Jeep Liberty CRD questions

[Utah KJ]

I have an 06 CRD with 107K miles on it. I've driven it through the highest altitudes of CO, the hottest deserts of SE UT to the door-handle deep swamp trails of S FL and I always get home.

When the vehicle was bone stock, I was getting 26 mpg which came in handy when I used to drive it 15 hrs per day all over the rockies in all types of weather. After I added armor, steel F&R bumpers, winch, 32" tires and lift, my mpgs dropped to 18 mpg. After I added 4.10 gears, my mpgs went up to what I get today: 21 mpg.

The CRD is the only way to go for the serious enthusiast, I wouldn't have purchased a KJ if not for the option. In late 2006, I searched nation wide for 3 mos for one but now it might be somewhat easier to come by one.

As for the LOST CRD forum, I'm not sure anyone would buy a CRD after reading through those posts. For the record, I've done none of the modifications the group think says are required.

 

[rbod]

We've had one (in addition to the JK) from 6k miles until now at 106k or so. It's had several little problems, none too major... until the turbo blew last week. So getting that rebuilt now. It's reasonably comfortable, I get decent mileage with my 2.5" lift and slightly larger tires (20-23 mpg average). We put a little Jeep roof basket on it when we camp, to carry gear (which we do less with the Wrangler Unlimited having a roof tent, now). It wheels well and is fairly quick for what it is. I've been cursing it this week over the turbo... but to be fair it's been a good little vehicle.

 

[ernestgj]

I track my mileage on each fillup (by hand) and have the following data:

Stock mpg: 24.11
+ Firestone A/T: 20.6
+ MAF unplugged (disables EGR): 22.69
+OME light duty lift: 21.09
+Large Thule cargo box, fully loaded for 3 people for a week, 2 mtn bikes, cooler, etc: 18.6

This is over 65,000 miles. It's mixed driving as the Jeep is also my daily driver, figure 75% highway. The mpg numbers aren't perfect though because the miles aren't evenly distributed across the 4 seasons. For example, the stock mileage was calculated from August 2007 until November 2007 when the Firestone A/T's were installed.

Another interesting side note, of the gas stations that were regularly used BP returned the best mileage:

BP: 23.96
Speedway: 22.20
Thorntons: 21.84

No major issues other than the truck needs frequent front end alignments. Bought the Firestone lifetime alignment and am definitely getting my money's worth.

 

[Utah KJ]

Interesting.... I had mine aligned after lifting it in 2007 and after all the offroading, I've never needed another.

 

[bigandtall]

I traded my 2005 Jeep Liberty CRD for my current rig. I used to be on the lostkj forum all the time. I could never tell if my frequent shuddering was transmission related or cheap plastic fuel pump related.

I had a 2" lift kit on it, ran 255/70R16 Revos on it, Front Hitch, Rear Hitch, All J's Rock Rails, the entire setup. But even with the lift, I could not get to much major off roading. I had it from new until 69,000 miles (right before the 7/70k powertrain and limited diesel warranty expired). Financially, it made sense to trade it in, but the diesel, for off road, was great. It would only sip a small fraction of a gallon per hour in idle condtions and I could four wheel all day on a quarter tank.

When stock, or lifted, I never saw mileage above 21mpg. My FJ cruiser gets the same mileage it did with it's 4.0 v6.

Never had the EGR issues, and never subscribed to the EGR bypass and sensor cleaning. It was designed to handle the soot and did well with it. Too much gloom, doom, and scare over at lostkj with the CRD. But, in the end, the fuel pump and torque converter were the weak points, along with very limited lift height options.

One thing that really bothered me was that instead of beefing up the torque converter, they newtered our Jeeps with a software upgrade. Virtually all Jeep Liberty CRDs were recalled and had the torque converter replaced with the SAME torque converter. And the software "upgrade" forced the transmission to not engage until higher rpms were generated, thus increasing transmission fluid line pressure. Up until 14,000 miles, my jeep had maximum torque at 1,600rpm and really had major hole shot, torque, and awesome response. After the forced reprogram, it sucked, and completely changed the vehicle that I had just bought. So much so, that I would not have bought it.

 

[chrismc]

I have a 2006 KJ CRD and am fairly pleased with it. The engine is a joy to drive. It has tons of power for throttling up steep grades, and wonderful low-end torque for idling over rocks. The transmission is definitely the weak spot of the vehicle. It is defective by design, and not up to the power generated by the diesel. Chrysler/Jeep has NOT stepped up to the plate in any way to make it right with customers, and this is the sole reason I will never buy another Jeep vehicle. This Jeep has been the worst manufacturer support/warranty experience I have have ever had. My KJ is now off warranty, and luckily there are numerous small-scale aftermarket manufacturers that have come up with solutions for the factory defects. The fact that I have to pay thousands of dollars to fix things that should have been addressed via recalls does not sit well with me, though.

The stock suspension was adequate, but not much more. I upgraded to the CRD Frankenlift (Old Man Emu), and it rides wonderfully in all conditions now.

I also added the Green Diesel Engineering Eco-Tune for the ECU, and couldn't be happier with the engine performance. It has even MORe power than stock, and the mpg gain is great. With my lift kit and 31x10.5 Goodyear Duratrac mud terrains, I am turning on 21.5 mpg city and about 29 highway. I have seen over 31mpg on long highway-only road trips.

The turbo hoses are a weak point in the CRD also. The CCV vents into the air intake pre-turbo, and ends up leaving a thin oily film inside the turbo hoses and intercooler. The rubber hoses that Chrysler spec'd do not hold up well with prolonged contact with oil, and slowly swell and degrade until they pop off or burst. I recently had a turbo hose burst. The short-term solution is to tightly wrap it with Gorilla tape, but I just installed Samco silicone turbo hoses as a permanent fix. They are actually a couple bucks cheaper than factory replacement hoses.

My next upgrade will be the European-spec torque converter and a replacement transmission pump from the hemi. Apparently the pair of these solves all the transmission woes (they're Chrysler parts, but Chrysler couldn't figure out that they fix the problems...).

My only other gripe with the CRD is that the seats are not aging well. I'm not a big dude (6'0", 170 lbs), but the seat cushions are nearly completely worn out after 5 years. The seats are not very comfortable at all for more than a couple hours. Also, Jeep was brilliant enough to use a fabric that stains badly from water contact so the seats all look like crap.

The CRD is a wonderful vehicle as long as you have no hope of getting manufacturer/warranty support, and you plan from the beginning to fix the design defects (transmission, engine tune, turbo hoses) with aftermarket solutions.

 

[pangaea]

Kristian,

We've got an '05 CRD Liberty that sees daily driver use. On the highway, we've been getting about 26-27 mpg, which is nice compared to the somewhat thirstier 4.6 in the D2.

Off road, it does great. It's biggest disadvantage is ground clearance, but with good spotting and tire placement it hasn't hindered us much.

Let me know next time your in Denver, you can swing by and take it for a spin.

 

[bigandtall]

I almost forgot one other major weakness of the Liberty CRD - the front differential is cast aluminum and breaks under the diesel torque when off road if you spin the front tires on rocky or slippery terrain and then they suddenly grip. The cast casing would literally blow out near the input shaft. Also, its not center mounted, so you can't replace it with any liberty front diff, so with only 12000 units made, getting a replacement front diff cost thousands. Front CV shafts were longer on one side than the other due to the offset front diff, so they are unique and costly to replace. As an expedition vehicle, this would be ripe for breakdowns.

 

[chrismc]

I almost forgot one other major weakness of the Liberty CRD - the front differential is cast aluminum and breaks under the diesel torque when off road if you spin the front tires on rocky or slippery terrain and then they suddenly grip. The cast casing would literally blow out near the input shaft.

That one's easy to fix: put a brick under the throttle pedal.

In that situation, there always has to be a weak point. Spinning a tire (especially a high-mass MT) will generate a lot of rotational force, and when it suddenly stops something has to absorb that force. The front diff case isn't the best thing to act as a fuse, but there are worse things. At least you can drive home in 2wd after a little cleanup.

The best solution is just to be mindful of your driving and not get into that situation. With the CRD's low-end torque, there's not much to be accomplished by revving the engine and spinning a tire.

 

[Utah KJ]

I've never had a front diff problem in all the miles of offroad I've been on. I do have a DTT installed up front and ESP really doesn't allow too much spin anyways.... as does good tires. CV's are no more expensive than any other and neither is a front diff that is no weaker than a D30. On any Expedition I've been on (there's been many) I am usually the tow/rescue vehicle. The only failure I've had that would be unique to a CRD was a split CAC hose but I was still able to get home. Bigandtall is just makin' stuff up now.

 

[bigandtall]

The 2006 Liberty CRD has the electronic stability program to simulate lockers by applying individual brake to a slipping wheel. The 2005 Liberty CRD did not come with this option, nor was it available.

I'm not trying to insult any current CRD owners. I'm just stating that as an expedition vehicle its a setup for higher risk than other platforms. I was an owner that drove mine every day, in all conditions. Towing, off roading, commuting to and from work, cross country trips, everything.

As for the front diffs breaking, neither I nor any of the multipe CRD owners I know of that broke them had oversized mud tires. Most were stock tires. We were not out spinning the tires intentionally. It did not take much to blow the front diff out. For domestic exploration, sure, it was nice. For exploration in a foreign country you would be putting yourself at undue risk of a major failure by selecting the Liberty CRD.

 

[upcruiser]

Super delayed response here, thanks fir all the input everyone. There is some great info here and gives me some stuff to think about for sure. Not sure it is the direction I want to go or not but gives plenty to think about. Nathan, thanks for the offer, I might take you up on it. I will be in the Denver area over the next couple of weeks, maybe we can connect when you get back from Expo.

 

[MOAK]

Crd

My wife drives ours, and we use it for road trips to visit family. Our expedition vehicle is the TJ. The CRD has 75k miles on it and operates flawlessly. The torque converter was a factory recall, and a stronger one installed, and once all the little bugs were fixed, ( sensors, relays, etc ) at around 12k miles, there have been absolutely no problems at all, except one bad tank of fuel. A couple of things that I don't like about it?
The Auto transmission. If it had a manual I know I could get better than the 29 mpg on the highway, and the overall average 26 mpg. It is constantly downshifting at the very slightest grade change, or change in speed. The best operating rpm for this motor is between 17 and 21 hundred rpm. It pulls very well at 1700 rpms, but the trans is set up to downshift out of the high range way too prematurely, thus reducing fuel economy. Also, I just don't like automatics on principle.
I also don't think it is necessary to have the 4:11 axle ratio. This motor has plenty of "up front" torque to support 3:70s. With 3:70s & a manual trans, the fuel mileage could easily be as high as 35 MPGs.
Other than those two things, it is a great vehicle, and with a few mods, could do very well on typical forrest roads.