rrrrg.. no compression engine

captainhoek

New member
its been at a "service center" in denver.. The MB Dealer has been trying to fix it for the past 4 weeks.. First they claimed the turbo was out, they replaced and 5 miles away from the dealer the CEL was on.... Had it towed back - after 3 weeks now the engine has "no compression"...
Wondering if this Denver MB Dealer has a clue.....

I'm a small business- 10K for a new engine is out of the question.. Tonight I have been trying to research my options.... I am looking at options:
#1: buy a crashed unit with a 2.7 and low miles and take my chances - drop it in myself.. ( I am an RV mechanic - I dont do engines but can do it.....) ?? Not sure of "programming" requirements....

#2: I have scanned our forum: Check with Dr a or ...??? other guy for a rebuilt ... ( I like this the best - I have a shop, engine hoist, major tools and could coax 1 of then to come to Colorado...????? :) I have camping space......
#3: MB dealer : My cost w/o taxes is 9821 for a rebuilt..... Includes seals, fluids, ect....

#4 ...??????

Thoughts... :idunno:
05 2.5 T1N HiTop "Mobile RV Service" #1
 

lindenengineering

Well-known member
Question
What Denver Service Centre?
What the hell were they doing for 4 weeks???

I fix 'em and rebuild 'em!
I am fixing two like your report at the moment!

In any case a recon long block will set you back $5500. (3 years/100,000 miles warranty)
Add $300 for shipping.

If you DIY the install you can save about 12/18 hours of labor plus about $100 for misc gaskets etc. Just add oil! Oh and a filter!

It begs the question if the engine was running OK what precipitated the loss of compression?
Are you sure their diagnosis is correct--In fact what did they do it including the turbo prior to its going tits up?

Oh too many questions!
If you want to brain storm it call me on 720 344 1877
I am in Golden.
Dennis
 

icarus

Well-known member
Sudden no compression, across the board, ( after they did the turbo?) sounds funny to me!

Icarus
 

jmoller99

Own a DAD ODB2 Unit.
I am always amazed at these sorts of stories. Sudden loss of compression in all 5 cylinders strikes me as impossible to have have as a result of changing a turbo. The Repair people not having a clue as to what they are doing - that I would believe. Some service people, who regularly work on Sprinters seem to do well. Others damage things and make you pay for their lack of knowledge.

I doubt that there was anything wrong with the original Turbo, but you probably had LHM and the service staff just decided to keep replacing things until the problem went away. It's why I do as much work as I can on my Sprinter (and my other cars - I find the 'keep replacing parts' mentality is at a lot of shops).
 

NORTON

Member
I am always amazed at these sorts of stories. Sudden loss of compression in all 5 cylinders strikes me as impossible to have have as a result of changing a turbo. The Repair people not having a clue as to what they are doing - that I would believe. Some service people, who regularly work on Sprinters seem to do well. Others damage things and make you pay for their lack of knowledge.

I doubt that there was anything wrong with the original Turbo, but you probably had LHM and the service staff just decided to keep replacing things until the problem went away. It's why I do as much work as I can on my Sprinter (and my other cars - I find the 'keep replacing parts' mentality is at a lot of shops).
I agree, I had a workshop foreman tell me that the reason my sprinter would not start was it had low compression in one cylinder,
 

shortshort

Dis member
I'll say it again: It may be that there are good, competent service departments out there, but the odds of it being your dealer are so infinitesimally slight that it's not worth the risk of taking a vehicle to a dealer for non-warranty repairs. Personally, even on a warranty repair, I'd be shopping for my next vehicle while they destroyed my current one with their incompetence. Again, not universally true, but the odds are it will go down that way.
 

copyman

2005 NAFTA 158 2500 HT
I bought a 2005 158wb tall that had not been taken care of could have planted a garden in the air cleaner. Motor lost compression on #1 so bought a used engine and deceided to change it out myself as I have done a lot of engines in Ford vans. Except for having to learn the way that the front end comes off it was easier that a Forn van. Love the way that the engine and trans come out together.. Point of knoweldge Change the Crank Position Sensor, While you have the engine and Trans seperated. I did not and had to go through heck because the one in the used motor had sezied . I would recommend changing the engine yourself as it is a breeze.
 

autostaretx

Erratic Member
jmoller99 said:
Sudden loss of compression in all 5 cylinders strikes me as impossible to have have as a result of changing a turbo.
Oooohhh... i can picture a number of ways:
(a) install (or break during installation) a broken turbo... 5 miles of shedding intake-stage blades (and dirt?) into the intake manifold could do it
(b) dump a handful of washers (where'd they go? they were here a minute ago?) into the intake
(c) carbon? black death debris dropped into the cylinders?

Incompetence and Mr.Murphy will win...
--dick
 
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Boater

New member
Oooohhh... i can picture a number of ways:
(a) install (or break during installation) a broken turbo... 5 miles of shedding intake-stage blades (and dirt?) into the intake manifold could do it
(b) dump a handful of washers (where'd they go? they were here a minute ago?) into the intake
(c) carbon? black death debris dropped into the cylinders?

Incompetence and Mr.Murphy will win...
--dick
It was jmoller99 you quoted, not Dennis who has been very careful not to say what he thinks, presumably out of professional courtesy.

I have to agree with you though, if the turbo had to be replaced the shop should have stripped flushed and checked the oil lines before fitting the new ones, plenty of documented cases of fragments of turbine being pulled out of the sump during such procedures - miss them and it's a game of russian roulette whether they make it around the oil system to somewhere critical. Broken piston rings? gouged cylinder? I don't know what is realistic but I can easily think of ways it _could_ escalate to loss of compression.

I'd be looking for a second opinion - to have 3 turn up in Colorado at almost the same time may be more than a co-incidence!
 

icarus

Well-known member
I think Dennis is sabotaging them! Seriously, the OP should look up Denis at Linden Engineering in Golden!

Icarus
 

A.Hayes

Member
Seriously, the OP should look up Denis at Linden Engineering in Golden!

Icarus
x2! The best thing you can do is get the van to Dennis ASAP. He is THE regional Sprinter guru in the rocky mountain states, and a very helpful contributor to the forum.

btw Dennis what ever happened to the dead tinny from the Write Ups?
 

lindenengineering

Well-known member
x2! The best thing you can do is get the van to Dennis ASAP. He is THE regional Sprinter guru in the rocky mountain states, and a very helpful contributor to the forum.

btw Dennis what ever happened to the dead tinny from the Write Ups?

In short I had to fix it quicklyl--Its running like a Swiss watch--made in Germany!!:thumbup:
I spilt the beans on the problem after describing a no start issue on a related threaded, SOooo!!!
I thought I would let the forum memory cells decay and do a write up quiz/article which should be out shortly.
This 2006 Tinny was the van from hell, the faults basically created by bad assembly by so called professionals in the business--Scary!!!

So sit tight and I will post it shortly.
Dennis
 

captainhoek

New member
Yes, I had it towed to Dennis/LinDen engineering. Its been there since Friday and he concurs there is "some" compression issues and I am awaiting a full report....
 

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