Professional Tuning ..Emulators .. Deletes ..STAGE 1? Ncv3 2010+

CaliSprinter

New member
Hi Guys,

I have a NCV3 2011 sprinter with 200k miles and I had a check engine for def heater(I had it for over 2 year and finally got to fixing it ) so I replaced it but soon afterwords i was awarded with a limited starts message. Coincidently it came at the time when I needed the van and I needed to get a rental truck to not risk the countdown to go to 0.

Not wanting anything like that to ever happen again I sent my ecu to get tuned for dpf , Def,no starts, "stage 1" and the whole 9 yards .
It came back and the van would shut off completely randomly when testing it less than 1/4 mile. The tuner would not reply back to me so i found another tuner claiming is the best of the best and of a select few that has subscription, passwords, and access to the mercedes database.

So I sent to the second guy now in hopes of just getting bad luck the first time around and second guy sends it back. I put it in but the car feels very weak as the turbo is barely engaging and I'm showing high load(80-90%) when driving normally on flat land but atleast its not shutting off randomly .

I expressed my concerns and the tuner had told me that my car he thinks my car has a lot more problems than I think and to get them fixed .
I am pretty hands on and know my car very well pretty much do all maintainance and minor repairs my self . The only problem I had was a def heater code p202a, but the car did sit for a few months as this was all getting done (yes few months) and I did replace the turbo and actuator so i had to give him the benefit of the doubt.

I went to 4 mechanics including two that I personally knew to get opinions and all 4 thought that the ECU related problem. . The c3 my friend had was unable to perform simple tests of any kind (i was hoping to test the turbo actuator) and it was showing the voltage on ecu as 15.1 but the car voltage is 14.1 :thinking:via crawled to the alternator and confirmed indeed the voltage is 14.1


So I just tell the 2nd tuner to put the factory software on the ecu as I found another tuner that's local.

Fast forward I installed it today and key turns says 9 starts left on screen but no crank and no start whatsoever :yell:


Now this section is dedicated for the sprinter emissions police with the white sprinters commenting there 2 :2cents: about deletes, boring threads to the point of extinction with words that i truly don't give a damn about. I beg you, go comment elsewhere and leave this thread alive :rad:


I'm all out of ideas. I beg :bow: the Spritersource community for their help.
 
Last edited:

Montucky

Active member
I'm not a tech, but I'm an engineer:

My rule #1 - Software can never truly fix fundamental hardware problems.
My rule #2 - Software can cause many hardware problems (witness 737 MAX)

You have a multi-faceted problem compounded by the swapping of ECU's in and out. I think you're on the right track by re-installing the factory ECU, but now it's a matter of falling back to the fundamentals - chasing down your no-start condition and getting yourself back to a running engine. Once you're up and running, then you can chase down and analyze the issues that might be related to the performance hit you're experiencing.

That's my $0.02. Best of luck!
 

Midwestdrifter

Engineer In Residence
Attempting to find the cause of your issue will be incredibly difficult with all the possible software issues that the tuners could have created. Your best option is to try and get the ECM back to factory programming. MB may be able to do this, otherwise you need to find a used unit, and have someone program it to match your van. From there you can address what the issues may be. Software, hardware, or both.
 

lindenengineering

Well-known member
I'm not a tech, but I'm an engineer:

My rule #1 - Software can never truly fix fundamental hardware problems.
My rule #2 - Software can cause many hardware problems (witness 737 MAX)

You have a multi-faceted problem compounded by the swapping of ECU's in and out. I think you're on the right track by re-installing the factory ECU, but now it's a matter of falling back to the fundamentals - chasing down your no-start condition and getting yourself back to a running engine. Once you're up and running, then you can chase down and analyze the issues that might be related to the performance hit you're experiencing.

That's my $0.02. Best of luck!
I agree in less engineering terms its called "base line the engine and its vital functions first"!
Remembering today that the exhaust system is an integral past of the engine and not merely a length of pipe with a chrome tip on it as it was!
And yes on the MAX fiasco!:thumbup:
Dennis
 

turbo911

Well-known member
do you mind saying who were the tuners. hope ypu sent them an ecu that was free of dtcs and if there were you cleared them beforehand. fyi i have a tuned vehice(jr tune from aarodriquez) stage 2 dpf delete. even tho claims are for gobs more horsepower, torque and fuel mileage the vehicle has 170k miles and i don't believe i will see any of those benefits. but all egr and dpf issues are gone. i still am on a strict routine of maintenence and use a biocide and fuel system cleaner
 

hippy

Hardware Modifier
When you say cut off completely do you mean all dash lights etcs? I'd say then a loose wire or maybe a bent pin?
My van cut out a few times when I first got my van, it was the key.
It came with 2 keys, one of them was dog chewed. It had dislodged the little laser emitter causing it to turn off and sometime back on again.
If you get stuck and you can get the rom off the ECU there is a trusted guy here in the UK that might be able to help.
Have you changed the fuel filter recently?
Cheers
Mark
 

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