Hello,

I'm writing about my sister's CRD an 05 Sport with about 190K miles.

A couple of years ago she had codes for bad glow plugs. I ordered her the Italian 7V metal ones and we had a mechanic install them. The codes went away, but ever since then the jeep won't start if the engine is cold. And I don't mean like below 0, I mean like if it was 40F out all night it won't start in the morning until the day has warmed up or the block heater has been run for an hour.

A more recent issue highlighted that the jeep needs two new injectors. When the jeep is warm, it starts and runs fine, only has an issue when you stomp on the pedal and the jeep throws into limp mode because of a fuel mismatch with the two bad injectors.

So my question is, has anyone had a similar issue? Any chance this is injector related? Is it possible the new glow plugs are not working right even though the jeep doesn't throw glow plug codes?

Thanks!

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2006 Green CRD Limited -- 32,000 miles -- Predator Tune -- K&M Air Filter --
(2005 Grey CRD Sport) Sister's
(2006 Gold CRD Limited) Dad's
(1997 GMC 2500 w/ GFS WVO)
(2007 Arctic Cat Diesel ATV)

First of all, does the Jeep have the second-gen fuel filter head? Next, does it have a lift pump?

If no to either of those, then I would start by checking the pressure at the filter head by pressing the plunger before starting it in the morning. If it is soft and doesn't stiffen up significantly when repeatedly pushing the plunger and bleeding the air out, then replace the filter head. The lift pump is not necessary, but certainly makes starts more reliable and helps the engine run smoother.

If yes to both, when is the last time the fuel filter was changed? If it has the new head and the filter is fairly new (less than 6 months, tops), then try getting another new filter and fill it about half way with Power Service White or Red, the other half with regular clean diesel fuel. Reinstall the filter, purge the head manually and start the engine for about 30 seconds then shut it off. Leave it for 30 minutes then start it again and let it warm up, then take it for a short drive.

I'm going out on a limb here, but were the old glow plugs ever inspected for physical damage? The ceramic plugs are known to fail and leave chunks of the tip in the cylinder, free to do whatever damage they choose until they are spit out the exhaust valves. It might be worth pulling ALL the injectors and having them checked at a reputable shop. They will be able to tell you what level they are operating at. It isn't all that hard to pull them and reinstall them, just make sure you have brand new crush washers when everything goes back together, and make sure the seats are clean enough to eat off of. If they have been impacted by anything it will be immediately obvious, as they will not look like the clean polished steel they are supposed to look like. If they are malfunctioning internally, it is not so obvious and only a shop with the proper equipment can tell you if they are good or not.

Let us know what happens with the first few items before you get into anything more drastic like pulling the injectors. Good luck!

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2006 Limited CRD: Frankenlift II, Fumoto Drain Plug, DIY Stage 1 Tune, In-Tank Lift Pump

Thanks for the quick reply.

The most recent mechanical work included the installation of the 2nd Gen fuel filter head and a new fuel filter.

We had the tank dropped and I asked them to put a lift pump in, but the mechanics chose not to and put in a new standard fuel pickup instead (grrrrrr)

I'm not familiar with what you suggested about Power Service White or Red, what would that do/test for?

One of the glow plugs did break when the mechanics were removing them (this was about 3 years ago) and they were able to eventually tap it and get it removed, it may have had a small piece drop in, but as the jeep doesn't run rough, we assumed that there were no lasting issues from that experience.

We may indeed replace all 4 injectors, I've never removed them before, but it didn't look like it would be that difficult, even without the expensive tool.

_________________
2006 Green CRD Limited -- 32,000 miles -- Predator Tune -- K&M Air Filter --
(2005 Grey CRD Sport) Sister's
(2006 Gold CRD Limited) Dad's
(1997 GMC 2500 w/ GFS WVO)
(2007 Arctic Cat Diesel ATV)

Power Service is a fuel conditioner/Antigel. The white bottle is used to prevent fuel gelling. The red is used re-liquify gelled fuel. They also help clean injectors.

There have been some issues reported with malfunctioning replacement metal glow plugs. Believe its with the ones that are not the original voltage of the vehicle rather than the direct replacement ones. One is 5 volt and other is 7 volt but if forget which is which at the moment. This is discussed on the forum.

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05 Blu LIM, OME GDE Tbo, wk II 245/75/17, KC Lights, bull bar, 195K H TC
05 Blu Lim, Dayton, GDE HT, 255/75/18 , 210K , H TC
06 Bla Lim, GDE Eco, Destination AT 245/75/17, 151K, H TC
06 D Khaki Lim 126K wkII Eur TC
05 D khaki Lim 145k refurbishing
All CRDS: Fumoto, Lift , Fan Shroud mod, fuel head Gen II, SAMCOS,self TB, 2 Mic filt, Hayden

Hi, I suppose the glow plugs could be malfunctioning. They are both the 7volt metal replacement ones from Italy so they shouldn't have needed any glow plug relay update or software upgrade. Should I check their resistance? Are there any other tests I could run on them?

_________________
2006 Green CRD Limited -- 32,000 miles -- Predator Tune -- K&M Air Filter --
(2005 Grey CRD Sport) Sister's
(2006 Gold CRD Limited) Dad's
(1997 GMC 2500 w/ GFS WVO)
(2007 Arctic Cat Diesel ATV)