My Rumble Strip Noise has been muffled

sikwan

06 Tin Can
We had the Rumble Strip Noise (RSN) ever since we picked up our '06 140 new in March 2006. I can consistently duplicate the symptom by waiting for the transmission to shift into 3rd around 20mph and by modulating the accelerator lightly will cause a vibration to resonate the floor. This continued to happen until today with 9000 miles on the odometer.

I've read about incorrect ATF levels from the factory and also about changing the fluid to a different brand other than factory. Since it was easier and less expensive to check the fluid level, I decided to do that instead.

Today I had some time, so I went for a 10 mile drive. The first part was all freeway (65mph) and the drive back was all stop and go street. I figure this should be enough to heat up the transmission.

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The infamous $20 (I paid $21.48 which includes 8.25% tax) per quart of ATF fluid from a local dealer.

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I got this from http://europarts-sd.com for $51.17 (includes CA tax & shipping).

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P/N of dipstick.

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Level taken at 25C degrees when cold or 80C degrees when hot.

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Location of ATF access tube.
 

sikwan

06 Tin Can
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I removed the tab with a screwdriver. Good luck saving this part. It's only held on by a plastic nub protruding from center of the rectangular tab you see on the valve cover.

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I rotated the cap and removed the red tab using a needle nose plier.

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The tab removed from the cap.

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The underside of the cap and the o-ring in the fill tube.

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I removed the o-ring and cleaned off the adhesive.
 

sikwan

06 Tin Can
The o-ring was slipped back onto the cap.
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The red arrows show the plastic hook and where it snaps over the rim of the fill tube. The blue arrow shows the space where the sacrificial red tab slides between to prevent the hook from bending out releasing the cap from the fill tube rim.

The cap snaps back on to the fill tube with no problem staying on. You can slide the old or a new ($0.70) red tab back into its slot if you wish to lock the cap in place, but I didn't do this. I'll be checking the fluid again soon.

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The dipstick stops and does not go any further.

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With the engine running and the transmission in Park, the level was at the mid-point.

With the engine running, I had my wife shift the transmission into Drive while holding down the brake.
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With a warmed up engine/tranmission, the level was at the 25C degree level. :wtf: Too low! :thumbdown:

I decided to add just a 1/4 of a quart to see where that brings me and it was barely in the middle. I added another 1/4.

With the engine running, my wife shifts the transmission into Drive while holding down the brake.
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This is after adding 1/2 a quart of ATF. Maybe I have room for the remaining 1/2 quart? :thinking:

I went for a drive and tried to duplicate the 20mph symptom a number of times and am happy to say that my RSN has been muffled. The vibration use to reverberate the floor and the entire body of the van, but it's now just a soft groan that's barely noticeable. :rad: In fact, if I didn't have any experience on how and when the RSN occured, I wouldn't know it on this drive. :thumbup:

This really validates my suspicion about people using other brands of ATF fluid. My suspicion is that it may not be the fluid, but maybe the level that fixed their RSN. I mean who really checks their ATF level when their vehicle is brand new, especially one that doesn't come with a dipstick?

I won't really know for sure if this is a long term fix for the dreaded RSN, but at least for the short term my Sprinter doesn't make the RSN that I'm so use to. :D

:cheers:
Seek
 

nocky

Member
How many miles are on your van? And how much oil was added. Did the red plastic keeper break on you? Also do you remove the dipstick when done checking and put the cap back on? Sorry for all the questions.
 

sikwan

06 Tin Can
How many miles are on your van? And how much oil was added. Did the red plastic keeper break on you? Also do you remove the dipstick when done checking and put the cap back on? Sorry for all the questions.
Man, I wasn't even finish with my write up and there are questions. :laughing:

Nocky:

Please wait. Hopefully my write up can answer all your questions.

Thanks,
Seek
 

sikwan

06 Tin Can
How many miles are on your van?
Roughly 9000 miles.

And how much oil was added.
I added only 1/2 a quart. I might just add the full quart seeing that 1/2 a quart only went to the midpoint of the dipstick when the transmission was warm.

Did the red plastic keeper break on you?
Yes. I've read that if you're real careful you'll be able to reuse it, but I kind of doubt that.

Also do you remove the dipstick when done checking and put the cap back on?
Yes. The dipstick has to be remove because it doesn't sit flush with the fill tube. I put the cap back on, without the red (locking) tab. The cap actually sits snugly over the fill tube and it even comes with an o-ring.

Seek
 

Don Horner

2012 Unity IB
I saw the dipstick listed at Europarts on a thread on this forum for $59. Where did you get yours and how much did you pay? Also, I saw new caps and locks for $2.20 and $.70, if I recall correctly -- that's close, anyway. Is there any issue with violating warranty if you go in to the dealer with the lock tab missing?
 

sikwan

06 Tin Can
I saw the dipstick listed at Europarts on a thread on this forum for $59. Where did you get yours and how much did you pay?
I got it from europarts-sd.com for $51.17 after they initiated a price increase. They were selling them for $30-$40 initially, but after someone posted their solution for fixing the RSN on the yahoo list they were sold out before I could get my hands on one. Mine was on backorder (waited a month) and the gentleman said that they were surprised at the demand and had to charge an extra $5-$10 because of it. I didn't bargain for the previous price. I bought mine last summer, so it doesn't surprise me that there's another price increase due to demand.

It's still a lot better than paying the $80 that someone is asking for on Ebay. Maybe someone can start a group buy from Germany? :D

Also, I saw new caps and locks for $2.20 and $.70, if I recall correctly -- that's close, anyway. Is there any issue with violating warranty if you go in to the dealer with the lock tab missing?
I couldn't tell you about the warranty because I didn't find it express or implied in the owner's manual. Maybe someone here can better answer that question.

You can always install a new locking tab ($0.70 for just the tab because my cap is still usable) or have them check the fluid level when you take it back for servicing.

Seek
 

sikwan

06 Tin Can
Yesterday the temperature was 55F. This morning was a cold 39F (Brrrr!). After I dropped off the wife, I decided to go duplicate the RSN I had at 20mph just in case I was dreaming yesterday.

No matter how many times I've tried, I can't get it to rumble. I almost miss it now that I don't have it. :cry: :smilewink:

Seek

ps. Hopefully I don't jinx myself. :shifty: :laughing:
 

chaozz

New member
thanks for the info
and did your van have the Noise from day 1 or
devlop over time..
I have a production date van of may 06
1000 miles on it,no probs yet.

anyone call MB in the states to see what they charge for the part
or ask dodge?

If not ill do it monday..

i should be able to get these cheaper than Euro parts.
ill let you know.
 

Altered Sprinter

Happy Little Vegemite
Mercedes-Benz US Is a privately owned franchise, you'd be surprised how much grunt this guy has over the final say as to what he wants in an American Mercedes, Mercedes-Benz Germany will :bow: bow to his requests the Sprinter proper is a separate franchise via DC US, so you are limited in getting Sprinters parts from MB in the USA, unless the part is genetic to other Mercedes products, and many cases they are such as the auto trans! Problem is getting hold of the impossible interchange manuals for a ref/ to check it out. VW has the identical Auto trans in the transporter micro bus.
Richard
 

sikwan

06 Tin Can
and did your van have the Noise from day 1 or
devlop over time..
I've had it since the very first time I drove it off the dealer lot. Mine was a special order and we waited exactly 6 months to get it.

i should be able to get these cheaper than Euro parts.
ill let you know.
That'll be great if you can get a deal for everyone! :clapping: :thumbup:

Seek
 

chaozz

New member
ok my cost is 40 bucks
and no tax
not sure how much it weighs would guess under a pound
so priority mail in the states is $4.05
if under 13oz's i can ship first class mail
which would be under 2 bucks.
takes them 3-5 days to order it..this is direct from MB
Dodge told me that part numbers that start with A is generally
the ones they can get.and this is a W
 

sikwan

06 Tin Can
I had the opportunity to go for an extended drive today (roughly 30 miles mixed) to run some errands, have lunch, etc. When we got home, I had the wife step on the brake and shift the lever to Drive.

Looks like 1/2 a quart (16fl oz.) of ATF added the other day...
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...has expanded enough to reach just below the 80C area.

I topped it off again with an additional 4 fluid oz. 12fl oz remains in the container.
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You can see that the o-ring is doing its job because it has moved up the tube when extracting the cap.

I went for a test drive to replicate my 20mph RSN and again it's hard to produce the rumble. After 8 tries, I finally got it to do a slight groan for about a couple of seconds. It's certainly not like the violent vibrations I used to experience, so it's certainly something I can live with.

I'll see what happens during the warmer months. It was a cold 50F today.

:cheers:
Seek
 

georgetg

2005 140" low roof
Mercedes-Benz US Is a privately owned franchise, you'd be surprised how much grunt this guy has over the final say as to what he wants in an American Mercedes, Mercedes-Benz Germany will :bow: bow to his requests
Richard
Richard:
Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler Holding Company Inc., which is a subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler AG

In fact the new (Oct 2006) President and CEO of MBUSA Ernst Lieb, is the former President und CEO of DaimlerChrysler Australia/Pacific Pty. Ltd.

In his new role, Lieb will have overall responsibility for Mercedes-Benz passenger cars and Maybach in the U.S. He will lead MBUSA’s nearly 1,600 employees and 330 retailers throughout the U.S.

Prior to the founding of MBUSA, Mercedes-Benz cars were sold in the United States from 1957 to 1964 by Mercedes-Benz Sales, Inc., a subsidiary of the Studebaker-Packard Corporation. Max Hoffman was the first importer and retailer of Mercedes-Benz cars in the United States from 1952-1957

Source:
http://www.mercedesbenzcareers.com/highspeed/about_mbusa.htm
http://www.daimlerchrysler.com/dccom/0-5-7153-1-628516-1-0-0-0-0-0-8-7145-0-0-0-0-0-0-1.html

Cheers
George
 
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Altered Sprinter

Happy Little Vegemite
Hello George
My reference was towards franchise holders of out lets in the U.S not the ownership of the manufacturing base corporation.
I've been away too long and over the last six months have somehow forgotten where this was filed or it's been deleted as I am now retired:thinking: I think.

If for example in Australia My home state in the southern region.The Mercedes dealer ship is a privately owned business of franchises which sell Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Fiat, Citroen,Alpha Romeo, and a few other high profile makes, this organization dictates to as what will be sold to the public and to controlling sale prices and trade back prices etc, OK you don't have to deal with them , which I don't
Of course MB has a say in it, after all they're in it for as much profit as possiable,along with all of their tricks to take you for a ride at the end of the day.
AS to the same with DC and the Sprinter sold via both freightliner and Dodge outlets two separate identities selling similar lines.
It was interesting to note that the pressure was placed on freightliner to upgrade and separate facility's and separate show rooms for the Sprinter as the concessional thoughts, of the higher COE's was that the product (Sprinter) was not being sold in the manor of which D_B would have preferred as to the set up world wide with a Mercedes product, even though it's a re badged vehicle. in two separate ways!Dodge, Freightliner!.
It's the same with the Mercedes Smart orphan, a separate franchise agreement right down to a separate set of ways in configuration. as to How the Smart is to be presented for sale, which is why freightliner ended up getting the shaft, he who controls! "Has the power over everyone," no courts can, right or wrong, win on the way Mercedes, via it's networks! OK Damlier Chrysler is a separate division, with it's own COE's and decision makers.A separate identity to Mercedes Daimler Benz, but who pays the Bucks? D_B and they rule the roost.
An interesting old archival court case in the USA , this still goes on today with the same organizations, each to their own and god help any one that gets in their way.
A marriage of Convenience that was known to fail from the start, the court cases in the European courts are surfacing over the shareholders discontent of how this was manipulated and conceived to work prior to the corporation s take over.
A synergism of Management gone totally wrong.:idunno:
The Sherman's anti trust trade agreements are very specific as to how a business is supposed to act ! It was used against Both Chrysler and Mercedes with anti trading suites to collude and manipulate pricing between countries of origin from 1995 to 2002-3 by the European Justice commission.
Richard

ADDCA APEAL.jpg
94a0858p.txt
Mercedes-Benz dealerships change ownership, plan growth - South Florida Business Journal:
 

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SprintED

New member
May have to look into the fluid thing...I had the dealer do extensive checking of the RSN...the service manager came with me for a test drive and he even heard it. They checked codes etc.. and I told them to check the ATF fluid level...but whether or not they really did...who knows...?

My 05 did not have RSN until I had about 6000 miles on it and it began gradually and then became more frequent and easier to replicate and louder.
It has remained about the same for the last 15,000 miles.

Ed
 

Old Master

New member
Seek, although I've not experienced the RSN, I hope you will leave your post w/pics, and answers to questions in some archive in case we non-mech types ever need to review it. Thanks...very well done photos and write-up.

John
 

sikwan

06 Tin Can
Seek, although I've not experienced the RSN, I hope you will leave your post w/pics, and answers to questions in some archive in case we non-mech types ever need to review it. Thanks...very well done photos and write-up.
John:

Most of the discussions that you find in this forum will stay here in its original format. Something like an unabridged archive. The Sprinter-Wiki however will be the abridged version.

Seek
 

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