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Fed Ex Sprinters
I was visiting my sister today and a friend of hers who is a Fed Ex mechanic dropped in. He was driving a diesel Volvo so we started talking diesel. He gave me the scoop on Fed Ex Sprinters. They get about 40mpg as opposed to 10mpg for their previous vans. They tested them by buying 50 unassembled ones and shipping them into the country as parts. They liked them so ordered a hundred thousand or so. Then Mercedes had to meet US emissions so added the necessary equipment including EGR's. They've had quite a few problems with the EGR's and other pollution equipment and they go through a lot of tires and brakes but they are very happy with them. They have over 150k miles on a lot of them. He also said they had three in their local fleet fail because an o-ring in a fuel regulator broke. They couldn't replace just the o-ring so had to buy the complete $270 regulators. He said the diagnostic procedure is simply to plug in a laptop and everything appears on the screen or printout including the compression numbers. A far cry from the 617's in the 300d's.
Can you imagine the fuel savings that Fed Ex must be seeing by switching to them? He also said that next year Fed Ex will be introducing a diesel/electric hybrid in the 10,000lb range. I could have sworn I saw a Sprinter at a Plymouth dealer today with a Chrysler logo on the front and not a Mercedes.
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1977 300d 70k--sold 08 1985 300TD 185k+ 1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03 1985 409d 65k--sold 06 1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car 1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11 1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper 1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4 1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13 |
#2
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Re: Fed Ex Sprinters
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Now if they would just make a Unimog with that drive system
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"If anyone knows other lessons I need to learn, please tell me. I'm tired of learning them the hard way". by JerryBro The Glow Plug Wait: This waiting period is a moment of silence to pay honor to Rudolph Diesel. The longer you own your diesel the more honor you will give him". by SD Blue My normal daily life; either SNAFUed- Situation Normal... All Fouled Up, or FUBARed- Fouled Up Beyond All Repair 62 UNIMOG Camper w/617 Turbo, 85 300SD daily driver- both powered by blended UCO fuels |
#3
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A vendors rep came to the plant the other day in a Sprinter set up as a "display" vehicle for their line of oil flowmeters, pump and shaft seals. Anyway, got to talking to him about it and he stated he is getting 22-24 mpg. The whole time they were on site they kept the engine idling with the a/c going wide open. They had a little circulation fan in the back where the "display" was set up. I got him to let me take a look at the engine. Man, that thing would be sweet in a W123 bodied car. It looked like everything was pretty straight forward as far as maintenance and I believe I saw an electronically controlled wastegate. With the electronics in this car wonder how much more trouble it would be to control the wastegate using the exhaust gas temperature as a controlling factor. I could not, for the life of me, see the "connection" for the egr system. I guess it is near the back of the manifolds? Plumbing for turbo/intercooler/intake was neatly laid out.
Here is something that is pretty sweet. http://adcache.rvtraderonline.com/3/6/8/40071068.htm I any of ya'll come accross a wrecked Sprinter that they are parting out please let me know.
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Jim |
#4
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I was talking to our FedEx guy about the Sprinter. His only beef is that the FedEx garage doesn't have a tire balancing machine, so after wearing out the first set of tires, it shakes like hell going down the road. No other complaints.
And yes, I heard that Dodge would be selling them also, but haven't seen one yet.
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Palangi 2004 C240 Wagon 203.261 Baby Benz 2008 ML320 CDI Highway Cruiser 2006 Toyota Prius, Saving the Planet @ 48 mpg 2000 F-150, Destroying the Planet @ 20 mpg TRUMP .......... WHITEHOUSE HILLARY .........JAILHOUSE BERNIE .......... NUTHOUSE 0BAMA .......... OUTHOUSE |
#5
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The old obsolete Dodge B series vans are soon to be no more. The Sprinter will also be sold under the Dodge nameplate as its replacement. This year, they are being sold side by side.
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#6
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Palangi,
I saw a Dodge-badged Sprinter on a dealer lot in (I think) Weatherford last Sunday. It was a short body version. They're being marketed under the Freightliner and Dodge brands. http://www.freightliner.com/brands/sprinter.asp http://www.dodge.com/sprinter/index.html?context=homepage&type=top
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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm. |
#7
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Saw one today at the Wisconsin State Fair, not a cargo version though, more set up like a 16 passenger van, with windows.
Gilly |
#8
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Re: Fed Ex Sprinters
Quote:
http://www.daimlerchrysler.com/index_e.htm?/environ/report2002/c3_e.htm
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"If anyone knows other lessons I need to learn, please tell me. I'm tired of learning them the hard way". by JerryBro The Glow Plug Wait: This waiting period is a moment of silence to pay honor to Rudolph Diesel. The longer you own your diesel the more honor you will give him". by SD Blue My normal daily life; either SNAFUed- Situation Normal... All Fouled Up, or FUBARed- Fouled Up Beyond All Repair 62 UNIMOG Camper w/617 Turbo, 85 300SD daily driver- both powered by blended UCO fuels |
#9
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Wish they would come up with one based on pouring wvo into a tank and changing filters every now and then.
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Jim |
#10
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Quote:
__________________
"If anyone knows other lessons I need to learn, please tell me. I'm tired of learning them the hard way". by JerryBro The Glow Plug Wait: This waiting period is a moment of silence to pay honor to Rudolph Diesel. The longer you own your diesel the more honor you will give him". by SD Blue My normal daily life; either SNAFUed- Situation Normal... All Fouled Up, or FUBARed- Fouled Up Beyond All Repair 62 UNIMOG Camper w/617 Turbo, 85 300SD daily driver- both powered by blended UCO fuels |
#11
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Hybrid gone sour
This is from a friend of mine that drives for Valley Transit in Phoenix.
Hehe...I bet those turbines would run just fine on fry grease.
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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm. |
#12
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A friend of mine is getting seriously interested, and wants me to go with on a test drive here in the next month or so. I'll let ya know what we think when we do.
Anybody have any insight to the 5-cyl diesel engine in the Sprinter? Is it the old 617 engine resurrected, or a whole new design?
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past MB rides: '68 220D '68 220D(another one) '67 230 '84 SD Current rides: '06 Lexus RX330 '93 Ford F-250 '96 Corvette '99 Polaris 700 RMK sled 2011 Polaris Assault '86 Yamaha TT350(good 'ol thumper) |
#13
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Whole new design from what I gather. The Mercedes engineer I talked to a few months ago who worked on the 617 and the new ones, said the new ones were MUCH better.
__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08 1985 300TD 185k+ 1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03 1985 409d 65k--sold 06 1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car 1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11 1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper 1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4 1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13 |
#14
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EGR elimination
Does anybody know if the EGR can be removed on the new sprinter? I would like to be able to have the sprinter idle and with the EGR this does not appear feasible. This van will be used for off road use only.
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#15
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I believe I read on a Sprinter forum that a plate can be made to fit under the EGR valve, but I think this was a temporary measure allowing the vehicle to operate in a 'limp' mode until a repair could be made.
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1977 300d 70k--sold 08 1985 300TD 185k+ 1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03 1985 409d 65k--sold 06 1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car 1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11 1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper 1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4 1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13 |
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