BioDieselNow - Renewable biodiesel fuel

I"m thinking of buying a Jeep Liberty and using biodiesel in it. I have heard that it is a car with problems, especially with the transmission. Does anyone have experience with this car? I'd love to have any comments to help me make the decision. Thanks.

Welcome to the forum Leslie. As an owner of an 05 Liberty CRD I have had a couple of running issues but all were taken care of with software updates.  After owning the Liberty for 3 months I started using biodiesel and the engine runs quieter with blends above 30%. During the summer B100 was used and there is no smoke on startup or hard acceleration but a slight decrease in power is noticed.  Test drive one and the torque off the line will have you spinning a tire if you are use to using a lot of pedal to get going.  Overall i am very pleased with it,I get 27+ at 70 on the highway and it pulls my 3000lb trailer with no problem,Dan.

It’s Jeep, not a car. Big difference here buddy. It’s a Jeep, show it some respect.

There is nothing wrong with the KJ drivetrain per-say. At least nothing wrong with the engine or transmissions, they are both solid. How ever, there are problems that Jeep has addressed. One problem that crosses both the gas and diesel version are the LBJ (lower ball joints). There is a TSB on this, and the dealership will take care of it. Another problem has to do with the EGR set up on the diesel versions. This problem I don’t have a lot of knowledge on since I haven’t worked on many CRDs, and non with this direct problem.

All and all the KJ is a great all around Jeep. If you can wait a few more months diesel Grand Cherokee and Commanders will be showing up on the lots.

Hi, I also have an 05 Liberty CRD and I love it!! Yes, there were some minor issues but Jeep has done great by me to get the recalls taken care of and the Jeep has never let me down. There are alot of people in my area running biodiesel and I haven't heard of the Jeeps having any problems with it. I don't know where you are located but my Jeep is for sale due to my need for a pickup truck ):

I posted it for sale here in the classified section and also on craigslist san francisco.

Hi - I have on '06 Liberty CRD Limited with 34,000 miles. It has all the options except navigation and is a very comfortable vehicle.  I have used it almost exclusively for Interstate and backroad highway business travel. I live in Illinois and have many sources for Bio-D in this and the surrounding states. The engine in this vehicle loves Bio and as stated above the only problems I have heard about have been addressed proactively by the mfg. I have not had any problems but have had the ball joint recall performed and one computer reflash for another recall. The transmission is the same one used on the Dakota SLT and Lariat pick-ups, as well as the Hemi powered cars that have automatics. There were problems with some units on the torque converters and they issued a recall to "depower" the ft/lbs of torque to alleviate this issue. I have followed threads on several different boards concerning this vehicle since before purchase and think the transmission issue "may" be caused by people with little experience driving high torque diesel engines. If you mash down the accelerator and quickly decelerate like many jack rabbit drivers in gassers, the torque of a diesel confuses the supplied shift points and can cause error codes that then need to be addressed. This is obviously an oversimplification but I have driven many miles in a short period of time and have had no problems. I generally have a B-20+ blend in the tank during cold weather and have no hesitation to burn up to b-100 in warm weather. I have religiously used synthetic fluids and honored all service intervals. My best mileage at 75+ highway speeds is 31+ mpg drafting a semi on I-94 between Lacrosse and Madison, WI.  Around town you will see low 20's and in extremely cold weather high teens. It is easy to get 26+ on the highway keeping up in the fast lane. I have been through some quite heavy snow and snow/ice mixtures with heavy accumulation and the selectrac does very well. The only thing I changed on my vehicle was the stock tires. I put on Michelin X-Terrain's right away and they have served me well. Good luck and hope you find what your looking for.

The Jeep Liberty is a great little vehicle there are some

problems in overdrive lock up surging . Only a problem on

some Liberty diesels. I have modified my Liberty and I see

as much as 33 to 36 mpg hwy miles per gallon.

The engine requires more frequent oil changes when useing

SVO or Bio.

Jerry McClain

What did you do to modify the Liberty, Jerry?

It's odd that you need more frequent maintenance... that goes against all the biodiesel testing I've seen, which says that biodiesel reduces engine wear and lengthens one's maintenance schedule. 

Jerry, what kinds of mods were done on the Liberty,my 05 is at 27 an the highway. After running B100 for 5,000 mi. I had my oil tested and everything looked good and they recommended to go to 7700 mi,Dan.

Hey there.  I am so glad I found this thread.  My wife and I are looking at an 05 Liberty CRD to run on veggie-diesel.  I have an 82 VW rabbit that runs 100% on home-brew veggie-diesel and it runs like a champ, much quieter and with a better power curve than petroleum diesel.  One question, where do you get the software updates you mentioned?
 

What's "veggie-diesel" as opposed to biodiesel?

Hey Jerry,

 Do you still own that Jeep Liberty?

What modifications did you do ti get such great mileage?

I am thinking of purchasing a used Liberty CRD 2.8 Turbo Diesel.

 Nancie
 

Hi Nancie,

 I don't know Jerry personally and have no financial interest in his business but corresponded with him a couple of years back and made myself aware of his projects. I am including a link to his site and a youtube video from one of his partners for you.

Good Luck,

http://mcclaindieselperformance.com/articles.htm?pg=68&cart=11900543194956416

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8xUJ5pz6kc

 

Biogrove:

Hi Nancie,

 I don't know Jerry personally and have no financial interest in his business but corresponded with him a couple of years back and made myself aware of his projects. I am including a link to his site and a youtube video from one of his partners for you.

Good Luck,

http://mcclaindieselperformance.com/articles.htm?pg=68&cart=11900543194956416

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8xUJ5pz6kc

 

That article is talking about Golden Fuel Systems, a vegetable oil conversion kit maker.  As I recall, the president of GFS listed a Liberty CRD for sale on eBay, and noted it was on it's second engine because the first one had the crankcase oil polymerize due to "not changing the oil at 3000 miles".  Combine that with an aftermarket computer modification to increase power and you are asking for serious trouble.

 I understand there are still some lingering questions about running B100 in the common rail injection system like the Liberty CRD (I have only run B40 so far).  Using WVO in these would be a big gamble.
 

Hello:

I have a 2006 Jeep Liberty I would like to used biodiesel.  What did you have to do to be able to use it?

No modifications are needed. Be aware that biodiesel has higher gel points than "winter blend" regular diesel so use a blend of B-20 or so until the weather is consistently above 35 F or so. One advantage of BioD is that it will clean your fuel system. After a tank of two of higher concentration B-50+, you will probably need to change your fuel filter. After that, just drive and enjoy the quieter ride. Be sure to use ASTM spec (commercial) BioD.

Good Luck and Welcome to BDNow!

If anyone has any input on this tale of woe, I'd certainly appreciate it. I've used bio blends on and off in my Jeep Liberty CRD 06 since I got it in Oct of 06. I've had many non-fuel related problems. Took it to the dealer to get some window motors fixed. They couldn't start it to bring it around so I could take it home. Put me in a rental, a few days later they had told me that the biodiesel has ruined the fuel pump and possibly the injectors. They are saying the repairs could be very expensive and not covered by warranty because the blends I used were too high.

 I find it hard to believe that biodiesel could cause so much damage in less 14k miles of running on a blend or fossil. Any input would be greatly appreciated. I'm in a very tight spot right now with this vehicle.

Hi There,

Sorry to hear about your problem. My Jeep is in the shop right now to have it's fuel pump and the fuel sensor in the tank replaced. They said the fuel sensr just fell apart in their hands. I wonder if that think is organic rubber, because if it is plastic or systhetic, it should be fine in there...

They haven't told me what happened to the fuel pump yet. I'll let you know what they say as soon as they tell me.

 What happen to your rig?

 John

This sounds interesting. About using Biodiesel on Jeep, I think I might as well end up doing this, especially that oil prices are rapidly increasing every week. Plus I can also help save the environment by using Biodiesel. 

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johnpcrumley:

Hi There,

Sorry to hear about your problem. My Jeep is in the shop right now to have it's fuel pump and the fuel sensor in the tank replaced. They said the fuel sensr just fell apart in their hands. I wonder if that think is organic rubber, because if it is plastic or systhetic, it should be fine in there...

They haven't told me what happened to the fuel pump yet. I'll let you know what they say as soon as they tell me.

 What happen to your rig?

 John

I've been using biodiesel in my CRD all spring, B80, with zero issues, even with the crappy fuel delivery system.  I highly doubt there is any natural rubber in the fuel system, that will not hold up long-term to any fuel.

Hi Jerry,

How are you getting 33 to 36 mpg? What modification did you do?

Thanks!

Jill