Intermittent no crank

I have been having an intermittent no crank issue. It has gotten to the point It needs to be fixed.

When it does not crank, DAD can not see the ECU. The dash never seems to complete its self test. The lights for battery, water in fuel, oil pressure, ESP, check engine, ABS and glow plug remain lit. The Aux fan runs. I have cleaned terminals and grounds, none looked bad or were loose. Fuses and relays test good.

When it will start, DAD shows a glow plug code (P1482). I seen this before the current problem started, and am assuming it is not related. South Florida doesn't require much preheat after all.

I'm currently stumped. Any help is much appreciated.

Ross

This thread may help.

https://sprinter-source.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14183

A call to the good Doktor A will also help.

You are not the only one that has reported this problem.

Please report back to us on what you find.

There's also a thread over at Yahoo sprintervan which covers intermittent start issues.

You need to join the Yahoo sprintervan group to see anything on the forum. Unfortunately, the forum doesn't lend itself to continuity. We certainly meander off-topic here at Sprinter-source and I'm a big offender. Over in Yahoo people use thread titles to jump in with new topics.

Anyway, once you join (and you're in) you can scroll way down and find the different posts which were added under the topic header.

Don't discount possible loose connections in the fuse block #1 under the steering wheel. Good luck. vic

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/sprintervan/message/58602

If your DAD doesn’t see the ECU during cranking and your auxiliary fan is running, your ECU is most likely toast. There will be a point very soon when it won’t start at all. The new ECU will need to be programmed so get it to a dealer or someone that can program one a.s.a.p. Hope this helps.

Thank you, John
Sprinter Store
http://sprinterstore.com/
A division of Upscale Automotive, Inc.
19460 SW 89th Ave.
Tualatin, OR 97062
503-692-0846

RossDinan6 said:

I have been having an intermittent no crank issue. It has gotten to the point It needs to be fixed.

When it does not crank, DAD can not see the ECU. The dash never seems to complete its self test. The lights for battery, water in fuel, oil pressure, ESP, check engine, ABS and glow plug remain lit. The Aux fan runs. I have cleaned terminals and grounds, none looked bad or were loose. Fuses and relays test good.

When it will start, DAD shows a glow plug code (P1482). I seen this before the current problem started, and am assuming it is not related. South Florida doesn't require much preheat after all.

I'm currently stumped. Any help is much appreciated.

Ross

Click to expand...

Feel free to give me a call on my Sprinter Hot Line, 412-366-6165.

Doktor A

RossDinan6,
Please remember to get back to us on this one with your outcome. As our Sprinters get older I'm quite certain this type of problem is going to be a bit more common. The more info we can bank here the better. vic

P.S. - Thanks, John. I missed the aux fan running comment.

I have a call in to Dr A, and am hoping for the best. I'll report any news.

Ross

how timely
I jest had 2 incidences of this, both in sub-0 temps NH -17 and NY -10 so i had been running my pre-heater and first thought that might be the culprit but when i combined the house set with starter battery had juice but no power total fail no crank click or anything that would indicate to me the starter was getting power might describe as "apparent start switch fail". we did start after 5 or 10 key terns spaced out between looking at fusses and some head scratching. hope its not ECU as i am on the road headed west in Kent OH now trying to figure this out. start bat tests good 100% at 13.2 after driving 450mi no fuse issue that i can see.

I thought it would be a good idea to supply an update.

I have been troubleshooting this problem time permitting with help from Dr. A. Fortunately I have a spare work van to drive, so the pressure to get the Sprinter back on the road is less. I really prefer it to the Astro.

Originally it was looking like a problem with fuse block #1. Being a fairly cheap part it was worth trying a replacement. That did not solve the problem. Previously while in the no crank condition, no other modules were seen by DAD. I can now communicate with any module but the ECM for some reason. Next I'll be testing the CAN bus.

More fun to follow.

Ross

Try checking the start relay under the fuse block that is located under the steering wheel.
Last fall my sprinter would not crank and the fan would start. It started when it got near 32F. I could not figure what was wrong but seemed to act up when it was a cold start. Since I use my sprinter to make deliveries and drive 400 miles each day, it would always start when it was warmed up.

Finally figured if I wiggled the start relay when it wouldn't start, it would then start. There are three relays next to each other. An easy way to test this is to swap the start relay with the turn signal relay and see if it then starts. That is what I did. I cannot remember which is the start relay and which is the turn signal relay, but it shows it in the owners manual. I ordered a new relay from the Dodge dealer and it has started all winter. I hope this helps you out.

06 2500 sprinter

I thought it would be wise to update my no crank problem. Many thanks to Andy for all his help diagnosing my Sprinter.

With his help and DAD, ultimately I decided it was the ECM. Scubanw3 nailed it. The van languished in my shop for several months while I got work out of my way. Last week it went on a rollback to Naples Dodge (FL) for confirmation, replacement, and programing. I was told list on the ECM was $1900.00, but they discounted it and had it on the road for $1500.00. Still not cheap, but about what I expected to pay for the part only.

I am happy to have my Sprinter back.

Ross

I am glad you found the solution to your problem,
but back to when you were down, when you turned the key, did the starter/solenoid make a "clicking" noise, and did all the accessories and lights work?

Well hear we go again another no crank, never happens when im home. on the road up in NH cold this morning about 3F. plenty of juice iv got it plugged in and the charger is on i have 13.9v. when the key is on for glow plug i get a slow click like a relay sound but slower than the tern or E/flashers. starter gives a loud click like the solenoid is kicking in but no crank. turned key off on fast cranked after about 7 cycles

got to go hope it starts next time

sam

check the voltage on your auxillary battery also if you have not done so already, it may be draining down your starting battery. I have the same problem when my auxillary battery is below 12.7 Volts, I keep a trickle charger on it whenever I can because for some unknown reason, it is not being charged by the alternator , and it keeps draining down. I gotta check my isolator, fuses, and relays for the problem, but the trickle charger keeps it charged for now.
Good luck with it.

maybe i should start a new thread but i don't wont to up the board with a bunch of threads about the same issue so--

Had another no crank this morning not to cold 14F starter engaged after several on - off cycles with key. good battery's no fusses blown

got a spare ECU relay its the center of the three on the bottom of the column fuse block. could not get starter relay #12 under seat.
accidental tried to start with out the ecu relay "i forgot to replace it after i got the # off it" and got the dash lights and fan on with no crank thankfully it was different than the no start i have been experiencing so im hopping its not an ECU issue.

when it wont crank there is a rithmic clicking that is loudest under hood in area of drivers side fire wall maybe under battery.

once it starts it hasn't happened again that day even though eng. has cooled off so i cant say for sure its cooled related, has never happened in worm weather or when engine hot.

also probably unrelated MPG is way off I only got 17mpg when i filled up today normally i get 19-21 depending on wind and my foot



anyone with "dad" in New England, or Know a good sprinter wizard. Im in NH heading to Midtown Connecticut to see my one of my kids before i head out west Seattle eventually.


any help would be appreciated

sam

Intermittent no crank here as well ('06 chassis), seems to be more prevalent in cold weather but it did happen a couple of days in Aug. Battery good, cables good, put a new #12 relay in and I thought that solved it but apparently not. It's $@*(% hard to diagnose if it's not repeatable.

So if it's the under steering wheel fuse block it's related to the ECU relay contacts?

I'm wondering if it's worth while pulling the starter to get a shop to bench test it while the weather's good.

2500sprinter said:

Try checking the start relay under the fuse block that is located under the steering wheel.

Click to expand...

Well that's just it, my manual shows the start relay is #12 under the seat not under the wheel so I'm confused has to the part the under wheel fuse block plays in this scenario. The book says the wheel relays are wiper/ecu/signals (I'm not in front of the sprinter now).

You should consult the wiring diagrams. The starter switch provides 12v to the relay, then the ECM grounds it to complete the circuit. That triggers the starter. With a volt meter you can confirm operation of each part in this circuit.

In the T1N, these are the relays attached to the under-steering-wheel fuse block:



The STarter relay, is indeed on the driver's seat-side panel, in the lower right corner:



--dick

Midwestdrifter said:

You should consult the wiring diagrams. The starter switch provides 12v to the relay, then the ECM grounds it to complete the circuit. That triggers the starter. With a volt meter you can confirm operation of each part in this circuit.

Click to expand...

Yes but the problem happens so intermittently that every time I've had the voltmeter on the #12 relay it starts just fine. I'm not seeing anything in the diagram that points me to fuse block 1.