Transmission woes and inept service techs

W

wyobrew

New member
The frustration is starting to build... long description... need help... calling Doktor A
Issue:
My 06 2500 (132k miles) has been giving a few hints of trouble pending. Van will not start (no ignition response at all) periodically, pull key, insert key retry several times and then normal ignition, but all warning lights on and van in limp mode.
Retry several times and success, van runs and drives perfectly.
Issue becoming more complicated when after van is started, will not shift into any gear. Patience and more restarts and "success" it goes into gear and drives perfectly.
Van taken to MB dealership (Billings, MT) and transmission fault codes are brought up. Long story long, a new Transmission Control Module, Pilot Bearing and Transmission Control Plate(???) and found ATF fluid in my wiring harness.
Solution: replace both items and clean wiring harness.
Issue: 232 miles down the road, the van goes into Limp Mode and I nurse it to Casper, WY and have their Sprinter Tech hookup and diagnose. Bad TCM, needs replaced.... :shifty:, tech does not understand how ATF fluid can possibly work into a wiring harness and travel up hill to the TCM under the seat. Now trying to call tech support and thinks my security system has something to do with the entire issue. (door locks open and close upon ignition)


I have read as much as possible on other threads and just assumed a faulty brake switch would be the fix. Now I am asking for input to help the techs properly diagnose and fix the problem. I am trying to learn as much as I can to be helpful, since spending $1800 on the first fix and an accumulated bill of over $1000 so far on the second "fix" is not leading to any results. This forum is has a wealth of knowledge and I need to learn and relay some of that knowledge to certain Sprinter Techs...

Douglas Meier
Sheridan, WY
 
B

Boater

New member
wyobrew said:
tech does not understand how ATF fluid can possibly work into a wiring harness and travel up hill to the TCM under the seat.
Click to expand...
Search for TCM connector on the forum, I remember reading a bunch of threads on this when I first joined the forum, ATF leaking up the conduit to the TCM is a well documented problem here!
I didn't pay too much attention to specifics because I drive a manual.
 
jmoller99

jmoller99

Own a DAD ODB2 Unit.
The Transmission Connector Sleeve is likely leaking. It's an under $15 part (and not that hard to change). Some discussion here:

https://sprinter-source.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19076

The TCM is cleanable (and was probably not bad). The transmission fluid wicking is a well known problem, and since the transmissions from 2002 thru 2013 were all the same NAG1 (with a few differences to mate up with the 5 and 6 cylinder engines), the MB techs should be aware of it. However, The Dealers often just change out parts until things start working, so unless they change that sleeve, you will likely have this same problem again.

I do as much work as I can on my Sprinter - I found the service department at the Dodge Dealer to have very little experience with Sprinters (I suspect that most left Dodge when they lost the Sprinter to MB in 2010). The MB service people were never really trained on T1Ns, because they took over 4 years after they stopped selling new T1Ns in the USA.

The question is, why do they continue to charge you for replacing parts that don't fix the problem?
 
L

lindenengineering

Well-known member
wyobrew said:
The frustration is starting to build... long description... need help... calling Doktor A
Issue:
My 06 2500 (132k miles) has been giving a few hints of trouble pending. Van will not start (no ignition response at all) periodically, pull key, insert key retry several times and then normal ignition, but all warning lights on and van in limp mode.
Retry several times and success, van runs and drives perfectly.
Issue becoming more complicated when after van is started, will not shift into any gear. Patience and more restarts and "success" it goes into gear and drives perfectly.
Van taken to MB dealership (Billings, MT) and transmission fault codes are brought up. Long story long, a new Transmission Control Module, Pilot Bearing and Transmission Control Plate(???) and found ATF fluid in my wiring harness.
Solution: replace both items and clean wiring harness.
Issue: 232 miles down the road, the van goes into Limp Mode and I nurse it to Casper, WY and have their Sprinter Tech hookup and diagnose. Bad TCM, needs replaced.... :shifty:, tech does not understand how ATF fluid can possibly work into a wiring harness and travel up hill to the TCM under the seat. Now trying to call tech support and thinks my security system has something to do with the entire issue. (door locks open and close upon ignition)


I have read as much as possible on other threads and just assumed a faulty brake switch would be the fix. Now I am asking for input to help the techs properly diagnose and fix the problem. I am trying to learn as much as I can to be helpful, since spending $1800 on the first fix and an accumulated bill of over $1000 so far on the second "fix" is not leading to any results. This forum is has a wealth of knowledge and I need to learn and relay some of that knowledge to certain Sprinter Techs...

Douglas Meier
Sheridan, WY
Click to expand...
Doug
Frustrating perhaps.
Sometimes modern systems can throw you a curve ball!
In any case don't overlook a bad TCM control relay The blue one under the seat in the fuse box/relay board.
Going under pt #A 002 542 25 19. Also in MB parts books circles ---known as a reverse polarity relay!

We had something similar yesterday which was resolved by a relay swap out. Just suddenly went on the fritz.
Best of luck
Dennis
Down here in the "smoke" but not gun-smoke of Metro Denver.
 
W

wyobrew

New member
Thanks for the replies guys, I am following all of your leads and suggestions to see if I cannot help/assist the techs working on my van.

Doug
 
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