Very noisy under low power when very cold

[brewfox]

Is this just a sprinter issue? It got down into the teens recently and when I try to accelerate (or reverse), I have very little power, and it sounds like someone threw a wrench in the engine. I can pump it a bit, and get it going, then there's no sound or problem. When I have to stop, same problem, until I drive for 5-10 min. Then everything is fine.

This only happens at temps < 20 or so. Should I let it idle longer? I read idling is not the best for these things.

 

[SneakyAnarchistVanCamper]

Does it sound like you're driving over some rumble strips? No?

If you are hearing metal clanking noises, I recommend to immediately have it towed to a shop. You're gambling with a $4,000-$12,000 investment (the engine). I honestly think you have a serious problem, metallic clanking noises from the engine are never something to expect or tolerate, in any car. It calls for an immediate pull over and cease of engine operation. People often turn a $500 job into a $5000 job just by driving it a little further.

What oil weight are you using, and when was the last time you checked the oil level?

Have you checked how dirty your air filter is? Glow plug connectors dirty, or glow plug light staying on?

Is it a typical engine knock sound (see: youtube), or does it really sound like a wrench in the engine? Sorry to say but you've got me worried with your description.

 

[brewfox]

Just got the oil changed with synthetic 5w-40.

I might have exaggerated the noise. It sounds like some cylenders aren't hitting, so the ones that do sound super noisy (like a louder version of the regular diesel ticking). Since it's not continuous and rythmic like its supposed to be, it sounds super odd.

I can baby pump it to get moving a little. There is very little power when first starting. After 1500 RPMs or so the problem stops (or once it warms up a bit).

It does feel like oil isn't getting up in the cylanders, or some are stuck, or something like that. I'm new to driving when it's this cold.

 

[talkinghorse43]

What year T1N do you have? Any CEL? Does the glowplug light stay on for a while after starting?

 

[brewfox]

I have a 2005, 250k miles 2500. No Check engine light or other warning indicator. Glow plug light doesn't stay lit after starting. Seems to start just fine after waiting 15 seconds or so for the 'preheating' light to go off. No problem at all in temps > 20 degrees or so.

One thing that is a little strange...if I watch the dash when the car is off, the preheating light will flicker for the briefest instant maybe every 3-6 minutes (I haven't timed it).

 

[talkinghorse43]

Since your preheating light is flaky, then your issue may be due to a problem with the glowplugs - your symptoms seem to suggest some glowplugs aren't heating. All my glowplugs are dead, so I preheat using my aux. heater for about 30 min. before attempting to start at ambient less than ~50F. If you have an aux heater, you could try the same the next time the weather is very cold.

 

[Old Crows]

If it's running fine when hot and it does start.... It is likely the cold weather. Cold things don't work like warm/hot things. Motor oil, tranny oil, bearing grease, dif fluid, rubber tires are always stiff and viscous at lower temps.

FWIW, in cold weather our '14 View with the V6 is sluggish and a bit louder until it is driven a short distance of 3-5 miles.

(Yes, in Texas..."cold" is like below 50F)

 

[220629]

I have a 2005, 250k miles 2500. No Check engine light or other warning indicator.

Normally, your 2005 OM647 engine triggers a MIL aka CEL when glow plug system problems are DETECTED by the monitors.

Glow plug light doesn't stay lit after starting. Seems to start just fine after waiting 15 seconds or so for the 'preheating' light to go off. No problem at all in temps > 20 degrees or so.

There is no "Glow Plug dash coil stays lit" warning dance in the OM647 control scheme. That is an OM612 engine thing.

One thing that is a little strange...if I watch the dash when the car is off, the preheating light will flicker for the briefest instant maybe every 3-6 minutes (I haven't timed it).

That is a bit strange. It may indicate a connection or harness problem somewhere.

As I said in my reply above, there is no dash Glow Coil dance for OM647 engine issues. The ML aka CEL is triggered for faults.

...

(Yes, in Texas..."cold" is like below 50F)

Shiver me timbers.

vic

 

[brewfox]

Still not sure what this problem is. Is seems to be a little worse now, even at temps around 35-40, I lose power, but don't hear the same extra loud pinging I do at extremely low temps. It's def acting like oil isn't getting where it should be on cold starts.

 

[SneakyAnarchistVanCamper]

You gotta get it scanned and take it into a shop. Ignoring bad noises is just about always a costly mistake.

Does it smoke any at startup? White-ish, grey-ish, but not black? I think you're experiencing knocking from some faulty glow plugs. Test resistance on the glow plugs if you can't get a scanner. But you really should have a scanner onboard if you rely on your sprinter. Seek advice for glow plug removal, soak in wd40, only remove from a hot engine, use back and forth gentle movements. The glow plug light would only stay on that long if you were in colder weather or you had a glow system problem I think. At 35F my glow plug light stays on for 3 seconds max.
What does your ambient air temp sensor read compared to the local news?
This is a wild guess almost but if a hydraulic valve adjuster had a problem, the piston might hit the valve and ping.

Uplug MAF, see if that fixes it. View live data for all sensors. I would take it into a shop before it blows up. Knocking and pinging is not good for a sprinter!

If oil weren't getting to your cylinders, say with a clogged piston cooling jet, I would think you would hear more of a scrape than a ping, the starter would have a hard time turning the engine, and it would have probably already seized or blew a piston, but I'm not an expert. Here's an example of what this scenario would be like: https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16774

 

[brewfox]

I played with this a bit more, and now think there's something wrong with the transmission/link.

In park, I can rev the engine just fine, no noise, no problems. When I put it into reverse or drive, I can hit the gas and not have anything happen, no rpm increase, no movement, no noise. Then I can baby it into doing something.

There's a little rubber transmission mount piece (about the size of my fist), that a mechanic said was incredibly worn. Could that cause a bad link when cold?

It seems like this problem is showing up at slightly warmer temperatures than before.

 

[brewfox]

I did notice a fair amount of white smoke this morning on startup.

3 seconds on the glow plugs sounds about right.

I have a scanguage, but not sure which sensors to look at, just temp sensor? Is that the one on the dash? Seems to be about right, sometimes a little warm, but I figure that's if my interior warms it up a bit maybe? No check engine lights.

 

[SneakyAnarchistVanCamper]

Test resistance on each glow plug, and test voltage at the glow plug connector. White smoke is unburnt fuel and you shouldn't ever have a fair amount of it. "If it's smokin it's broken."


"When I put it into reverse or drive, I can hit the gas and not have anything happen"
Maybe the hanger bearing or driveshaft is seized somewhere? Or the diff is blown?

 

[brewfox]

I'm in cali now and no more cold weather...however my battery intermitantly drains down to enough to crank a few times, but not enough to start. I hear a clicking sound every few min when this happens. I want to see if that's also times with my glow plug light coming on, or something else. Clicking seems to be behind the glove box, haven't opened the hood to hear it yet.

where are the glow plugs to measure resistance?

 

[SneakyAnarchistVanCamper]

Ah, not good, but fixable. You can damage the sprinter by driving on a low battery. First off I recommend to go to an auto store, have them charge and load test it. If the battery checks out ok, you'll need to do a parasitic drain test (see youtube) after the sprinter has sat for 20 minutes key off to find what's draining the battery. If the starter battery is connected to the house battery, disconnect them to simplify troubleshooting. The glow plugs are a less important issue than your starter battery, so focus on the battery/parasitic drain.

http://aie-services-2.net/Sprinter/ is where you can find the manual. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHlc65arzSg shows the glow plugs.

Do not attempt to remove the glow plugs unless you are sure it has failed and you have done due dilligence and use extreme care (penetrating oil, back and forth motions, remove plugs from hot engine only). You can stop the sprinter from running and ruin your engines head in one minute if you aren't careful and they're stuck. Some come out easy. But more likely it is the fuse in the glow plug module, which is a small plastic box under the battery. To start glow plug diagnosis you need resistance of glow plugs key off, and voltage at glow plug connectors key on.

 

[brewfox]

Thank you so much!! i will troubleshoot in your recommended order.

I'm hoping that the drain is also something to do with the glownplugs. The glow plug light is still coming on for a split second with the engine off every 5 min or so...I'm thinking if the module is actualky supplying voltage to the plugs that could be enough to drain the battery overnight. After sitting for 24 hours or so, the batery was completely dead today.

I recently took it to a sprinter mrchanic who said they solved all the parasitic drain issues, but this one must be intermitant, or lota of high-current split second drains.