Looking at buying, and is this the black death?

[johnschroader]

One consideration on the AC. My '02 seemed to have AC problems that are not yet remedied (going to see Dr. A next month). But---- I've determined that the AC works fine (cold air comes out the two top vents on the dash). My problem seems to be that the heater solenoid (or whatever controls the flow of hot water) stays in the same position no matter what. Therefore when I turn the AC on, I get heat and AC simultaenously in all but the top two vents. Those top two vents are plenty cold. Sadly, even when I turn the AC off in the winter, the air is only sort of warm. Again, I'm pretty sure it's not an AC problem, but rather a temp control problem.

 

[schwarzeradler]

Well, here's the deal. Dr. A is right. It is only injector 2 that is leaking - not the one(s) I was expecting. The picture is of soapy bubbles over injector 2. I put soapy water on all of them, and only one bubbled. Additionally, you could actually see smoke coming from the area. So...what to do now? I called Dr. A, left a voice message. It is getting to be crunch time where I need to make a decision. What do you all thing a fair price for this thing is, considering it's problems (parking brake, A/C not working, trifecta of lights, and 1 leaky injector)? I know it's not 11K. The pros in this situation are the started camper conversion, it's local (the closest alternatives are >300mi away), and the seller is a friend. Cons being the problems above. How much have people paid for Dr. A to fix 1 injector and diagnose the dash lights? From all I've read, he seems to be THE expert. Ideas?

Thanks!

 

[220629]

...
The pros in this situation
...
and the seller is a friend.
...
Thanks!

You may have that one in the wrong list. I'd much rather deal with a stranger in a transaction such as you are considering. Then again, that's just me.


We have some great people who contribute to Sprinter-source, but I'm thinkin' for Sprinter knowledge (and just general automotive knowledge), experience and overall willingness to help out Doktor A is at the top of the list. Good luck. vic

 

[abittenbinder]

Well, here's the deal. Dr. A is right. It is only injector 2 that is leaking - not the one(s) I was expecting. The picture is of soapy bubbles over injector 2. I put soapy water on all of them, and only one bubbled. Additionally, you could actually see smoke coming from the area. So...what to do now? I called Dr. A, left a voice message. It is getting to be crunch time where I need to make a decision. What do you all thing a fair price for this thing is, considering it's problems (parking brake, A/C not working, trifecta of lights, and 1 leaky injector)? I know it's not 11K. The pros in this situation are the started camper conversion, it's local (the closest alternatives are >300mi away), and the seller is a friend. Cons being the problems above. How much have people paid for Dr. A to fix 1 injector and diagnose the dash lights? From all I've read, he seems to be THE expert. Ideas?

Thanks!

No answer at your phone number this evening.

If the injector is otherwise in-spec and functional
AND not seized in its bore,
AND if the hold down bolt can be removed intact,
AND if the hold down threads in the aluminum head are in serviceable condition,
then the job will only involve a few hours labor.

If the injector is seized it will be need to be replaced after the extraction procedure.

Broken hold down bolt or stripped hold down threads in head will add extra labor time for surgery.

Doktor A

 

[schwarzeradler]

Dr. A -
Missed your phone call again tonight, I was on a bike ride - sending you a PM/email...I am better at receiving emails, or so it seems.

Thanks!

 

[larry8061]

Claficiation:

You also have a minor point wrong..... "he seems to be the expert". Uh no..... he IS the expert. We are ALL screwed (even worse than we are now) without him.

I am not sure if anyone has thought thru where we ALL would be without his words of wisdom and help.

If MB was your only source of info? Yeh that's comforting.

Larry

 

[schwarzeradler]

Well, I decided to buy this van. Seems like things are maybe not as bad as first thought, and after much time spent searching, I should be able to get it up and running at 100% without too much trouble. Yes, I talked him down a bit in price, too. More (many more) focused questions coming soon...

Thanks for your help!

 

[Autophysn]

Well, I decided to buy this van. Seems like things are maybe not as bad as first thought, and after much time spent searching, I should be able to get it up and running at 100% without too much trouble. Yes, I talked him down a bit in price, too. More (many more) focused questions coming soon...

Thanks for your help!

Good luck! If you need any help, I am sure plenty of people here will be more than willing to lend some advise. Enjoy!

 

[schwarzeradler]

Thanks,
This forum has been very helpful. Updated Big Gray Van status:

-$30 for a can of refrigerant which fixed the A/C.

-$300 for a passenger side rear bearing, tone wheel, ABS sensor and labor to press the bearing and tone wheel on the axle.

The only thing left is to get injector #2's black death problem fixed. I want to wait until it's warm outside to start (it was 4 degrees F yesterday). I'm not sure I want to do it myself, but I think I've read enough on here to give me a good idea how to prevent problems with a sticking injector body/broken hold down bolt, etc.

I feel like it's been a good investment so far, I was able to talk the seller down $2K, and so far repairs have been less than I've expected.

Thanks!

 

[beachbum57]

Glad that it is working out for you!

 

[NelsonSprinter]

The brake pad wear sensor is definitely broken on the driver's side...can that cause the three dash lights?

Once again, thanks everyone for your advice...you've all been very helpful.

Yes, in my experience, 1 broken brake pad wear sensor can light up the ABS/ traction control/ brake lights in the dash

 

[schwarzeradler]

Yes, in my experience, 1 broken brake pad wear sensor can light up the ABS/ traction control/ brake lights in the dash

Well, when I replaced the ABS sensor and the tone ring (passenger side rear), all issues with the lights were fixed. The cruise control works now, too...which is cool.

All seems well with the guages, other than the occasional glow plug related CEL when starting it after sitting a few days at 0-5 deg F. It goes away after a few starts at normal temps - and doesn't come on every time at really cold temps, either. Seems to have a mind of its own. I used to have a VW Jetta TDI that did the same thing, so I guess I'm not super worried about it. That car taught me a lot about high-tech, German diesels. They can have finicky CELs. Last time it turned on, it was when starting at -2 deg F. Started fine, though.

The only thing left to fix is injector #2. We're moving out west to the Portland, OR area mid March - can anyone suggest someone good with fixing the Black Death out there? I'm a bit scared to attempt it on my own - although I would with some supervision and/or guidance...and specialized tools.

Thanks, eh.

 

[surlyoldbill]

Well, when I replaced the ABS sensor and the tone ring (passenger side rear), all issues with the lights were fixed. The cruise control works now, too...which is cool.

All seems well with the guages, other than the occasional glow plug related CEL when starting it after sitting a few days at 0-5 deg F. It goes away after a few starts at normal temps - and doesn't come on every time at really cold temps, either. Seems to have a mind of its own. I used to have a VW Jetta TDI that did the same thing, so I guess I'm not super worried about it. That car taught me a lot about high-tech, German diesels. They can have finicky CELs. Last time it turned on, it was when starting at -2 deg F. Started fine, though.

The only thing left to fix is injector #2. We're moving out west to the Portland, OR area mid March - can anyone suggest someone good with fixing the Black Death out there? I'm a bit scared to attempt it on my own - although I would with some supervision and/or guidance...and specialized tools.

Thanks, eh.

Upscale in Portland gets a lot of compliments. My Email exchange with the owner concerning an issue and possibly scheduling a visit while I was in OR resulted in a lot of GOOD free advice that saved me a lot of money. For that reason I cannot recommend them enough.

 

[AndiW]

Hello, so glad I found this forum and found out that top expert on my van is only and hour away! Dodge 2005 3500 170 extended, 220k miles, paid $3300 in Florida over a year ago, then after a few months over $6000 to replace the injectors, injector cover (had burned oil coating it) and cover gasket. Another over $2000 to fix shifter,"computer card" or something like that, and AC/fan, fixing diesel fume leaks, and maybe something else I can't remember, and now the fan under the dashboard is making a racket so I can't run the AC. We used a diesel mechanic in Tampa who had some experience with this type van judging from vans occasionally seen in the lot, but not enough. He was fixing the van one code at a time, and somehow a code told him to replace one injector, after which another code told him to replace the rest of the injectors. The van started blowing white smoke while we waited for the other injectors to arrive from across the world somewhere. There were 8 codes in all, which apparently only showed up one at a time. Now we're in NC and the local diesel mechanic (Valley Truck) told us that we need to go to Greenville (SC) for repairs. Yay! Aside from the loose fan, I'm still getting a smoking-oil smell when I push the engine too hard. My husband also liked my van so much (before the biggest repairs) that he got his own rusty 2006 2500 170 extended, 215k miles, for $4000, which is now sounding, according to my husband, like there's a loose belt or chain deep in the engine compartment and he's afraid to drive it. Hopefully it will make the drive to Greenville. I notice that it's also giving that smoking-oil smell when he pushes the engine too hard, but it's not as bad as mine. Yikes, will I need to replace the injectors again right away? I did use it to tow an overloaded UHaul trailer from FL to the NC mountains and only downshifted on the worse inclines. Pushing the engine over 2500 RPMs seems to result in the burning smell.
Any thoughts/advice would be very welcomed. Is there a thread like this on proper van driving techniques?

 

[billintomahawk]

AndiW,
Well welcome to the forum. For your general information about the T1N Sprinter 2002-2006, these machines had two different engines but the same transmission. One important specific difference between the two engines is the fuel delivery system and the polution controls. The 2002-3 models had the 612 engine, the 2004-2006 had the 647 engine. When you read threads make sure the thread applies to your year and engine type. It took me several months to figure this simple difference out.

I have a 612 engine so I won't try to give you specific advice. One thing that both engines need to be understood is a scanner to read engine codes. You need a proper scanner specifically for our MercedesT1N engine. The same scanner will work on either T1N engine and on both the vans you and your husband have.

Nothing is easy the first time you do it but you learn. Some of us have been doing mechanics for a lifetime, some for a few months.
how
I saw a 'cheap' scanner for sale at Walmart.

Robot or human?

www.walmart.com

Even if you use mechanics for all your repairs, knowing how to use this tool will make you a genius and help the mechanic find specific problems.

here's the link to the Scanner section. I think the whole thread is confusing.

Scanners

sprinter-source.com

You can get good quality less expensive parts for your Sprinter on the East coast here.

Diesel Parts Online | IDParts.com - Diesel Parts

IDParts.com the best diesel parts specialty store! Parts for VW TDI, Parts for Mercedes Diesel, Parts for Sprinter Vans and Parts for all Diesels

www.idparts.com

West coast here.

Europarts of San Diego

Quality European Auto Parts at up to 85% off dealer prices since 1985. Eurovan, Sprinter, Metris, Vito, Rialta, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Audi, SAAB, BMW, Volvo, and Volkswagen (Vanagon, water-cooled). New OEM parts, Wholesale Prices.

europarts-sd.com

Joel at Million mile sprinter has a chat feature attached to his website.

Million Mile Sprinter | Philadelphia | LeakOff Test | NAG1 | T1N | OM647 | OM642

Joel is a Sprinter Mechanic in Philadelphia, PA. Millionmilesprinter.com is full of what he wishes he had when he was first starting out as a T1N Sprinter owner: Unique parts kits full of quality products that are guaranteed to fit your Sprinter.

www.millionmilesprinter.com

Again, thanks for buying those two old T1N's and bringing them to the forum.

Your new injectors should be good for 100k miles at least, The stinky smell could be a leaky exhaust system or the exhaust manifold among other things. A fuel leak is a worst case scenario and is dangerous for obvious reasons.

You can rev to 3000k rpm or more safely when you get the smell problem.
General advice on driving your Sprinter goes along the lines of 'drive it like you stole it' every so often or like you are running whiskey out of the hills(just not all the time). The engine properly set up is good for a million miles.

who got most miles ??

im about to buy 2005 sprinter with 170,000 miles on it for $ 2,500 just wana know how many more miles i can get out of it . thanks

sprinter-source.com

bill in tomahawk

 

[AndiW]

Wow, thanks for the advice! We will get a scanner, although that particular one seems to have bad reviews. As to the smell, there's a big difference between diesel exhaust fumes coming into the cab, which was an initial issue that we took care of, and the smell of burning oil. Yes, I am finding that occasional fast driving seems to make the engine happier and actually doesn't cause the burning smell. I think 3000 RPMs causes the smell every time, but maybe I am wrong. For sure it's not just the RPMs, it's stressing the engine. My husband noticed that I am letting the RPMs get too low going up hill by worrying too much about getting the RPMs to high! At that point, I have to downshift or the engine starts throwing off that burning smell.

One thing I've noticed that I haven't seen mentioned is starting the engine ... to prevent the engine light from staying on, I turn the key and wait 5 seconds until most of the dash lights go off, or longer in relation to the ignition wire light when it's cold, before I turn the key the rest of the way to start the engine. Maybe I will find the cause of the engine light when I get the code reader, or maybe the van just likes to be started up in a certain way, and not too impulsively.

Looking forward to 1,000,000 miles!

 

[tinman]

Wow, thanks for the advice! We will get a scanner, although that particular one seems to have bad reviews. As to the smell, there's a big difference between diesel exhaust fumes coming into the cab, which was an initial issue that we took care of, and the smell of burning oil. Yes, I am finding that occasional fast driving seems to make the engine happier and actually doesn't cause the burning smell. I think 3000 RPMs causes the smell every time, but maybe I am wrong. For sure it's not just the RPMs, it's stressing the engine. My husband noticed that I am letting the RPMs get too low going up hill by worrying too much about getting the RPMs to high! At that point, I have to downshift or the engine starts throwing off that burning smell.

One thing I've noticed that I haven't seen mentioned is starting the engine ... to prevent the engine light from staying on, I turn the key and wait 5 seconds until most of the dash lights go off, or longer in relation to the ignition wire light when it's cold, before I turn the key the rest of the way to start the engine. Maybe I will find the cause of the engine light when I get the code reader, or maybe the van just likes to be started up in a certain way, and not too impulsively.

Looking forward to 1,000,000 miles!

Waiting for the glow plug light to go out before cranking, as you're doing, is the correct procedure for all of the diesel Sprinters. It can make quite a difference to the ease of starting on colder days.

 

[billintomahawk]

AndiW,

stinky engine? Here is some good info.

bill