I have a 2005 CRD that I have owned since new. I started having problems with it last fall. It went down in November. I have been trying to get it going for 9 months now.
I was heading out on a 300 mile road trip and just 40 miles up the road, I started losing power, had a black smoke screen out the back that would hide a cruise ship, and it started making a ticking noise. I limped it to the next exit and stopped for a minute wondering what to do. I decided to make it to the nearest AutoZone to have the codes tested and it seemed to be running ok. The CEL had been on for a while showing the P0101 MAF code that I had been ignoring, so I wanted to see if there was anything new. But no. It was still running good, so I got back on the freeway. It ran perfect for about 50 more miles. Then it started doing the same thing. I pulled off the next exit and thought that it might be the fuel filter. I had one with me, so I hurried and changed it. (I was trying to make it to my boyfriend's son's wedding.) I got back on the freeway, and it ran perfect again for another 50 or so miles. I pulled off, but this time just drove slowly around a convenient store parking lot and it started running fine again. I got back on the freeway, and it ran fine the rest of the way. On my way home, my boyfriend was with me and he was driving and it did the same thing at the same exits. And every time we stopped, it would 'reset' and would run fine for a while. When we got home, it was fine. At the time, we were wondering if there was some kind of altitude sensor that could be bad.
It ran fine around town until I headed out of town again. I was about 30 miles south and it started doing what it had on the previous trip. I pulled off and shut it off, but it didn't 'reset' this time. So I drove for a minute more and shut it down again. Still didn't 'reset'. I decided to try to make it to the next exit. I got out on the freeway, and was trying to coax it up a hill. Just as I thought it was going to cough it's last cough and die, it suddenly cleared up. Smoke was gone, ticking/coughing gone, and tons of power. I made it where I was going and back with no other problems. And running better than it had for a long time.
Two weeks later, I was again on the freeway and it started losing power again, smoke screen was back and ticking started again. By the time I got off the freeway, the ticking had turned more into a knock. This was the last time it drove anywhere.
I trailered it to the local jeep dealer. They told me I needed a #3 injector. I bought one and had it replaced. I also bought a new MAF sensor since that code had been on for a while. It didn't fix it. When we tried starting it after the injector was replaced, the engine kept kicking back against the starter and ruined it. So I bought a new starter and took it to another shop. (There are no good diesel mechanics in my town. And none that know anything about these CRD's.) This guy said he wasn't getting any fuel to the injectors. He replaced the fuel filter again along with a new fuel heater head and wiring. Mine was burnt. He had fuel to the HP pump now, but nothing out of it. He decided it was bad. I bought a new one and then he said he couldn't replace it because he didn't have the special tools. Then he closed his shop. So, I had my jeep trailered home and decided I could do it myself.
I started searching online. I found a lot of good sites that told how to change the timing belt and the water pump and decided I could figure out the injector pump after that. Since my jeep has 90,000 miles, I decided I might as well change all the 100,000 mile parts that I was going to have to take off in the process. (Timing belt, tensioner, 2 idler pulleys, water pump, thermostat, serpentine belt.)
My boyfriend came to town last month to help with the big project. We made our own tools fashioned after some we had seen on other sites. They worked perfect. The timing belt still looked really good. No missing teeth, and everything lined up perfect. I had been afraid that the timing had jumped a tooth. In the process of changing out the parts I had ready, we also found that the hose from the airbox to the turbo had a split in it underneath the clamp and had been leaking oil. We replaced that and also the EGR valve since we had easy access to it. We cleaned the Air Flow Control Valve, which was very sludgy, and also cleaned the MAP sensor.
After we got the timing belt back on, we tried to start it. It didn't want to start and ruined the new starter. We replaced that again, and bled the fuel system a lot better this time and we got it to start. Finally. But it didn't run well. After finding a few things we had forgotten, it was running better, but still not perfect. It was also throwing a P0303 code. THEN - the #4 injector started smoking. So, we pulled all the injectors - no special tool needed. The #4 injector looked really bad. The o-ring was broken in half and it was actually different than the o-rings that were on the other 3, and the copper crush washer on the bottom was missing. As I said, I have owned this from the start, and that injector has never been pulled that I have known about. Anyways, since the injectors were out, I sent them to have them tested. They tested perfect. I put new o-rings and washers on all of them and put it back together. The injector no longer smoked, but it didn't make that much of a difference in how it runs. It still throws the P0303 code over and over. I think it must have shown this code way back when I took it to the jeep dealer and that's why they told me I needed to change the #3 injector. So, I think that after changing all these parts, I still haven't touched the original problem.
It is rough running at an idle and has kind of a popping/knocking sound on the intake side of the motor until I rev it up to about 1700/2000 rpm's. Then it smooths out. I have listened to everything I can reach with a mechanic's stethoscope, and can't figure it out. It still has smoke out the back that someone described as smelling like fireworks. And it's not very responsive. I'm sorry for the long/short story, but it's been a long confusing process. And I don't know what to do next. Any ideas?

~Tammy~

Tammy,

We have seen a few engines experiencing similar issues you are describing. Most of them had one or more bad rocker arms. It might be worthwhile to pull off the intake manifold and visually check the rocker arms for damage and verify the integrity of the roller bearings. You will need to teardown the engine in the same manner for timing belt work, but then pull off the inner timing cover, remove all the injectors and then remove the intake to get to the rockers. Hope you can get this expensive boat anchor back in good form.

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Shouldn't have anything to do with the ticking/knocking (GDE is on point there) but for the smoke have you removed both intercooler hoses, if OEM remove the woven mesh too, and looked from small cracks or tears particularly on the bottom? At least part of the smoke and power loss could be related to a boost pressure air leak which can be intermittent although that's uncommon.

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Sold to LOST member my 05 Ltd, GDE Stg II turbo + TCM tune, SunCoast TC w. Transgo kit, Steiger window regulators, Samcos, Fumoto valve, 2nd gen filter head with Lub. Spec. bleeder, Hayden clutch & 11 blade fan, inverted spare, P-1 battery, BF Goodrich Long Trail TAs, Etecno1 glow plugs, timing belt at 50K miles/8 yrs

I have replaced the CAC inlet hose twice. The last time was in October. I've never replaced the outlet hose, but when I recently had it off, I took off the mesh and inspected it. I didn't see any cracks or tears. I have been thinking about replacing it anyways just in case I didn't see something.
I have been worried that the rockers could be the problem, but I don't know what would have caused them damage. Also, I have seen and heard several videos on youtube of engines that had bad rockers and they sound more clattery than mine does. And they seemed to make more noise as you revved them up instead of running better like mine does. So I have been hoping to find something else wrong. Would the rocker arms cause the #3 cylinder misfire code?

I was also wondering if there could be an electrical explanation for the misfire code?