Is this noise normal?

Carterwlsn

New member
Hi everyone,
After about a year of trying to persuade my family that we needed a new delivery van, we finally bought a Sprinter about two months ago.:D I have put just over 5,500 miles on it already. Last week the dealer had to replace the rack and pinion because it was leaking power steering fluid. When I went back to pick it up, I asked the service tech who worked on the van if it was normal for it to make a loud vibration that shakes the whole vehicle around 30-40 mph when decelerating. He said he also noticed it and did not know if it was normal or not. :idunno:
Is this normal or something I should have the dealer look at?

Thank you,


Carter
 

sikwan

06 Tin Can
Hi Carter:

I've read two symptoms that could be what you're experiencing. It's either the famous RSN (Rumble Strip Noise) coming from your tranmission or it might be problems with your driveshaft being out of balance or the bearings need regreasing.

I can duplicate it consistently at 20mph with a very light pedal. I can feel the tranmission upshift to third, I coast or continue the 20mph speed, and the whole entire vehicle will rumble and vibrate. I either hit the pedal hard or I slow down to rid of the noise. For me it's a combination of a light pedal and 20mph.

Maybe one day they'll be a fix for this or maybe a reflash for the tranmission. Right now I just avoid driving at 20mph.

No problems here on the driveshaft.
 
I also have experienced the rumble strip noise at about 20MPH. Can you please explain a little more about what may cause this and if this is a warranty issue?

Regards.
 

BaywoodBill

pre-Yuppiedom
I saw that at the Sprinter Store there is a product that mostly cures the RSN. They claim that the noise is the result of a too-weak support for the transmission case so that when it is ready to shift some of the torque is converted to vehicle vibration. Their fix is a brace to strengthen the support.
 

03sprinter

New member
RSN?
I experience a slight (very high frequency) vibration at around the speeds mentioned most for the RSN complaints. I wonder if it is the ABS module test firing the ABS system. This would explain the very high frequency and very short duration of the vibration.
My sprinter has 200K miles and has had this for the past 60-80K.
Maybe my vibration is different than RSN?
I would describe more of a buzz than rumble strip, unless it was rumble strip at 80MPH, which I have heard when awakened, fortunately for me.
 

david_42

Active member
I did some of the early testing on the RSN bracket from the Sprinter Store. Still have it installed. It stopped RSN in about 90% of the situations and reduced the loudness in all others. RSN may not reflect on transmission reliability, but it certainly is nice to be rid of it.
 

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