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Steve, Host
Farout
Farout
There was a tv report about a family travelling all over the world with a diesel camper. When in Iran, they said to have paid one US dime for a gallon (2 cts of a Euro per liter). Are we paying for their fuel?
These people had an IVECO-Fiat common rail, they didn't seem to suffer from poor fuel quality. I wouldn't dare taking my Jeep out there without special precautions!
The Van City mechanic appeared to be knowledgeable about the EGR challenge. I asked him if there were any issues with the Mercedes five cylinder. He replied that the 2002 and 2003 Sprinter models had problems, but that the models from 2004 and on appeared to have worked the issues out.
I have a Liberty Sport built 05/2005 achieving 20-21.5 mpg in every day mixed driving. I am on my fourth EGR valve and have replaced one glow plug that had a hairline crack.
Thanks again!
Julie
Farout
In the Mopar book about CRD goodies (the same as the 3.7 Liberty) they have some rubber mats that look pretty good.
Farout
When data is out of range on a component an error code(s) is stored by the computer for retrieval and probably a light is turned on. If a wire to a sensor or component is open or shorted it would be seen as data out of range. So, in a sense the computer is reading either the component or sometimes the wire.
I find your experience interesting in the context of the earlier post by Bmartinpe who is unbelievably on his 4th EGR valve.
Bmartinpe, was any follow up done to verify that the EGR valves were actually bad? Could it be a bad wiring harness creating EGR error codes also. This would be a monumental diagnostic screw up if components are being replaced because of intermittent problems with wiring harnesses.
While at my dealer today and the tec whom I feel is pretty up on the CRD said after the warranty is out, the repair cost will be unafordable, unless your rich. Now that made my day! I am so hacked off with DCX! If anyone doubts we are a test market, than I don't know how much more it will take to prove it.
At least Caribou1 can get parts. Are parts there very expensive, or do you know? I am really begining to feel really dumb to have bought this CRD, I wish I couls see some light at the end of the tunnel. And soon!
Farout
Being There to see that.....Priceless. Needless to say, they were impressed with the discovery. Dont worry about Resale, the interest in big.
The mechanic verified that the valves were dirty with soot and stuck open. Plus, when my check engine light came on, my mpg began to suffer.
Have not taken off the hoses to see any effect of the oil change. Are yours staying clean. I am assuming you are still stock-muffler, airbox and your mileage is well below 20K.
Some post had a used buyer from Houston's crd fail in NM and the wife is flying home today because the TC is a week away. Ours still can't handle the torque except going downhill. The new TC's are in stock in the Dallas warehouse and we are trying to buy it and the front pump and the rest of the kit and not send trash through the tranny. But the dark side of me says - let it trash everything, try not to get stranded on a dark interstate night far from home and get a new CAC.
Got my front tires balanced by the local tire dealer-took tires one by one in the trunk of the malibu - some idiot there believes in jacking up the front end by the lower control arm. Will be buying BFG's at discount next time. While there saw a 239K 4cyl chrysler minvan getting an alignment and a jeep GC getting new rear springs.
Went to Mike's off road (did my tranny skid plate) and asked about receiver fixes. The man thought I was nuts. He then put a ball mount into the receiver and saw the slop. I am also still trying to resolve the hollow tube used on the jack kit under the seat-used it once and don't trust it for a second use.
I think it was an australian post that had the fix for the noise in the drivers seat when someone is straddling you. Pulled the rubber molding off the rear drivers side door chassis frame and found some pathetic foam goo at the corner - used multiple layers of duct tape along the top half of the frame after other products failed. Will test it this weekend.
Look at your tranny coolant lines for rubbing at the bottom radiator brace-Iam going to use a split rubber hose-couldn't find stand-offs.
Good luck winter2, just trying to head off any problems for you and I am seriously not trying to be condescending. I know how you want this to be your crd. I waited too long for my half-ton diesel and I guess I should've been born in another country. If this post rubs you wrong - I hope it doesn't - I honestly wish all the good people well - I will continue to be silent and listen to the bs like at lost about the air intake and here about what do youhang on your mirror. I always thought jeeps were - - -.
If we buy a new gm soon, I can't let someone buy ours unless it is better than the way dcx sold it to us. We are not that type of people.
I apologize to everyone here at edmunds for using this as my personal email to winter2 but we go back quite a bit and are civil posters compared to some on the net.
do not have confidence in DCX to do the right thing by us when something happens after 100,000 miles are hit then DCX is free and clear. We can't get anything out of the customer care line but "I am sorry to hear that." What hope have we that this engine will not have more egr or other major problems? I think we are stuck with a CRD that will drop in value so even trading it in will be a loss so huge we will not be able to dump it anywhere. I got a quote on a 2006 CRD yesterday a Sport window sticker $28300. for $21200. That's a huge drop and it's brand new.
Farout
i think pre-2007 diesels are going to remain quite desirable especially after folks see some of the extra $ and possible hassles that the 2007s & later might bring...
I have been in this position before with a rare car that everyone predicted doom and gloom about and until I got this CRD, was my favorite out of 15 cars and trucks I've owned.
That car was a 1986 Merkur XR4Ti. It had a custom intercooler and Borla stainless exhaust that I added. I had it up to 148 miles an hour on a closed road and clocked 145,000 very very happy miles with it.
I never really had trouble getting parts or service in the years I owned it. I had a couple of big bills around 100,000 miles but hey, it was a German Ford.
I'm not saying this CRD is going to break or lose value like a rock over a cliff, but my opinion is that I don't care and you should buy and drive cars you love.
My CRD makes me very happy.
I see nothing offensive in your post.
I will be breaking the 11K barrier shortly. I still have all the stock items you mention in place. As to the hoses, they are remaining the same. The amount of black goo in them has not worsened and it fact is beginning to dry out. It is much less sticky than a month ago. I have no oil leaks anywhere, not even on the turbo housing or the hoses. Everything is bone dry.
Sorry you are having difficulty with the trans and the TC. BTW, what is CAC? I will check the trans coolant lines after dinner to make sure there are no problems. Thanks for the heads up.
Dave, if there is one thing you are, you are not condescending. I enjoy sharing with you and others in this forum.
As for tires, good luck with the BFG tires. Which ones are you getting? I like my Bridgestone Alenza tires. Very nice rain tire and very good dry pavement tire. After these are worn out, I will go back to either Yokohama GS-51's or Pirelli tires. The Bridgestones are just a bit number than I like (not enough road feel transmitted).
Dave have you looked at the GoodYear Wrangler Silent Armor tires? I have these tires and they are the very first GoodYear tires I have ever bought, as all the GoodYear tires that have come with the new vehicle are usually not fit for the road, in my opinion. But these Silent Armor tires are quiet, smooth and good in snow, ice, gravel, and rain. To find a tire that does all these things well is really great I think. Take a look, can't hurt to look.
Farout.
Farout
Okay, I hav to trie this and see whut hapens.
tidester, host
<EDIT> Yikes! You're right. The color isn't showing.
From a vehicle quality point of view, I'm happy with my Limited. As I've stated before, I traded in a full size pickup for this Jeep, so I'm having some trouble making the size adjustment, but that has nothing to do with the quality of the Jeep. I bought the Jeep, in fact I went looking for the Jeep, knowing full well that it was a DCX Test. Frankly it was kinda hard not to know that if you were reading about it at all. From the beginning in 2004 DCX was very clear in almost everything that I've ever read that this was a test to see if the demand existed in the US for Diesel. Most of the reviews I've read reiterated that point. In fact they stated that they planned to build only 5000 units. That number was increased later. Now whether or not the increase to 11,000 units was part of the plan and was just a bit of marketing, we'll never know. ... but if you were doing any sort of research before buying then it has always been pretty clear that this was a market test. I really don't mean to offend anyone, I'm just wondering where this sudden realization that we are part of a marketing test comes from.
So, aside from really missing my pickup (yes I am considering trading for a cummins powered RAM) the Limited has been great. Sure is a blast to drive.
Paul
I do not expect more than nit picky stuff to go wrong with the CRD, but we bought this thinking it would last as long as our 96 Dodge Neon which has almost 187,000 miles on the orignal engine. I see this problem of unnpredictable cost and availability of CRD parts as areal concern for retired people like us.
I too hope to keep this CRD for many moons as we counted on, but I have my doubts, until I see someone with 100,000 miles or more on their CRD,.....cheers back.
Farout
The Jeep Liberty CRD was a gift to the American automotive public. The CRD has a unique combination of capabilities and qualities that do not exist in any other vehicle. It also has a unique combination of minor irritating qualities that have been overly beaten with a rubber hose. H@ll, we’ve beaten the hoses with a rubber hose.
Everything that I read prior to the introduction of the CRD said that DC would be subsidizing its production just to get it out there because diesel is the future. The limited break-even production run could not have made DC much money. If quality was shaved a little on some parts, DC is paying for it in warrantee work now.
We were never a test market in the sense that we were beta testers of the vehicle itself. If anything, the introduction of the CRD was a test of the acceptability of a different class of affordable diesel than previously existed. DC passed the test by introducing a unique and very useful vehicle. The American public failed the test by not buying a great vehicle as ravenously as they buy many utterly useless and incapable vehicles (in my opinion).
ULSD availability has dramatically affected decisions of diesel vehicle manufacturers in different ways even though they all saw it coming. For example, VW opted not to produce a 2007 diesel Jetta, but produced extra 2006 units to help fill the gap. Furthermore, VW could not introduce a 2007 mid-year in 2006 because ULSD was not available except for California (maybe a few other places) where it was and is illegal to buy a new diesel! The DC decision is not that much different from VW’s decision. Even the new diesel Grand Cherokee is a 2007 and a half. DC could not introduce a 2007 GC because for all practical purposes there was no fuel mid-2006!
Some of the hand wringing on parts availability is unwarranted. Accessories like air conditioner compressor and alternator rotate much slower than average and should last longer on this diesel than on almost any gasser. The rest of the vehicle, except for the engine, is standard off-the-shelf Mopar. If you take care of an engine it will take care of you. We could find ourselves knee deep in common rail fuel system parts at local parts stores as diesels become more prevalent a few years down the road.
I have spent a lot of time discussing some of the problems because I thought the discussions were interesting, not because I don't like the vehicle.
Farout
EGR @ 16,500
Transmission @ 25,890
DCX - after much work on my part picked up rental car for week while Torque converter and Transmission kit installed.
Typical millage - 21
Following DCX maintenance schedule exactly.
Seats stain with water like all others.
Currently 31,000 miles. Hope ULSD helps.
Anyone know what the valve on top left of radiator is. Haven't moved it, but curious what it controls.
Occasionally will start and stall and hard to restart unless I prime the fuel pump again. Haven't scoured the list to see what these symptoms indicate. Did catch some discussion earlier this month on some fuel system issues.
//Dave
Farout
Had goodyear rs-a on a ford and the st's here. I like the idea of kevlar but it seems goodyear always has a marketing breakthrough and overpriced. One repair shop owner used goodyear but always bought new tires when they were half worn.
Better half drove for a short trip yesterday. She drove it liked she owned it. I had stopped all additives in the fuel. Even with this high heat the evic was showing 23-25. Fueled up and came back with a true 21. She is fed up but can't stomach the thought of paying cash to someone to get rid of this. We think of you. I may take my own advice and buy a disposable cheap korean suv. But more likely, another push rod from the general.
Any info appreciated.
-break-in of the engine
-premium (higher cetane) fuel
-biodiesel blend fuel (B20)
Running B20 the "diesel crackling" mostly goes away and it sounds almost like a gas engine, though not one up to 2006 expectations for noise level.
Yoko GS-51 tires are different. Grooves and sipes are deep and go right to the outside and inside tread. Never had any wet control issues with them.
ULSD will cost more and result in equal to or lower fuel mileage. Tell me again what ULSD does to help our CRDs. Thanks!
I had a chevrolet avalache with every thing that you could think of, It was a 2003 it was the best but trade it for the liberty it was a big difference; I had only 3000 miles on it and I trade it because the mileage and I am happy that I did I research the liberty and I knew what I was buying so thank you and I think that we are the few and at the end we will be proud.
Farout
Dave, if you mean left while facing the vehicle? I think that it is a radiator fill plug that is removable, since the actual radiator cap is on the recovery tank instead of the radiator.
Your post pretty much has all of the answers in it.
S15 will help the EGR problem in a few ways. Less sulfur, less PM/soot and that impacts on the EGR valve directly and should and probably will result in fewer EGR issues.
Higher cetane also results in a faster and cleaner burn thus reducing PM/soot. In removing the sulfur by whatever process is used, many of the aromatic substances are also removed. These aromatics may contribute some energy but they also contribute some very nasty substances when burned called PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) which are potent carcinogens. It will be nice to get rid of them.
I have been using S15 for the past several tankfuls. Here is what I have observed.
1. Almost no exhaust odor whereas I had some before.
2. Less knocking/nailing.
3. No impact/change in FE or performance.
4. Less smoke under load. Had practically none to begin with.
5. Starting, no change except a little quieter when cold.
6. Less vibration at idle once warmed up.
7. No sagging in the first 100 feet after first start of the day.
8. Cost: about three cents more per gallon, but still cheaper than gasoline (2.899 versus 3.159).
I am near Canton, OH and use BP Supreme. I do not know of any ULSD in my area. The fuel price was $2.959 on Friday when I filled the tank (regular gasoline was $3.059). Diesel fuel has been bouncing between $2.999 and $2.959 the past several weeks.
6700 miles, no problems, and keeping my fingers crossed!