bigE.94 wrote:
AGREED. The only caveat I would place on your post is that there is still some misinformation that is floating around the internet and on Jeep Forums like LOSTJEEPS.com. As time marches on these bad ideas get weeded out, (like the
Elephant Hose Modification, apparently), and newer ideas take their place. Ultimately, however, it is up to the CRD owner himself or herself to do the research to find out what is best for their ride.
Nobody can be an absolute expert in all areas of service... today's vehicles are simply too complex to achieve this level of expertise. This is why I have limited myself to engine design fundamentals and the cooling system of the R428 engine that powers the CRD. There is plenty to learn just in this small category... like what happens when fundamental design changes take place in the cooling system and the bad things that can happen as a result; a-la the in-hose thermostat valve modification and its various incarnations.
I do not have the time or the inclination at this point in my life to learn about engine tuning, so I leave it to the experts that work on this category every day; like the people at Green Diesel Engineering. It is well worth my money to purchase a GDE tune at the prices they charge, rather than try to install a DIY tune and have to ask questions on LOSTJEEPS.com, Facebook and elsewhere to get it to work correctly. The GDE tunes are plug and play, and are superior tunes to the DIY tunes because of the detail that goes into the engineering of them.
whats wrong with that mod??[/quote]
As WWDiesel said, nothing really is "wrong" with the DIY tunes. Many people are now using them, and I have not seen any significant problems reported. There may be some long-term fuel system issues pop up later in the life of the CRD engine, but that is sheer speculation on my part.
I am concerned that the thread associated with these tunes is now 61 pages long with over 1,200 replies.... LOSTJEEPS members asking all kinds of questions related to these tunes, and that raises alarm bells for me. My own personal opinion on engine tunes is that they should be completely plug and play... however, if you are prepared to fuss with a DIY tune, then I am fairly certain that they will be fine for you.
I formulated my opinions of engine tunes from my own experience developing an aftermarket product for the Liberty CRD. There is a fairly large contingency of members on this forum who seem to think that the cheapest method is always the best method of doing things, and from the perspective of someone who has spent serious dollars developing a PROPER solution to a significant problem with the CRD I can tell you that this is simply not true.
How much time has actually been spent developing the DIY tune? If the author of this tune is giving away the software for free, then my own experience developing the Model 001 leads me to suspect that not a lot of effort has gone into the development of the DIY tunes. Engine computer software are complex programs that require a high level of expertise and leading edge equipment to properly modify and improve, because of all the details you have to change up to take care of ALL parameters. I am fairly convinced that Green Diesel Engineering has taken the time and trouble to take care of all of these parameters so that there are no issues down the road. I am not convinced that the authors of the DIY tunes have gone to the same depths of detail.
WWDiesel is correct in writing to me that a unbiased head-to-head comparison between GDE tunes and the DIY tunes would be necessary to provide a definitive answer, not only regarding power outputs but also fuel efficiency parameters. To make this fair, the test would have to be done with two CRD vehicles in the same condition, with freshly rebuilt engines being driven by the same driver in the same driving conditions; unfortunately, this is highly unlikely to happen.