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The coldest I have had my CRD start at was 40 F. No smoke, some noise for about three minutes and then it quieted down.
As to bad driving, it is just going to get worse with time. As for common sense in the metro Washington DC area, forget it.
Thanks for the review!
Tip: An occasional carriage return improves readability - a lot!
tidester, host
As for the brakes, I had a similar occurrence with noise in the morning for the first 300 miles and then it stopped. Has not recurred since then. No rear differential seal problem, but I do not have trak-lok.
As to oil consumption, I used about one quart in the first 600 miles and it has stopped since I topped it off. Level on the dipstick is a hair below maximum.
Have not had the smoke issue, but then again I do not see the need to be a lead foot when I drive this car. Keeping the RPM's below 2500 is a good thing and having a gentle foot on the accelerator pedal is better. I get very lively performance from the engine with light to moderate right foot input. Have found that best available performance is between 1600 and 3000 RPM.
Scared to use a fuel additive. I buy a major brand fuel, Chevron or Shell. I make sure of two things: first that the station turns over lots of fuel in a short period, usually one week. Secondly, I find out when they get their delivery and usually wait a day or two after the delivery to get my fuel.
The temp needle stayed exactly where it always is-at the halfway point.
As far as cold starts, I have started mine as cold as 15F with about a 2 sec glow plug wait-no problem, no white smoke
And to be clear, w/no trailer the CRD NEVER overheats, it is only with a load and when RPM's are like 2K and higher, it ALWAYS overheats. This is very disturbing...
The other issue I have is the odor of diesel fumes in the cabin area when ever the fan is on. If in recirculation, no problems. And this is when the vehicle is not in motion. Rather strong odor. Seems to be sucking in from the engine compartment right into the fan intake. So far they are telling me to drive it always with re-circulation ON, and that makes no sense.
100,000 miles
If an external transmission cooler kit is available, I would recommend adding it so you can reduce the heat load the radiator needs to deal with.
One of the main reasons for buying a diesel other than fuel economy is towing, especially if the vehicle has a somewhat high rated tow capacity. It would be illogical for DC to have two cooling systems for the CRD when it is very likely that the vehicle will be used for towing. Also the limited initial production numbers would economically dictate one cooling system.
I'm not saying you are absolutely wrong, I just think only DC can answer that question accurately.
We towed our 5,000# plus trailer at 92 degrees outside temperature with no problem in very hilly terraine. I might be a little soon to jump to conclusions.
My first, and most serious overheating episode occurred when I was not towing. I have found my CRD tends to overheat long grades whether towing or not, when temperatures are over 70. Use of AC aggrevates overheating
I took my Jeep to the dealer and they say it checks out ok. I have also contacted Jeep.
Since there are other owners that are not experiencing overheating in rather extreme conditions, combined with some of my own observations, I tend to believe that the cooling system has adequate capacity. Rather, I suspect that some component is faulty or is miscalibrated on some of the CRDs. If so, this should be a problem that can be resolved easily. I hope all who experience the problem keep the pressure on jeep. As summer heats up, this is going to be a serious problem for some.
Otherwise, I really like my CRD!
The engine i saw at the auto show had this regulator.
http://www.hostdub.com/albums/enginerd/DRV_jeep.jpg
Can you see if you have this, and if there is a part number listed on it.
On other diesel systems these regulators can go faulty, and be blamed for jerkiness.
At higher RPM / load the rail pressure increases, and when you let off/shift the rail pressure drops. this regulator is partly responsible for regulating pressure.
At about 350 miles old, a friend, my wife and I took a 250 mile day trip most of which was through hilly terrain and the last part was through a 3500 foot mountain pass. The climb on the outbound portion was about four miles of 20+% grade. I was not running the A/C and I did lock out the O/D. I maintained an average speed of 35 mph and the tach was at about 2100 RPM, with the turbocharger continuously whistling away. The temperature gauge never went past the half way point. I also had engaged the full-time four wheel drive for additional control in the curves and tight turns.
On the return leg, there is a straight away about a mile long with an ever steepening grade to about 25%. Other parts of the return climb are even steeper and again, the temperature gauge never went past the half way point. Air temperature was in the mid 70's. Again, full-time four wheel drive was engaged for the additional control it offered.
Since I did not experience any overheating issue, I am wondering if the earlier builds of the CRD might have an overheating issue that was resolved in later builds?
This will take you about 10 minutes. Once the temperature builds up you will feel the heat spread across the radiator when the thermostat opens assuming your pump and thermostat are ok. If you have the overheating alarm and the radiator is far from being hot, it's probably a stuck thermostat. It's very unlikely to find blocked coolant ducts due to foundry problems. As soon as you feel the heat spreading across the radiator the electric fan gets powered and you can check this with a voltmeter. After doing this turn off the engine, reconnect the fan and start it again to check that cooling occurs when the fan is running. If this works at standstill and you still overheat under load, it could be a coolant massflow issue (insufficient pump flow or thermostat that doesn't open enough ).
A hypothetical question: Are these engines really overheating? From another forum, Ford Power Stroke diesel engines appeared to be overheating under similar conditions but in fact the problem turned out to be a common temperature gauge problem.
However, I found information on diesels that states that diesels cannot handle overheating nearly as well as gasoline engines. It was stated that even moderate over heats can cause significant damage to the pistons, rings and bearings over time. Diesels are stronger engines but already live under harsh conditions at normal operating temperature. So, I’m not suggesting that you ignore your gauges. Just FYI.
I think the possible engine damage threat we face today with the CRD will be related to the 1" external oil circuit hoses. They may not be 100% safe when time, heat, pressure and vibrations are cumulated. I would have preferred steel tubes to reinforced plastic hoses.
Regarding the gauge, I can say that mine is pegged at 12 oclock 99.9% of the time, and rises when the engine is stressed when climbing long grades. It may not be calibrated correctly, but I think it is accurately reflecting an increase in coolant tempertures when climbing grades. Whether we are experiencing true overheating remains to be seen. What is unusual is that we are used to seeing a temp gauge pegged at a spot in other vehicles, and instead we are seeing fluctuating readings above the normal reading on the CRD.
In view of reports by other owners who have run grades and towed vehicles with no overheating, causes me optimism that the cooling capacity is fundamentally adequate, and what some of us are experiencing is a faulty part or calibration problem.
I also think that there are a lot more problem vehicles than is initially apparent. I find that I need to run a grade at least a mile long when temperatures are above 70 degrees, towing or not towing, to experience a rise on the guage. I lot of drivers don't commonly drive long grades. Towing heavy loads on the level in hot weather would likely create the same results.
I would like to know when the elec fan is supposed to turn on. I haven't discovered it on. If I can find an opportunity when it is tending to overheat and I can get off the highway, I am anxious to see if the fan is running. I find the engine driven fan running 100% of the time. I am going to try to experiment to see if I can rig a switch inside to turn the elec fan on to see if that has an impact.
Another potential culprit is the thermostat. The symptoms are fully consistent with a thermostat that does not open all the way. When I took my CRD to the dealer I marked the level of coolant in the reservoir. It did not change when I picked it up. If the dealer checked the thermostat, coolant would have been lossed or coolant would have been added, but it is highly unlikely that the coolant level would be unchanged.
If the engine does need the fan, will it keep running after the vehicle is shut down? I remember some vehicles needing that continued cooling. I seem to remember the old cheap "Le Car" was wired to keep the electric fan running. This was to protect the engine. The problem was that the battery was sized poorly and the electric fan ran the battery down so the car wouldn't start. You don't see any of those on the road anymore.
All I'm saying is that if a manual switch is installed, it may be wise to install it in parallel with whatever sort of thermostatic switch the Jeep uses rather than a wholesale bypass. Then if the vehicle needs the switch and it isn't on that it will be there.
Please deliver your findings regarding the fan to us. Your information may save a lot of engines.
Steve, Host
How about the little diesel truck they were showing off a couple of months ago? It seems like American trucks have all become stretched out and bloated. This little truck with the diesel engine would create a market niche all for itself. It would serve a strong functional need and I thought it was very cool. I no longer get excited about vehicles, but I liked this one. I think they called it the Gladiator. It looked a bit like a chopped Liberty. I like my Liberty, but if Jeep sold that truck, I would have got one of those.
Will this concept truck be sold next year or maybe a LIberty truck?
As to the gauge remember that I had a technician with me on the soft sand to diagnose the problem. At mid-reading the temp the technician measured was 190 degrees, at the redline it measured 242 degrees. The gauge is pretty darn accurate...what is not acceptable is that the onboard computer did not register the problem. For all the computer controls in today's vehicles this is a travesty. FYI, to determine that your clutch is working properly it should move up to about 3/4 on the gauge and the clutch should kick in to a higher fan speed and you will notice the gauge drops back to the mid-line in about 4 seconds....this test was done after I received the vehicle back with the new clutch. Drove 10 miles in soft sand and 90 degree outside temp......now we'll see how it holds up!! Back to playing with my grown-up Tonka Toy.
I was wondering if a switch could be added to lock up the torque converter in any gear.
This should improve the fuel economy because I think the torque converter has way to much play in it.
Return trip was 369 miles last night. Temperature was cooler - about 80F down to 70F at 2am. Also got several downpours of evening thundershowers on the trip home. Took 16.17 gallons to top off the tank, yielding 22.83 mpg. Overall trip mileage worked out to 24.7 mpg. Not bad for a 4300 lb truck plus 600 lbs of passengers and cargo.
Why the difference on each leg? Only thing different was direction I was going, the ambient temps were cooler on return leg, different fuel source, and I drove significantly faster (~10 mph over the limit) and a bit more agressively (meaning I passed a dozen or so cars on the 2 lane portion) on the return trip. The return trip took 30 minutes less travel time.
Moral? Well, I can see that its pretty easy to get 26+ mpg even on a highway trip. But you have to be gentle with the throttle. And I can see why some folks get considerably less mpg without realizing that the extra speed and quick takeoffs really DO make a difference.
My CRD began this trip with only 877 miles on the clock. So she's not fully broken in. She has an April, 2005 build date so I'm hopeful she has the latest ECM logic. With time I am hopeful the mpg may even creep up a bit. I have to say I'm quite pleased with my CRD. Also - FWIW, I never say any indicated temp past the 12 o'clock position on the temp gauge.
Interesting point: The trip computer did a pretty good job calculating mpg. On both legs it predicted about 1/2 mpg less than my manually tabulated mpg.
Your account is the first I have read of someone finding, and, hopefully, solving the overheating problem with the CRD. A fan malfunction seems to me to be the most likely cause of the overheating. I don't understand which fan clutch you refer to. Are you referring to the engine driven fan? and are you saying that it has a variable gear ratio that is supposed to increase fan speed when temperature rises? Or are you referring to the electric fan? Whichever fan it is, what triggers the heat reaction causing the fan to engage? The computer, or is there a separate thermostat drving a switch to the fan?
I will speak to my dealer about this but I need to know the particulars. thanks!
"I would like to know when the elec fan is supposed to turn on."
Pulled into a hotter-than-outside detached garage with the air-conditioning on, outside temperature was 88 degrees F. Lowered the windows, but could not hear the electric cooling fan. Went around front and the fan was running, just not very audible. Turned the air on high and after 3 or 4 minutes the electric fan kicked up to a much higher speed – audible from inside the car with the windows down. Could feel good air movement placing hand in front of the grill.
Turned the air off and after 2 or 3 minutes the electric fan switched to low speed – not much air flow. About 30 seconds later the fan went off and did not come back on in 3 or 4 minutes with engine at idle.
-Removed engine cover.
-Removed 2 mounting nuts on fuel filter assembly.
-Lifted assembly up and toward the engine taking care not to overstretch wiring or hoses.
-Placed long flexible transmission style funnel below filter with extension down through open area.
-Placed empty milk carton underneath funnel extension below car and removed screw-in electrical sensor from fuel filter body allowing fuel to drain in funnel. (ELECTICAL CONNECTOR WAS NOT PLUGGED IN – just hanging loose from factory!).
-No evidence of water in fuel. Removed funnel, replaced screw-in sensor, attached electrical plug and attached fuel filter assembly with 2 mounting nuts.
-Pushed plunger 20 times and started engine. Engine died. Pushed plunger again and engine kept running after starting.
By carrying a wrench, this could easily be done at the side of the road if the water in fuel warning light activates - after a little cool down and without funnel.
Now considering that the CRD has an intercooler and A/C condenser in front of the radiator, I am wondering if that is restricting the airflow too much so that the fan clutch does not engage at low speeds? But what about those people who are towing? As I understand it, once you are traveling more than 35 mph, there is more than enough airflow to pull off the heat from the engine. I am wondering if the radiator is too small or if the wrong or bad thermostat could be present. My old Isuzu diesel took a 180 degree thermostat.
I live in AZ and have traveled across the state towing a couple jet skis (2000lbs) with no problem (temps in 90s). I will be towing a heavier load later and will advise of any overheating.
Thanks for all the good info.
The CRD already comes equipped standard from the factory with both fans, an engine driven fan and a 2 speed electric fan. This cooling system can handle pretty much anything you can throw at it unless you get one with a defective component like the fan clutches reported by some owners.
I'm just waiting for the fan clutch on mine to fail. At least the cause of the problem has been found and not all that serious if immediately repaired.
Any diesel mechanics here or anybody with some information?
It's made of plastic, has a soft rubber seal, and is just finger tight. Just unscrew it all of the way after removing the electrical plug and the water/fuel runs out.
I was unable to get my hand in a position to unplug/plug the electrical connector on the bottom of the filter or unscrew the sensor. So, I removed the 2 mounting nuts so the entire filter assembly could be moved to make room. Another post suggested removing the hoses and electrical connectors and unscrewing the filter entirely. Either way is fine, I just preferred to leave the hoses and filter connected.
If I had a manual I would follow those instructions.
About the manual on cd. It seems others have it also. I can get the product number for you. I think it was less than $100 including shipping.
Maybe the host can answer this next one.
Can we share this copyrighted cd with a paraphrased answer for fellow CRD'ers?
Steve, Host
It's right by the Post a Message box, honest. :-)
Steve, Host
I did have one surprise when I topped Hoosier Pass. I had the cruise set all the way up the pass, ripping along at 65 mph, locked in 5th gear. As soon as I started my decent the transmission kicked down to 4th for no apparent reason. I shut the cruise control off, gunned it a tad, and it kicked back into 5th. Perhaps the CRD was pretending it had a jake brake?! I suppose I was pushing the limits of the cruise control.