My CRD is being geared up for the 2nd trip from VA to Co. Its about 1800 miles and this round i am going the most flat route possible. I am going to be towing a Haulmark 5x10 enclosed trailer filled with household items. (Moving to serenity!). My CRD just turned 123k and runs like a top (well, the alternator pulley just began to squeak). I did just blow a CAC hose but I'm replacing both with Samco's. Like i said, Running like a top, lol. I have done the usual maintenance: Oil change, Driveline fluids and air filter. She has newer tires and Im going to do the trans fluid/filters and add the trans cooler before i go.

Anything else that i should check into. Funds do not allow for TCM reflash or id be all over it. I figure 60 mph and an easy foot, she should be good.

Oh, The CRD it self will have two skinny adults and 3 dogs (all 3 prob weigh 75lbs. total)


Thanks guys, hope to make this trip as easy as the last trip to Colorado, with great camping along the way!

If you can afford the time then slowdown to where you can run in fourth gear at a comfortable rpm level for the engine. The most fuel efficient rpm is around 2000 rpm (in terms of volume effficiency ). Lugging in fifth gear will build up heat. Do you have an EGT gauge?

No i don't, I wanted one just from my experience with turbo gassers. Unfortunately I couldn't find anyone to put a bung in the manifold.

With the OD off I believe 50 is about 2k rpms. Thats running in 4th right, or is it 3rd?

Does your CRD has an automatic transmission with OD? My gasser does and I understand that it's best to leave the OD off to prevent it from possible over heating.

What exactly is the towing capacity of a CRD Liberty and do you know how heavy your loaded trailer will be?

I've learned the hard way that towing a 5,000 lb trailer with a gasser Liberty, with a towing capacity of 5,000 lbs) isn't easy.

Myself I used a Scangauge device plugged into the OBD2 port of my Jeep to monitor the engine water temperature. I don't trust the stock dashboard gauges.

I'm assuming you've examined your Liberty's rad hoses. Have you thought of flushing out the rad?

You're adding a transmission cooler, are you adding electric brakes too?

_________________
my trail & highway ride (and occasional tow rig)
04 Liberty Sport with a 2.5" lift, ProComp 245/75R16 AT's and two Hella700FF lamps (more accessories to come)

my trail queen
95 YJ with a RE 4" lift, 33" ProComp Extreme's, M8000 Winch, Lockrite Locker up front, Super35 in the rear and 4.88 gears

I have given her a good once over and the radiator was flushed not too long ago. I'm guessing the recommended weight is 5000lbs. I towed a 33' Cruiser with my CRD though and it was 8400lbs. That wasn't fun and luckily i didn't have to go far. My trailer doesn't have brakes unfortunately and best guesstimate I'd say the trailer will be just under 4k.

FWIW, Im 36 and I've been towing stuff since I could drive. My father drives for a living so he made sure i could back my booty into a hole with darn near anything i tow.. tow dollies, not so much.

I looked at getting an app that works on my girlfriends iphone and displays the CRD's vitals on our pioneer headunit. Its only 25$ i think so i may get that for GP.

The KJ CRD is rated (well Export Models anyway) to tow 2800kg with 280kg on the drawbar (6160lbs, and 616lbs respectively). Those are figures for a braked trailer, unbraked is usually 750kg (1650lbs). And yes 4th gear is a more efficent gear for towing. Try and stay within the peak of the torque band (which means from above 1800 to 2500 rpm), anything more than that and your just pushing fuel and generating heat. The 2000rpm figure is good from both a torque and fuel economy point of view.

CRD is rated for 5k here I have towed 6k for well over 300 miles no problem. Also make sure to do a proper cool down at every stop like when I stop to fuel I don't cut it off until the nozzle stops pumping. If I have someone in the car one of us stays if I have to go in the store so it can continue to run. People say not to do this at gas stations but diesel is no where near as volatile as gas is and big truckers have done it for years. Also OD off and taking it as easy as possible will make a world of difference also a good selection of fluids as back up. And a gear oil change if it has been awhile.

_________________
My CRD Build Thread
Soon to Come:more lights

I have dragged a 5,000 lb, full height/width (ie, 8x8 feet) travel trailer from Virginia to the west coast twice, once via Denver on I-70. And I have a couple tips for ya.

(1) You need the Hayden Heavy Duty 2905 fan clutch. If you don't already have one installed, it's a fairly cheap and very worthwhile preventative measure.

(2) Overdrive off cuts out both 4th and 5th gears, so you are running in 3rd. This will help keep your RPMs up on any grades you do climb. And that will pull more cooling air through the radiator IF your fan clutch engages. Which the Hayden will. (All bets are off on the OEM clutch, especially if it is more than, oh, 30,000 miles old.)

(3) I found the frontal area of my trailer and the wind drag to be more the towing load than the weight. Dunno what sort of frontal area your rig has, but I doubt it is 8x8. Probably about 5x8. This will help. For what it is worth, I spent two separate days, one in Montana, the other in Oklahoma, towing into a 50 mph headwind. In both cases, 50-55 mph (ie, 100-110 mph windspeed) was about all she'd do. In the off chance you encounter such winds, I recommend laying low for a day or two and let the wind blow. I get 14-15 mpg normally while towing, but got 9 those two days.

(4) If you find yourself getting hot while climbing, do not fear going down to 3rd, or even 2nd gear. Increased RPM is your friend under such conditions. The worst thing you can do is try to pull too much grade in a high gear.

(5) I just dragged my 5,000 lb trailer up a 15% grade in 90 degree weather last week. To keep from overheating, I did have to pull over once and let 'er cool off. Beats hell out of blowing the head gasket and cracking the cylinder head. High revs are your friend in such cases.

Generally speaking the CRD computer(s) do NOT like leaving anything plugged into the OBD, they tend to throw themselves into limp mode to protest...seriously

You did not mention if you have had the Timing belt done. If you haven't yet you need to do it. Murphy will arrive when moving cross country with kids and dogs in car...

Second the Hayden clutch.

_________________
2005 Liberty CRD Limited
Light Khaki

glend - Looks like it will be slow and steady, Thanks for the info.

Audiboy - I share your thoughts on turbine cooling, I had an old ApexI turbo-timer i actually installed, lol.

Naturist - Awesome Info and just what i was looking for. I was just reading a thread about the hayden fan clutch and remembering the last time I towed my boat the temp climbed a little on uphill pulls. I don't remember hearing the fan kick on so I'll be ordering that first thing tomorrow! My wind drag actually shouldn't be bad, the trailer fits perfectly behind the CRD. I attached a pic below. (It was a steal at 700$, cheaper than renting same size!)

Cerich - This app actually reads off the 12v like the oldschool g-pro. It looks cool... not sure about actual function though.



Thanks guys, Keep the pointers coming...

Not much to add. See our cross country report at viewtopic.php?f=5&t=69117&p=739421#p739421 . Note we did not bother with locking out OD or running in lower gears but I-10 is rather flat; our trailer load was a bit less but CRD direct load was a bit more; we did have the GDE EcoTune with better than stock HP and torque and a basic TCM tune; and we were generally careful to "run" at significant hills so as to keep rpms high on the up grade.

Other than that:
1. CRITICAL if you timing belt has not already been done do NOT do the trip until it's done.
2. pretty much the same with a potentially bad alternator pulley. Dead battery will happen in the middle of no where.
3. pay close attention to turbo cool down procedures.
4. watch temp gauge. If it climbs take appropriate steps
5. when you install the Hayden fan clutch do yourself a future favor and mod the fan shroud for future access. See viewtopic.php?f=98&t=64278&p=709322#p709322
6. your trailer weight is such that it really should have brakes.

_________________
Sold to LOST member my 05 Ltd, GDE Stg II turbo + TCM tune, SunCoast TC w. Transgo kit, Steiger window regulators, Samcos, Fumoto valve, 2nd gen filter head with Lub. Spec. bleeder, Hayden clutch & 11 blade fan, inverted spare, P-1 battery, BF Goodrich Long Trail TAs, Etecno1 glow plugs, timing belt at 50K miles/8 yrs

Verbal-I just did both passes (Eisenhower and Vail) pulling my 8x10 with two bikes in it (about 3500#) and it was fine, didn't even heat up past 1/2 (norm)
I really need to post my setup, white trailer and stone white limited for contrast!

Sounds like a nice setup, I like your style!

I wont even get to the Front Range before i head north so the few mountains (Rolling Hills) i hit will be Western Maryland. The bulk of my mileage will be flat (and boring, lol).

Papaindigo - The only thing i wont be able to do before i leave is the timing belt. I don't feel good about it but we have a deadline and time has not been on my side. I'm praying the car gods are with me and grant me safe passage on this voyage. She'll get extra love when we arrive at our new home if she holds up for me, even indoor parking in her own garage, lol.


Now i just cant wait to get on the road! Nothing like a little and half way across the country to lay claim to new lands!

Consider 15w40 for your trip. When winter comes next month in Colorado (its 50 deg F right now at lower elevations), you can drop down to 5w40.

Have a great trip. I've towed 3-4k with Liberty up Colorado passes with no problem.

Regarding the Hayden. I've read it doesn't pull as much as as the metal OEM fan does but comes on at lower temps. Don't forget minimum 5 minute turbo cooldown (I never shut down my engine when towing for fuel, rest, or food stops).

123k on a timing belt is playing dangerously. Please consider finding a local CRD guru and knocking it out before your trip. Cost and time will be less than you'll incur when your belt (notice I said when, and not if) breaks.

Good luck, I think you'll have better luck buying a wining powerball ticket than making the long journey with your current timing belt.

I changed my timing belt at 132000. But if they break your down for sure a couple of weeks at least. Thats if all the parts are in stock and some one is willing to jump though hoops for the right price.
As far a towing the trailer you find that is a light trailer. The jeep will do better with a little more speed. You can run 3 at 2500rpms all day. Or kick the speed up a to 73 in 5th and drop the rpms. If the temp starts to up turn the ac off on the big hill and the temp will hold.
The more you drive you will find were the jeep does best. Have great trip post some pic's

best case is down a couple weeks and $1,500-2,000 if you do the labor yourself (which if the OP felt he could do would have done by now) With labor you are looking at 15-20 hours of labor paying approx $100 a hour, so you are looking easily north of $3,000 when the belt breaks. That would just suck.

_________________
2005 Liberty CRD Limited
Light Khaki

What is your timeframe for this trip? When are you leaving?

I ***REALLY*** don't like the idea of you adding another 2000mi in the SUMMER HEAT onto a belt that is already 8 years and 23k miles+ past its use-by date. That is a risk that just isn't worth it.

I'm in South Florida at the moment, but DC is only the end of day two away. You give me the notice, I could be up there doing your timing belt on the morning of day 3 and you would be ready to go by just after lunch.

The belt is $75 from Amazon, or a full kit from IDparts is available. The full kit might not be needed, but I have now seen and heard of two where the idlers were leaking grease. This is the first sign of bearing death in the pulley, and they DO NOT normally have another 3k miles in them once the grease leaking starts.

Don't risk getting stranded in the middle of Nowhere, USA at the worst possible time. That is a looooooooong drive on a really old belt. See the thread started by MRausch for his description of his 8-year-old belt, then send me a PM or call me. I will PM you my number.

_________________
Proud supporting vendor of LOST Jeeps
TRAVELING CRD TECH. I come to you!
Need help? Just ask! I've taken it apart more than most.
Email jeep [at] maincomputer [dot] com - BOARD MESSAGING IS BROKEN
Over 225 CRDs currently driving with my valves, timing belt, rockers, or ARP Studs.
Bad noises = REALLY bad things.

Oh, man, I didn't catch the part about 123,000 miles, so I'd have to add, in caps, and red letters about 3 inches high: you have been living on borrowed time for that timing belt. There is no way I'd even continue driving it around town, let alone make a 2,000 mile move with it that way. Chrysler/Jeep was not kidding when they said (it's in your owners' manual) to replace that belt at 100,000 miles. It is not possible to make a diesel engine that is not an interference engine, and if that belt breaks, whether you are idling at a light or steaming down the interstate, it is going to be both expensive and time consuming to get 'er back on the road. Valves will smack pistons, rocker arms break and stuff, you won't like it at all.

You want that Hayden fan clutch. Just plan on doing fan clutch, timing belt, tensioners and idlers, and water pump all at once. The Jeep will be down for a whole day, and you will have peace of mind driving out there. That beats hell out of getting half-way there, say, somewhere in the middle of western Mizzou or Eastern Dorothy-land, where you can't see a single dwelling in any direction clear to the horizon, and having the engine quit amongst horrible clanks and rattles. And who you gonna get to fix it after summoning a tow from over the horizon somewhere?

Have you ever broken down while towing a trailer? Even AAA+ only pays to tow the tow vehicle, NOT the trailer. Do you know it is almost impossible to rent a vehicle where the rental company will permit you to tow with it?

Also, people sound like after you spend $5K on the road to fix it, you will be OK. Some are OK for a while after breaking rockers, others have bottom end failures.

DOC

_________________
2005 KJ CRD Ltd Detroit TrueTrac Bilsteins G2 GDE "HOT" ECU GDE TCM "Tow Tune" "euro" TC SEGR Weeks Elbow New HG at 130K ARPs Clean CAT aFe Filter Magnaflow Exhaust EHM Cumminos In-Tank Lift Pump Hayden Fan Clutch Nylon Fan VH Enabled with GDE lower shutoff point Recalibrated Temp Gauge Tekonsha Prodigy Sears P-1 ZDDP

Exactly my points.

As for how long you would be down, if you have it done NOW and before you leave? As I stated before, I have the timing belt job down to about 3 hours flat. I did the last job in 4 hours, including the water pump and as it was getting VERY dark (dang traffic delays) and doing the fan clutch does not add more than another 10 minutes to the job. 4 hours. OR you can take that insane gamble and risk being down for a MINIMUM of 5 days.

Some back-of-a-napkin estimates for everyone to ponder. Please tell me if I am wrong on any of this, I didn't know that AAA wouldn't tow trailers - that is good to know.

Breakdown (in the middle of Nowhere, because Murphy is a nasty bastage): 3 hours minimum delay
Hotel for night #1: $100+
Towing (assume no AAA or roadside insurance): $60 hookup, $1 per mile to dealership: $120+
Rental car (no towing): $75/day OR
Uhaul one-way rental (only allowed to tow their equipment... Lets say you ignore that and do it anyway): $400 minimum
Dealership inspection of CRD: $120
Hotel for night #2: $100+
Dealership estimate for timing repair / water pump / rockers / valve cover / injectors (why not, its only money)/ cylinder head/ glow plugs/ 12 hours labor: $1500 labor, $3500+ in parts plus shipping.
Hotel for nights 3-7 while awaiting shipping of parts: $400 (being generous here - could be WEEKS lead time)
Hotel for nights 10-15 while you hope the dealer actually knows what they are doing: $500
Oh right... FOOD for all this time waiting: $375 per person @ 25 per day (very modest number)

Total then...

Repairs and rentals: $5640
Hotels and food: $1875 for just one person, add ~$375 per extra person @ estimated 15 days delayed.
$7515 being gambled here, and from experience, I can tell you that the odds are better in Vegas.

Seriously, this is what I guesstimate, anyone have anything I missed or think I'm too high / too low? We ALL know that the dealers will want to replace (or in their words, 'inspect for safety') just about everything, which means disassembling the entire engine, whether it needs it or not. Thoughts everyone?

Cards-on-the-table time:

Idparts shows the timing belt kit as IN-STOCK. $429 has everything you will need replaced.
Your local auto parts shack can get the Hayden heavy-duty clutch for about $60, and probably overnight. It is VERY common fitting part, fits just about every Jeep that I am aware of. I put mine in my 97 Grand Cherokee, fit perfect. The coolant is also readily available.

If you ordered the parts TOMORROW (monday) and wanted me to, I could be there on WEDNESDAY installing it. Yeah, that fast. You would be mobile again Wednesday evening. Can you really say that this is a bad deal? I'm not doing these jobs for the money. Yes, I do ask a reasonable amount for the job, but FAR LESS than a failure would cost you, and the cash does help me feed my other businesses (I work in film and television). My concern is about members helping members, and nobody should have to endure a timing belt failure EVER. Unplanned breakdowns SUCK.

_________________
Proud supporting vendor of LOST Jeeps
TRAVELING CRD TECH. I come to you!
Need help? Just ask! I've taken it apart more than most.
Email jeep [at] maincomputer [dot] com - BOARD MESSAGING IS BROKEN
Over 225 CRDs currently driving with my valves, timing belt, rockers, or ARP Studs.
Bad noises = REALLY bad things.