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Duly noted!
tidester, host
I pre owned a Liberty 2.8 CRD (previous model without VGT) and the engine has never overheated.
Another idea: my CRD doesn't have any engine protection plate underneath and ventilates well. I remember the days in the 70's when low profile tires apperared on the market and I had a 2.8L V6 Ford Capri racer. The front spoiler had to be removed to avoid vapour lock in the fuel line. There wasn't enough ventilation from underneath the body. Could this be the case with the newer CRD?
I am not looking for a street racer. I want a vehicle I can take out in the desert during the winter and explore. That involves many dry creek beds and climbing a hill now and then. Is the Xterra built on a truck frame or is it a car based vehicle? The Xterra also does not have the mileage rating of the Jeep CRD. Actually the Xterra is pretty bad for a V6 engine 16/21 MPG, lowest in it's class. I think I will wait till DC puts a diesel in the Wrangler.
His response was that the radiator was the most likely source of the problem. He suggested having the cooling system drained and thoroughly flushed. He thinks that there could be material left over from the engine manufacturing process that could be clogging the radiator. He found it interesting that this was happening to some but not others.
My niece and her spouse have a new Xterra. It has been to the shop several times and the fuel economy is rotten. The overall usage is about 15 mpg.
I traded the XT because of a job change which requires a 100mi round trip commute, but would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone if mpg is not important. My CRD is my first "domestic" car in many many years and (so far at least) I have had no problems and am very happy with it. I just had the 6k service and the dealer checked for me that all TSB were up to date. I have not had the overheat problem, but have seen the temp gauge (once) rise to the 3/4 mark before falling back to just below the 1/2.
Surely you jest?! I gotta think you're just saying that to get a rise out of us CRD owners. Funny, I guess.
It is obvious to me that CR has a problem.
CRD is more than adequate power and acceleration.
review
I'll wait the end of this week, if the problem isn't solved I'll write to Chrysler Italy.
-When the engine overheats, stop the truck and keep the engine running at 2000 rpm. The temperature should go down when the air flows rapidly through the radiator and no load is put on the engine. If this works out well it means the cooling fluid flows sufficiently and the radiator could be clogged or designed just at the limit for the additional power given by the engine in the 2005 version. I haven't found any post about people complaining of this type of issue with older CRD engines in Europe.
When older (underpowered) Peugeot diesel engines were first fitted with turbochargers, I remember sharing the same issue: the head gasket would blow :lemon:
Do you have the bottom protection under the engine?
Have you tried 'BluDiesel' from Agip stations?
If the bottom protecion is an extra I think no
I' haven't tried with BluDiesel..
So you do have the large protection plate under the motor, right?
At the moment I' don't remember If there's a large plate under the motor...I Think no.
Why BluDiesel?
When you overheat, are you using the LO mode or just pulling on the HI range?
Where were you doing this? Where you in altitude?
I overheat during hill climb (not a serious climb, no off road), 600 meters above sea level. No Problem on Highway and in city traffic.
What's your engine rpm when you overheat?
Do you have additional accessories in front of your Jeep?
Could you check if you have the engine plate underneath?
Are you alone in the truck or do you have cargo?
I'm asking you these questions because I would like to further equip mine. Perhaps I shouldn't ....
Same thing for engine rpm
No additional accessories
My car is at Chrysler dealer, I can't Check the plate
I'm alone in the truck with no cargo (with cargo and passengers it's worse)
For your information, I put my CRD to test in LO mode close to idle speed and full cargo. No speed and deep in the woods (no breeze). I tried to stop and go several times in very soft terrain at 40% incline (22 degrees). It never ever overheated, could not go beyond 2000 rpm but I was swetting that day!
Thank you for the help
The B100 pump is by itself. Add the amount of B100 you want, then finish filling at the regular diesel pump.
For the Liberty, each gallon of B100 equals 5%, thus adding 2 gallons of B100 and then filling to the top would give you a B10 blend.
I have discovered that when I run 45 cetane fuel, the engine starts faster and runs quieter than if I were to use 40 cetane fuel. I add cetane improvers so I run at about 50 cetane. I have almost no vibration at idle, even when cold.
Steve, Host
My CRD has engine covers top and bottom - no transmission cooler - and it doesn’t overheat. I put it to the test by towing a little above the maximum gross total weight allowed for vehicle and trailer @ 90+ degrees and the temperature gauge never moved from the middle.
There has to be something going on other than basic design.
Unfortunately, we cannot get the 2003 model here in the U.S.
What is so crazy about this problem is that it affects some CRD owners, but not others. Recently, I attempted to get my CRD to overheat by keeping it in 5th and lugging it up a hill at 53 mph with the A/C on in 95+ degree heat. I did this three or four times and the temperature gauge simply did not move past it's usual spot, a touch below the half way point.
When I spoke to the diesel mechanic at the dealer a few days ago, he told me that there is a transmission overheating issue with the gas version of the Liberty that has the four-speed automatic. They attribute this to the fact that the transmission cooler is too small (not enough surface area). I did discuss the CRD overheating issue with him told him about what other people were experiencing, and had done, the failures, etc. His feeling is that it is an issue with the radiator. In an earlier message, I suggested having the cooling system thoroughly flushed to make sure there is no junk left over from the engine manufacturing process clogging the radiator. I would even suggest pulling the radiator and having a flow test done to make sure it is up to spec. The other possibility is that the radiator might for the smaller diesel used in Europe.
I feel for those of you who are having this problem. I hope that it is resolved soon and that it is something easy and simple.
There has been a bit of evolution between my truck and the one I could buy today:
-I bought mine in sept. 2003 with 150 HP and mechanical fan, no skid plates. If I remember well I have 4 heat exchangers up front: A/C, transmission, engine and intercooler. You can't add anything more, the place is stuffed.
-In 2004 the 163 HP were announced and 150 HP were delivered.
-Today in 2005 it's 163 HP, the fan and radiators changed and you get plates.
My service technician (a real good one compared to many) told me the 163 HP engines all have the electrical fan. Radiator and fan mounts are different.
How come some folks in the US talk about belt driven fans with clutches ? Are these trucks in-betweens? He even told me a few 2.5L CRDs were produced with the automatic transmission while owners thought they had the 2.8L. I have the impression DC can build trucks like a restaurant serves week-end left-overs for the monday special! Mine must have been built a thursday
It would be nice to summarize what type of fan + radiator(s) are involved when trucks overheat, assuming skid plates make no choking effect on the expelled air. It's a bit confusing that climbing and city driving make the same effect.
My CRD that does not overheat has a belt driven clutch mounted fan and a
2-speed electric fan.
Caribou1, I am trying to make sure that my CRD is not part of the group that has the overheating issue. I have the engine plate underneath but when I am parked and the A/C is on, the electric fan is running at high speed and a fair amount of heat comes off the engine. The temperature gauge is always slightly below the half way point.
I'm part of the overheating group, in city traffic no problem...but during climbing the gauge reaches the red zone.
today at Chrysler they changed the thermostat (electric fan activator????) and tomorrow I'll take my truck to some serious tests. I'll let you know....At the moment I think they haven't solved the problem...while there is life there is hope...
I don't own a CRD yet, but plan to in the future. I am lurking here to see the problems that unfold and how they are solved.
Imagine connecting 2 different pumps on a pipe and flow water or gas through the assembly.
[pump1]---[pipe]---[pump2]
If pump1 has more flow than pump2, the flow is limited by pump2 and both pumps cavitate. The pressure in the pipe can rise.
In the case where #2 has the greater flow, cavitation occurs in the pipe and the flow is restricted.
In the case where both pumps have the same flow, you don't feel either #1 or #2.
What I'm trying to explain is that two non synchronised pumps cannot be used on a single circuit unless they reach equilibrium by some external means, like driving at 50 MPH per example...
For an engineer, defining a radiator is trivial, but getting it to work in a variable environment needs a bit of thinking. If an overheating truck can cool down while running at 50 MPH, this means the radiator has a safety margin and is well dimensionned.
Any contradictors? :P
Interesting! The belt driven fan has a clutch that is temperature activated. If the cooling system and especially the radiator is working properly, then when the temperature of the air coming off the radiator is hot enough, the clutch in the fan will engage. If there is not enough fluid flow through the radiator, the clutch fan will never engage. Clutch fans rarely ever fail. Having the electric fan in place and running at a different speed is in my view not contributing to the problem.
So what are we left with?
1. A bad sensor to activate said electric fan.
2. Bad software that keeps something from working as it should.
3. Bad thermostat, very possible. One that has been put in improperly, not likely. If that were the case, the engine would overheat under any condition.
4. A restriction somewhere in the cooling system. That could be in the block, the head, radiator, a bad valve somewhere in the cooling system, a kinked line that is not readily visible.
5. Since the engine has an iron block, an aluminum head, and an aluminum radiator this could be a problem. Aluminum and iron do not like each other and will react. This sounds far fetched but it is possible.
6. A hot transmission. Since the radiator and trans cooler share the same coolant, there may not be enough cooling capacity. Has anyone had a transmission overheat light come on?
7. What about a blockage between the radiator and the intercooler or A/C condenser?
Any other thoughts are welcome.
This definately makes me glad I got my Cherokee at the end of it's run ('99), when they had all the bugs worked out.
Good luck to those experincing overheating issues. Jeep better get this figured out because a properly working CRD is the only way they're getting any money out of me.