Mercedes sprinter 311cdi power loss

[sprinter]

Hiya,
I have a 2002 mercedes sprinter 311 cdi 2.2 the other day it had a loss in power and went into limp mode, it would not rev above 3000rpm, I disconected the battery for half an hour to reset the ecu then tried it again, it will now go through the rev range but there is still a big loss in power. any ideas what might be causing this?

Cheers

Rob

 

[Cnics]

Hi Rob.

There are a few things that could be causing this. I've just been through a rough patch with mine (same model, same year). A new intercooler (was damaged) and a new turbo pressure switch later and all appears to be back to normal.

Get the van hooked up and get the fault codes read as the pressure switch should bring up a fault code.

Also, there is a wiring loom that runs along the front of the van which can cause a few problems. I could be wrong but i THINK the wiring for this pressure switch may run along there.

When i started having the issues a quick switch off of the engine and back on again would cure it. it would do it a couple of times in an evening and then be fine for maybe 1000 miles or so. Eventually though it gave up altogether. All in all it ended up costing me £480 inc vat, but that included alot of fault finding and purchase and fitting of a new intercooler.

Check the primary fuel filter aswell. How many miles has the van done?

 

[dava]

Brake switch is the first place to look.

 

[stelio37]

Hiya,
I have a 2002 mercedes sprinter 311 cdi 2.2 the other day it had a loss in power and went into limp mode, it would not rev above 3000rpm, I disconected the battery for half an hour to reset the ecu then tried it again, it will now go through the rev range but there is still a big loss in power. any ideas what might be causing this?

Cheers

Rob

Hi there, i have exactly the same problem with mine, a friend of mine said thjat it might have to do with the brakes.
Sure enough when i turn the engine off and apply the brake a few time it cures the problem( but not for long), I guess i will have to look at that brake switch first, it certaintly sounds the least expensive option

 

[Midnightrunner]

Ive got a 2002 311cdi, I had the brakes changed and then I started to get problems with power loss while driving, I thought it may have been the fly by wire system, but later noticed that my brake lights where on when I drove past a reflection of the van in a shop window.

I took it to a merc garage to have the Star diagnostic run on it and it came up with no fault codes, this cost me £28.

Has any one got any idea of why this may be happening?

Although since ive cleaned the fuel tank with the additive you can buy for a fiver it hasnt happened since, Strange but true.

 

[Midnightrunner]

Ive just had my van washed with a high pressure hose, and guess what?

The vans started to play up again, when driving even when pulling away it loses power as if my foot is not on the gas

It keeps pulling back but a lift off the gas and back on the gas then its fine until it happens again.

whats going on. Again since ive had the brakes changed this has driven me to madness.

 

[graham ascough]

hi,got similar problems with my 2005 311 cdi,runs fine then power goes very flat especially on motorway this last week,van struggles to get over 60mph when it starts playing up,can have problems one way on a journey then when you jump in for return trip it can be fine,any ideas as to what is going on?

 

[seanyp]

my 311cdi has power loss problems keeps dropping power, not completely,also has a problem starting not all the time, gets worse the more u drive it.Ive had 2 off the glow plugs changed can anyone help ?

 

[slavik247]

my 311cdi has power loss problems keeps dropping power, not completely,also has a problem starting not all the time, gets worse the more u drive it.Ive had 2 off the glow plugs changed can anyone help ?

i do have almos same problem, check how i do fix it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImZ6hlsojpE

 

[slavik247]

hi,got similar problems with my 2005 311 cdi,runs fine then power goes very flat especially on motorway this last week,van struggles to get over 60mph when it starts playing up,can have problems one way on a journey then when you jump in for return trip it can be fine,any ideas as to what is going on?

I do have almost same problem, check how i do fix it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImZ6hlsojpE

 

[karlm001]

Sprinter 2003 208cdi 71,000 miles

Hi, New to the forum sorry if this is in the wrong place.

I have a similar problem, starts fine, idles fine, accelerates fine.

When trying to hold at a steady speed the power drops as if I have taken my foot off the accelerator. I then have to lift off and put back on and it's fine.

This is intermittent. Sometimes it's fine for a couple of days, sometimes it happens once or twice a day, sometimes it happens all day and is extremely annoying.

No warning lights. No limp mode. The above YouTube links are "video not found".

Thank you for any help and when/if I manage to get it fixed I will post the results

 

[HiluxDriver]

At the moment I am having similar problems to you (see my post: Sprinter 316 driving style). My Sprinter 316 has done 44k miles and is a 2003 model. The limp mode has happened three times in the last 12 months and each time after being in a long traffic jam. My OBD II scanner shows no fault codes, but I am told that this generic scanner won't always pick up the codes so I will have to go the Merc dealership next week.

My van had neither a MAF sensor nor an EGR valve so that simplifies things a bit.

My money is on either a faulty brake light switch (switch staying on) or sticking vanes in the turbo. I do notice that when I get this limp mode I do NOT get the turbo noise when I boot the vehicle. Also it would fit that crawling in a long traffic jam, on low throttle, could soot up the turbo vanes and cause them to stick. I have put some Forte additive in the tank to see if that will clear things, but if it is the turbo it will eventually block up.

It's good to have a common thread and the comments will be interesting.

H

 

[HiluxDriver]

I am a little further forward. As my OBD II scanner will not pick up any codes I am taking it to the local indie on Monday for a scan and I will post the results.

I have done a bit more investigation into how the turbo functions and I can see that the vane control arm is operated by a vacuum and that this vacuum is controlled from a switch of some type which is below the air filter. There is a switch of some type on the tube that runs between the rocker cover and the air inlet tube to the turbo. (There is no MAF sensor) I assume that this device measures inlet pressure pre turbo and monitors it against inlet pressure in the inlet manifold which is post turbo. I am hoping that the scan will show up the differences here and perhaps help in pinpointing the fault.

I have been searching for potential vacuum losses elsewhere that could cause the loss of vacuum to the turbo, but nothing seems obvious.

I will keep you all posted on the outcome.

Changing the turbo doesn't look too complicated a job. Any advice on sources for exchange units?

 

[karlm001]

FIXED!!!

Had it in for its MOT (Annual UK road worthiness test for our American, Oz, etc members) at my friends garage. I described my problem to my pal the mechanic. He was at a bit of a loss. "Could be anything, hoses, turbo, egr...... Any warning lights?", i no warning lights, asked throttle linkage but it's fly by wire. Diagnostics machine socket was square fits my 2010 Audi A6 but the Sprinter is round Stumbled upon these almost by accident.

1 or both of these things.

1) Brake light switch (4 pin not the 6) previous owner had bodged a repair with tape on the pedal and the white nipple on the actual switch was worn :/. £14. Gentle tapping on the peddle was making the lights flash. Driving down the road the lights were flickering. I presume when this happens it must tell the engine to cut the power? Look up under the dashboard at the top of the pedal, looks tricky, it is a little fiddley but comes out with 1/4 twist. Not sure if you can take it out and run without just to see if that is the fault? Cheap option to try for £14.

2) Whilst up on the hoist my pal greased the brake lines. He noticed the handbrake linkage was engaged (square plate in front of the rear axle). A good whack with a hammer and a liberal action of grease did the trick.

Thank you all for the replies, hope this help you fix yours. I know how damned annoying it is.

 

[HiluxDriver]

A scan by the indie on my 316 produced no fault codes regarding power loss. I know it's not an EGR or a MAF as the engine does not have these. It's not the brake light switch as that governs RPM to a much lower level. It's not a Particle Filter as there is not one fitted.

It's coming down to the turbo or its actuating mechanism. My problem is that within the next few months this vehicle will be driven through Spain and Morocco and I don't want to risk a major repair out of the UK. I have therefore decided to have the turbo replaced as I am sure the fault relates to internal sooting up of the vanes. If it has happened three times then it could happen again and at least having the turbo replaced will be a step in the right direction.

 

[karlm001]

Honestly mate for the sake of £14 I would try the brake light switch. Mine would drop power intermittently throughout the whole rev range similar to a turbo failure. 2 minute cheap job.

 

[stumo]

Its probably just seized the turbo actuator linkage. With that low mileage I'm guessing it sits around doing nothing fir long periods? Just spray a bit of wd40 on it and work the linkage. A bit cheaper than a new turbo. The turbos on these vans last half a million miles.

 

[HiluxDriver]

A scan by the indie on my 316 produced no fault codes regarding power loss. I know it's not an EGR or a MAF as the engine does not have these. It's not the brake light switch as that governs RPM to a much lower level. It's not a Particle Filter as there is not one fitted.

It's coming down to the turbo or its actuating mechanism. My problem is that within the next few months this vehicle will be driven through Spain and Morocco and I don't want to risk a major repair out of the UK. I have therefore decided to have the turbo replaced as I am sure the fault relates to internal sooting up of the vanes. If it has happened three times then it could happen again and at least having the turbo replaced will be a step in the right direction.

Well after the scan by the indie showed nothing I decided to go to the Merc commercial place for a scan, as I happened to be going to that area anyway. As usual they were helpful. When I took the van in there were no running problems. The Merc dealership told me that a fault had been listed on three occasions (They were right). They were fairly sure it was the vacuum transducer that sits below the air cleaner box. They recommended replacement and I agreed. I had the auxiliary drive belt done at the same time. Total costs for the scan, parts and labour with VAT £351.

 

[stumo]

Yep they probably just worked/lubed the linkage free and replaced a perfectly good transducer at your expense.

 

[HiluxDriver]

The linkage on the turbo actuator arm was free before I went in. I made sure of this and also lubricated the linkage point to make sure.