I've had my CRD for two weeks now. It is my first diesel, and I've been researching the CRD, and diesels in general, to death. I've been reading quite a bit about the EGR and how bad it is for the engine. No so much info on the CCV, but what I have found is bad as well.

I know that introducing exhaust gasses or oily goop into the intake is going to eventually gum it up. It also can't do much good to the combustion chamber, rings, and pistons. What I'd like to know is just how much damage is being done.

Let's say the engine without emissions control devices would go 300,000 trouble free miles. What sort of reliability hit do we take for running emissions controls? Would the engine go, say, 150,000 miles before it lost compression and required a rebuild?

I tend to take internet info with a grain of salt. Some folks get bent out of shape if they have the least little bit of wear in an engine, others realize that engines wear out and don't care, they just drive the pee out of them and don't worry about it.

I have a friend who doesn't do antying to his vehicles other than change the oil. No brake fluid changes, no tranny fluid, nothing. When it breaks, he fixes it. In his calculation, he is coming out cheaper doing it this way. He says he typically sells a car when it gets around 100,000 miles, and he's only helping the next owner by doing all the preventive stuff.

Now, I'm not that way. I go overboard on maintenance. I want my vehicle to run as it was designed to run. But I see what my friend is saying. In the two weeks I've had this vehicle, I've got myself tied in knots worrying about what damage has already been done to the engine from running the EGR and CCV by the previous owners. I've spent countless hours reading, researching, and trying to find ways to stop the damage from the emissions control devices.

I'm at the point where I'm about to say, "screw it", and put the thing back to stock. Drive it until it dies, and go get another vehicle and start all over. I used to have a PT Cruiser that I hated. I did a few things to the car, but otherwise, I could care less about it. I didn't really like the car, but it was cheap. It never let me down. Just started and ran. I wish I could get to that mindset with my CRD. I'd like to not care about it, but I REALLY like it.

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Chad Hargis
Nashville, TN
2008 Grand Cherokee CRD
2005 Liberty CRD *SOLD*

Chad, you're not alone.

I feel the same as you do on many fronts. My current feelings really hit home when I did my first MAP cleaning and got an immediate gain in milage AND boost for something so stupid-simple to do and yet not mentioned in the service manual. Most seem to agree that other than somewhat incremental and arguable insignificant loss in performance, most of the expensive problems that you'll be preventing won't occur to the mid-high milage point (100k+). With that said, that was one of the reasons that I got a CRD, because I expect it to do that kind of milage on the engine with ease. Hell, I would have never have bought a liberty with the milage that the 3.7 gets, no offense intended to those who are happy with their gassers.

You ultimately have to ask what's important to you. For me, I want it to run as well as it can for as long as it can....to some degree warranty be damned. If you understand mechanicial principles, a little bit of fluid dynamics, and even a smattering of chemistry of combustion, it's really not that difficult to understand any part of these vehicles. I'd challenge any DC dealer to say that all of their mechanics who would potentially do work on my vehicle have that level of saavy. DC's motivation is to make money, no doubt about it. They wouldn't be in business otherwise, but that's not always doing what's best for every customer, it's a combination of not alienating your largest customer bases, not risking litigation through risky practices, and a whole host of other things. They are a business, and I am a customer. I will always prefer my own interests regardless of what theirs are.

Some might say that mods related to emissions are illegal or potentially harmful (to the engine or the environment). I personally don't believe that, but you'll need to decide for yourself.

As for modifications and additions that prevent oily sludge from coating the inside of your intake, intercooler, and combustion path AND have the same benefit in not releasing harmful gasses, the only reason that a manufacturer would NOT engineer a better solution is an economic one. They can get away with it without pissing off the majority of their customers.

To me, it's worth it to spend a few dollars for MAF cleaner(or 150 on a provent) now and be happy with an engine that lasts me 150-200k that has very little drop in its performance during its lifetime. I honesly expect that something like a CCV filter will pay for itself, penny by penny, over the long haul. It's all about your priorities, and that's where mine are.

Dan

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2005 Silver CRD Limited
245/75R16 GoodYear Duratracs
Fumoto drain | ProVent CCV Filter
Stanadyne FM100 filter | Cummins fuel pump
GDE Eco | SEGR | BoulderBars | FrankenLift | Frankenskids

I read all the hoopla over a year ago when I first got mine. I was like you are now. There is something to be said for preventive maintanance though. I like to think that I will kep a vehicle for life, but in reality, looking back to the last 7 vehicles, I kept them an average of 2.7 years. So, for me, I do the oil and air filter changes, and clean the MAP sensor. I have kept it stock because it just really doesn't matter in the end. I will be trading the thing off in a year or two and be on my next "lifelong" investment.

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2006 Sport CRD

Could the Aztecs have known, that in 2012 after a 4 year experiment, our country would cease to exist?

I have a 91 MB 2.5L turbodiesel with electronic engine and turbo control, EGR & CCV that all function proper and the car has 188,000 miles on the clock. It has no oil leaks, it's not worn out and belching smoke. Actually it seems to be as clean running as the CRD, no smokey bumper, you floor it and no smoke screen. All it has ever had for oil is 15w-40 diesel oil and that is what I am using now. I may switch over to a synthetic, but I have my doubts about that even, how can I argue with sucess. It seems to have very little oil being sucked into the intake and I suspect it may be due to design as much as oil type and viscosity.

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91 MB 300D 2.5L Turbo. Her's

05 MB E320 CDI. Mine

I'm pretty much in the same boat as BVCRD only I seldom keep a car even 2 years. In the past two years, I've had 4 vehicles. Not all at once mind you, just one at a time.

Most miles I've personally put on a single vehicle is around 70,000 miles. I had that car for 3 years before I sold it. Now that all I do is commute back and forth to work, and tow my motorcycle trailer to the track every now and then, I probably don't put 12,000 miles a year on a vehicle. So for me to hit 100,000 miles on the CRD, I'd have to have it 10 years or so. The dang thing will be a rattle trap by then.

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Chad Hargis
Nashville, TN
2008 Grand Cherokee CRD
2005 Liberty CRD *SOLD*