Is there a Sprinter home-mechanic forum or club

I am thinking of downsizing to a higher MPG camper, smaller and more portable on a Sprinter chassis. I have owned an 84 Wini on a 454 Chevy big block which I bought in a state of falling apart, but I got it back in shape over time and have taken care of all my own maintenance for 15 years now, including once replacing a piston and doing a valve job by suspending the engine via guy wires attached to landscape timbers stretched across the two front seats. (It's still running in case anyone is curious.)

So my question is, is there available a hobbyist, home mechanic type community of shared information for these vans or is everything "dealer or die" with them? Just spending a few hours here combing over everything, it looks like owning one of these is a big exposure in the maintenance department, contrasted to their boasted reliability of course, but about all I can see people doing is changing their own oil.

Is there a service manual available for them online and are there hobbyist diesel repair enthusiasts that work on these and is any of their experiences published online or is this system just way too complicated to even consider anything other than sliding an oil pan under it now and then?

Thanks!

Sprinter is like a bicycle. Everything can be done on a driveway including transmission and piston replacement.(ask me how I know). Electronics is simple as well if you know how fuel gets through the wires

For ~$500 you can get a Clone Star Diagnosis tool with all test-service procedures including videos and forget the dealer forever.

Donphillipe, in the pages of this forum you will find people who have done anything that can be done to a Sprinter. When you ask a question about a sticky issue, someone will answer.

The hardest part of moving to a Sprinter will be the deciding what you don't need to take with you on a trip.

You have arrived, this is the closest home mechanic place for Sprinters in the world that you will ever find.

This is it, just look in the "Write-Ups" sections here

Sounds encouraging ... What a nice group of people to respond and so quickly. Thanks!

Here's what gives. Kind of crazy, actually. I am retired and I took off on a sabbatical and drove a SUV through MX and Central America for a year about 5 years ago. It certainly changed my life. Makes me want to do the trip again, only continue on to S. America. I have seen talk online where you can crate normal autos and ship Panama to Columbia, but the high top vans are too tall for the containers according to my calculations. I have also seen talk of there being a way where some shipping companies can crane-lift onto a ferry and ship it that way.

I am also on a budget for this hopeful future trip. I found a 2006 Gulf Stream with 165K for sale that I think I can afford - is this something that would likely be dependable (speaking probability-wise). I realize that I need one older than 2008 (or is it 7) so the engine doesn't gum up on sulfur or the unknown type of diesel there, correct?

I know I am changing the subject, but any info along these lines is appreciated. Come to think of it, a good part of my old Winie had to house my tool chest, so that's a good point of what I want to give up ;-). Believe it or not the thing that troubles me most loosing is my current full size refrigerator, when even it seems too small at times. I guess I need to shop more often.

I have done the entire trip to Central America by car, repeated most of it last year by bus and right now I am thinking of reasons not to attempt it again, only going further south in a RV. There would be a lot of boondocking and public parking camping from what I have been able to come up with. I am thinking that maybe those authorities who don't like rogue camping would come less toward harassing someone in one of these vans than a typical RV. But I am often wrong.

Pardon me but I digress, sounds like I either need to get off my duff and do it or move on to my next crazy idea Thanks to all from the nice community here!

My choice for a CA trip Volkswagen kombi did guat in a 64 in 1984 parts are everyplace

Donphillipe-

I am a very new member to this forum (this is my 1st post!!!). I've just ordered a 2015.5 Unity TB and will hopefully see delivery in the first part of March. I am "re-sizing" from my 2009 Tiffin Allegro Bus in order to do a different style of RVing for a while, and I look forward to learning from the folks on this forum. When I bought my Bus, it was the first RV I'd ever owned, and the Tiffin RV Network (TRVN) was one of the things I counted on many times, both before I bought it and the 5 years after I took delivery of my unit. Users can provide LOTS of info and ideas.

I'm hoping that the Unity owners on this forum will be as active and informative as the owners on the TRVN forum, but as I've learned over the last 5 years, there are many people who don't want to know the details of their unit, and they leave everything to their dealer or service shop. I, on the other hand, enjoy tinkering and will look to this forum for ideas and support on issues as they arise. I know I will do whatever I can to contribute and add to the knowledge base as I can. I look forward to being part of this group.

Regards,
Joe

Don phillipe,
I think that you should write about your previous trips as I am very interested in hearing of them as are many members here I'm sure. There is a forum here called adventure or something like that, post it up there when you have time.
Thanks

johnshmit said:

Sprinter is like a bicycle. Everything can be done on a driveway including transmission and piston replacement.(ask me how I know). Electronics is simple as well if you know how fuel gets through the wires

For ~$500 you can get a Clone Star Diagnosis tool with all test-service procedures including videos and forget the dealer forever.

Click to expand...

John
Like this bicycle?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuPJoA9gIro

Dennis

YES that is it. One picture worse thousand words.

John

Listen some of the superlatives could be a Sprinter he is talking about!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UImiYy44rRE

Dennis

Donphillipe said:

Makes me want to do the trip again, only continue on to S. America. I have seen talk online where you can crate normal autos and ship Panama to Columbia, but the high top vans are too tall for the containers according to my calculations. I have also seen talk of there being a way where some shipping companies can crane-lift onto a ferry and ship it that way.

Click to expand...

Since you hijacked your own thread - here is a thread on someone who ferried a Sprinter at Panama: https://sprinter-source.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29438