Check engine light saga

larrygee

New member
So in the last month or so the check engine light has come on and after a refuel and a few restarts, the light goes off. When the check engine light goes on, the van run fine. No limp modes etc.,.( the manual suggests that it may be fuel related ).

The van has about 35,000 miles on it and I've put about 10,000 of those on it. Never had the problem until the last 500 miles or so.

So, what changed? Well, I recently had an oil change done. Had the propane detector replaced. Had a chassis battery drain issue and the service department did a "full" fuse check. Don't know if any of that could be causing the problem. Can't imagine it would.

Other than that, I have, since the beginning, used diesel kleen. On the last fill up I MAY have put in a little more than suggested (by accident).

Don't have a scan gauge but not too worried about it at this point as the vehicle seems to drive just fine. Don't know about mileage. I don't keep track.

To be continued....:popcorn:
 

larrygee

New member
Needs to go into your MB or Freightliner dealer to get a scan done. Nip it in the bud....

That's good advice I didn't want to hear .... I was hoping it was as simple as what the manual suggested but since it's come more than once maybe it's something else.

Of course I'm still on that original tank of fuel (the one where I added too much diesel kleen) and just filled it up. I have no long trips coming up where I can burn off that much fuel but maybe I'll drive it around town and to work and see if by having adding fresh/more fuel, the problem goes away.

I'm just afraid that if I take it to the dealer, they are going to feed me a $4,000 line of BS....and I don't know Diesel engines well enough to know better.
 

larrygee

New member
Everything is running OK? Don't panic yet.

Some of my opinion and links to some additional information is found here.

vic

https://sprinter-source.com/forums/showthread.php?p=50169#post50169
I had already read your thread... That's why the $4,000 potential bill scared the LSOOM. :smilewink:


Anyway, after Bobojay guilted me into calling the dealer, I called them to schedule an appointment (or as the MB dealer calls it, a "reservation" $$$). Interestingly enough, the service advisor told me the following;

Unless the vehicle is in limp mode......remove the fuel cap, put the cap back on nice and snug. Drive the car around. Park the car. Repeat the above up to 10 times or until the engine light goes "off", whichever comes first. If the light is still on after the tenth re start, bring it in.

He went on to say that in 99% of the cases, it's an emissions problem. What the gas cap has to do with it is beyond me....

We'll see.
 

surlyoldbill

Well-known member
It's probably not a major issue, just some sensor information that is non-typical.
My CEL was on because of a bad signal from the MAF. No issues at all with operation, just a CEL on.
In my case, I had replaced the failed OEM MAF with a cheap $50 replacement, and the light would not go off after clearing all DTCs (none MAF related...). I bought a Bosch MAF for $100 and the CEL went out and stayed out.

Your issue may be different, you have a different engine system. You can check the DTCs with an iPhone/Android device and the free Torque app (or other free engine diagnostic apps). You will also need a bluetooth OBD adapter ($20-25 on Amazon/ebay).
http://torque-bhp.com/
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i:aps,k:elm 327 Bluetooth
 

larrygee

New member
Did the 10 cranks.... no CEL light came on...:rad: Still don't get what the gas cap has to do with anything but...hey...whatever works...:idunno:
 

chromisdesigns

New member
I had already read your thread... <<clip>>
Unless the vehicle is in limp mode......remove the fuel cap, put the cap back on nice and snug. Drive the car around. Park the car. Repeat the above up to 10 times or until the engine light goes "off", whichever comes first. If the light is still on after the tenth re start, bring it in.

He went on to say that in 99% of the cases, it's an emissions problem. What the gas cap has to do with it is beyond me....

We'll see.
Huh...BMWs are notorious for throwing CELs if the fuel cap is not on tight. Never heard this about Sprinter, but it doesn't surprise me at all. Like your guy advised, when you get one on a Bimmer, it takes several tries for the CEL to go out. Had it happen to me a couple times over the years (usually after SWMBO fueled the car...:rolleyes:)
 

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