Newbie introduction and a question

jagarwal

'04 158" Cargo, 200K
Hi all,


My name is Jack and Ive been lurking these forums with an interest in sprinter vans for around 4 months.

After reading for a couple months, I closed on this beauty in mid-December:


'04 Dodge 2500. Former DHL Truck, 195k on the odo, paid $8,200 in Texas.
Shortly after she became my daily driver.

I checked for signs of injector leakage before buying and all the heads were very clean. 2k miles since then and everything is still going smoothly.

Today when I was under the hood checking the oil condition I noticed some wet black gunk buildup around the injector cover. I immediately assumed the worst and was preparing to stare into the face of the 'black death', but after removing the injectors cover I was pleasantly surprised.
View attachment 106992

Given how clean the heads look I assume (could be wrong) the sludge is coming from somewhere else, however I have very little idea as to where.

Pics of black buildup:
View attachment 106993

View attachment 106994


and on the cover as well:
View attachment 106995

I'm pretty new to engine maintenance, but I assume the moistness of the sludge implies its recent build up. The dash isnt throwing a CEL or anything of the sort and the van drives great with no smells or noises as far as I can tell. I may just be being paranoid but thought it worth asking for a second more experienced opinion!:bow:

Nice to meet you all and thanks for reading!:D:
 
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autostaretx

Erratic Member
First, we make the images accessible (you can't use the Postcard icon to point to a *page*):
https://imgur.com/a/gOUJdPG

'04 Dodge 2500. Former DHL Truck, 195k on the odo, paid $8,200 in Texas.
https://imgur.com/a/um7uWHr

Pics of black buildup:
https://imgur.com/a/u5sOOXH
https://imgur.com/a/0G46to5
and on the cover as well:
https://imgur.com/a/mHyULAh
The 2004 service manual is available here: http://diysprinter.co.uk/reference/2004-VA-SM.pdf
(and dozens of other handy things here: http://diysprinter.co.uk/reference/

Here are the germane photos, as 800-pixel-wide attachments:

Foto0.jpg

Foto1.jpg

Foto2.jpg

Foto3.jpg

--dick
p.s. how to post photos:
https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=467 and
https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64377
 
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jagarwal

'04 158" Cargo, 200K
Dick thanks for the heads up on the photos, and the link to the manual. I have a physical copy that came with the van but the ability to click through to whichever section is AMAZING, this will be my new favorite book.

Thanks for the potential lead Nelson I will do some research in that direction.

Cheers
 

NelsonSprinter

Former Nelson BC Sprinter
2nd guess , is the oil cap isn't tight, I think mine went 12 oclock - 6 o'clock, not 11 -5
It's not black death, just oil IMHO
 

Rickpcmp3

2005 158" Cargo FedEx
I second that your oil cap is not fully tightened, and that's oil residue, not black death.
 
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