2006 CRD 61,000miles w/ GDE ecotune

I have water in my exhaust? It seems to have just started or it's just gotten bad enough that I could tell what was going on, oh, and it just got cold out. I started my CRD, it started fine and idled fine. I got about a quarter mile and noticed white smoke behind me which is very strange because of how clean this vehicle has been ever since the GDE tune. I pulled over and found that it was coming out of my exhaust. Not good. My first thought was the same as yours, blown head gasket. By the time I had gotten into the car, the smoke had almost completely gone away, that seemed strange, it was more than just morning condensation that I see puffing out of the tail pipes of the gasoline cars. I drove about a mile and a half and the smoke was gone. Later, I started the car and nothing. It was like somebody had played a trick on me. The next morning, the same thing so this time when I got home I did some serious checking. My water level had dropped, again, not good but there wasn't a leak anywhere to be found. So, I did what anybody would do, I checked the "over flow" radiator degassing tank for exhaust gas. None. Great, it's not a head gasket.

My question is this: Could it be a leak in the EGR cooler? What seems to be happening is that there is water in the exhaust that boils off as soon as the exhaust heats up, giving me the white smoke. Once it's all dried out the smoke stops or at least is not enough to be visible and I can not smell it after the cloud goes away. Then it seems to be refilling the exhaust when the car is parked over night and I assume that it's the residual pressure in the cooling system that is pushing the water through a leak in the EGR cooler to the exhaust. My only problem with this theory is that I don't know if that would be possible? Has anybody ever heard of this sort of thing? Is there another place that could leak water into my exhaust, especially overnight when the engine is not running because the water level definitely goes down over night. It's not much but it is measurable.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am going to pull the EGR and EGR Cooler to see if I can find a leak but I really wanted to know if anybody else has had a problem with coolant leaking into their exhaust not from a head gasket?

Thanks in advance!

I had the same issues you experienced ...I always used a little coolant but had a couple of occasional
cold clamp seeps and it never went real low, so i figured when i did the timing belt and related hardware (water pump and t stat ) it would be corrected...not long after that it began using fluid, though at a slower rate...
Finally last winter i started seeing the dreaded white smoke like you are now.
I did the weeks kit thinking (hoping) that the cooler was leaking...no dice
The next step was pressurizing the cooling system a little, pulling glow plugs and cranking..
If you do this, dont stick your head in to watch, lol
In my case the head was cracked around the exhaust valves in cylinders 3 and 4...
Best of luck, but i bet you will have something that will test your patience...

_________________
bought a 05 liberty limited crd with 47 k, 10/08 got a trans and steering on warranty
11/13, 89k, timingbelt ,waterpump tstat,alternator, cooling hoses,gde echo
5/16, 112k, weeks 1&2 id cylinder head, rockers, charge hoses, tstat, waterpump all hoses, euro converter
jba lift , 245/70/17. wifes ride want to keep it going as long as possible...

Thanks for your quick response...

Did you happen to test your coolant with an exhaust gas detector? If so, did it show anything?

Sending an oil sample in at any given time, is never a bad idea

_________________
2006 Jeep Liberty CRD 142,000 miles New engine 2-2014, Green Eco tune, FS2500 bypass filter Weeks elbow, European Torque converter, brakes front UCA's wheel bearing and front hubs. Front hitch OEM lift pump
98 K2500 Suburban 6.5td
96 K1500 " 6.5td
95 2 door Tahoe 6.5td
94 K3500 cc srw 5 speed 6.5td
91 International Model 6 speed spicer 4700

i didnt have access to those tools at the time and i had heard conflicting reports on the
value of it with a diesel....
Getting to all the glow plugs is a pain, (weeks kit will make it a lot easier ) but
1 second of starter crank confirmed my problem, and gave a friend a good drenching,lol.
you might want to look at this
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=83961

I had the same symptoms.
Mine was a cracked head too.

Yours is a 06 with less than 100k miles?
Were you using a inline thermostat?

_________________
U.S. Army Retired

Been a while since I've been to this site. I too am having the white smoke when cold and the loss of coolant, but also I am having rough startup, and plug 4 is blown. I am assuming that the dead glow plug on 4 is the clincher for a cracked head, but I was wondering if there were any other sure signs?

The sad thing is otherwise the tractor runs fine when up to temp...

A few post above, Riggler describes the easiest way to test the head.

_________________
U.S. Army Retired

Ok, so I have done my research, and while I have the wherewithal to do the repair, I don't have the time at the moment.

A mechanic friend of mine suggested IronTite ceramic motor seal, said it was quite successful fixing hairline head cracks.

Yesterday morning the rad reservoir level was down and the add light was on when I went to start my Libby up. A rough start and it puked out clouds of white smoke until up to temp. I then added the bottle of Irontite as per instructions and topped up to the hot mark with water, then went for a cruise, then to work. At the end of the day I turned over the diesel and no smoke!

And again this morning, no rough start and no white smoke.

The product calls for two regular days of driving, then to drain and let set overnight, then fill with water and run for a few days, drain again and then antifreeze..

I also cleared the code 674 (faulty plug 4) and it hasn't returned.

I will keep you posted as to the longevity of this quick fix.

Very interesting.
I have never heard of that stuff.
I hope it works for you.

_________________
U.S. Army Retired

Did you change your oil as well?

_________________
2006 Jeep Liberty CRD 142,000 miles New engine 2-2014, Green Eco tune, FS2500 bypass filter Weeks elbow, European Torque converter, brakes front UCA's wheel bearing and front hubs. Front hitch OEM lift pump
98 K2500 Suburban 6.5td
96 K1500 " 6.5td
95 2 door Tahoe 6.5td
94 K3500 cc srw 5 speed 6.5td
91 International Model 6 speed spicer 4700

This Saturday, after I do the overnight set, I will change oil and filter.

Did you follow the procedures and drain all the coolant first and flush the engine with water? It says it is not compatible with antifreeze.

I did not, but so far so good. I am draining the Rad now.

So after draining the Rad and letting sit overnight, I filled with distilled water. It started up and still no white smoke and no rough start. I drove around to warm up then came back and did oil and filter. Oil was black, not cloudy. CEL 674 is back. New glow plug ordered from IDparts.

So there it is. Irontite Ceramic Engine Seal so far has stopped white smoke, and rough start, which could be a hairline crack on the head.

I will put antifreeze back in on Tuesday. I will also keep posted as to the product's longevity.

I hope it buys some time and i hope the stuff doesnt clog anything...

_________________
bought a 05 liberty limited crd with 47 k, 10/08 got a trans and steering on warranty
11/13, 89k, timingbelt ,waterpump tstat,alternator, cooling hoses,gde echo
5/16, 112k, weeks 1&2 id cylinder head, rockers, charge hoses, tstat, waterpump all hoses, euro converter
jba lift , 245/70/17. wifes ride want to keep it going as long as possible...

Appreciated.

Day 4 since I added the sealant. Proper start and still no white smoke.