Factory-installed problems with KJ CRD -
- lower ball joints - 1,000,000-mile Diesel engine, with replaceable cylinder sleeves like the big boys, is way too heavy for the DCJ-opted 4-cyl ball joints - solution: replace with the originally spec'ed Moog V8-rated parts - diy 87bucks and yer good to go.......
- emissions - all 1500-series trucks and passenger vehicles are required to meet all emissions standards for lite-duty vehicles - 4-cyl engines "breathe" harder than 6's and 8's, resulting in much more 'blow-by' type vapors exiting the crankcase - these excessive oil vapors are plumbed back into the intake system via the turbocharger inlet, resulting in excessively oily intake tract, incl the charge-air cooler, resulting in big mess in the intake manifold with EGR-contributed soot - solution: aftermarket emissions-approved oil vapor-trap, with drain plumbed back into the oil pan - diy 135bucks and yer good to go..........
EGR valve - uses an intelligent(?) water-cooled EGR system to maintain charge-air cooled air density - needs good hard runs at hiway speeds to clear out the soot, or valve becomes 'sticky', sluggish, inoperative - premium-brand ULSD fuel and premium ashless motor oil reduces the soot-caking problem - an alternate acceptable solution is available: diy
90bucks and yer good to go..............
- exhaust restriction - 2.5" exhaust piping, good for the 2.8L TD engine, soot-trap (needs regular runs at hiway speeds to cremate the trapped soot and blow it out, no problem), but totally stifled with that huge 35 gallon barrel of a muffler, choked way down internally just inside the inlet for a standard 2.5L 4-cyl gasser (patooie!) engine - solution: aftermarket 2.5" clear thru muffler frees up the little CRD engine so it can take full advantage of the turbo - diy ~100bucks and yer good to go..............
- transmission - DCJ opted for a cheap hi-stall torque convertor with a plastic stator, good for the bottom line, bad for a hi-torque turbocharged Diesel engine, particularly bad for a 4-cyl turbocharged Diesel engine, with only 2 violent combustion thrusts on the crank per revolution - a 6-cyl has three per, an 8-cyl has four per, distributing the forces more evenly per arc - hi-stall results in mushy driving experience: the little mule responds like it is in a mud pit - solution: aftermarket low-stall torque convertor with aluminum stator, vastly improving power-transfer efficiency for improved driveability - diy 750bucks incl shift kit and yer good to go.............
- fuel supply system - some problems with excessively aerated fuel, caused by using pressure fittings in a vacuum system, and locating the fuel manager head higher than the fuel tank, higher even than the CP3 injection pump - air in a liquid piping system will always collect at the highest point in the system - this results in starting problems and misfiring\hesitation, and possibility of excessive heat damage to the fuel heater in the fuel manager head
- solution A - replace the plastic fuel fittings at the fuel tank with clamped rubber hose to eliminate the inherent leaks due to using those pressure-type fittings in vacuum service - diy ~ 10bucks and yer good to go........
- solution B - install the fuel lift pump module used in the Dodge Cummins trucks, designed for the same CP3 CRD system as in the Jeep - DCJ provided everything, already installed in the Jeep, but fergot to install the in-tank pump - diy 175bucks and yer good to go........
Add 1oz\gal ashless or syn 2-stroke motor oil to the ULSD fuel to protect the CRD Inj Pump and injectors, and yer good to go..........
1337
These relatively minor fixes will give you the CRD Jeep the engineers wanted you to have - you got the Jeep the bean-counters tricked-out for you - a little effort and elbow grease on your part, and the little mule won't continually respond like it was rode hard and put up wet.
And remember: the Jeep Liberty CRD KJ requires Diesel Fuel, not gas - it has a fuel tank, not a gas tank - you look at the fuel guage, not the gas guage - you stop at the fuel station, not the gas station - you fill up at the fuel pump, not the gas pump - you remove the the fuel cap, not the gas cap - green handle, not black handle - you pay for fuel, not gas - your KJ gets fuel mileage, not gas mileage - it gets fuel economy, not gas economy - it may need fuel additives, not gasoline additives - fuel is Cetane-rated, opposite of and not Octane-rated - you step on the accelerator pedal, not the gas pedal - the fuel filter needs changing, not the gas filter - you then may have a fuel leak, not a gas leak - the odor is of fuel, not gas - you may have gotten a tank of bad fuel, not bad gas - fuel, not gas - and last, but not least, that rumbling in yer tummy is gas, and not Diesel fuel (hopefully!) - that odor is of gas, and not f...never mind! - keep those things in mind, and you won't be back on here in a few days\weeks, with an upset stomach and wailing because you filled the fuel tank with gasoline instead of Diesel fuel - and tried blaming it on your wife!
Word up, eh..........
One final solution: free subscription to the LostKJs.com forum - diy, priceless, and you'll always be good to go.........
http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/vie ... highlight=
http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/vie ... 774#302774
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(in a few years time when it does fail I'll be looking for the suncoast one for replacement, but I won't change anything mechanical before the TC fails)