Sprinter lacking power

[Kivison]

Hi all. New to the group. I have just bought a sprinter 311cdi van 2005 106k miles. It is lacking in power over 3000revs when pulling away the power will markedly retard as I hit that rev. Going up hills at 60mph will slow down to 50 and be unable to increase speed even when dropping a gear... There is a whine that accompanies the engine tone that goes up and down with the rev even in neutral. Could this be the turbo or a cat issue? Is there a way of testing or isolating? One other thing which may be a red herring to the problem but I read it on another thread iwith a similar issue s the glow plug warning light comes on after start and stays on for a bit till its warm.

Thanks in advance

Keith

 

[alexanderfoti]

Read the codes and take it from there.
Its in limp mode, which can have a million causes, no point in guessing which.

 

[Kivison]

Thanks alexanderfoti,

Ah, so I assume the glow indicator light means limp mode then does it? I didn't get a manual with it so non the wiser I'm afraid. There are no other lights on the dashboard or errors including check engine (which I would have thought would display in something like limp mode)

K

 

[alexanderfoti]

No the glow indicator tells you one or more glow plugs are not functioning, but this is not related to your limp mode. Many mbs go onto limp mode with no check engine light. (its an mb thing)

 

[Kivison]

So, my ODBII reader is a 16 pin and the Sprinter is a 14 pin (round) so I have it booked into a garage tomorrow to see whats going on. Will let you know. Thanks for posting back.

K

 

[davidsl500]

So, my ODBII reader is a 16 pin and the Sprinter is a 14 pin (round) so I have it booked into a garage tomorrow to see whats going on. Will let you know. Thanks for posting back.

K

You can get an adaptor like this from Ebay Keith.

 

[LostKiwi]

You can get an adaptor like this from Ebay Keith.

You can but depending what the reader is there's no guarantee it'll work (depending on supported protocols).

 

[Scotty D]

Hi Keith, did you get to the bottom of this please? I’ve a 2005 311cdi with same thing going on. Replaced transducer, new turbo hoses, new inter cooler, cleaned maf, still having issues. When it’s in top gear, there’s a 2 tone noise which pulses on and off, akin to twin tone of old emergency vehicle siren, it’s like the power is pulsing on and off with the tone. I’m thinking O2 sensor next and checking if it has exhaust pressure sensor but I don’t think it has a DPF or Cat so might not have pressure sensor. Driving me mad!!! Many thanks in anticipation.

 

[Scotty D]

So, I solved this and thought I’d share as it might help more out there…

I chased a power loss issue around for a few months on a 2005 311Cdi I’d acquired which would manifest when trying to go up hills even with no load.

No resonator on the UK models nor (I believe as I cannot find) an EGR. I was aware I’d a blown flexi at front of exhaust however did not relate this to the problem.

Van had a cheap copy turbo boost valve on it when I bought it which looked newish however I decided to go for a genuine used replacement from a reputable seller i.e. guaranteed as working.

I decided to change the front exhaust with attached flexi as part of the job as it was screeching like a banshee when the turbo spooled up. It was then that I realised how badly the flexi was blown. It was literally almost detached so doubtless would have been playing havoc with back pressure (albeit there are no exhaust sensors on this age of van).

Swapped out the turbo boost valve, took the van for a spin and BINGO- problem gone.

I’ve kept the cheapo copy boost valve as I intend to swap it back in just to see if the issue was entirely caused by the almost halved in two exhaust or not. Weirdly, the van did not sound inordinately loud which was why I didn’t think the blown flexi was bad, it was only when I fitted the new front exhaust that it became evident how bad the hole was.

The only symptoms from the blown flexi (other than the power dropping if such was the sole cause) was a screeching whistle which started when the turbo was spinning and attracted all manner of stares from pedestrians on the street!

I hope this helps someone in the same position as I was as it was driving me mad!

When I swap the cheapo boost solenoid valve back in, I’ll update this for completeness but I’d say check your exhaust flexi for leaks if you’re having power loss on a UK spec 2005 cdi.

Happy motoring.