Sprinter wizards,
I recently changed the air filter on my 2003 158" WB 3500 NAFTA T1N, and immediately encountered what seems like a LHM issue. When I attempt to accelerate (e.g. up a hill, to get to speed on the highway), the engine RPMs are extremely low (between 1 and 2K) and I lack the power needed to actually accelerate. If I downshift manually, I have normal power and the engine revs react as expected. Once the van gets moving fast enough to be at higher revs even in 4th or 5th gear, the van's power seems normal. Based on all of this, I think the issue is that the transmission is going into too-high a gear at too low a speed.
Based on reading many posts related to LHM, and the fact that this happened immediately after replacing the engine and cabin air filters, I figured I had a leak in the engine air filter system somewhere. In the process of trying to troubleshoot the issue, I tightened the hose clamp on the air filter housing and accidentally broke it. I've replaced it with a normal home depot clamp which is wider than the MB clamp and doesn't fit exactly perfectly, but I don't think that's the issue.
I dropped the van at a mechanic today to ask him to look into the issue, and he suggested that there's something wrong with my turbo (something about a turbo boost cylinder?). I find this very hard to believe given that the turbo system was recently replaced by the prior owner, that the issue started the first time I drove after changing the air filter, and that the van seems to accelerate normally as long as I shift manually. I told the mechanic not to touch the turbo, but am not sure what to do at this point.
Any ideas on what I should check? I don't have a scan tool but have just ordered one. I've looked through the suggestions in this thread: https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7173 and am tempted to try the method involving turning the van on and off 7 times. Given that the issue seems mechanical, I don't think that'll resolve anything and I worry about deleting stored codes, but I'm not quite sure what else to do here.
In case it's relevant, I'd add that I've had a "water in fuel filter" light that goes on and off intermittently. The mechanic claims my fuel filter is completely clogged and needs to be replaced. Not sure if that makes sense given that the van is clearly getting fuel (no stuttering or anything suspicious). I also have a glow plug light that reignites after the van starts, and likely have some injector leakage (haven't been able to get the cover off to confirm, but I suspect that there's at least minor leaking). I also have an SRS and traction control light permanently on. None of these issues is new, though, so I don't think it explains the sudden loss of RPMs.
Thanks in advance for any help and advice! The learning curve on these sprinters is quite steep, but this forum has been an incredible resource for getting up to speed.
I recently changed the air filter on my 2003 158" WB 3500 NAFTA T1N, and immediately encountered what seems like a LHM issue. When I attempt to accelerate (e.g. up a hill, to get to speed on the highway), the engine RPMs are extremely low (between 1 and 2K) and I lack the power needed to actually accelerate. If I downshift manually, I have normal power and the engine revs react as expected. Once the van gets moving fast enough to be at higher revs even in 4th or 5th gear, the van's power seems normal. Based on all of this, I think the issue is that the transmission is going into too-high a gear at too low a speed.
Based on reading many posts related to LHM, and the fact that this happened immediately after replacing the engine and cabin air filters, I figured I had a leak in the engine air filter system somewhere. In the process of trying to troubleshoot the issue, I tightened the hose clamp on the air filter housing and accidentally broke it. I've replaced it with a normal home depot clamp which is wider than the MB clamp and doesn't fit exactly perfectly, but I don't think that's the issue.
I dropped the van at a mechanic today to ask him to look into the issue, and he suggested that there's something wrong with my turbo (something about a turbo boost cylinder?). I find this very hard to believe given that the turbo system was recently replaced by the prior owner, that the issue started the first time I drove after changing the air filter, and that the van seems to accelerate normally as long as I shift manually. I told the mechanic not to touch the turbo, but am not sure what to do at this point.
Any ideas on what I should check? I don't have a scan tool but have just ordered one. I've looked through the suggestions in this thread: https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7173 and am tempted to try the method involving turning the van on and off 7 times. Given that the issue seems mechanical, I don't think that'll resolve anything and I worry about deleting stored codes, but I'm not quite sure what else to do here.
In case it's relevant, I'd add that I've had a "water in fuel filter" light that goes on and off intermittently. The mechanic claims my fuel filter is completely clogged and needs to be replaced. Not sure if that makes sense given that the van is clearly getting fuel (no stuttering or anything suspicious). I also have a glow plug light that reignites after the van starts, and likely have some injector leakage (haven't been able to get the cover off to confirm, but I suspect that there's at least minor leaking). I also have an SRS and traction control light permanently on. None of these issues is new, though, so I don't think it explains the sudden loss of RPMs.
Thanks in advance for any help and advice! The learning curve on these sprinters is quite steep, but this forum has been an incredible resource for getting up to speed.