Diary of a Wimpy Rig!

I'm not sure how to start, but I figure I would give my story, which is still ongoing. I hope the fixes to symptoms will help others. Being a big time Sprinter fan is an understatement. I brag on them to whoever will listen.

Quick(I guess not so quick in retrospect) backstory...I am a contracted delivery driver. I started out driving a 1990 Plymouth Voyager and after a couple of years of continual repair, decided to step up to a new or newer van that would make me more money and cost less overall. So, in the summer of 2008, I was stuck between choosing a Chevy Express V6 and the Sprinter. After learning that real life mpg of between 21 and 25 compared to 13 to 17 for the Express, I chose the Sprinter!!! I drive about 320 miles a day which saves me cash on my daily gas bill.

So, I chose an amazing 2006 158WB HR with 13,500 miles, a mere baby. I drove this van until it had 240,000 and the only reason I stopped was when it was totalled when someone ran a red light T-Boning me and flipping the van on its side. This was the 3rd accident(none my fault), T-Boned in the snow and Rear-ended on the Freeway(Crazy Situation).

The only problems I had were the Turbo Resonator, Turbo Hose(both while under warranty), Water Pump, and an Air Temperature Sensor. As, you see, this is why I am a firm believer and am one of the lucky ones.

My 2nd Van...A 2005 158WB HR with 198,000. This one is still in use with 248k has had Turbo Resonator, Turbo Hose, Radiator, Water Pump, A case of black death(Thanks to this forum easily taken care of with new copper gaskets), and now I suspect an injector or two starting to get plugged up.

Now to the main course. I recently bought a Former Fedex van. 2002 158WB HR with 212,000. I got it for a pretty good deal knowing I would put some money into it to get dialed in. It felt ok driving, just a little swaying and it pulled to the right. It had less power than I thought it should. There was a CEL, Low Oil Light and the glow plug light on. The guy I bought it from scanned it and said that Glow Plugs 1,4,5 were bad, obviously a code for the Low oil and it said there was a missing accessory.

I went through and replaced the glow plugs, which turned into a pain in the ass, because it had the aftermarket intake manifold that covered the glow plugs. I took it off but it cost me so much time and I broke one of the glow plug caps and heard the screaching while trying to take out #5. I basically gave up and paid Dodge to put change #5, put it all back together and change as I found out the oil level sensor which had the connection all corroded.

So, I pick up the van when they finished right before the dealership closed, and get on the freeway about 5 miles and there is some white smoke coming out of the tail pipe. I pull off the next exit and take a look. The smoke smells weird, and I go into the store and buy some groceries. I turn the van on and starts smoking right away. I figure I'll drive home and do some more research. Before I leave the driveway I hear a clunk and the sound of ch ch ch ch with every cycle of the engine. I get out and I find that Glow Plug 5 shot out of its chamber. I just think Un bleeping believable! It wasn't screwed in all the way. I wait an hour for my wife to bring me my tools and I put it back in a little more than hand tight because of the weird angle.

The next day the dealership tells me that I should of had them change the Intake Manifold because coolant was getting into the intake and coming out the exhaust. So, I am so pissed at them that I find a joe blow shop to put a new gasket on.

After this nightmare is over, I feel better. I then change the shocks, front and back and the sway bar link bushing. I then put this van into action. 1st day no problems, 2nd day a light goes on and I cannot go above 2000 rpm in any gear. Thanks to this forum I find out that the light is low fuel pressure. Turns out in all of the drama I totally spaced changing the fuel filter, which wound up being a pain because of the air in the fuel line. I wound up cutting the return line to the fuel filter and putting in a T with a hose and a valve where I could let the air release and not recirculate back into the system. I also wound up checking for traces of black death because I smelled fuel in the cab during the 2nd day. 1 and 2 were leaking and it was so early that I replaced the copper o-rings and it was fixed.

Now to what I am currently dealing with...The van start shaking or shuddering when you give it gas and the rpms are between about 1400 and 1900. I did the leak off test and it showed 1 and 4 had about a quarter inch, 2 had an inch and a quarter and 3 and 5 had 3/8. So, now I'm thinking I need a new #2, but not sure about 3 and 5.

What worries me is that my gas cap has pretty bad rust and I am wondering if my tank is filled with rust and it's going into the injectors and don't want to ruin another injector. Is there a glass inline filter that I can put in between the tank and the filter that will handle the psi? That way I can see if there is rust going through the fuel system without dropping the fuel tank for no reason.

Oh, I almost forgot. I changed the transmission filter and gasket, including draining the torque converter thinking that might fix the shudder. but after that failed to help I then did the leak off test. I'm hoping that after this gets resolved, I should have a pretty nice running rig.

I can relate with the initial shenanigans. I have nicknamed my 2005 Sprinter the Wagon Queen after the ill fated station wagon in National Lampoon's Vacation.

A rusty cap is an indication of acid in the air due to some local pollution. The fuel in the tank is being pumped out and recirculated at a rate that ensures that nothing can be just lying around in the tank, if something gets in the tank it will be in the fuel filter within minutes. Your vibration is not likely to be injectors. It a shame you did not clean the magnetic sensors in the transmission as explained on this forum, that probably would have fixed the vibration. Eric.

Eric Experience said:

It a shame you did not clean the magnetic sensors in the transmission as explained on this forum, that probably would have fixed the vibration. Eric.

Click to expand...

I think Eric is referring to this post by Doktor A: https://sprinter-source.com/forums/showthread.php?p=18330

Eric- that acid in the air is weird because the van was driven around Vancouver, WA, and the NW is so anti pollution. The only possible explanation would be if if was in the Camas, WA area where the paper mill is. So, if i understand you right, i could just change the filter every few thousand miles and it will eventually be cleaned out?

Eric and Hkpierce- I searched for shuddering and shaking and never ran across that info. Thanks. I did look on other diesel truck sites and found the answer to similar symptoms was replacing a bad injector, which is why i did the leak off test.

I've had a rusty gas (pardon: diesel) cap from within the first year of "new", here in Seattle
(where we can have lovely pink-to-salmon sunsets due to stagnant air pollution hovering around the city and over Puget Sound)
My VW Rabbit used to do that, too. I blame the particular steel alloy used in German fuel caps.
The cause of the rust is probably condensation of water from the air in the tank against the cold cap's metal during winter nights.
Vancouver WA suffers extremely moist air thanks to the adjacent Columbia River.

Rumor has it (i.e. some member's posting years ago) that the plastic oil filler cap is a "suitable" replacement for the gas cap, thus removing the steel from the game.

--dick

Yeah dont sweat the gas cap, all 3 of my sprinters had or have rusty caps, even my low mileage 2006 queenie. There were approximately 1 zillion other cars built with metal-on-metal caps, why do the sprinter caps look worse than the 100mm gas cap from my 1955 Beetle?
I am sure you will get the vibes sorted, you seem like a bright fellow. Harmonic balancer or other pulley perhaps?
J

BKMDNO25: you have so many topics in this thread. You should either add to an existing thread of the same topic or start a new thread. That helps create better threads for searches that others use to find help on their problems.

I have already moved stuff out of this thread.

ok. Thanks for the info. So, from the whole deal with the shaking/shuddering, I changed an injector hoping it was the problem. The engine ran better but still shaking. I took it to dodge and they tell me that it is the 4th gear clutch slipping. I asked them if there is a chance it is build up of metal that sticking to the speed sensors in the tranny that could be tricking it into a bad clutch and they said no, a it would throw a code. Is this possible or is the tranny really going out?

Have you ever done business with Upscale in Tualatin? I've used them exclusively for the last 6 years. They really know what they are doing and their prices are reasonable.