Tips for filtering through good/bad sprinters

[billintomahawk]

Surf, Hope I didn't offend you...you are the real deal!
I didn't want you to get hurt, some have and it's always a sad story.
But, Hey, some nice choices, I want them all.

Like Patrick I'd go for #1.
For the same reasons.

https://www.amazon.com/Early-Bus-Transmission-Freightliner-Diagnostic/dp/B01JW5XTDI

The cap on the dipstick tube has a safety lock, red, that pulls out sideways and can be reinserted. It might be missing? Then the dipstick can be inserted. It kinda wiggles into place and does NOT go all the way in. So weird it's charming.

https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=48838

Check hot, idling, in park.
I did it all wrong and had to drain off a quart by pulling the plug.

That's always exciting.

Here are the parts sellers and small gods.

https://www.millionmilesprinter.com/

https://europarts-sd.com/

https://www.idparts.com/


bill

 

[Surf44]

@billintomahawk No offense here, Your post is exactly what I need to hear. Couldn’t thank these forums enough for the help you can find

I do like the look of the dually l, but my thinking was it would be better for stability in high winds, and better traction in snow and off-road. I didn’t think about it having different gearing and I figured the mpg couldn’t be too much less.

Also I do understand the cons of having the 158 vs the 140. Ive still been thinking over that. More leaning towards a 140 but wouldn’t pass a 158. I figure id have to get used to the bigger size of the 140 anyways so to have the extra space would be nice.

Could you tell me why you both choose the first one? Is it because the lower miles and description? That one does seem nice but I hate that theres a huge hole in the ceiling with an a/c and that its a little bit more expensive.

Any thoughts on the 3rd one 140? I do like the 140, he said no rust, and at 3-4k I would have no problem having to put an immediate couple thousand into it.

I do think the 140 would be best for what Im going to use it for (daily driver/travel) but they are hard to come by. Is there any sites you use for looking other than Marketplace and Craigslist?

 

[vanski]

I do like the look of the dually l, but my thinking was it would be better for stability in high winds, and better traction in snow and off-road.

Better stability in higher winds - yes
Better traction in snow - no, in fact opposite. But, I do fine in my dually in the snow. It’s all about the tires and knowing not to brake through the apex of the turn, down shift, on lock surfaces.
Better traction off road - certain situations, yes, possibly sandy situations where you need add surface area, but keep in mind rock chunks can get sucked between the 2 tires and shred not only 1 tire but possibly 2 and then if you’re like most of us you’re not carrying two spares.

I’ve done fine in my dually off road, but obviously not technical off-road.. it’s a box truck after all )

 

[Surf44]

Good to know about the duallys, and your right it is a box truck. Only thing I would be doing where traction is key is driving in mountains whether its snow or dirt/mud/rocks. Snow would be the most of that though, and really good to know dually wouldn’t help.

 

[220629]

... but I hate that there's a huge hole in the ceiling with an a/c and that its a little bit more expensive.
...

If it is a standard 14" x 14" square hole a vent can be installed.

It's the roof. Any hole in the roof can be resized or otherwise addressed DIY with sheet metal, sealant, and pop rivets. In my opinion you will want a rear vent of some type anyway.

I agree with Patrick of M FWIW. If you need the extra room of a 158 WB for conversion or other work then go for it. If not, the extra length can present some problems for parking. The problems aren't really bad, but worth considering for a daily driver. Our 140 WB T1N's are fine as daily drivers.

vic

 

[vanski]

Good to know about the duallys, and your right it is a box truck. Only thing I would be doing where traction is key is driving in mountains whether its snow or dirt/mud/rocks. Snow would be the most of that though, and really good to know dually wouldn’t help.

It’s all about physics (says a finance/Econ grad who dropped out of engineering school because he didn’t want to do anymore math classes).

The best snow car I ever owned was a front wheel drive 1984 Honda Civic. Then I wanted to be a bigger man on campus in high school and graduated up to a 1987 Toyota Landcruiser my senior year. Put some 31” bfg tires on it, got all my ski team race buddies in to head to practice, slammed it into a snow bank first trip.

 

[billintomahawk]

Surf,
For me it's the connection to the VW split window van/bus of yore.
The T1N 140 has become a cult vehicle that traces its shape and origin back to the rounded/egg shaped construction idea.

If you stare at an egg for a few minutes you get the idea and it's natural.

It's a wind cheating, fuel saving small space that forces you to economize and simplify.

Something like that...screams alternative/travel/adventure.

Maybe it's just me.

This build says it all....

https://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/2006-sprinter-conversion-for-work-or-play.62159/

Expedition portal has a classified section but it's usually pricey.

bill

 

[vanski]

PJ’s work is amazing. I followed a different thread of his, a build for someone else. His work was inspiration for my vision of a utilitarian box truck camper. empty space is usable space and many components of a camper build should easily transform given different use. He does this very well while maintaining superb craftsmanship.

 

[Surf44]

His van looks like he just drove off the lot! Crazy clean! I would be doing more of a typical vanlife build, but can definitely see the pros in having that setup.

I completely agree with the look of the sprinter, I have not test drove one yet but saw a 140 in town that was a little lifted with A/T tires and it looked sick! Really made me want to go out and buy one that day.

Having a real hard time finding any high roof 140s across the country.

 

[SprinterSnale]

I love my 158” ‘05 T1N. It’s awesome on Forest Serice type roads. Great on the steep inclines. 21mpg. Stable in cross winds, half loaded and especially at max GVW. Holds a camper setup and toys no problem. And it will parallel park downtown and daily drive till the cows come home. After some tire separation issues on my old 4 tire domestic Dodge, I’m happier with 6 tires on the ground. One rock stuck in the duals in 80k of driving, you will know in .1 miles of pavement returning from a dirt twirl. (And heck yeah, it looks cooler)
Third party professional vehicle inspection if at all possible.

 

[jackbombay]

keep in mind rock chunks can get sucked between the 2 tires and shred not only 1 tire but possibly 2 and then if you’re like most of us you’re not carrying two spares.

You can take one good rear wheel off the side with 2 good ones and put it on the side with 2 bad tires and not even have to get your spare out, I've seen my boss do it with a full sized ford truck, I assume it would work with a sprinter.

Turbos quit randomly, pretty rarely with the sprinters really. I've thought of swapping mine out preemptively, but its a fair bit of dough to do so...

 

[Larms]

I've been driving my 2005 158 WB 3500 since May. 452k miles on chassis. Around 135k on motor and transmission. It is my daily driver while undergoing its conversion. Body isn't perfect but no rust. I've put about 12k into the conversion and a little mechanical. Mostly preventative maintenance. I love the fact that it is a dually. Most of my trucks have been and I have never had tires torn because of a rock caught between them. I have been off road many times as well. On my most recent trip we averaged 24.6 mpg in 960 miles of driving. That was a combination of hilly and city driving.

 

[Garandman]

I love my 158” ‘05 T1N. It’s awesome on Forest Serice type roads. Great on the steep inclines. 21mpg. Stable in cross winds, half loaded and especially at max GVW. Holds a camper setup and toys no problem. And it will parallel park downtown and daily drive till the cows come home. /////

Overall length of a 158 is 263” - 23’11”. A 140 is 222” - 18’6”. Width of both is 78.5”. Our SWB Transit was 218” - 18’ 2”. LWB Transit is 236” - 19’8”.

Parallel parking spaces here and most places across the country are 240” - 20’. Some are only 18’ and “compact” spaces 16’.

Sometimes you can park a 140” (or SWB Transit) in a 20’ space (if there are smaller vehicles in adjoining spaces) but there is a reason why city dwellers buy 118’s.

No one should reasonably expect to parallel park a 158 in metro areas.

 

[Surf44]

Turbos quit randomly, pretty rarely with the sprinters really. I've thought of swapping mine out preemptively, but its a fair bit of dough to do so...

That seems to be the biggest problem that Im seeing. I have seen over 10 sprinters now for sale saying the turbo broke and entered the engine and now needs $8-15k new engine. Almost every thing I’ve seen on forums of engine replacement is because of the turbo shooting into it. Not sure if this is an across the board turbo diesel problem, but when looking at other diesels before I don’t recall the turbo being such a factor of total engine destruction.

I have been off road many times as well. On my most recent trip we averaged 24.6 mpg in 960 miles of driving. That was a combination of hilly and city driving.

How much of a difference is the highway speeds with the dually?

 

[220629]

The Sprinter Garrett turbos are generally very reliable, but they need proper oil and a proper oil supply.

My guess is that some, not all, of the turbo problems trace back to incorrect oil or oil supply problems. The oil tube narrows down to a fairly small orifice. Spinning up to the speeds that they do, the turbo is probably more susceptible to oil issues than some of the other engine bearings.

Some aftermarket filters have history of media collapsing, degrading or other issues. If the oil filter isn't seated all the way on to the cap spike, reports are that oil supply can be reduced. The O-rings need to be properly installed.

Properly Seat Your Oil Filter
https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22156

vic

 

[jackbombay]

That seems to be the biggest problem that Im seeing. I have seen over 10 sprinters now for sale saying the turbo broke and entered the engine and now needs $8-15k new engine.

Some clarification here. When the turbo fails catastrophically it is the shaft that fails, the shaft has the turbine wheel on one end and the compressor wheel on the other end, exhaust blow over the turbine wheel which makes the turbine wheel spin, which makes the compressor wheel on the other end of the shaft spin as well. This shaft is "supported" on a film of pressurized motor oil. The shaft spins at 200,000 RPM during heavy throttle application.

If the shaft breaks, motor oil, that is pressurized, will be pumped into the intake, some will make it through the intercooler (a radiator like item on the front of the van that cools the air compressed by the turbo before it gets inhaled by the engine) and it will make it into the engine where it will happily burn and make the engine spin. This is a positive feedback loop commonly referred to as a "runaway", the only way to stop it is to cut off the supply of air to the engine. They do seem pretty rare on sprinters. They can wreak havoc on an engine...

Almost every thing I’ve seen on forums of engine replacement is because of the turbo shooting into it. Not sure if this is an across the board turbo diesel problem, but when looking at other diesels before I don’t recall the turbo being such a factor of total engine destruction.

Happens on older VW TDIs somewhat regularly.

How much of a difference is the highway speeds with the dually?

You can go the same speed, the engine will just be spinning faster to do so.

 

[Surf44]

I understand how a runaway engine happens, but every sprinter I see for sale or read about has catastrophic failure from I'm guessing the turbo fins shearing off and getting sucked into the engine. Most usually say the turbo broke and scored the cylinders.

I haven’t owned a turbo diesel, but did own a turbo 4 cylinder car, so I have a little knowledge on how they work like the intercooler and wastegate.

Is there a reason why these engines are usually just replaced completely and not rebuilt like you would do on any other engine? This may be a simple question, I have never had to rebuild an engine, but on my previous vehicles most of the time if there is a fault with the engine you would just replace the broken part (head, valves, rods, ect.) and rebuild the engine with new gaskets and whatever.

The more I keep looking at these sprinters the more I keep seeing new engines being put in everywhere. This could be a stupid question and I mean no disrespect and correct me if im wrong but how exactly are these sprinters considered so bulletproof? Unless they get a bad wrap because of the amount of stress commercial owners put them through and any car would do the same. But from what I see for sale and read about these seem like they can be extremely hit or miss with the reliability.

You can go the same speed, the engine will just be spinning faster to do so.

Yea I should’ve know that answer, I meant what the gear ratio difference is and what rpm difference. And was wondering what speeds @Larms was going.

 

[Zundfolge]

You're getting a very skewed sample size in your assessment. Remember that there are 10's of thousands of sprinters chugging happily along who aren't posting on the internet about it. You will only read about failures, not successes. Maintenance maintenance and more maintenance.

I think it's accurate to say that there are a good number of sprinter owners who do not exact the level of care necessary to keep them happy and running well. It's not a Toyota 4 cylinder which will take just about anything, but it's also not an especially high maintenance vehicle. Turbo diesels in general are a little more "alive" then your average animal, so owning a sprinter takes more care. Period.

That said, it's NOT hard to ensure that it gets the level of care necessary to keep it and you happy and on the road. There is enough information here and thankfully some very experienced and caring individuals that will help you the whole way.

I agree with Vic above FWIW that many turbo failures, on Sprinters or any other turbo vehicle really, relate largely to engine oil management. No one is really pumping more boost/fuel into a sprinter than it's meant for, so basically yeah, oil. Keep up on your OCI, do an oil analysis from time to time, and keep up on all your PM. At least that's what's been working for me for over 100K...

 

[vanski]

seems like there could be a correlation of turbo failure to people not seating their air filter correctly; debris gets by, hits the turbo blades, blades become a little bent which then makes them wobble, the wobble creates a failure in the bearing.. BOOM, blown turbo.

 

[jackbombay]

seems like there could be a correlation of turbo failure to people not seating their air filter correctly; debris gets by, hits the turbo blades, blades become a little bent which then makes them wobble, the wobble creates a failure in the bearing.. BOOM, blown turbo.

Poor air filtration usually results in worn compressor blades, the leading edge literally wears away and changes shape, it would take a rather large and "heavy" item to bend the blades on the compressor wheel.