2005 Liberty 2.8 Hesitation

Carterhouch · **Joined:** Mon Mar 25, 2013 12:47 pm **Posts:** 4

Have owned Liberty Diesel 2.8L for 2 years. Did all things suggested on "love that torque" on the noob. Put fuel pump in tank unplugged heater, cleaned map censor, ran great for 2 years.

Now I get a ETC light on "red lightning bold" and car acts like it is running out of fuel. Put in new map censor, still doing it. Sometimes a lot. Never dies just slows down or won't go. Always happens when "red lightning bolt" is on.

Any suggestions? I am at a loss.

bugnout · **Posted:** Fri Jun 26, 2015 9:51 pm

Getting any codes? Have you changed the fuel filter recently?

Mike92104 · **Posted:** Sat Jun 27, 2015 1:01 am

Isn't that the "Water in fuel" light?

flash7210 · **Posted:** Sat Jun 27, 2015 7:16 am

The red lightning bolt indicates a Electronic Throttle Control problem.
Specifically, the gas pedal and its associated sensor and wires.

rankom · **Posted:** Sat Jun 27, 2015 9:37 am

did you check fuel rail pressure ?

Hexus · **Posted:** Sat Jun 27, 2015 9:47 am

The red lightning bolt can be a lot of things. It's some type of electrical issue or sensor issue causing your problem.

Go with the easiest first. Check that your wiring harness isn't rubbing on the firewall. Check your Thermostat sensor wire and alternator wiring to ensure they're connected fully and the wires haven't been cut/melted through.

Check your battery voltage and alternator output (Auto-Zone and others will test this for free).

Change out your ASD relay and it's Twin brother sitting right next to it.

All of those things will cost you a little time and about $20.

Pull the codes as well, don't trust the Auto-Zone readers on this one as they won't pull our codes.

JcGilmour · **Posted:** Tue Jul 11, 2017 9:24 am

Has anyone ever figured this one out?

By the lack of recent posts, I assume this problem is very rare or has been solved.
I have been having the same problem for years and never been able to trace it down.
At totally random times when accelerating away from a stop, the CRD will normally jump to attention and then fall flat on it's face for about 1/2second. Never stalls never throws any codes, just turns on the ECT light until next restart. The problem man not appear for weeks and sometimes it will happen several times in one day.

can not reproduce the problem by brake torquing and roughing up the harness(')
No water in fuel
At least the second fuel filter since the start of this and about 100,000 kms
replaced the throttle peddle
checked the wiring many times
Running the ECO tune. Talked with Green Diesel they report no such problems.
Engine runs very well 98% of the time.
Mileage is current coming up on 300,000. Uses less than 1/2L of oil between changes at 15,000 kms
I am a retired mechanic.

WWDiesel · **Posted:** Tue Jul 11, 2017 10:24 am

Have you replaced the CPS?

JcGilmour · **Posted:** Tue Jul 11, 2017 11:55 am

I have not changed the CPS. I am willing to try anything within reason but first now that you mention it I will have a look at the connector and see how green it might be. I have trouble believing that the sensor itself could be faulty and continue to function mostly normally for several years.

Thanks. You have given me something to go on.

Will post back.

John

WWDiesel · **Posted:** Tue Jul 11, 2017 1:50 pm

JcGilmour wrote:

I have not changed the CPS. I am willing to try anything within reason but first now that you mention it I will have a look at the connector and see how green it might be. I have trouble believing that the sensor itself could be faulty and continue to function mostly normally for several years.
Thanks. You have given me something to go on.
Will post back.
John

FYI: Autozone has one of the best prices for a new CPS and comes with a lifetime warranty and the part in the box is an OEM Bosch part! :wink:

PT. no: SU8492

rankom · **Posted:** Tue Jul 11, 2017 7:43 pm

Well sometimes if no CEL and no codes , we do go for guess work , time to throw away fuel sending unit and instal LP pump , then CAT goes missing , then Mprop valve at CP3 gets inspected , then install fuel gauges and fuel gets monitored through clear tubing and rail pressure too, there are many more test you can do

JcGilmour · **Posted:** Tue Jul 11, 2017 9:05 pm

It annoys me that it never throws a code when it does this.
I have been suspicious of a fuel starvation issue from the start but just can't believe the problem can be so random. Cold weather, hot weather doesn't matter. it just seems that some guy behind the curtain is screwing with me. The thing has always run fin at full power. I have checked the fuel system for leaks where I wondered if it might be accumulating air and then finally digesting it, hesitating and them being fine until another slug of air enters the system but it is just too random for this to be the case. Having said that, I can always purge air from the bleeder on the filter/heater. I replaced the assembly about a year ago as the heater connections had corroded off the there was fuel/dirt appearing around the element where it is epoxied to the housing. However the problem remained.
About a year and a half back I found the wiring harness under the drivers feet had been installed incorrectly and one wire had been pinched between the plastic retaining clip and the floor. It eventually made somewhat of a connection and slowly burned off the insulation from most of the wires in this main harness. This took some time before it finally did something noticeable; the blower motor stayed running one day when I shut down. Turned out that it was being back fed from this mess of melt. I have no sense of smell so never caught the acrid smoke that it must have been producing. When I finally discovered and repaired the mess, I noticed that my hesitation problem appeared to vanish. I rationalized that perhaps the harness arcing had been the problem all along. But of course, a few months later the same old hesitation again appeared, again at totally random times. Some days it will do it several times and then I won't experience it for weeks or months. Strange but about as random I will get a ABS code a few times a year and unrelated to the ETC light/hesitation problem. The ABS code usually will clear upon the next restart.
Maybe it is getting near the time for a newer vehicle but then that would be admitting defeat.

WWDiesel · **Posted:** Tue Jul 11, 2017 10:30 pm

CPS's are notorious for never tripping a DTC when they start going bad!
Mine never set any codes and it put me on the side of the road twice before I replaced it! :roll:

weird!

GordnadoCRD · **Posted:** Wed Jul 12, 2017 12:45 am

JcGilmour wrote:

At totally random times when accelerating away from a stop, the CRD will normally jump to attention and then fall flat on it's face for about 1/2second. Never stalls never throws any codes, just turns on the ECT light until next restart. The problem man not appear for weeks and sometimes it will happen several times in one day.

When this happens, note your speedometer. If it's always about 20mph, you may be having the same 2-3 shift problem that have, only not so bad. (mine does it every single 2-3 shift now)
Engine still running but it feels almost like I'd tapped the brakes a quick second, then continues on like nothing happened at all.

2005 Liberty 2.8 Hesitation

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