sprinter 311 cdi problems

[shaunk]

hi i wonder if anyone can help me my 2000(w) cdi sprinter is playing up yet again it is realy down on power and smoking quite a bit to i was driving home one day last week and it was as if something just switched its self of although its not in limp home mode it revs to 4000 when stationary and will do 90 but takes an age to get there ive only just noticed the smoke with the cold dark nites when it appears in the car behind me,s headlights its had new injectors egr valve cam sensor & boost pressure sensor any help would be aprieciated thanks p.s looking at old threads its the same problem cnics had on 06/11/07 but i dont know how to contact him to see if he got it sorted

 

[dava]

Check the turbo pipe from the intercooler to inlet manifold, they split underneath, look for signs of oil and try squesing it as splits will open up.

 

[shaunk]

thanks for that i will have a look in the morning

 

[Cnics]

Smoke signals or a carrier pigeon are the most efficient ways to contact me, or you could just hope that i read the thread

Unfortunately I'm not getting to the bottom of mine too quickly i'm afraid, I replaced the pipe which was looking a bit rough although there were no obvious large splits, I also replaced the one on the other side which was in the same shape. I've had a new boost pressure sensor too after a long battle to find a turbo related fault.

When you say down on power, is the turbo working at all? check the wiring loom that comes along the front of the van as i'm led to believe that this powers the boost pressure sensor, so a new one with dodgy wiring wont cure your fault.

My van doesn't smoke badly, but it's noticeable in headlamps of the car behind as you say. This is something i don't notice if i follow other CDI driven cars /vans so i know it shouldn't be like this. However, that said, it does clear up a fair bit after it's been running a while.

My current views are as follows :
The turbo is leaking oil, it's not bad, it's certainly not bad enough to drip onto the road and i'm not having to top it up any more than i always have, maybe 1ltr between service intervals of about 15k, but it's noticeable when you look underneath the van. So my thinking is that the turbo has a problem, it's not performing quite aswell as it should although it's certainly working, and when the vehicle is stood oil is leaking and it is getting burnt when the van starts up again (hence the smoke). I've got another (not new but guaranteed 100%) turbo that i've been getting round to fitting for a couple of months to see if that cures my problem. I've also ordered a MAF sensor on the grounds that, they don't last forever, they cause alot of problems when they fail, they're not a million quid and most importantly, i only found out the other week when Dava told me where it was that it had one*

All i can do is let you know how i go on when i get round to fitting the turbo but December is the busiest month of the year work wise for me (and whilst i'm overweight and have a beard, i'm not Santa) so it looks like being the new year now, i will get the MAF done as that only appears to be a quick job to change, so if it makes a difference i'll let you know.



*When searching for the turbo related fault i had the machine on some diagnostic machine at a local garage (not a Merc specialist), a number of things came up including the boost pressure sensor, but also the fact there was no reading from the MAF sensor. I was told this was because it didn't have one, most of them do but for some reason this one didn't. I've since been told where to find it and sure enough there it is, no doubt still not giving a reading.

 

[dava]

A common problem for that cinics is the wiring harness rubs through on the corner of the rad, check the loom that runs along the front under and up both sides of the rad. The big problem I have with these threads and to be fair it's the same at work is understanding what the fault is, some interprations on here and at work are not clear as to what the fault is. As for the smoke and the oil leak from the turbo, this is not uncommon, you've got to understand that it's a turbo with 'lag' and that puff of smke is unburnt fuel as the turbo catches up to the engine/fuel system.
Hope it helps.
PS
Cinics the mince pie will be on the fire place for you, sweet or dry sherry?
Merry xmas.

 

[Cnics]

The wiring loom in question has been replaced (i think you mentioned it at the time and sure enough yo were right). this and a replacement boost pressure sensor cured the problem of the turbo simply not working. the smoke is a bit more than a bit when you open throttle, there are certainly worse vehicles out there for smoke but it is more of a constant smoke emission rather than just s bit when you open throttle.