I bought my CRD back at the end of July, immediately ordered a Suncoast converter for it (gawd, that original is horrible), and then realized I'd need a head gasket, as well.

Well, I was moving at the end of August, from Oregon to Illinois. I had it at the shop where I used to work, waiting in line to get it done, and 6 days before I was to leave, they called me and said they were not going to do it. Period.

So, I left it at another shop, who did the converter, head gasket, studs, water pump, idlers, oil pan plug helicoil, and timing belt.

It's now done, but I'm in Illinois, and my Jeep is in Oregon. My son drove it today, and says it doesn't warm up, not even after 40 miles at freeway speeds. It didn't have that problem before but the weather was warmer. By "cold" I mean the temp gauge doesn't reach the "normal" zone, according to my son, and the heater puts out only mildly warm air, and even that's variable.

What's my options? I've searched for thermostat and after digging through a few pages of results, I realized I probably was going to take forever.

I fly back to Oregon on Oct 1, and will drive it back east, leaving that weekend. I can probably do it here, hurrying is not needed, but I do need to get it done. I'd really like to have it at the highest reasonable temperature in the winter, for cab heat and keeping the oil clean.

Can someone summarize?

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05 CRD Sport in blue. Suncoast TC and ARP studs.

I have the Sealey timing kit I'll loan out.

Very common problem. Research the Stant inline (in - hose) thermostat via a search of this forum.

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05CRD: GDE Hot ECU & TCM tunes, Provent, Cat filter, Facet lift pump, TransGo kit, Florida TC, Samcos, stainless brake lines, HDS thermostat, Renegade light bar,
Bilstein adjustables, Al's Gen 4.5 Arms, 235/85-16 Duratracs, DTT rear, Elocker front, EVIC+TPMS, Turbo timer, McNally pillar gauges, Weeks Stage II kit.

Wow, that's a "no stock" part at autoparts stores!

I got one coming from Summit Racing. That should get me by for a while until I can get around to getting something better done.

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05 CRD Sport in blue. Suncoast TC and ARP studs.

I have the Sealey timing kit I'll loan out.

'something better'? The in-hose is a fantastic option, and what I believe the CRD should have come with from the factory. Just be sure to use a second hose clamp around it to keep it from migrating in the hose, and you will soon forget that it is in there. I never had any complaints about mine, and if my TDI needs a thermostat and the factory option is annoying... In-hose it is again.

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Proud supporting vendor of LOST Jeeps
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Over 225 CRDs currently driving with my valves, timing belt, rockers, or ARP Studs.
Bad noises = REALLY bad things.

Sounds similar to what I experienced.

The word you used in your post was "variable" and that is key...... It only tells me one thing that the heat comes on sporadically.

I experienced a fluctuating hot to cold heater core, after a thermostat replacement.

It was due to air in the cooling system that was trapped in the heater core.

Park it on a really steep hill twist open the black valve on top of the radiator to allow any air to escape.... run the engine for few minutes with the valve open, then close it.

Take the vehicle out for a long ride and do it again.

Air in the head is serious and can lead to another head gasket replacement.

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2006 Liberty Limited CRD, Deep Beryl Green, Yeti tune, Arp studs, new cams, rockers, lifters, TB. "Green Monster"
2005 Liberty Sport CRD, Deep Beryl Green, GDE Hot Tune, ARP studs. "Rocket"
1982 Fiat 124 Spider Convertible. "Fiona"

Yeah. The thought of leaving a sticky or poorly functioning factory thermostat in place seems like a really bad idea.

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05 CRD Sport in blue. Suncoast TC and ARP studs.

I have the Sealey timing kit I'll loan out.