 diesel engines would be covered by a five year 100,000 mile limited warranty.
Many car reviews done by professionals in regard to the 2006 talk of this exstended warranty for the jeep.
My warranty book has wording ,although confusing that there was intention of a warranty of some kind. Page 9 in my warranty book talks of a begining date of this diesel warranty after 36 months or 36,000 miles.
The warranty information that can be down loaded from the Jeep owners site does not have the same wording as my warranty book.
When contacting Customer service on this they have no information to do with any other warranty other than the one they use wich is the one that is on line.
Do you or any one else have a warranty book that is the same as mine.

zachinmi

emp2, I have not heard of anything beyond the 3/36k warranty for 2006 CRDs. However, whatever is written in the warranty booklet that came with your Jeep is as good as gold. If that says there is a 5/100k warranty on the engine in your Jeep, then you have one!

I had a 2005 CRD with the 7/70k so I can't answer as to the wording.

We also own a Dodge Ram with the Cummins, which has always had a 5/100k separate engine warranty. Funny thing on it is that it is written that the 5/100k BEGINS AFTER the 3/36k ends. Some smart people have interpreted this as being up to 136k miles on the engine warranty. DCX will deny this interpretation, but I have read a long thread on another site where two Ram owners successfully got items warranted well after 100k miles on their Cummins engine, based on how it is written, and in each case after a long fight. Whatever you have in writing, don't accept anything less than that if you have a problem.

siberia

First judder occurred 2k miles ago (now at 48.5k) while driving on the “razors edge” in hilly terrain around 50 MPH. I have not been able to deliberately replicate the event. My transmission oil is clean and sweet. The judder was loud like running over a prominent rumble strip being felt in the cabin with the frequency of a lethargic jackhammer. This judder is distinctly different from jerking after acceleration that I can reproduce at will - almost never happens since I don’t drive that way normally.

I do not believe that the torque converter clutch was slipping under load since there was not much load at the time. It seemed more like an inability of the system to make a definite decision to engage the clutch. Or, it could be low RPM impulse torque from the engine slipping the clutch and I am deceived. All of my strange transmission events seem to happen after 5 or 6 hours of driving.

caribou1

I am deceived. All of my strange transmission events seem to happen after 5 or 6 hours of driving.
Stop for a coffee break every two hours

Seriously, how is the weather when this happens? Is it very dry? Could it be a parasitic electricity build-up?

siberia

Generally very humid which does not necessarily disagree with your hypothesis. The humidity may be allowing the build-up to get where it does not belong or otherwise interfer with the electronics.

ucanfarm

Recently had a baby, and while riding in the back seat, the electric window roller broke for the second time. My wife got the dealer to fix it again. But Anyways why I am writing is this the check engine light is on. While she was at the dealer for the window she had the mechanics check the light. I got told that the oxygen sensor is throwing the code. I have looked and read about this diesel and have not heard of one or saw one yet, Any Ideas. They told me to go to another dealer as don't currently have a diesel mechanic.