Unsolvable engine problem! Help please - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Mhetherington120 · #1 03-26-2012, 04:59 AM

Hello, hope someone can offer me some advice on a problem that I can not seem to fix neither can Mercedes!
Mercedes sprinter 318 2007,
Since I have owned this van I have had to get 1 Injector renewed, new heater plugs and control unit, new fuel filter, diesel cleaner.
All of this was recommended by my local Mercedes dealer to try and fix the ongoing problem of.....
- bad starter in morning on cold day as well as a warm day ( engine turns over for about 5 seconds before eventually firing up.)
- during normal driving engine note will all of a sudden go lower and the engine will run a lot quicker than I feel it should, when this happens I am getting medium amounts of blue smoke through exhaust. Averaging 320 miles to a full tank
Many thanks in advance. Mark

Stretch · #2 03-26-2012, 01:49 PM

Hi Mark,

Welcome to the forum.

If I were you I'd send a PM to a forum moderator to get your thread moved to the diesel section.

How many miles has the sprinter done?

What sort of use does it get? Are you doing a lot of short journeys / stop start deliveries?

Do you always use the same fuel station?

Do you happen to know whether you've got a diesel particulate filter (DPF) fitted to your vehicle?

Your second problem sounds to me like it is going through an engine management cleaning routine - I could be wrong as I'm more familiar with the old stuff but it sounds like that to me.

As for the first problem I'd look at battery health / starter motor health. Have they measured the cranking speed of the engine?

Mhetherington120 · #3 03-26-2012, 05:34 PM

Thanks for your reply mate.
129000 miles.
I've only owned the van 3 months. I probably do about 10 - 15 miles per day. Each journey would be about 4 miles. I do the often long run of 40 miles once a week to make sure dpf is getting up to temp.
Dpf has just been regenerated by merc and it's apparently in good condition.
I use shell diesel optimax which is supposed to be the cleanest diesel available in my area.
Trying to find how to pm a moderator!!!! Thanks again.

daddi · #4 03-26-2012, 05:38 PM

I had the privilege of finding and fixing this problem in a 2006 318. After some measuring i saw that the charging current on the battery was only 13,4 volts, thinking the alternator was bad i measured the voltage on the alternator. It turned out to be 14,2 volts. After examining the cable that runs from the alternator to the starter and to the battery it seem's to have suffered some overheating so i replaced it, and voilla all engine and electrical gremlins disappeared even the glow plug light behaves.

engatwork · #5 03-26-2012, 05:58 PM

Welcome aboard Mark

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Stretch · #6 03-27-2012, 03:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mhetherington120

Thanks for your reply mate.
129000 miles.
I've only owned the van 3 months. I probably do about 10 - 15 miles per day. Each journey would be about 4 miles. I do the often long run of 40 miles once a week to make sure dpf is getting up to temp.
Dpf has just been regenerated by merc and it's apparently in good condition.
I use shell diesel optimax which is supposed to be the cleanest diesel available in my area.
Trying to find how to pm a moderator!!!! Thanks again.

From what I have read lots of stop starting on a DPF isn't gonna help it - I get most of my modern information from reading the motoring section in an English newspaper (Daily Tory-graph). The chap who writes the column has his own web site

Honest John

If you get stuck you might find some information there as well.

But it looks like daddi has the answer you need - see post #4 above.