2014 I-4 7G First Impressions

Ok Logged only 700 miles so far on the cargo van. Weather has been crazy cold and like most machines doesn't work optimally at 10 degrees. Engine makes a whistling noise occasionally which doesn't concern me too much in cold weather. Starts amazingly quick, idles down within a minute or two all seems normal. The van makes an anonymous 'beep' once in a while, not sure if Im being alerted to anything or not. Nothings lit up so whatever. Maybe I'll figure it out one day soon.

The van is quiet and feels solid except when turning into my driveway which is on an incline. The inside rear wheel spins a little. I'm attributing that to the unibody rigidity. Maybe someone can offer a better explanation.

The one thing that bothers me is probably more psychological than anything and has to do with my overall sense that I need to 'baby' this thing. Theres a lot of talk about devices to help understand what the engine is doing and to maximize efficiency. Thats all well and good but fact is a $40K van should be able to think for itself. I dont want to worry about which gear its in and as someone else said, trying to squeeze another mile out of each gallon.

On that topic, first fillup points to 18.6 mpg. Not bad in the cold but my goal is 24. No doubt scanguage would be helpful, I just dont want to be attached emotionally to this thing if that makes sense. It is annoying that, presumably, while the van is learning how I drive, I'm trying to learn how it wants to be driven. Net result is probably a longer learning curve than necessary. There's too much thinking going on.

The 7G is smooth but the shift mapping is a bit of a mystery. Fourth gear by 23 - 24 mph is hard to understand. I hate lugging around at 1200 - 1400 rpm. I know thats not a good idea. As others have suggested, I try to keep it around 1800 or higher, but again it kind of sucks to have to shift to achieve it. My goal is to force a shift through throttle manipulation rather than manual shifting.

Overall, love the van

Impressions

mr. x said:

1. The van is quiet and feels solid except when turning into my driveway which is on an incline. The inside rear wheel spins a little.
2. The one thing that bothers me is probably more psychological than anything and has to do with my overall sense that I need to 'baby' this thing. Theres a lot of talk about devices to help understand what the engine is doing and to maximize efficiency. Thats all well and good but fact is a $40K van should be able to think for itself. I dont want to worry about which gear its in and as someone else said, trying to squeeze another mile out of each gallon.

3. No doubt scanguage would be helpful, I just dont want to be attached emotionally to this thing if that makes sense. It is annoying that, presumably, while the van is learning how I drive, I'm trying to learn how it wants to be driven. Net result is probably a longer learning curve than necessary. There's too much thinking going on.
4.My goal is to force a shift through throttle manipulation rather than manual shifting.
Overall, love the van

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Welcome x,
1. Normal, no limited slip diff.
2,3&4. Just enjoy driving it, you are already more aware than most. Roger has a phd in Scan gauge, his observations and contributions are invaluable but your right foot method is the one I use most.
After 7 years, love mine too.

Mr. x,
Did you get the lane keeping assist package (or the Active Safety package that includes the lane keeping)?
That will account for the occasional "beep" when it senses you are not in the center of what it considers your lane (defined by the Double yellow or dashed line to your left side and the normal white line that defines the RH side of the lane.)
The "whistling" noise you hear is the smaller turbo charger for low RPM boost. It spins up very quickly as it's designed with a very low inertia rotating assembly specifically so it gives you a lot of boost with very little exhaust flow.
There is also a larger turbocharger to provide significantly more turbo boost for higher RPMs
You absolutely can control the shift points with your throttle,
If you go very light on the throttle, yes, it will upshift @ ~2000-2200 RPM.
If you accelerate normally with a little heavier foot, it will upshift @ ~2600-2800 RPM.
If you accelerate hard, (not pedal to floor, but > than 1/2 throttle... it will upshift in the 3000-3600 RPM range.
You can easily control the upshift point by adding slightly more throttle than you think you need, then back off the throttle
slightly (this reduces the % engine Load) and it will automatically upshift.
So, the more throttle you use, the higher the upshift points.
You obviously want to know what your OM-651 engine management systems are doing for you, so some sort of a window to the
system sure helps.
With no window, you will never really know.
________________________________________
Actually unlike what Gary 32 is suggesting, I have no interest in Linear Logic (who manufactures the Scan Gauge II) or any other company that manufactures or markets aftermarket performance monitoring gauge packages.
I do have a huge interest in helping new Sprinter owners get in tune with their vehicle more quickly and in a way that doesn't have any potential to cause any sort of long term damage to the vehicle.
I just think it makes perfect sense to have that "window" into what engine management is doing for you.
Without the window, you have absolutely no idea what's changing...or why it's changing.
So, there is a small potential for you to spend far too much time at very high % engine Loads which is really not good for your new
Sprinters drive train.
Plus it's perhaps the best way to approach getting the advertised mileage (or better) from your new Sprinter.
I actually had a fairly heated discussion with the CEO of Daimler Vans USA LLC suggesting that Mercedes add something that gives new owners an idea of how hard they are pushing their Sprinters as an option, or better yet standard equipment in every new Sprinter.
Hope this helps,
Roger

gary32 says it right. Its all in how much you want to get involved in the workings and efficiency of your van's daily duties. If you don't, that's fine, all will be well most likely. Just remember to watch that idling time, and once it's broke in, "blow it out" occasionally to keep that EGR & DPF cleaned out.
Our '13 beeps too once in awhile and I have yet to figure out why

Thank you everyone. Roger, I do not have an active safety package so beeping will remain a mystery for now. The whistling, I'll defer to your expertise on the matter but its unlike any turbo spool I've experienced and it seems to occur less on slightly warmer days of which we've had a couple in the last two months.

I'm looking forward to driving it in the Spring/Summer for sure.

I'm having trouble getting used to closing the cargo (side) door completely the first time. I haven't mastered the speed and force needed for consistent results. Seems silly I know.

Maybe it needs adjustment or I need more practice. Often it sounds closed but I look at body panel alignment along the upper rear edge of the door to see its off slightly. Open and slam it again a bid harder and recheck to find alignment perfect.

mr. x said:

<snip>
I'm having trouble getting used to closing the cargo (side) door completely the first time. I haven't mastered the speed and force needed for consistent results. Seems silly I know.

Maybe it needs adjustment or I need more practice. Often it sounds closed but I look at body panel alignment along the upper rear edge of the door to see its off slightly. Open and slam it again a bid harder and recheck to find alignment perfect.

Click to expand...

If you don't think your slider's seated, with an open palm, push on the aft portion near the rear seam. I had to do that for the first few months.

-Jon

mr. x,
If you are having trouble with your RH sliding door, go back to the dealer where you
bought it and have them check it out and get it closing correctly.
It does take a little getting used to and as jd suggests, the seals and rubber bumpers are
all very new, and very cold!
Do you have the MB build data card for your Sprinter yet?
Your dealer may be able to provide you with it, but if not, send
me your VIN# and a valid return email address (by Private Message (PM) above and I'll pull your
data card off the MB Sprinter USA LLC database and send it to your email as a .PDF attachment.
I'm a little surprised that your new Sprinter isn't revving up to about 2800 RPMs when you first drive
off on a cold morning.
There is programming to delay the shift points when the engine is cold to get the revs up and get some
temperature in the engine as quickly as possible. This is an emissions control strategy!
Is the noise you hear a little like a tinny sounding rattle.....mine did that for the first couple of
thousand miles, but it cleared up by 5k.
It happened at about 2600-2800 RPM and I think it was the waste gate flap or perhaps something to
do with the transition from the low speed turbo to the high speed turbo.
Regards,
Roger

I'm a little surprised that your new Sprinter isn't revving up to about 2800 RPMs when you first drive
off on a cold morning.

It does, actually I've glanced down to see it at around 3200 on a couple of occasions. Scared me a little.

Is the noise you hear a little like a tinny sounding rattle.....mine did that for the first couple of
thousand miles, but it cleared up by 5k.

No, this is a very short lasting whistling similar that I've heard other very cold engines emit from time to time over the years. Happens at higher revs just prior to a shift point and then momentarily afterwards. I suppose it could be turbo related.

Thanks for your interest helping new Sprinter owners. I'm absorbing all I can.

jdcaples said:

If you don't think your slider's seated, with an open palm, push on the aft portion near the rear seam. I had to do that for the first few months.

-Jon

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Yes I've tried that effectively and even used my left forearm and elbo to exert closing force at the proper moment while closing with left hand. I concluded doing that could result in rippled sheet metal so no more. The timing is tricky.

I did notice it was easier with a rear door open once so maybe air pressure plays a minor role?

Glad to know it will likely become easier over time.

Cheers

I never noticed any flex where I pushed on the slider. I remember looking for the most solid-feeling area though. I also held my arm straight out, locking my joints into position and leaning into it with my 140 lbs.

If you look at the B-pillar and the side of the slider that meets it, you'll see some prongs on the door. The prongs go into spring-loaded receivers on the B-pillar. Those springs will fatigue break-in over time. I think I also lubed the latching mechanism.

I heard some rattling over there from the driver seat when new. I sprayed some silicone lube into the receivers, compressing the springs with a punch so I could get the red spray tube/straw-thing into the housing. That stopped the rattle. I don't know if the springs are rubbing against the housing, but a little lube might help.

-Jon

My door closing method is to walk it closed with a straight locked arm, leaning into it the last few inches. I've tried pulling the door shut and that usually doesn't work.
I've also learned to keep those tracks clean and I lube the rollers with silicone occasionally

The NCV3 side door is a lot larger than the T1N's isn't it?

There's definitely a knack to closing it completely first attempt.

You can spend hours adjusting the gaps too. Mine was terrible from the factory.

if you decide to push the rear of the door 'in' while closing, be careful where you push because the metal will deform (personal experience).

mean_in_green said:

The NCV3 side door is a lot larger than the T1N's isn't it?

There's definitely a knack to closing it completely first attempt.

You can spend hours adjusting the gaps too. Mine was terrible from the factory.

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All the doors on mine were terrible fits from the factory, especially the right rear. Had to pull the "stopper" at the top of the door frame on the body and elongate the holes so it would hold the door shut when slammed. On the slider, not a single rubber bumper was touching the body when closed so it rattled something terrible, not to mention being out of adjustment too. Had to take a wood block and hammer to the passenger front door at top rear so we couldn't see light through the gap and eliminate the wind noise. The drivers side door was the least problem of the 5 total.