Noob ... Do I really want one?

geordi · **Posted:** Wed Jan 29, 2014 3:41 pm

Why didn't you ask here first, before going to the stealership?

Parts: IDparts.com.
Exhaust cam: IDparts.com.
maf sensor: IDparts.com.
fuel filter: IDparts.com or NAPA has always had it when I needed it, or 24 hours later. Same for O'Reilley's. Ok, Autozone and Advance struck out on that one.
Oil filter: IDparts.com or just buy the M1-301 filter from any local parts shack. Fits perfectly, and the oil change is then 7 quarts exactly instead of 6.4 quarts.

Questions about anything... LOST KJS. Always and first. The dealer shouldn't EVER be on your mind, they are clueless. I wouldn't trust a dealer to properly diagnose that the sun would rise in the East tomorrow. They'd get it wrong 3 out of 4 tries!

bigl0af · **Joined:** Wed Nov 20, 2013 1:37 pm **Posts:** 9

geordi wrote:

Why didn't you ask here first, before going to the stealership?

Parts: IDparts.com.
Exhaust cam: IDparts.com.
maf sensor: IDparts.com.
fuel filter: IDparts.com or NAPA has always had it when I needed it, or 24 hours later. Same for O'Reilley's. Ok, Autozone and Advance struck out on that one.
Oil filter: IDparts.com or just buy the M1-301 filter from any local parts shack. Fits perfectly, and the oil change is then 7 quarts exactly instead of 6.4 quarts.

Questions about anything... LOST KJS. Always and first. The dealer shouldn't EVER be on your mind, they are clueless. I wouldn't trust a dealer to properly diagnose that the sun would rise in the East tomorrow. They'd get it wrong 3 out of 4 tries!

Idparts.com does not have exhaust cam even if site says they do. I know this because last week the site said they had it in stock, I called that day and guy on phone confirmed they had on, dealership placed order no more than ten minutes after i got off phone with idparts and 30 minutes later idparts.com called the dealership and said they were out of stock.

My point is that parts, from my experience, are hard to come by relative to anything else I've owned and there's a price premium you pay as well.

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flman · **Posted:** Wed Jan 29, 2014 7:15 pm

bigl0af wrote:

Idparts.com does not have exhaust cam even if site says they do. I know this because last week the site said they had it in stock, I called that day and guy on phone confirmed they had on, dealership placed order no more than ten minutes after i got off phone with idparts and 30 minutes later idparts.com called the dealership and said they were out of stock.

My point is that parts, from my experience, are hard to come by relative to anything else I've owned and there's a price premium you pay as well.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Did you try Keith at GDE?

fool4wheelin · **Posted:** Wed Jan 29, 2014 10:43 pm

I went from looking at a WJ to the KJ to finally buying a KJ-CRD with 110k. After an oil change, full fluid swap, complete timing belt swap, upgraded fuel filter head, GDE tune, MAP Sensor, Hayden Fan Clutch, and a new Die-Hard Battery, I figure I'm good to go for a while (except for saving up for a Euro-TC!). This is the only SUV I've driven that doesn't need to "kick-down" in order to pass on the interstate, amazes me every time. The information and people on this Forum are awesome, although it was a little depressing reading this thread. I wish I would have read the Noob Guide before buying one, but I have had a good experience so far. I believe running good oil and disabling the EGR are a must. Good luck with your search!

joelukex4 · **Joined:** Thu Sep 29, 2011 4:54 pm **Posts:** 386

flman wrote:

Jeep vehicles in general are expensive and continual to keep them running. Goes with the territory of being a Jeep, they tend to have a lot thrown at them and sometimes stuff breaks.

Cherokees & wranglers are some of the cheapest and easiest to vehicles to repair, especially in the '90s. Minimal electronics.

Greasey Bob wrote:

No one is going to have that oil filter in stock.

An oil filter can be found at any auto parts store. Even Walmart has them.

flman · **Posted:** Thu Jan 30, 2014 7:52 am

joelukex4 wrote:

flman wrote:

Jeep vehicles in general are expensive and continual to keep them running. Goes with the territory of being a Jeep, they tend to have a lot thrown at them and sometimes stuff breaks.

Cherokees & wranglers are some of the cheapest and easiest to vehicles to repair, especially in the '90s. Minimal electronics.

That is not my quote :2cents:

Jwlochal · **Joined:** Fri Jan 25, 2013 9:42 pm **Posts:** 11

I love mine! Had it for a year now. Seen actual mileage of over 30mpg on a nice stretch of interstate, once with a big tailwind I nearly hit 40. Towed my Harley on a small trailer from Iowa to Sturgis and back and even going through the black hills it only downshifted once and that was because someone cut me off and I wanted to get back up to speed quick, Plus I got over 26mpg the entire trip. Not a single problem to report. Do your own oil change, it will save you some cash. It cost 100 bucks at tires plus the first time I had them change it. I did buy an extended warranty through my credit union when I got my loan just to make sure if I had any problems I would be covered. Kind of wish my tranny would go out now. I was very worried after buying it and reading through the information on LostJeeps but my jeep experience has been great.

bigl0af · **Joined:** Wed Nov 20, 2013 1:37 pm **Posts:** 9

flman wrote:

bigl0af wrote:

Idparts.com does not have exhaust cam even if site says they do. I know this because last week the site said they had it in stock, I called that day and guy on phone confirmed they had on, dealership placed order no more than ten minutes after i got off phone with idparts and 30 minutes later idparts.com called the dealership and said they were out of stock.

My point is that parts, from my experience, are hard to come by relative to anything else I've owned and there's a price premium you pay as well.

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Did you try Keith at GDE?

No I did not. Who is this Keith, and how do I contact him? :-)

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papaindigo · **Posted:** Fri Jan 31, 2014 3:44 pm

Keith at Green Diesel Engineering see http://www.greendieselengineering.com/g ... ethod=home for contact details. In additions to tunes he has other parts from time to time.

Corey Evans at idParts is doing an outstanding job of obtaining and stocking a pretty good range of products for the small KJ CRD market although, as one would expect, stock runs out from time to time. I know he sources some items from the overseas market.

In addition there are some sources in the UK and elsewhere in Europe.

Squeeto · **Posted:** Fri Jan 31, 2014 5:08 pm

I like my Jeep. I have had it many years now.

It has only let the wife down once and that issue was fixed with an in-tank lift pump. Great mod., should have had one from the factory and the wiring is already there.

It let me down once because of a bad ignition switch actuator pin assembly. Slightly under-designed I think. Sadly I had to replace the old with the same.

The thing corners so tight; great for parking lot adventures.

Nice and heavy body armor for my family but quick and agile.

Good fuel economy.

Everyone is friendly at the pump- "Hey buddy, that's diesel!"

Many of the problems go away with regular maintenance and removal of that special egr soot buildup (however you want to do this).

I think that because of the uniqueness of this vehicle, the parts will continue to be produced.
When other cars are thrown away, we will be keeping our Jeeps going.

This vehicle is not super difficult to maintain.
Lots of help and information is available here.

So much money goes into any vehicle; this a losing investment. If it makes you happy when you drive it, that is all that matters.

AZ CRD · **Posted:** Sat Feb 01, 2014 9:22 am

I've had about the same experience as Squeeto. Had air in the fuel on a stretch of I-10 between Lordsburg and Deming some years ago. Limped it home and installed the lift pump that solved the problem.

I have run the EHM/SEGR combo since early on to keep the sludge out of the intake system.

Biggest PITA has been the failed window regulators which is not CRD specific of course. Even the Steiger "solution" has failed on me twice because on backcountry extremely bumpy roads the ball stud on the window can bend off of perpendicular and slide out of the window clip. Speaking of backcountry, the thing crawls up rock strewn "roads" and slogs through the muck, sand, snow and mire with the best of them. :JEEPIN:

You don't need to be a backyard mechanic to own one. I do change my own oil and filters and replaced my own thermostat, but you could pay someone to do that as with any vehicle if you're so inclined. I paid someone to replace the alternator recently.

I brew my own biodiesel which is a fun hobby for me but not for everyone.

As fortune would have it, I have the North American expert on timing belt replacement coming out in April to do my timing belt, water pump, fan clutch, turbo hoses and anything else I can think of between now and then. I hope he drinks beer as I'll have plenty on hand. :5SHOTS:

I can't help but love the darn thing.

Flying J · **Posted:** Sun Feb 02, 2014 12:28 pm

I bought mine brand new in June 2005 with 181 miles on it and have keep a log book of all repairs and maintenance (and even every fuel receipt) since it was driven off the dealers lot.

The sample size is 1 and maybe I was just super lucky, but here has been my experience:

10/05 - 4388 miles - dealer reflash ECM - check engine light was on.
3/06 - 9363 - Glow Plug #2 replaced - check eng light
4/06 - 9993 - Glow Plug #4 replaced - check eng light
5/06 - 10558 - Glow Plugs #1 & #3 replaced - check eng light
9/06 - 13330 - tranny reflash and EGR Airflow replaced under warranty
(note - right about here I was starting to question the purchase of this thing but part of that was irritation at the dealer because they didn't just replace all 4 glow plugs at once the first trip like I asked them too - could have avoided 1/2 of the trips to the dealer)
2/06 - 18382 - lower ball joint recall and torque converter recall
6/13 - 91061 - replaced transfer case position indicator - was reading incorrectly.

No, nothings missing from 06 to 13. That's it. Many years of gas and go (ok diesel and go) with just routine maintenance.

The only other noteworthy thing was the GDE tune done in 7/12 at 79711 miles (I waited until I was out of warranty but looking back I wish I had done it years earlier. It really woke it up!) Its bone stock other than this.

Note - because the question was specific to CRD's I didn't include things that I consider normal maintenance like replacing the battery 1 time, replacing the hood and liftgate struts, brake pads front and rear 1 time, tires, etc that you would have on any car w/ 100k. I'd say the only thing CRD specific that is a maintenance item is my periodic cleaning of the MAF sensor - 5 minutes every year. I get the Mobile 1 at Walmart but I guess the oil changes are a couple bucks more than a regular dino oil change because of the specialty oil.

Prior to the GDE tune, the avg MPG for the prior 35,000 miles was 20.73 actual (not using the reader). In the 17,000 miles since, its been 24.375. We do have winter blend for several months a year and do about 90% in town stop and go driving. The occasional highway trip since GDE gets high upper 20's easily.

I was actually thinking of getting a new car this winter (14 Rubicon X JKU) but I just couldn't get past the price tag, so I'm going to keep plugging along with my CRD until I fall in love with something else. But man those new Jeeps are nice!

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

134 000km's on mine now. Only done timing belt and thermostat.

Absolutely love this Jeep...

TJ2 · **Posted:** Mon Feb 03, 2014 5:12 am

IMO, anyone who comes here asking to be convinced they want a CRD really ought get a Honda or Subaru.

FWIW, anybody who can't keep a (ALH series) TDI in reliable, economical, and ready for long term use should consider leasing.

weeks101 · **Joined:** Mon Jul 30, 2012 3:29 pm **Posts:** 747

Squeeto wrote:

So much money goes into any vehicle; this a losing investment. If it makes you happy when you drive it, that is all that matters.

My sentiments exactly.

KD6ICZ · **Posted:** Tue Feb 04, 2014 11:27 am

bikeman911 wrote:

So I thought I had decided that I want a CRD, but after reading about blown engines, turbos, trannys and such, I think I am changing my mind. I would be ditching a Jetta TDI for this as I no longer need the 50+ mpg. I have had a love / hate relationship with the TDI on tranny 3 (manual swap) and just can't afford another love / hate relationship with a vehicle.

I have read the noob guide.

comments welcome!
Rick

I owned several TDI's before I finally got my CRD. I wanted a CRD Liberty since I read they were coming out in late 2003. But because I live in the hippie state of California, and didn't have an out of state solution, I had to go with a Ford Escape (boring and problematic).

I finally got my CRD 10 years later after I first read about it. I followed as much of the advice from here as I could afford and really enjoy driving it. Use a very good oil (Euro spec Amsoil is my choice) and get a GDE tune and you'll be off to a good start.

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flman · **Posted:** Tue Feb 04, 2014 7:24 pm

KD6ICZ wrote:

bikeman911 wrote:

So I thought I had decided that I want a CRD, but after reading about blown engines, turbos, trannys and such, I think I am changing my mind. I would be ditching a Jetta TDI for this as I no longer need the 50+ mpg. I have had a love / hate relationship with the TDI on tranny 3 (manual swap) and just can't afford another love / hate relationship with a vehicle.

I have read the noob guide.

comments welcome!
Rick

I owned several TDI's before I finally got my CRD. I wanted a CRD Liberty since I read they were coming out in late 2003. But because I live in the hippie state of California, and didn't have an out of state solution, I had to go with a Ford Escape (boring and problematic).

I finally got my CRD 10 years later after I first read about it. I followed as much of the advice from here as I could afford and really enjoy driving it. Use a very good oil (Euro spec Amsoil is my choice) and get a GDE tune and you'll be off to a good start.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

I bought my first one brand new off Ebay, had it shipped to my house, registered it in CT using a relatives address. A year later registered it in communist NY. :goink:

2nd one I bought used in Philly.

bikeman911 · **Joined:** Sun Jan 26, 2014 8:11 am **Posts:** 6

Well, I think I'm in. I'm searching for one. I'll keep you update. Thanks to all who shared their experiences.

Rick

racertracer · **Posted:** Wed Feb 05, 2014 5:29 am

bikeman911 wrote:

Well, I think I'm in.

OK, now you need to buy a slew of tools if you don't already have them, download the service manual and parts manual and be prepared to do some prep work.

Good luck.

flman · **Posted:** Wed Feb 05, 2014 9:14 am

bikeman911 wrote:

Well, I think I'm in. I'm searching for one. I'll keep you update. Thanks to all who shared their experiences.

Rick

Welcome to the gang! :JEEPIN:

Here is one with low mileage. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Jeep-Liberty-CA ... ars_Trucks

Looks like mine, except for the lite bar and hood shield.

Noob ... Do I really want one?

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