Turbo Resonator Problem

swolf

New member
Don't know if this is too late to be of any help, but perhaps someone else might find it useful....I found the following in the Wikipedia entry about Sprinters:

"Dodge Sprinter owners have been discussing a possible flaw in the "Turbo Resonator". Apparently, they are made of plastic and the seal at a seam fails, causing boost pressure to be lost and making the computer detect a catastrophic turbo failure. The engine computer then switches into "Limp Home Mode", limiting the vehicle speed to about 35 mph (56 kph). Because it is a seam leak, it is not visually obvious when the engine is off, yet it still causes the computer to detect a failure during operation. Some claim that DaimlerChrysler knows about this problem, but as of July 2006 there has not been any service bulletin to their dealers on this issue. Currently DaimlerChrysler is encouraging owners who have experienced Limp Home Mode to contact the Customer Service Center with data and particulars which will be passed on to the platform team engineers to facilitate a proper fix."
 

sikwan

06 Tin Can
Here's a picture of the new/old resonator that JRiordan posted in another forum.

tres.jpg

What was MB's reasoning behind the bigger size (volume)? Noise?

Thanks,
Seek
 

acvr4

New member
Could there have been a bad batch of these? I wonder what percent of them have gone bad compared to the total ? I imagine there are quite a few of them out there that have been fine.

Just wondering
 

jriordan

New member
Re: Pet Peeves with your Sprinter

Hi Richard and Old Master

Thank you for helping rearrange the location of my posts on the Sprinter Turbo Resonator problems. Despite the fact that I own a technology based company, I do not spend much time on forums and am therefore less than an expert at replying in the correct manner, etc.

In response to your request for an explanation on the problem please allow me to share some info with you. It is my understanding that this problem is found on late 2004, all 2005 and all 2006 Sprinters. 2003 and before did not use turbo resonators at all. I have not the slightest clue why they would have chosen to add this resonator to the system for the small amount of turbo noise it actually muffles.

The Sprinter chassis with its 2.7 liter Mercedes Benz turbo diesel engine is becoming increasingly popular with RVers and commercial users because of its great fuel economy and driver-friendly characteristics. However, the turbo resonator is one flaw in the engine design that has caused the Sprinter chassis to suffer an inordinate amount of breakdowns. If the truth were published, this is a HUGE problem, not a small one. It is especially troubling to RVers who use their vehicles to “get away from it all” only to find that after they did they are now hundreds of miles or hours away from help.

The turbo resonator is a plastic, bonded-together assembly intended to act as a “muffling” device for the intake air delivery system. This plastic assembly, in my opinion as a plastic injection mold designer, is not well suited for a high-heat, vibration and boost-pressure-rich environment. Reportedly on its third revision by the contractor who makes the resonator for Mercedes, some owners we have worked with are still reporting multiple failures, within less than 10,000 miles, each one leaving them stranded. Including failures of the last "new fix" design, released in 2006.

When the turbo resonator fails, usually under acceleration or climbing hills, the engine’s computer senses a lack of sufficient boost when compared with throttle position and assumes that the engine has suffered from a “catastrophic turbo failure.” The computer then puts the engine into “limp home mode” which means the vehicle may not be able to climb hills at all and is limited to about 35 to 45 mph, depending upon the weight of the vehicle. In many cases this results in the need for a tow truck to get back to a dealer who can fix the problem.

Not exactly a desirable feature in emergency medical services vehicles transporting critically ill or injured persons or specialized armored vehicles carrying precious cargo that cannot afford to become vulnerable. One of our clients who owns an ambulance company with a fleet of Sprinter based ambulances experienced turbo resonator failures on fully half of their fleet before converting them all over to our Resonator eliminator.

Recreational vehicles carrying family members trying to get away from it all are finding themselves stuck in out of the way places, miles from anyone who can help them. Winnebago "View” owner Larry Oslund found himself and his family in this situation three times in less than 9,300 miles. Larry told us, “This last time, we were traveling down the Interstate at 70 MPH with an 18 wheeler only 20 feet behind us when the turbo resonator failed and the motorhome did a nose-dive, went into the now familiar, ‘limp home mode’ and slowed to 35 mph instantly almost causing the 18 wheeler to crash into us". "Then", Larry continued, "Dodge told us there were only two five-star Dodge dealers that work on the Sprinter chassis in Mississippi, one in the North part of the State and one in the South. We were forced to drive 118 miles to get to the dealer, still in limp home mode, and then pay for a motel for five days while the Dodge dealer ordered the part and fixed the motorhome. Frankly, I believe Dodge should have to reimburse us for the vacation time lost and the motel costs". "Further", said Oslund, "I think DOT should look into this problem because it is incredibly dangerous. We are lucky to be alive.”

A quick search on google sprinter forums reveals instance after instance of these failures.

Realizing the extent of the problem and the lack of a solution that gained the confidence of owners, Dodge dealer service facility foreman Randell Stowe came to the James F. Riordan Company for a solution that could be offered to owners who wanted a metal part they could put in that would not fail. These sprinter owners, "did not want to see any more plastic parts." Our company, within three days, designed and produced the first prototype part that has now become the industry wide cure for all operators of Dodge Sprinter Vans and commercial vehicle chasses.

Dodge and Daimler Chrysler management and upper management I have spoken with are certainly acutely aware of this problem, even though many Sprinter owners have told us that their Dodge dealers who service the Sprinters have told them, "it is not a problem."

I believe Daimler Chrysler has tried, albeit perhaps half-heartedly, to solve the problem with multiple revisions but they are still using a two-part plastic assembly in a high temperature, high vibration and high pressure operating environment that I believe requires a metal part. As an injection mold designer, I know plastic parts and I know their strengths and weaknesses. I have cut apart each of the different Polycarbonate plastic versions and I still have not seen one that I would trust, especially in emergency vehicles or RV’s. In my opinion the design of the part is inappropriate for the application and pre-destines it to failure. For instance, the "beefy" side of the plastic resonator slips tightly into the output end of the turbo and is bolted firmly to the alternator bracket. That is ok. The problem is, the other end of the plastic assembly is simply bonded onto the beefy part and then slipped inside a long and rather heavy piece of intake rubber hose that is constantly vibrating. So, with constant vibration and heat, it would probably fail anyway in the long term but adding 20 inches or more of turbo boost pressure, in many cases, shortens the life of the plastic assembly dramatically.

The new SRE-06 resonator Eliminator, designed for our local Dodge dealer, is a high quality, high strength Billet aluminum replacement designed to last the life of the vehicle. It comes with clear and simple directions and takes about 15 minutes to install with only a small 1/4 inch wrench ( or socket) and a 5/16 inch wrench (or socket). Truly, anyone who can install a radiator hose will have no trouble quickly replacing this part. According to Dodge representatives with whom we have spoken, the installation of our part should not affect the warranty since it has absolutely no effect on the performance of the vehicle (other than to keep it running). None of our customers have expressed any problems with warranty coverage after installation of the Resonator Eliminator. Actually, the dealers themselves want to see their customers satisfied so they have no incentive to balk at replacement parts that keep customers happy without affecting the longevity or performance of their vehicles.

Presently we have literally hundreds of these parts installed in commercial Sprinter vans and chassis, ambulances, armored vehicles, delivery vehicles and RVS with thousands of trouble-free test miles on the Eliminator. Every customer we have spoken with is happy with the product.

The turbo resonator Eliminator is available at a growing number of Dodge dealers and from our company at www.riordanco.com and costs only $89.95 plus shipping (and tax for CA customers), not much more than a stock plastic part, and it comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. The peace of mind of knowing you will get out and get back without being stranded . . Priceless! Please feel free to call me personally for any more info or help. (530) 676-4729 If you have friends who have Sprinters, please help them avoid this problem as well and pass along this post.

The only other question I have had that has not been addressed herein is replacement timing. Some customers have asked, "Can I just buy one and carry it with me until I need it??" Of course the correct answer is, "yes", however the proper answer is, "yes . . . but, depending on your luck, would you rather replace it in the relative convenience of your own garage or driveway, or chance having to replace it lying on the side of busy freeway with traffic whistling by inches away or laying on your back in the mud and the muck?" Trust me, replace it at home BEFORE it goes out.

Thanks everyone, hope this was helpful and hope Richard can find the correct place for it! Best regards, Jim Riordan
 

Altered Sprinter

Happy Little Vegemite
Re: Pet Peeves with your Sprinter

Hi Jim

Thats one long post and I'm limited to time as I need to go to work soon , so I'll pick up on it to-nite.
In fact you have touched base as to the cause in many sections, interdenominational issues relate to the turbo seal failure so has Andy with the engine link on the 647Fuel Rail alert for type 647 engines - Sprinter-Forum.com
I need a little time on this as I'm not a mechanic , My expertise is standards and the US sprinter has a different set up to European and Australian Sprinters which don't have the problem but did on older 1996 to 2000 models in some areas, but the cause was identified and was not a design fault of the Sprinter to the original spec's
Question Jim do you have a photo of the plastic seal that's failed ? I would love to see it along with the backing plate it attaches to basically I need both photos in micro resolution format.
The DOT can only investigate a complaint in the event of an accident that links to mechanical failure as the contributor to the accident this takes a huge amount of expertise and money to report on the facts, the EPA would then be involved and you then have the next issues as to a third party link or links that may have been responsible towards the failure this would take 5 years in in a US court to instigate, cost millions of dollars and there would be no satisfactory outcome, even if a silk took it on pro-bona he would go broke, it's to contentious.
I'll run this to-nite.
Richard
 

BaywoodBill

pre-Yuppiedom
jriordan writes about his resonator eliminator very well but has anyone actually been "stuck" because of a resonator failure. From my own experience and from what I've read, the failure puts the engine into the non-turbo mode and you can still make about 60 mph on the level and 45 mph up typical hills.

While I'm still contemplating the purchase of one of the eliminators, I don't like to see such alarmist posting about it.
 

Altered Sprinter

Happy Little Vegemite
Hi Jim
Again thank you for your time to post the article for your turbo resonator replacement part I would think as you have stated it will prove to be more effective than the OEM part and I wish you the best for future sales, there will be many, The problem has been around from the very beginning of the introduction of the Sprinter to the N/American sector, as I have seen over the years many complaints over this very issue of failing seals on the resonator it's more than common that's for sure, as to how many have been an issue on the Sprinter! I'd assume X=unknown? however I agree it's been a problem for many folk.
The reason I would like to get my hands on a high resolution Photo is to run a spectrum test to see for myself, as to the information I have regarding the failures that M-B have.
to explain this a little further Sprinters in Australia have not been effected to any significant degree that would warrant investigation, since early 2003 prior to that back of 1998 there were issues on both the Sprinter and Vito's, the Vito was non turbo assisted, the Sprinter was both, engines had O ring failures, and a few Sprinters did blow the turbo units not the resistor, however this was fuel related as LSD was in use and the refineries were not up to date as they are today, even though Diesel is imported from Singapore its refined in Australia to met the Euro 4 Emission standards in fact in two states We have the pp/m down to 10/ppm to comply to Euro5 emissions same as bin 8 at your end, in California.
Emergency vehicles are 90% Mercedes Sprinters with no mechanical issues apart from normal maintenance they are optioned up to a H/Duty format with retro fitted dual air-con six speed automatics as to the Mercedes units causing too much vibrations in the engine department from the Harmonic balancers which was causing turbo seal leakages, from the vibrations generated from the cooling condensers in front of the radiator, this was for the year 2003 only. redesigned for Australia.
From the written reports I have seen in reference to the seal failure, the report stated crystalline salt layers of condensed Aromatic hydrocarbon build up of sulfate acids of 15 types of substances of particularization contaminates, ranging from soot to Metallic ash, with differences in the agglomeration of unburnt diesel particles.
Tests on Fuel from Europe and the US showed patterns of burn rates between 1400rpm to 4600rpm to vary as to higher temperature's, with detonation of N0x particle emissions.
The differences between European and US diesels where the Mercedes Engine is designed to run and burn at the higher rate with ULSD and the LSD US diesel showed a an increase of just over 25% to 30% with winter fuels in high and low burn rates of fuels.at the same rpm tests for the Euro fuels!
Secondary tests showed fatty amino acids and oils at the same seal! concluding the wrong fuels being used, the list went on , but that is all that needs to be said, my thoughts were the Board has a attitude problem with each of the two divisions, where one for argument sake is saying the engine mets the specifications we're not paying for a fix that's not the Sprinters fault where we have proved it's a contamination source.
The other side is denying responsibility and nothing gets resolved.
If this was taken to a court, in the event of an accident that could be proved on to the manufacturer, Then the blame game would proceed, DCX management would face serious questions in court, but the respondent would directly place the cause to both refineries and the EPA for not doing their job because of Senates indecision's to rectify fuel problems in the US.
The down side of the older Sprinters is they did not have a computer management system that recognized a high concentration of NOx to order up a higher fuel burn to keep the engine running at peak temperature's.
Even with the 2007 Sprinter it only has the particle trap emission exhaust , however with the 2008 Blutec unit this will be incorporated for the SCR Ammonia sensor,to pick up the temperature to order up the burn, it's now on the Vito's in Europe and the Sprinter is next in line.
Interesting point with the turbo shut down at 70 miles an hour ! there is no further turbo assist as your past the max range of torque for it to be effective I've been caught twice in the last month passing a truck on a country run thinking I had sufficient time to get by, accelerating is way to slow as there is no turbo response, drop back a gear and the rpm indicator goes to red line and the engine momentarily shuts down to almost zero rpm drop back behind the truck and the engine picks up to it's normal rpm but thats on a manual gearbox not auto?
Well the model is now history, lets hope the next one proves to be better.
Richard.
 

jriordan

New member
Dear Richard and Seek,

Wish I had the high res photos requested but at this time I do not. However, perhaps I can shed a little more light . . . . Every failed unit I have taken apart has been cut apart, longitudinally, in my machine shop to get a "cross section" look at the failure. In each case, without actual "lab level" tests, it apprears to us that the "point of bond", which I referred to earlier as a "seam" is what failed. Some have been major failures characterized by a separation of approximately 35% or more of the bond, while others have been minimal failures of approximately 5 to 10% of the bond. I have not personally seen one that broke completely apart but I have heard of that happening. Remember it takes only a tiny "area of failure" to lose enough pressure to trigger the computer. I have also seen one with a very tiny seam split that we could find only by pressurizing the device, that would trigger the computer only after the engine became warm and under load and then when the engine was stopped and restarted, the "check engine light " would be off and the vehicle would once again run fine until warm and under load.

Seek, my photo that you posted does show exactly where the bond fails between the two parts, I just do not have any close ups of a failed one. Sorry about that, we were more concerned with quickly providing a permanent fix than trying to detail exactly where or to what degree each part had failed. I actually quit "dissecting" them after I had examined a failed example of the very latest design and I remain confident in my explanation I posted as to the multiple factors involved in the failures. Further, many if not most of the failed parts would require that you actually put a small, thin wedge between the two parts of the assembly to pry them apart at the point of failure enough to allow the actual failure point of the bond to become visible if that makes sense. In other words, the "seam" or Bond failure can be virtually visually indectable without prying or pressurizing the assembly enough to make the two parts separate enough to actually be able to see the split in the bond. I will however, try to take some photos for the forum the next time someone gives me a failed one. (They usually "pitch" them)

In answer to other members' comments, while I may be considered "biased" by some, I hope that all of you will keep in mind that a Dodge dealer's shop foreman brought the problem to me for a solution and this part is certainly not a profit center for our company, just a product offered to help all of you avoid the problem.

In response to the member who pointed out that "some of them must not be failing" I of course agree. I have a broken back from an aerobatic aircraft accident (not my fault, rudder failure) and so I took the position that I would rather not chance getting stuck under the vehicle on the road if in fact it did fail. It would be great to be able to get the actual failure statistics from Dodge/Daimler, but I'm sure we will never gain access to those unless someone does indeed get injured due to a failure and the statistics become evidence, but I can assure you that it will be an abnormally high percentage of delivered vehicles when compared to other known defects.

Richard, I am impressed by your depth of knowledge and research on the causes, chemical analysis etc. I have not conducted such extensive tests but would like to leave you with a simple analogy. If one were to take a plastic cylinder and attach it firmly to the top edge of a table and then bond to the end of the cylinder an "end cap" with a piece of tubing formed into the center of the end cap and then, keeping the main part of the plastic cylinder well supported and firmly in place, you were to attach a fairly long piece of heavy rubber hose over the tubing on the end cap (creating a "moment" of force at the bonded area) and then begin inducing a constant vibration to the rubber hose, it is easy to see that the bond between the end cap and the well supported cylinder is the weak point and the focal point of the vibration. Now when you take the weight of the unsupported part of the hose times the length of the hose (the weight times the arm equals the moment of force on the bonded area which is in shear). Add heat. Now add internal pressure (boost) and now you have a device I believe is destined to failure. Had they instead bonded the two part assembly together lengthwise or longitudinally, instead of using a "butt joint" it would have borne the "moment", vibration and shear over the entire length of the part and probably would experience far less failures. At the end of the day, I still prefer a metal part in this environment.

Thank you for the opportunity to share this info, I believe a few years down the road it will be become a very well known problem. I will be happy to answer any more questions that will help. Best regards to all, Jim Riordan
 

Altered Sprinter

Happy Little Vegemite
JIM
again thank you for your information it is very much appreciated by the given evidence of all the forums I have looked at with Sprinter complaints, very little information come in from a manufacture or highly specialized mechanics or engineers etc.
The Billet you have, 'stands to perfect reason it will with stand heat', including torsion forces caused by resonance from other influences, Your alternative is the "industry standard to a quality product", something the Benz boys took pride in, until the famous merger in 1998.
The only reason I wanted to see the seal points on the resistor was to examine particle build up which forces to seal to open up, then I could make up my mind as to the reasoning of where the truth lies it's out of curiosity that keeps me interested with the darker side of the Sprinter.
Always late picking up on the interesting threads, I'm off to work
Thanks Richard,:clapping:
 
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jriordan

New member
Hi Richard,
Thank you for your kind words. I think I understand now what you are trying to observe. If I am correct, you would like to do a spectro-graphic analysis of the finite particles gathered around the inside of the failure point in an effort to determine whether there may be a chemical vs. material reaction that may be causing the split. While I believe we could gain info from such a test that would tell us what chemicals/particulates/compounds were exiting the area of the split at the time of the split, I am of the personal opinion as a plastic mold designer that there are no chemicals to be found in the resonator airflow, that would be in amounts significant enough to CAUSE the split or failure point since Polycarbonate is inherently resistant to darn near everything to the point that there are very few truly good adhesives for bonding it together that do not in fact MELT it together. Richard, I think perhaps this is one of the reasons that SOME of the resonators live longer than others, because the initial bonding of the two parts is SOOO important and some are initially bonded better than others. Still think if it had been a longitudinal bond instead of a "butt" joint we would not be seeing this problem. If I get one in hand that may fit your needs for analysis, I will pack it up and send it to ya. G'day mate. Jim Riordan
 

Altered Sprinter

Happy Little Vegemite
Hi Jim sorry we are on different time zones Yes the Spectro-graphics analysis
is correct Because I wasn't sure what you called them as to the England interpretation of America England and Australia! Each to our own, we call it a colour Spectrum analyzer even color is pronounced different so I have to keep checking on the US spell check thing which annoys me.
I understand what you are saying, and its that part that interests me, as I have fuel rail injectors fuel pumps and the back of the turbo data sheets showing the same contamination levels at different degrees , last port of call is the turbo connection to the exhaust outlet and it's there where it's showing a different patten with chemical changes that have varied through out engines different sections, Europe comes up clean in most cases except when your heading back into old ex communist territory's same pattern reoccurring, It's almost a pandemic from Canada down to South Africa, I'm not defending the Manufacture as you solved it then in a nut sheel so should have the management, my involvement was not because of the Mercedes engine but because of standardizing the fuel watch program that's supposed to voluntarily adhered to by the manufactures, it's not and has not since late 1999, political interferences are the problem there.
However because of what we were doing The Mercedes engineers knew what to do with the new Sprinters a small fortune has been spent on it's engine along with Chrysler's sun Diesel concept future engine with alternative Diesel bio-fuels along with a worlds standard fuel , the same for everyone, solves a lot of issues with manufactures trying to get an engine to run right instead of quick fix alternatives for different geographic areas.
If I can ever get a photo of it then I can do a simple test put the photo into negative and use a blue light as the back light color , it will show the same white pattern of contaminated or stress points of failure to help me determine the complete picture. I'm retired from all of this but the interest remains, so it's just a curiosity thing to satisfy an old mind that would love to see a closure on the issue.
Thanks for you time.
Cheers Richard
PS did you know it was deleted in some country's altogether? work that one out.
 
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jriordan

New member
Hi Richard,

If you would like to email me or snail mail your address to me privately, I will be happy to send you the next failed part I get and let you know from what state it came from in the US and that way you can test it or photograph it without the "crime scene haveing been tampered with" (;>)) And yes, I did know some countries are simply eliminating/omitting the resonator. It really does not reduce turbo noise much anyway in fact some of our customers cannot hear any difference without it. If you ever get over here you will have to visit Seek and I. Geographically we are only about 2hrs apart. I have plenty of room. Might even fly ya upside down on purpose! Best regards, Jim Riordan
 

Suba

New member
Hi Men I haven't read the entire thread here. I do have some input which might be valuable. I have an 04 Sprinter. I purchased one of Riordan's all aluminum turbo resonator units. It took about 1/2 hour for me to replace my old turbo resonator. The instructions that came with the unit are very clear and precise. I had no prior problems with my stock resonator, but decided that it was wise and prudent to replace the original unit. For me, I made the right choice. The unit from Riordan is a quality piece. I cannot hear any difference between the original unit and the replacement. I feel secure that I will never have a turbo resonator failure ever. I must say though that the original resonator is not a *cheap plastic* part. I feel the original unit is well constructed and has been designed for the intended purpose. I think that some Sprinter owners have exceeded the parameters of intended use, and as a result have induced undue stress on the resonator.There could have also been a bad batch of resonators. My feeling is that if you do not over load your Sprinter, of if you do not over boost your Sprinter, you will probably never have a resonator failure. Having said that, I fail to see why M.B. did not simply manufacture something similar to what Riordan has made. I feel the replacement resonator is superior to the original unit, however the original resonator is not doomed to fail IMO. My recommendation is to replace the original unit, if nothing more than for piece of mind. I am not affiliated with Riordan or anyone else. I think I went through this with my 1st post on this site, but I had a few skeptics, hopeful now you will listen to me. It is my opinion that the replacement resonator is worth the money and highly recommended.
 
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abittenbinder

Doktor A (864-623-9110)
I fail to see why M.B. did not simply manufacture something similar to what Riordan has made. I feel the replacement resonator is superior to the original unit, however the original resonator is not doomed to fail IMO.
This is not a "replacement resonator". It is an apparently rugged substitute for the resonator, but it is not a resonator-which MBenz strongly felt(by virtue of obvious $$ expenditure in design and manufacturing costs) was needed to control undesireable audible noise. Doktor Andy
 

Suba

New member
This is not a "replacement resonator". It is an apparently rugged substitute for the resonator, but it is not a resonator-which MBenz strongly felt(by virtue of obvious $$ expenditure in design and manufacturing costs) was needed to control undesireable audible noise. Doktor Andy ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yes, the replacement unit does not reduce turbo whine. From what I have read (this may or may not be true ) the turbo resonator was introduced starting with the 04 model. I hear no real difference between the stock resonator and the replacement. I don't claim to be a smart man, but it certainly looks like it cost more to manufacture the original resonator than the all aluminum billet unit. Mercedes was obviousely going for a refinement to quiet the turbo...however like I said I cannot tell any difference.
 
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jriordan

New member
Dear Suba, Baywood Bill and Dr. Andy,
First, Suba , thank you for your kind words. We do take pride in our work and as such try to deliver only quality products, regardless of what the nature of the product is. We work on everything from medical devices to armored vehicle devices, voice activated games to novelty items. In the case of the resonator eliminator, it is far more costly to produce our billet aluminum part than the plastic resonator. Suba, think about it this way, once the injection molds are fabricated, the design and fabrication of which is VERY expensive) the molded parts themselves are relatively cheap to produce in volume. While the plastic part looks more complex, and it indeed is, the COM (cost of manufacturing) per unit is much cheaper. Each billet aluminum part must be machined in several operations, then the mount arm is fabricated separately and then TIG welded (Tungsten/Inert/Gas) and then the assembly is prepped for shipment, so a lot more labor, machine time and material cost goes into each part.
Doktor Andy is absolutely correct that the eliminator is not a resonator. I also agree that MBZ probably thought the design of the plastic device with the resonator chamber (that chamber is what makes it larger) would reduce the turbo whine, but just as Suba says, all of our customers have noticed little if any difference in turbo noise after they install the billet eliminator. Andy, we all agree MBZ makes great vehicles. I just think in this case they miscalculated the value of a slight noise difference versus the huge decrease in reliability of this particular part. Again (please see my earlier post) if they had designed the same part but bonded it LONGITUDINALLY, then the intake hose clamp AND the turbo housing would have acted in unison to resist the vibration that results in shear (and as Richard pointed out) torsional loads that ,together with heat and boost pressures make most of the plastic resonators prone to failure. One recurring question seems to be "how many are actually failing?" Any of you members who would like to speak with our customers, who have fleets with vehicles that have failed in large numbers, are welcome to call me for their contact info and feel free to speak with them. I am in no way over estimating the failure rates of this part and I would be happy to put any of you in touch with people who can confirm in person for you just how many failures they have had.Bill, thanks for your comments. Incidentally, if any of you have any other things in your RVs that break or just generally are less than you want them to be, please let me know. If we can design a marketable product to replace it, we will pay you a percentage of sale. We also make Lexan driving light covers (after having broken both driving lights from road rocks) and custom brackets to keep the flat screen TVs actually in place when traveling on our MB Cruiser version of the Sprinter RV, (a photo of which RV you can see on our website). Please feel free to email me from the contac us page of our website as well, if you would like to communicate with me off-forum. I would be happy to hear from any of you, or help any of you.
 

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