Where do i start....

Bought a 2003 3500 on Sunday. Had the bum threads on the #1 injector so I bought the time set kit and did it right. The hard fuel line was bent so far past stock, that I think that is where some of my leakage is coming from. I also noticed it coming from #2 as well (could just be residual) I also got it riding last night (before the leaks happened) and I could not get it above 2000 rpm.

I noticed that the turbo doesn't appear to spool up as much as a turbo should, also my EGR valve is essentially falling apart (someone tried to clean it)

Lets not talk about the fact that I need a new ignition cylinder barrel because the key got stuck and I had to take it off.

I have ordered a new fuel line for #1 and all new copper washers and hold down bolts....hopefully that fixes the leaking issue.

Anyways, hope to see this awesome, run forever reliability soon......

If the EGR is failing in any way that the ECU can tell, that's probably what's stopping the turbo from spooling... so that's a silver lining I guess?

fwaggle said:

If the EGR is failing in any way that the ECU can tell, that's probably what's stopping the turbo from spooling... so that's a silver lining I guess?

Click to expand...

What are the chances of an egr delete? I know its common on most American diesels

You should probably invest in a UltraGuage EM (or a Scanguage II) and see what your Turbo Boost is, as well as MAP PSI and Air intake temp while you are driving. When I drive near sea level, I get up to 33 PSI at my MAP sensor. At 7000 feet above sea level (where I live) I see up to 25 PSI. If you are seeing less, you likely have a leak in the Turbo hoses (they start at the Air Filter) - The Turbo will shut down if you have a leak (and often throw an erroneous error about the MAF - this is because the MAF sees a lot of air moving thru it but the MAP sensor does not see the right pressure for the volume of air - So the ECU knows that something is wrong and it can evoke LHM). A small air leak will throw this type of error (if you have the original turbo hoses, they should be suspect). If you have low Boost (2004-2006's also can get leaks in the Turbo Resonator - there isn't one in the 2002-2003 to leak), is usually an air leak. Checking for any cracks in the Turbo Hoses is a good idea. I replaced mine just to eliminate that issue.

The 2002/2003's use a vacuum driven Turbo Actuator and that may not be moving correctly (could have leaky vacuum hoses). The 2004-2006 have an electronic Turbo Actuator.

The Diagnostic tools (DRBIII and DAD) don't pinpoint a specific part failure when there is a Boost Error or low turbo pressure, all they really tell you are symptoms (like the MAP error I described above).

The 2002-2003 EGR's get clogged - There is a process documented on how to clean them out (I do it every oil change). I use spray SeaFoam (available at auto parts stores). If you idle the engine a lot - expect clogged EGRs (this is true for any year Sprinter).

There are a lot of reasons that the ECU may limit engine or transmission operations. Often you have to do some groundwork to eliminate what is actually wrong.

Also go into your User CP (on the blue line) and tell us what your Sprinter model is and year. It really helps as you ask questions - why? Because the model years have unique issues related to the engines. Do this and it will help us help you.

EGR delete requires a "tune", like Green Diesel Engineering to trick the ECU into thinking the EGR is functioning normally. I pondered the functionality of simply blocking off the EGR exhaust port when the current one fails (replaced at 150k), but more experienced people stated that it would mess with the systems. The EGR on the 02-03 is a maintenance item, it will require regular replacement, but should last 100-200k with regular cleanings. Dripping EGR is normal, but I've noticed that it drips less after cleaning.

Check your vacuum lines if you have loss of boost pressure. One way is to push the air vent recirculating aor button and listen for the flap to close, because it uses vacuum to do that. You can also connect directly to the turbo actuator as a test, bypassing the line between the brake booster and the recirculating air flap. Sometimes the rubber hoses at the actuator rot or come loose, so you can check those, too.

Thanks for the input fellas.

I went ahead and ordered a new EGR seeing as the old one was packed with RTV and the plastic pieces on top and bottom were barely holding on.

I am also going to service all my injectors with new copper washers and hold down bolts plus a new hard line for number one.

I will look into the actuator arm itself on the turbo. I have read the it will rust and not actuate properly. I am also going to look into the hoses (mainly vacuum) due to the fact that my main hoses look good.

I have a friend with the handle mercedes laptop and DBR that he is going to bring over after all this is done to see if anything else is up.

I scored this rig very cheap....so Im not afraind to throw a couple bucks at it

Thanks