My '05 Black CRD was rear ended back in March and totaled due to some significant frame damage. With no other CRD's for sale in the area at the time, I started to look at other SUV's but couldn't bring myself to buy any of them. I'm stuck on these darn CRD's! I waited until one popped up a few hours away from me and went to look at it. It was dirty, but ran well so I figured I would give it some TLC and work it back close to the condition my old one was in (near mint). This one is a 2006 Limited with 125k. My previous CRD was bought at 60kmiles and I immediately did the ORM and a few other minor things to get it running right. It never ran great (never had the GDE Tune) but it was getting 23 to 26 mpg so I was happy with it. This one has 125k miles and, as far as I can tell, are all original CCV-EGR miles.
I have a number of concerns that need to be addressed but I would like some guidance from the guru's here before I start tearing into things.
First and foremost, the dealer I bought it from THOUGHT he remembered hearing the PO say the timing belt was done. I pulled the cover and it doesn't look like it has been. The belt is in OK condition, but it is a Goodyear and doesn't look new enough to have been replaced at 100k. I'm making this priority #1. I am going to do it myself (Unless Jim plans on vacationing in Prescott, AZ this summer), so I'll need to start accumulating the parts and tools for the job. IDParts will supply the kit, of course. Any recommendation on the best place to get the non-standard tools required to finish the job?
I immediately unplugged the MAF and pulled the MAP sensor out and cleaned it. It was 100% caked over, as expected. Not much noticeable difference in power or drive-ability but it seems like the EVIC is reporting a slightly higher average mpg now.
I pulled the CAC hose to check for oil and damage. It was surprisingly clean and there was no crack in the hose, but it was a black liner so it has already been replaced at some point. I checked the turbo vanes while I had it open. I've never done any work with a turbo so I'm not sure what they are supposed to look like. I was a little concerned at the look of mine. It has slight fore-aft motion (maybe .020") and about half that amount side to side. It seems to run fine, no noise or stalling that I can discern. I also cannot see any rubbing from the vanes on the housing but it was tough to get down in there and really see it well. Does this thing look/sound like its clapped out?

The turbo hoses are definitely a little soft, so I'm thinking of replacing those pretty quickly. My second largest concern with this vehicle is the amount of miles it has had with (as far as I know) the CCV and EGR both active. I'm worried that the intake is completely clogged with sludge. I know this question has been asked, discussed, argued and debated over...but has anyone found a reasonable way to clean the intake without removing it? I work too much to have the car down for 2 days or more just to remove and clean the intake. I can live with it the way it is, but my mileage is awful right now and I want to start cleaning things up to get it back to where my old one was. It seems like the jury is still out on Seafoam and other direct injection cleaning methods. I've heard of Motorvac as well. I don't know if anyone in my area even has one, but what is the general consensus on that service? Snake oil or legit?
Finally, I think the FCV is shot, it makes a buzzing noise for a few seconds if I crank the vehicle over quickly then shut it off (inspecting the timing belt). Should I inspect/remove the gate and unplug this thing?
EDIT: Almost forgot! I am having continual air in fuel filter head problems. My old CRD needed to be bled about once every 2 weeks. I just sucked it up and lived with it because it wasn't that bad. This one is more like every 2 - 3 days and takes a huge mileage and power hit when I wait longer than that. It actually starts to stutter at low speed and during mild acceleration. Harder acceleration fixes the starvation, but it looks like a lift pump is in my future to really get this problem solved. Has anyone had any luck taping or otherwise sealing the quick disconnects in the fuel line as a temporary fix to at least lengthen the amount of time between bleeds?
Are there any other glaring issues I should be looking into on this thing? Right now I'm getting 20 - 22 mpg which defeats the purpose of driving the CRD libby (aside from the foot joy). I want to get the ECO tune to get the mileage up, but I don't think it makes sense to spend the money on that if I have a half dozen other problems dragging me down first. Thanks for reading all of this! I look forward to getting your opinions on how to tackle this beast and wrench it into submission.
