Around the world in a Sprinter - fuel precaution?

Hello everyone.
This is my first time posting so pls forgive any wrong doing...
My kid (9 months old) my wife, and I are planning on tanking a Sprinter trip around the world. We are hoping to stick to warmer climate by following the summer around.
Our route starts in North America June 2018 and will roughly be:

North America
South America
Australia and New Zealand
Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand
South India, North India and Nepal
South Africa and Central Africa
Europe
And finally back again to Northern America sometime early 2022

My biggest concern at this point is mechanical breakdown due to faulty fuel or ECU malfunction

Since I’m quite square I wouldn’t want to delete or circumvent any of the Emmisions systems. I am also planning on extending the factory warranty as much as possible (6 yr 200,000k?).


Now here come the questions:
1. Would there be any filters/water separators that should be added to the fuel system or the fuel tank in order to ensure cleaner fuel (internal or external before filling tank)
2. Which spare parts would you take (i.e. injector lines, backup ECU, oem filters, etc...)?
3. Would you take large quantities of Urea ( adBlue) or can this be found easily around the globe?
4. Would you get an MB authorized tune (if such exists) to avoid “limp mode” issues and such?
5. Am I foolish for opting to not delete any of the ERG/CAT/DEP since they are likely to be the source of most failure issues?
5. Any other precautions you find necessary?

Thanks for you input
And Happy Trails

Related:
https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63112

Since I’m quite square I wouldn’t want to delete or circumvent any of the Emmisions systems. I am also planning on extending the factory warranty as much as possible (6 yr 200,000k?).

Click to expand...

Not sure how the MB warranty will help you in Nepal.

1. I don't see how you can bring a refinery with you to produce ULSD from LSD
3. Doubt you will find DEF in countries where it is not in use
4. Doubt such a tune exists. Closest thing might be a special tune for ambulances or other critical emergency vans, which MB is not likely to make available to you.
5. Yes, absolutely foolish. It's not a matter of environmental leanings or laws, it's simply that the DEF Sprinter is a high tech vehicle and the infrastructure to operate (DEF, ULSD) and support (diagnostics, parts, and repairs) that tech does not exist in much of the world, specificially in most of the areas you want to visit.

I would sell the van and buy a T1N sprinter (or perhaps a different vehicle altogether).

sprint2freedom said:

Related:
https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63112



Not sure how the MB warranty will help you in Nepal.

1. I don't see how you can bring a refinery with you to produce ULSD from LSD
3. Doubt you will find DEF in countries where it is not in use
4. Doubt such a tune exists. Closest thing might be a special tune for ambulances or other critical emergency vans, which MB is not likely to make available to you.
5. Yes, absolutely foolish. It's not a matter of environmental leanings or laws, it's simply that the DEF Sprinter is a high tech vehicle and the infrastructure to operate (DEF, ULSD) and support (diagnostics, parts, and repairs) that tech does not exist in much of the world, specificially in most of the areas you want to visit.

I would sell the van and buy a T1N sprinter (or perhaps a different vehicle altogether).

Click to expand...

Right.. Sprint2Freedom.. if you can afford it I would better buy a Unimog or Man Diesel as these aren't too ECM complicated and would eat any LSD. Our current Sprinters aren't made to roam the World. They're designed to roam USA's highways and always within umbilical distance of a MB or equivalent establishment.

cheers...

The US Sprinters use different parts for many items than are available in the rest of the world.

I have friends who are currently roaming around South America in their 2006 (pre-DEF (etc)) Sprinter... and they've had to divert to Chile at times for knowledgeable service (even though Sprinters are built in Argentina), and have had to import parts from the USA.

Likewise MidWestSprinter's "exploring Australia from the left" thread recounts having to ship parts from the US.

In many ways you might be better off buying a non-US Sprinter overseas for the trip, and re-sell it before returning to the US.

There's another thread of a UK Sprinter attempting a vaguely similar jaunt (i'll add the link when i find it)
He's started other threads as things have broken along the way, click on his name in the left column and choose "find other posts by..." to get a list of them.

--dick

With DHL you can get parts shipped to you in a week or two anywhere in the world really. ECU and related malfunctions are not common. More common are emissions problems or wiring issues that can leave you stuck in LHM, or occasionally a no start situation. If you are going to take a sprinter through the countries listed, you will want to remove and/or disable most of the emissions gear. SCR, DPF, possibly EGR, and swirl valves on the V6 engines. You will want to fit an auxiliary full flow fuel filter with water separation.

The real issue with service on the road is knowledgeable service for diagnosing issues. Many will not be familiar with your engine/drivetrain, even at mercedes dealers. You need to be self sufficient for moderate diagnostics. This means a good scanner that can clear LHM triggered codes from all drivetrain modules.

If you can completely remove the Emissions gear dpf etc, and the LHM causing subroutines via tuning, a later model sprinter could be reliable enough. If you are technically savvy, and have the time, a T1N with lower miles can be made reliable enough. You really need to go through one of these older vehicles from top to bottom. Thankfully T1Ns are not hard to work on, and can be diagnosed with a good scanner, multimeter, and basic tools. You will still need to carry 1,000$ or so of spares for common issue items, but everything short of a complete wiring fire, or a engine meltdown can be remedied without leaving you stranded.

For those without extensive mechanical ability, the time/desire to learn, or deep pockets, I recommend a gasoline powerplant. Not only are they easier to service in the field, they have much simpler fuel control schemes, and emissions systems. Being cheaper to purchase generally helps as well.

Midwestdrifter said:

With DHL you can get parts shipped to you in a week or two anywhere in the world really. ECU and related malfunctions are not common. More common are emissions problems or wiring issues that can leave you stuck in LHM, or occasionally a no start situation. If you are going to take a sprinter through the countries listed, you will want to remove and/or disable most of the emissions gear. SCR, DPF, possibly EGR, and swirl valves on the V6 engines. You will want to fit an auxiliary full flow fuel filter with water separation.

The real issue with service on the road is knowledgeable service for diagnosing issues. Many will not be familiar with your engine/drivetrain, even at mercedes dealers. You need to be self sufficient for moderate diagnostics. This means a good scanner that can clear LHM triggered codes from all drivetrain modules.

If you can completely remove the Emissions gear dpf etc, and the LHM causing subroutines via tuning, a later model sprinter could be reliable enough. If you are technically savvy, and have the time, a T1N with lower models can be made reliable enough. You really need to go through one of these older vehicles from top to bottom. Thankfully T1Ns are not hard to work on, and can be diagnosed with a good scanner, multimeter, and basic tools. You will still need to carry 1,000$ or so of spares for common issue items, but everything short of a complete wiring fire, or a engine meltdown can be remedied without leaving you stranded.

For those without extensive mechanical ability, the time/desire to learn, or deep pockets, I recommend a gasoline powerplant. Not only are they easier to service in the field, they have much simpler fuel control schemes, and emissions systems. Being cheaper to purchase generally helps as well.

Click to expand...

Thanks MidWest for that detailed reply

I understand there is a Gasoline powered 4x4 sprinter, however i have not been able to find one in the US.

I couldn’t really find another chassis that would be similar to the Sprinter with a Gasoline engine. There are the Ford Econoline / GMC variants but they are not quite what I’m after. I’m looking for a rig I can stand up in without having to install a pop top.

So far seems my best bet would be to keep the Sprinter original during the North America part of the trip (~6 months) and remove part of the emissions components right before I head out of US/Canada lines.

QUESTIONS:

Could anyone suggest a suitable Scanner that would help diagnostics and code removal?

Would anyone know of a reputable installer that could advise on delete and tune options (pm if appropriate).


Thanks all for the replies and advice.

If you are truly going to visit all the countries in your list, and you will be going to remote areas (some of those countries are remote by definition); I would not recommend a NCV3 4x4 sprinter. At least not anywhere remotely stock. Don't get me wrong, they are a great vehicle, but they are simply not designed for what you will be doing. There are a number of electronic faults that while rare, can require dealer level assistance with online access to mercedes computer network for programming or coding.

For the skilled/advanced DIY or mechanic type owner, this poses less of an issue. But your posts indicate a lack of experience in this area.

A ncv3 4x4 has 3 open differentials in the drive system. It uses the ABS/ESP system to perform 4 wheel traction control. While not common, a fault in this system would render the 4x4 system no better than the AWD in most SUVs, and would dramatically reduce traction.

The T1Ns are better, and the T1N 4x4 (not available in north america) would be a good option. The T1Ns are getting quite old though.

My suggestion. Get a gasoline transit. Ecoboost or the standard V6 is fine. Ujoint off road, Vancompass and MG metalworks have all expressed interest in, or are developing a 4x4 conversion for the Transit. This will consist of the true 4x4 transfer case, and solid locking axles front and rear. Basically bulletproof. There is plenty of current and developing aftermarket support for these vans. While not as common world wide (with the North american drivetrain) they are much simpler to service, and do not have the same complex fuel injection and emissions systems as modern diesels. A fully manual and locking 4x4 drivetrain is independent of the vehicle electronics, and is readily serviced in the field with replaceable U joints, and readily carried spare wear parts.

Please don’t take your family on a trip like this before you spend time in the trenches working through a variety of issues and thoroughly understand the common failure points and are properly equipped to handle the issues you WILL encounter. I understand the alure of what you and your family would like to experience, but it’s no joke out there. I’ll give you a fractional-taste of what can happen... This is just a recent experience and is nothing compared to the situations you WILL encounter... 2/14/18 I’m in Eastern OR headed up to Whistler BC on a ski trip and a rogue system rolls through the Mt Hood OR area. I map my way to Hood, check the route, all paved highways. One of the highways was not snow plowed maintained, not marked as such (of course where you’re headed you’d be fortunate to ever know the state of the roads you’ll be driving into), but there were tracks from others a few days back. I chained up and continued on with the intention of pulling the plug if things got too dicey. Well things got too dicey, I tried to turn around, and got stuck!!! No cell reception, two dogs, 5 miles to go to the plowed freeway in 2 feet of fresh snow on top of several feet of old snow. I worked on getting unstuck for about three hours but at this point my rear end was completely burried. This is coming from a guy who has a couple decades of experience in driving in the snow, getting stuck, unstucking myself, etc. I was a bit scared, honestly. Thank god I had my back country ski gear and was able to skin (hike) out, called a 4x4 extraction company specializing in deep extractions once I had cell reception, gave them my coordinates (they were familiar with the area), skied back to my rig, a few hours they showed up, $650 later I was on a plowed road.

I understand you will be traveling in the summer, but you will encounter mud, and unless you have a unimog or the like, you’re going to get get stuck. You’re going to encounter mechanical issues along the way.

I personally carry a full set of tools, a mercedes star computer system, a variety of spare parts, chains, water, energy bars, etc at all times. And I’ve worked through lots issues not only with my Sprinter, but with Toyota’s, fords, and Audi’s in the past. And even with this knowledge and being prepared through and through, I’m only now cautiously planning a trip to Africa in 2025.

Perhaps go intern at a shop specializing in your kind of rig for a few months to get an understanding how it works, the common failure points, and the tools needed for such an epic adventure.

Signed - just a caring fellow human, Vanski