Jeep Liberty Diesel

ffemtp

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2008
Location
SE WI
TDI
2001 Jetta GLS TDI Deceased 11/2012, 2004 Jetta GL TDI Sold, 2012 Jetta TDI (Retruned to VW), 2004 Jetta TDI GLS 5spd
Does anyone have any thoughts / experiences with the Jeep Liberty diesels from 2005, 2006, 2007 time frame?

I came across one of these that has been well maintained. Owner is considering selling. Anything in particular to watch out for? Thoughts overall?
 

NMDieselExplorer

Active member
Joined
Mar 25, 2017
Location
New Mexico
TDI
B5.5 Passat TDI Wagon 6 speed ELN conversion
I had one a couple of years ago. It was a great vehicle. I had an issue with the engine mounts on mine. Had to replace them. They were inexpensive but a bit of a struggle to replace IIRC. I had no other problems. I changed the timing belt on it at 90,000 miles and then sold it with 110,000 miles.

And I have heard that timing belt failures before the recommended change interval can happen. When they do it normally requires only replacement of the rocker arms as they are designed to fail instead of valves bending.

Torque converter failures are a big problem on them. There was a recall or a service action on the torque converters and I think some of them were detuned to produce less torque as it was determined that the converters fail because of the huge torque (for a 4 cylinder) the engine develops. I used mine to tow a 4500 lb trailer and it was like there was nothing there. Sun Coast torque converters makes an upgraded converter that can handle increased torque.

Green Diesel Engineering does performance tuning for them. I flashed mine with their Eco tune that provided a bit more power and torque and was advertised to increase MPG to something ridiculous like 36 mpg. I never saw better than 30 mpg, but for a truck and the driving I did I was impressed and happy.

I think there were some issues with turbochargers failing too. There are some good upgraded turbos you can get for them and then increase the HP and TQ via a flash tune.

Also, these were only offered in the states for the 2005 & 2006 model year.
 

ffemtp

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2008
Location
SE WI
TDI
2001 Jetta GLS TDI Deceased 11/2012, 2004 Jetta GL TDI Sold, 2012 Jetta TDI (Retruned to VW), 2004 Jetta TDI GLS 5spd
Bought the Liberty

I ended up buying the Liberty. It had some of the recall(s) done, but not others. I will take it to the dealership to check if the torque converter issue was addressed or not. On another thread I heard there was a glow plug recall / replacement / reprogram. While my ECU was updated at one point, the date is not readable. So, again, I'll need to have the dealer read the ECU or check some other way.

Do you know if there is a way to check any of these things without the dealer being involved? I tried to get onto LostJeeps.com but the verification steps fail constantly.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Lots of our customers simply use the Bosch 5v plugs regardless of how the truck is programmed. If it's programmed for 7v the Bosch plugs don't seem to mind.

Also, there was a safety recall that was intended to protect the fuel tank. The solution was to install a trailer hitch. So if your truck doesn't have a hitch, see if it's eligible and you'll get one free.
 

ffemtp

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2008
Location
SE WI
TDI
2001 Jetta GLS TDI Deceased 11/2012, 2004 Jetta GL TDI Sold, 2012 Jetta TDI (Retruned to VW), 2004 Jetta TDI GLS 5spd
How would I tell which GP's are installed? Pull one and check somehow, I assume?

I took it to the dealership to get the rear control arms replaced (via recall) and they checked the trailer hitch - all was good with that.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Pulling one and checking is a good idea. I think at least one is easy to get to. If you need help deciphering the numbers on the plug give us a call.
 

NMDieselExplorer

Active member
Joined
Mar 25, 2017
Location
New Mexico
TDI
B5.5 Passat TDI Wagon 6 speed ELN conversion
Do you know if there is a way to check any of these things without the dealer being involved? I tried to get onto LostJeeps.com but the verification steps fail constantly.

Well, if I recall correctly, the dealerships were supposed to put stickers under the hood to alert people that the glow plug update was done...they were supposed to.

Pretty sure you can get in touch with Jeep North America to find out if updates were done, if the other method you may try doesn't work out...
 

ffemtp

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2008
Location
SE WI
TDI
2001 Jetta GLS TDI Deceased 11/2012, 2004 Jetta GL TDI Sold, 2012 Jetta TDI (Retruned to VW), 2004 Jetta TDI GLS 5spd
Mine has a sticker - but it is old, and partially rubbed off. I cannot tell what it is indicating. I'll have to have the dealership run the VIN and see if they can tell if the GP stuff was done. Maybe I'll just have them print off the entire list so I have it on hand. They seem fairly accommodating.

I, too, had trouble getting on to lostjeeps.com
I was able to get on today and the verification step had been changed. So, NMDieselExplorer, you may want to just give it another try. If it still fails send me a PM as I have the sysadmin's email address and he offered to help.
 

crazyrunner33

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2006
Location
NC
TDI
'10 Golf(bought back)
I had one and sold it at 230k miles, it was a dependable vehicle. Keep a 10mm wrench on hand to bleed the fuel filter every once and a while when you have a no start issue, it's super easy to do since they have a push button for priming the filter. Something to keep in mind is to drive it hard frequently once it's warmed up. The vanes on the VNT like to stick, running it hard will fix that.

The only real issue I had was the bushing for the rear wishbone control arm, which is a basic wear item. Also, expect the parking/emergency drum brake within the rear disc brakes to be rusted to pieces. Wheel sensors may need to be cleaned every so often as well.
 

ffemtp

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2008
Location
SE WI
TDI
2001 Jetta GLS TDI Deceased 11/2012, 2004 Jetta GL TDI Sold, 2012 Jetta TDI (Retruned to VW), 2004 Jetta TDI GLS 5spd
Good tips, thanks!
 

Kevinski4

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Aug 31, 2007
Location
Nebraska
TDI
.
<snip>

And I have heard that timing belt failures before the recommended change interval can happen. When they do it normally requires only replacement of the rocker arms as they are designed to fail instead of valves bending.
<snip>

I really wish this myth would die. But I guess until then I'll just keep buying and rebuilding CRD's that people have crashed valves on when a belt failed, slapped some new rockers and a new belt on, and motored on for a few thousand miles until a valve drops and wrecks everything....
 

ffemtp

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2008
Location
SE WI
TDI
2001 Jetta GLS TDI Deceased 11/2012, 2004 Jetta GL TDI Sold, 2012 Jetta TDI (Retruned to VW), 2004 Jetta TDI GLS 5spd
I stopped by the dealership today to see what updates / recalls had been done. He listed off a few, and none were open. He gave me a printed list. I asked him to check if there was a service bulletin or recall on the glow plugs and he said, based on his records there never was an update on them. So factory would mean the 7 volt plugs I assume. What is the best course of action at this point?
 
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