Why is the difference so huge ??

Kappie WCape · **Joined:** Sun Jul 28, 2013 1:35 pm **Posts:** 12

Hi Guys.

It is absolutely astonishing to see all the complaints about the KJ CRD on this forum.

I am a new member here (did my introduction about a month ago). In the past month I did a LOT of reading on this forum (4 hours a day)... got to page 105 of 229... :POPCORN:

I am also a member on 4x4 Community, our South African forum. I am sure glad I did my reading about the CRD on the SA forum before I decided to buy a CRD, if I was doing my reading on here, there was no way in hell I would have bought a CRD.

We haven't got 10% of the problems I read about on here. LOST is a great forum, and I have learnt a HUGE amount about the CRD, (thank you, Sir Sam)

I agree you have to be willing to do most of the work yourself, but that for us is the nice part, however we do have some very good diesel mechanics here.

If you read our abovementioned forum you will see there is only praise for the KJ CRD, very, very few issues. And here are a lot of them in SA. I live in a small town and here are roughly 20 in a 50km radius. Not many with the GDE tunes. Although I will be getting one (GDE ECO) as soon as possible, one of our forum members is an agent for GDE. :BANANA:

It is really heart warming to see how you guys also help each other with support, knowledge etc. (same here).

So I ask again, why is the difference so huge??

Regards.

Kappie.

LS12FAST4U · **Posted:** Sun Nov 17, 2013 3:09 pm

I agree there only seems to be complaining on this forum. Also though I understand it because I would presume that the vast majority of people only come online to the forums when something is wrong and they need help with it. So I can see why.

jlgail4309 · **Posted:** Sun Nov 17, 2013 3:13 pm

EGR and 0-40 oil put it together and you have problems. But also the trucks 7 years old with miles. Not new anymore

Big Montana · **Posted:** Sun Nov 17, 2013 4:13 pm

You're right... I'm guilty of sounding like a defeatist when I get on here with a problem. I must admit though that I have gone a long way with this Jeep without problems, but because I've read all of the issues on this board, I immediately assume it's due to the fact that Chrysler is guilty of poor design...

That's not really fair in hindsight. I did have a family member working at Chrysler when my Jeep was made, and he knew several of the folks working on this platform. Chrysler was cutting corners left and right to avoid bankruptcy, so I guess that also adds to my disdain.

I drive Michigan winters, and I live on dirt roads. I must admit that would cause problems for most vehicles after 8 years I like my rare little CRD, and I need to remind myself that it's been a good vehicle.

The EGR valve is a serious problem though.

thermorex · **Posted:** Sun Nov 17, 2013 4:31 pm

Our epa stupid policies caused lots of the engine issues, this engine has not been properly tested with current epa pollution norms here in us. For example, vw tdi tests the engine for couple years in us markets before releasing them here. But, with proper care, this engine is as good as a vw. It's just a finicky one though.

And of course, why would people waste their time saying how great their jeep is, lol, you only come to a forum to find out information or to ask questions.

dgeist · **Posted:** Sun Nov 17, 2013 5:07 pm

I think, like anything else, the CRDs in the US (where the majority of LOST userbase is from), are coming to a period where things start to go bad. Timing belts, water pumps, hoses, turbos, transmission issues, etc. are not uncommon after 5-7 years for MOST vehicles (regardless of engine).

The general tone of the forum has switched over the past few years from a "let's see if we can make this thing run forever" attitude to one of "aw, nuts, you mean I have to replace the rockers and belt because it was run ragged with the wrong oil" kind of vibe.

Like anything else, things go in cycles, but a lot of the members that recall the changes I'm talking about are still here, we're just not as vocal because a lot of us solved the problems that mess with the US-spec durability a couple years ago.

non-North-American spec owners are also fortunate to have a larger raw number of CRDs in production and, consequently, a lot more folks knowledgeable about its proper maintenance. Like anything else, the forum is what you make of it. There will always be naysayers in any community. Some are realists, some are pessimists, but take the facts of what they say for yourself and with an appropriate grain of salt and decide your own thoughts about things. You'll be happier in the end.

Dan

Glend · **Posted:** Sun Nov 17, 2013 5:49 pm

As I said in another post, there is nothing wrong with the VM engine design - outside the US mandated EPA area. Export models worldwide are highly reliable, and easily maintained vehicles, and well regarded by their owners. The problems can be traced right back to the Chrysler design engineers who came up with the domestic EGR system and the vehicle service interval and oil recommendation; couple this with a lack of understanding/history of diesel engine operation by the buyer. Chrysler should have taken the time to explain to each new CRD buyer the basics of diesel engine operation, what the torque band is and where it's located in the rpm range, how over-fueling can occur, why exhaust gas temperatures are important, etc etc - this could have been a few pages in the Owners Manual, a 15 min familiarisation drive, a short video included with the car, and so on. I say this because many of the problems that get brought up on LOST may have had their roots in it being driven as if it was a high reving gasoline engine. Ask any long haul diesel heavy rig driver about EGT and how important it is to his fuel consumption and heat management, this knowledge has taken a long time to filter through to diesel car buyers.

TJ2 · **Posted:** Sun Nov 17, 2013 10:21 pm

I think Keith said the EGR in the US is set to about double the rest of the world. We've been through endless threads about oil, change intervals, etc, etc.

The increased exhaust gas put back into the combustion cycle does seem to raise hell, and it seems to be the single variable. Also, I've never put ZERO/anything in any crank case.

Not all US CRD's have problems. . with or without a tune. Most CRD owners have never heard of lostjeeps.

Kappie WCape · **Joined:** Sun Jul 28, 2013 1:35 pm **Posts:** 12

Yes, thanx Glend and TJ2. From what I have read so far, what you said made absolute sense to me.

I did not know that the amount of EGR is set so much higher in your CRD's, it's a real shame to kill a good engine that way...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Billwill · **Posted:** Mon Nov 18, 2013 5:24 am

I think everybody above has posted good comments....the Export CRDs have had much less issues due to there being less enviremental issues involved.

I love my 2002 CRD...very basic with few nanny systems installed and very easy to disable the EGR and very easy to replace all the fluids with best quality available when needed.

flash7210 · **Posted:** Mon Nov 18, 2013 10:02 am

I will chime in and say that my CRD is running great and always has.
And now that the weather has cooled off its running even better.
My EGR is blocked and I run 5w-40 turbo diesel oil.

Only twice has my CRD left me stuck somewhere. First time was when the Optima battery
crapped out and could not get jump started. Second time was when the fuel filter got crapped
up. But at least then I was able to limp it to the nearest Napa and changed it out in the parking
lot. Now I never go anywhere without a spare fuel filter.

I got caught up in the whole "OMG my headgasket is blown" buisness, but after some logical
testing and replacement of my raditator cap I am confident that my headgasket is just fine.

I have no clue about my rocker arms though, but I have to assume that because my engine is
running so well that they are just fine.

Part of the problem is that here in the US there are very few mechanics that can be trusted to
work on these VM engines. If you cant trust yourself to do all the proper maintenance and repairs
who can you trust?

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Mon Nov 18, 2013 11:34 pm

The biggest problem in the US from day one - was the lack of trained mechanics.

The techs that were at the dealership in 04 - got a 45 minute video about all 05's including the diesel - that's it.

and if it was a Jeep only dealership - it was the only diesel they saw and they only saw one or two of them.

The Jeep/Chrysler/Dodge dealerships did better - they sold/services Cummins and Sprinters - so they at least knew what a diesel was.

if the dealership didn't manage to kill it - there are still a lot of them out there running fine - but they're not on LOST - LOST has accumulated a lot of diesel interest - because it has an active and knowledgeable diesel community
(which includes folks from Oz, Europe and SA - places that understand small diesels)

WWDiesel · **Posted:** Tue Nov 19, 2013 11:23 am

The key to this engine is to get rid of the EGR and CAT ASAP, replace the timing belt /water pump, take the CCV out of the intake boot, change to 15W 40 diesel oil, and open up the exhaust system so it can breath. Do these things and th engine really comes to life and purrs, gets good fuel mileage, and wll last for a long time under normal mantaince.

It is no different than its big brother diesel which requires the same things to be reliable. And yes EG temperature is so very important to a diesel especially if you have turned up the fuel pressure with reprograming or a add on box of some sort. :2cents:

Since I have done all these things, I expect my little diesel to last for a very long time.... :-)r

TJ2 · **Posted:** Wed Nov 20, 2013 12:02 am

Don't want to beat this to death but. . . I know two people who own CRD's who do not post to this board. Both are running stock and are over 200k miles.

Just talked to my niece last night. Her hub bought his at a dealer in C Springs. He said it was parked off the main lot because the dealer thought it wouldn't 'move' quickly.

They now live in Kentucky and it's still running well enough that they 'love' it.

My buddy is maintenance supervisor at the 'local' ski resort. His boss drives one up and down a steep (read very steep) county road. He 'loves' his.

The only other CRD owner I've met was cmpbiker from Salt Lake. He was a member here and did have problems. Fixed and sold it for $12k (asking price 12.5).

I'm at 107k miles with no problems.

PS If a dealer mechanic has the full set of Miller tools, he may know how to use them. There is one on the Wasatch Front (symmetrical identical to Front Range).

Kappie WCape · **Joined:** Sun Jul 28, 2013 1:35 pm **Posts:** 12

Thank you for all the replies, guys.

I really should have done more research before posting this thread.

I did not realize that the CRD owners on LOST is only representative of a small percentage of CRD owners vs the total amount of CRD"s sold in the US.

Although the EGR and lack of knowledge from the stealerships seem to be two of the biggest contributors to most of the troubles.

Makes much more sense to me now

Regards.

NS: Excuse my grammar, English is my 2nd language... :oops:

Billwill · **Posted:** Wed Nov 20, 2013 3:49 am

Kappie WCape wrote:

Thank you for all the replies, guys.

I really should have done more research before posting this thread.

I did not realize that the CRD owners on LOST is only representative of a small percentage of CRD owners vs the total amount of CRD"s sold in the US.

Although the EGR and lack of knowledge from the stealerships seem to be two of the biggest contributors to most of the troubles.

Makes much more sense to me now

Regards.

NS: Excuse my grammar, English is my 2nd language... :oops:

Daar is niks fout met jou Engels nie man! :wink:

Kappie WCape · **Joined:** Sun Jul 28, 2013 1:35 pm **Posts:** 12

Billwill wrote:

Kappie WCape wrote:

Thank you for all the replies, guys.

I really should have done more research before posting this thread.

I did not realize that the CRD owners on LOST is only representative of a small percentage of CRD owners vs the total amount of CRD"s sold in the US.

Although the EGR and lack of knowledge from the stealerships seem to be two of the biggest contributors to most of the troubles.

Makes much more sense to me now

Regards.

NS: Excuse my grammar, English is my 2nd language... :oops:

Daar is niks fout met jou Engels nie man! :wink:

Dis nou lekker om die mooi taal op so forum te sien..... :!:

xhizzous · **Posted:** Fri Nov 22, 2013 11:54 am

TJ2 wrote:

Don't want to beat this to death but. . . I know two people who own CRD's who do not post to this board. Both are running stock and are over 200k miles.

Just talked to my niece last night. Her hub bought his at a dealer in C Springs. He said it was parked off the main lot because the dealer thought it wouldn't 'move' quickly.

They now live in Kentucky and it's still running well enough that they 'love' it.

My buddy is maintenance supervisor at the 'local' ski resort. His boss drives one up and down a steep (read very steep) county road. He 'loves' his.

The only other CRD owner I've met was cmpbiker from Salt Lake. He was a member here and did have problems. Fixed and sold it for $12k (asking price 12.5).

I'm at 107k miles with no problems.

.

I think I almost bought his when I was in the market.

camo · **Posted:** Sat Nov 23, 2013 5:05 am

Some here might agree and some others not. Our CRDs were just ahead of their time. There was no knowledge of the engine, gas engineers working on EPA regulations for a diesel (with very limited budget), poor customer knowledge about diesels etc...
I had a sport and a limited both 05s, I am still have the limited. In my experience deleting the egr and punctual maintenance had kept my CRD running extent for over 40k miles. Only problems I've had are common stuff for any car nearing 100k miles, and few liberty (gas and diesel) things here and there but nothing major.

I am a CRD owner and I would buy again. :JEEPIN:

thermorex · **Posted:** Sat Nov 23, 2013 8:14 pm

camo wrote:

Some here might agree and some others not. Our CRDs were just ahead of their time. There was no knowledge of the engine, gas engineers working on EPA regulations for a diesel (with very limited budget), poor customer knowledge about diesels etc...
I had a sport and a limited both 05s, I am still have the limited. In my experience deleting the egr and punctual maintenance had kept my CRD running extent for over 40k miles. Only problems I've had are common stuff for any car nearing 100k miles, and few liberty (gas and diesel) things here and there but nothing major.

I am a CRD owner and I would buy again. :JEEPIN:

X2, totally agree!

Why is the difference so huge ??

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