Two dead Jeeps

[Jerrodg]

Three years ago I bought a 2006 CRD, and it ran flawlessly. I loved it. Then the computer (I think) went haywire. When I would drive it, randomly the tach would drop to zero, the speedo would peg out and the air conditioner would turn off. After a minute or two, the dash would ding and the gauges would return to normal. (Occasionally the tach would stay at zero) I wouldn't lose power, so I didn't worry too much about it. My local mechanic couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. Last winter, I tagged a big buck at 60 MPH, which caused mostly body damage and my insurance company deemed it totaled. I was able to buy the salvage back from them for a good cost, so I figured it was a good deal. I took the insurance money, and bought an identical (except for no sunroof/power seats) Liberty. The new liberty ran fine for a couple of weeks, but then the turbo started having problems. My mechanic tried multiple things to get proper boost, but to no avail. It still drove, and he told me it would be OK to drive it like that. Apparently not. A couple of weeks ago, as I was pulling out of my driveway there was a loud pop and what sounded like a belt slapping something and I lost all power. I was able to coast into my neighbors driveway safely. An inspection by a different mechanic confirmed what I feared, that I had blown a head gasket as when I added coolant it drained directly into the oil. The engine cranks, but will not turn over. Spraying ether into the airbox while attempting to start it didn't get the engine to turn over either.

I got a quote for the head gasket at $2300. My fear is that they will replace the head gasket, but I will still be having problems with the turbo. I could also pull the front quarter panels and bumpers off the blown jeep, and put them on the totaled one, but I fear that the computer issues might still be a problem. Am I better off just trying to sell both Jeeps as mechanics specials, or might it be worth it to get one running Jeep out of the two dead ones? I have another daily driver so I am not in immediate need of getting one of them running, but it is frustrating to say the least. If I did decide to sell them, is there any idea of a ballpark value?

 

[daves06lrenegade]

Another option might be to switch drive trains from the salvage to the second Jeep,,,That way you would have a Jeep that doesn't have a "salvage" brand...

My 2006 Liberty Wrangler was rescued from a salvage auction and the "branded" title doesn't bother me and with it being a 2006 full coverage doesn't make sense anyway...

If you are mechanically minded I'm sure you will work something out... If not ask your mechanic what it might cost..
Dave

 

[duderz7]

"My 2006 Liberty Wrangler"
Tell us more about this "Liberty Wrangler" you speak of?

 

[tommudd]

Unless you are mechanically inclinded and well versed on the CRDs I would sell both and let someone else figure them out.
Now if one had a good motor/ drivetrain and the other was crashed would be a completely different story.
But with both having motor/ computer/ various issues, I would sell.
Trying to figure out issues like yours would be hit and miss depending on who you talk to.

 

[Jerrodg]

My mechanical inclinations stop at alternators and starter replacement. I was hoping that the crashed one had a good engine, and only the computer needed to be replaced. I just don't want to get into a situation where I am throwing money away.

Unless you are mechanically inclinded and well versed on the CRDs I would sell both and let someone else figure them out.
Now if one had a good motor/ drivetrain and the other was crashed would be a completely different story.
But with both having motor/ computer/ various issues, I would sell.
Trying to figure out issues like yours would be hit and miss depending on who you talk to.

 

[daves06lrenegade]

Sorry...Brain Fart...
I meant Jeep Liberty Renegade
Dave

 

[turblediesel]

These CRDs like money and wrenching. A lot.

Blown headgaskets are pretty normalish. Generally a bad headgasket doesn't make the timing belt break although they like to break too. They like to drop exhaust valves spontaneously.

Turbo boost controllers, in front of the firewall on the passenger side, can go bad or plug their little filter. Loss of power can come from an oil rotted hose coming from the airbox... and oil rotted intercooler hoses.

Electrical problems may come from pinched wiring harnesses behind the fuel filter bracket which gets removed for filter changes and also to upgrade to a metal version that doesn't melt and let air in, and fuel out. Wiring harnesses also get stretch breaks from being reefed out of the way to get the cam-carrier/intake off to replace worn out roller rockers and stretchy head bolts with ARP $tuds.

Most diesel shops and dealers are baffled by our Italian diesels so throwing money at a mechanic isn't any guarantee of success.

Look in at LOST Jeeps with your symptoms and they'll be able to tell you more. GEORDI travels around fixing Liberty CRDs. At least offer up your CRD kits to the bunch over there instead of dumping them at the salvage yard, rebuildable engines are getting rare.

FUN when they work but they crater without tender loving care, and money.

The Federales are shutting down the EGRPOS deleters and tuners. The EGR system is the wooden-stake in the hearts of the CRDs. Evil bad engineering there.

Good luck!

 

[Jerrodg]

These CRDs like money and wrenching. A lot.

Blown headgaskets are pretty normalish. Generally a bad headgasket doesn't make the timing belt break although they like to break too. They like to drop exhaust valves spontaneously.

Turbo boost controllers, in front of the firewall on the passenger side, can go bad or plug their little filter. Loss of power can come from an oil rotted hose coming from the airbox... and oil rotted intercooler hoses.

Electrical problems may come from pinched wiring harnesses behind the fuel filter bracket which gets removed for filter changes and also to upgrade to a metal version that doesn't melt and let air in, and fuel out. Wiring harnesses also get stretch breaks from being reefed out of the way to get the cam-carrier/intake off to replace worn out roller rockers and stretchy head bolts with ARP $tuds.

Most diesel shops and dealers are baffled by our Italian diesels so throwing money at a mechanic isn't any guarantee of success.

Look in at LOST Jeeps with your symptoms and they'll be able to tell you more. GEORDI travels around fixing Liberty CRDs. At least offer up your CRD kits to the bunch over there instead of dumping them at the salvage yard, rebuildable engines are getting rare.

FUN when they work but they crater without tender loving care, and money.

The Federales are shutting down the EGRPOS deleters and tuners. The EGR system is the wooden-stake in the hearts of the CRDs. Evil bad engineering there.

Good luck!

I had originally suspected that the hose from the airbox was bad, and it indeed looked as if it was the culprit. That was the first part that I changed before finding that the coolant was draining directly into the oil. Would have been nice if the fix was only a relatively inexpensive part and a few minutes of cussing. The intercooler was pulled from the Jeep with the body damage before the head gasket went, but it didn't change any of the symtoms. The shop would "fix" it, the boost would test normal but when I drove it nothing had changed. To the shops credit (the owner is a friend of mine) I didn't get charged a dime for the probably 10 hours they spent trying to diagnose the original problem.

I'm getting registered on Lost Jeeps so I can post there and search out Geordi. I figured someone on a forum somewhere would either be able to fix the jeeps proper, or be interested in purchasing themselves. A salvage yard would be my absolute last option. I have the room and financial flexibility to hold them and part them out if need be, but would do that only as a next to last option. Other than the long list of aforementioned problems, both Jeeps were/are in awesome condition. Surprisingly it is the wifey that is sadder about possibly losing them than I am.

 

[Billwill]

On my 2002 Export CRD...RHD...the entire wiring harness inside the engine bay passes through a metal channel below the radiator.
This area got damaged in a front-end collision. This was not a major collision but I believe the Panel beaters damaged this metal channel while bending/welding that area.

I then had many wiring problems caused by damage in that area!

I do not know if the LHD KJs also have the wiring loom going right around the engine bay...if so then I would scrap the Jeep that had the Buck collision...too many latent wiring problems hiding there.!

 

[geordi]

I had originally suspected that the hose from the airbox was bad, and it indeed looked as if it was the culprit. That was the first part that I changed before finding that the coolant was draining directly into the oil. Would have been nice if the fix was only a relatively inexpensive part and a few minutes of cussing. The intercooler was pulled from the Jeep with the body damage before the head gasket went, but it didn't change any of the symtoms. The shop would "fix" it, the boost would test normal but when I drove it nothing had changed. To the shops credit (the owner is a friend of mine) I didn't get charged a dime for the probably 10 hours they spent trying to diagnose the original problem.

I'm getting registered on Lost Jeeps so I can post there and search out Geordi. I figured someone on a forum somewhere would either be able to fix the jeeps proper, or be interested in purchasing themselves. A salvage yard would be my absolute last option. I have the room and financial flexibility to hold them and part them out if need be, but would do that only as a next to last option. Other than the long list of aforementioned problems, both Jeeps were/are in awesome condition. Surprisingly it is the wifey that is sadder about possibly losing them than I am.

Hey - I don't know if you were still looking for me, but I apparently have been here all this time and didn't know it. Email is the most reliable way to get me though: jeep [at] maincomputer [dot] com and I'd be happy to discuss helping your CRDs if you still have them.