2003 3500 quick shift problems

A

autologous1

New member
This is my first post:
I recently purchased a 2003 MB Sprinter window van. It is a 5 cylinder diesel 316 CID with automatic transmission. The van had been sitting at a shop for more than a year and was not running. I changed the fuel filter, drained the water from the fuel tank, installed new diesel, and had it running in 3 hours. I also installed a diesel micro pump in-line between the fuel tank and the fuel filter. I have a 2002 Freightliner Sprinter and it also has the in-line pump. This allows, when switched on, the fuel filter to be purged of air and also helps make a quick job of water removal from the fuel filter.
While the Sprinter was running, it did not have good power. Therefore, I cleaned the EGR valve. I found it to be gunked up and not working freely. I also replaced the charge air hose assembly.
Now the engine runs great, but it shifts through 1, 2, 3, 4 gears very quickly, hence it does not come up to speed. If I manually shift it, it accelerates very well and will quickly achieve 65 MPH. The tires are old and I have not tried to drive any faster.
What is causing the quick automatic gear shifts?
The transmission is full of fluid and it looks to be good. Any help will be appreciated very much.
 
sailquik

sailquik

Well-known member
autologous1,
It does this quick upshift when you stand on, putting a good load on the engine and transmission, or it
upshifts quickly when you go very lightly on the throttle pedal?
The NAG-1 will upshift very quickly without much load.
If you load it up, it almost won't upshift and in you floorboard it may go all the way to the 4,000 RPM
redline without auto upshifting.
What did you use to check the transmission fluid level? Do you have the NAG-1/T1N dipstick?
Perhaps a little too much or not quite enough trans fluid could contribute to this problem.
Might want to check that the trans electrical connector is not full of fluid also.
Hope this helps,
Roger
 
A

autologous1

New member
Thank you Roger, for the quick response.

I believe that I have the correct dip stick. It works correctly in my 2002 2500. The indicated fluid level is exactly where it should be on the stick.
I have not checked the transmission electrical connector.

I does seem to almost shift correctly if I accelerate hard, but the distance that I have for travel, before an intersection, is less than a 100 yards. At the highway intersection, when I stop and turn, it shifts through the 1, 2, 3, 4 gears in a distance of about 100 feet.
If I start to manually shift it, it will get up and go.
I will take it out on the highway, stop and then try a hard acceleration.
Pat
 
sailquik

sailquik

Well-known member
Hi Pat,
If you have a DAD unit nearby (or someone who has one and knows how to use it) you might want to try
a transmission adaptation reset before you go digging beyond the obvious (like the electrical connector being
full of transmission fluid).
After the adaptation reset, drive it a bit harder for a while so the TCM can learn that you want more performance.
Might be that who ever had it before you, never accelerated hard at all, and the trans/TCM adaptation set itself
to really fast upshifts with no hard acceleration.
Also, does it do the rapid upshifts both when cold in the morning and when fully warmed up to normal operating
temperature?
Roger
 
Last edited:
psychoboy

psychoboy

05&06 Dodge Longs & Talls
autologous1 said:
This is my first post:
I recently purchased a 2003 MB Sprinter window van. It is a 5 cylinder diesel 316 CID with automatic transmission. The van had been sitting at a shop for more than a year and was not running. I changed the fuel filter, drained the water from the fuel tank, installed new diesel, and had it running in 3 hours. I also installed a diesel micro pump in-line between the fuel tank and the fuel filter. I have a 2002 Freightliner Sprinter and it also has the in-line pump. This allows, when switched on, the fuel filter to be purged of air and also helps make a quick job of water removal from the fuel filter.
While the Sprinter was running, it did not have good power. Therefore, I cleaned the EGR valve. I found it to be gunked up and not working freely. I also replaced the charge air hose assembly.
Now the engine runs great, but it shifts through 1, 2, 3, 4 gears very quickly, hence it does not come up to speed. If I manually shift it, it accelerates very well and will quickly achieve 65 MPH. The tires are old and I have not tried to drive any faster.
What is causing the quick automatic gear shifts?
The transmission is full of fluid and it looks to be good. Any help will be appreciated very much.
Click to expand...
do you have any lingering check engine lights?

when my EGR system was broken (literally, the motor no longer engaged the vanes, and I had glued the vanes shut) it would occasionally drop into a modified limp mode that shifted and ran just as you described. it wouldn't always throw a code at the time, but it eventually would. I got several p0404 codes when I was having those drivability problems.

merely cleaning the mechanical part of the valve assembly does not mean that the motor (and its built in position sensor) are working properly.

I know the 2003 and the 2005 are a little different, but that's what my 05 was doing.
 
A

autologous1

New member
I believe that the EGR valve is functioning properly. With the cover off, sitting still, the cam now turns smoothly upon acceleration. Variations in the acceleration makes the cam turn to open or close the EGR valve.
I have now noticed that I do not hear the RUSH of the turbo when it shifts quickly. When I switch to manual operation, I hear the turbo.
When I accelerate HARD from a stop, I hear the turbo.
I have a washer level icon and a red SRS icon that stays on. These are the only alerts. My OBC II shows no codes, stored or otherwise.
Thanks for the suggestions.
Pat
 
sailquik

sailquik

Well-known member
That SRS icon may mean a lot. Could be affecting the ECM and TCM.
The washer level just means it needs washer fluid.....has no effect on the operation or drivability.
If you are hearing a "whoosh" from the turbocharger, that could mean there is a boost leak some
where. One of the hoses a hose clamp not tight.
There's not much turbo noise/sound from an OM-612.
That could also affect the drivability.
Roger
 
A

autologous1

New member
I have checked the turbo hoses and found them to be attached and tight. The sound of the turbo is exactly like what I hear upon hard acceleration of my 2002 2500, which shifts and accelerates great and gets 21.5 MPG average.
Since it sounds the same, I thought that it is normal. I know that there were some changes between 2002 and 2003, but with the units side by side the motors look like twins.
My 2002 2500, cargo type, has Freightliner grill and has 139,000 miles. The 2003 3500, window type, has Mercedes grill and 109,000 miles. Both are motor home conversions.
Pat
 
A

autologous1

New member
I spoke with the previous owner of the 2003 3500 and he said that the Sprinter was surging badly and he stopped at a nearby shop. They said that they could fix it. They kept it for more than a year, with reports that it was almost fixed, but not quite. When I bought it, the charge hose was disconnected from the EGR valve, the fuel filter had the recirculation line attached only, the battery was dead, and under the hood was full of red wasps.
The owner said that other than having to add some transmission fluid, less than a quart, about 3 years previously, there had been no problems, until it started surging and he thought that the motor was about to quit. He said that there were no dash icons on, when he had the problem. He was the original owner of the Sprinter.
 
A

autologous1

New member
Thanks for all of the replies and help.
I found that the charge hose (short one on passenger side) had a tiny hole on the outside of it. There was a very small speck of cord showing. When I removed the hose and inspected the inside, there was a 1 1/2" split. Perhaps the small hole opened up on the outside under pressure and leaked. With a new charge hose, the transmission does not now shift too quickly (no fluid was in transmission connector), however I still do not have full engine power.
I now have a P0001 code. The code states: fuel pressure regulator circuit - open. Is this just electrical or can it be the regulator valve itself? If I turn on my inline pump (between tank and filter) the engines does perform better.
Any additional help will be much appreciated.
Pat
 
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