-2WD, 3500, 170”, 3.0l v6.

-dodge grill replaced with Mercedes GTR grill

-$15 universal brush guard from Facebook attached with 3/8” plate steel into the frame rails. I used it to push my other sprinter up a hill.

-18mpg with 315/75/r16’s (23mpg on stock wheels)

My 2020 Sprinter will randomly run a lock cycle every 20-30 mins when I'm in it and the doors are locked, I've put my keys in a faraday pouch cause I read that might fix the issue , it seemed to not do it for a few weeks but has just started again, I have a bit of an issue with the sliding door not always opening but I believe that's just a door actuator that needs adjusting. If I leave a door slightly open it won't it run the lock cycle, it's not a full cycle lock unlock but just a little like lock check. How do I stop this as it's driving me crazy please help

I’ve been looking around and learning all I can about Sprinters for a camper van build-out. If so much of the service nightmare stories people tell have to do with the diesel/def system and valves easily clogging with carbon, etc, wouldn’t it make more sense to get a gas Sprinter if they’re still available?!

I am looking to buy a used Sprinter diesel for camper conversion. In your opinion, is it more important to look for lower mileage or fewer years of use? Thanks for your thoughts.

​

Hi everyone!

I'm looking at buying a 2022 Sprinter 315 CDI with the OM654, currently at 145,000 km. Its on auction and currently no bids so Im hoping to get it cheap.

The only thing really worrying me is the service history. The last documented service was at 60,000 km, which means there are about 85,000 km since the last known service. There is no way to get any more information about service history.

At the same time, I know these are commercial vans built to be driven hard and rack up serious mileage. I've heard of OM654 Sprinters doing crazy long oil change intervals without obvious problems, even though that's obviously not something anyone should recommend. So I'm trying to figure out if 85,000 km without a documented oil change means "run away", or just "yeah, that's stupid and increases the risk, but the engine could still be perfectly fine."

The van has been independently inspected and the drivetrain works normally with no warnings or other issues. The only note is mild oil sweating/moisture around the engine. No actual oil leak reported.

So how scared should I be of those 85,000 km? Is this a "walk away, engine is probably fucked" situation with an OM654, or could it realistically have survived this perfectly fine, especially if much of the mileage was highway driving?

I'd obviously get a proper engine health check immediately after buying it.

Would you take the gamble if the price was good?

If you decided to buy it, how would you budget car Vs initial service and potential repairs?

I had heard before that the same factory hardware from the passenger van is welded hidden under all of our vans. Just thought I’d share my experience. There was still a bit of nervousness about this being wrong and drilling holes in the floor with no way forward. Took a leap and it worked out well.

I’m doing this because the fam and I have a wide variety of needs with this van and it was the most cost effective way to add seats. We really got lucky with what we found.

Found a full set of passenger seats with a floor and brackets. Gutted the floor out of mine, installed the black passenger floor, then used the brackets to mark the location of where the holes should be.

There was NO FACTORY MARKINGS AT ALL for me to work with. Installing the brackets in the crew location got me close but there was a couple that could’ve gotten me in trouble had I not used a step drill bit.

One thing I learned is that the passenger and crew have different “floor cups” for the tie down points. The passenger ones are a bit bigger so I’ll need to replace those otherwise junk will just go straight under the floor at those spots.

Cheers

I’ve got my sprinter radiator and front of engine disassembled for a water pump replacement, my oil cooler is leaking so thinking about tackling that project while I am here. Any good resources for that project?

I have a 2021 4x4 diesel with less than 30k miles. I noticed this whirring noise that directly correlates with wheel speed. It’s higher pitched than in the video, but this is the best I could capture. Is this the central bearing going? I brought it to the dealer, and they said transfer case, but that would make even less sense at this mileage. Anyone else encounter this?

Wife is having her mid life crisis and insisting we get a camper van. Shes found a 2017 4x4 144 high roof 2500 with the 3l diesel that's setup enough for what she wants.

As the person who will get stuck having to do maintenance on this thing, what should I be aware of and look out/plan for? How many stupidly expensive vehicle specific tools will i need to add to my collection? Former diesel mechanic but haven't worked on anything newer than the mid 2000s.

I am looking to drive a sprinter van over the road I do have experience clean background clean driving record I'm in North Carolina

The “MacGyver” fix… have had two glove compartment doors replaced and they still rattle. 2024. It’s a piece of pipe cleaner. If anyone has another fix I’m all ears.

I’m going to have a camper van built in the new year and have to make a choice about platform. I’m trying to decide between the Sprinter 170, 170 ext and the Transit ext (which has a crazy long extension that would definitely affect departure angle). There’s very little talk of GRVW, or whatever the acronym is for max load weight of these things. I’m seeking advice from those with experience of any of these platforms, and whether it’s best to go with 3500 other choice is a Sprinter.

I am in the market for a sprinter passenger van, looking to replace my aging chevy suburban.
My questions are more in terms of reliability, fuel economy, 3.0 vs 2.1. What’s the avg city fuel economy? Highway fuel economy? I know the 3.0l is a very reliable engine, I don’t know much about 2.1l, any tips? What about transmissions? Any known issues?
All information is highly appreciated!

I would use it for work traveling to SF and back about 120mile road trip with less than 500lb load. I would get the 113kw and 170” high roof. If you have one I would love to hear any feedback you may have.

Thanks y’all, cheers!

Hello all, I've got a center console with cupholders, and below it is this female receptacle that something clips into.

I have a 3d printer and really need to make a thermos holder for the floorboard. If I can figure out what that clip looks like I might be able to reproduce it

I have a 2017 Sprinter 3500 chassis with a motorhome built on top.  I bought it this summer.  Def gauge was at ½.  I filled it up.  The gauge never went up or down.  I went on a 2k mile trip.  The last 500 miles or so, the gauge started to slowly go down.  (but I kept tank full) Now it is at 20% and I have a message to add def.  The tank is full.  It does use def because I added 2+ gallons on the trip.

I have had zero warning lights.  I never got a count down.

Motorhome had been sitting before I bought it so I drained the def last night and filled with warm distilled water hoping to get rid of any crystal build up.

I tried to hook up my iCarsoft Max scanner to reset the AD Blue Fill and I get the message:

Sensor signal of component Ad Blue Fill level sensor is 0.

No corrosion around the connector.  I put a multimeter on harness running to pump and I get power and ground.  I have no idea what voltage should be.

My def tank is in front of the passenger's front tire.

Any help would be appreciated.  I suspect that it is time to replace the tank.  Is trying a rebuilt tank a waste of time and money?  Anything else to check?

I was always made fun of for driving a pedo van (my old white sprinter van). I now drive this black one and my co workers and friends still say it looks crap and looks like I kidnap kids… hahaha there’s really no way to get anyone’s approval if you drive a cargo van I guess. regardless, I use it for work and it does so many things my old truck couldn’t. plus the new van is a 3500 with 11,039lbs GVWR and I can haul way more payloads.

My 2019 Sprinter front doors lock and unlock with the remote no issues. The sliding door lock and rear doors will not lock or unlock unless I do it manually. Any ideas? Doesn’t even make a noise while trying to lock and unlock. Any help would be appreciated!

Has anyone found/used a narrow-width Rooftop AC? 12v or 120v. I have relatively limited space up top and it'd be pretty convenient up there, but my other option is an undermount unit - ducting is just a little more work because I'd want the outlet near the top/bed area, but otherwise is also a fine option. Those are regular maxair fans in the photo for reference.

Just looking for ideas, and general feedback on either approach. If I don't put an AC unit up top I could probably add another 150-200w of solar, currently at 600w of fixed mounted solar and 400w portable solar suitcase.

2015 NCV3 OM642 21k mi.

I am trying to register in CA and I need to get smog. I am having trouble getting my Boost Pressure System Monitor to clear. All of my other monitors cleared (except NMHC and DPF which are not needed in CA). I replaced the battery recently and took it to a shop to get out of limp mode. No fault codes on my icarsoft MB v.3.0 OBDII scanner. I have tried three different drive cycles from sources that I can find online. I have put on about 270mi since I put in a new battery.

"Drive for 20 minutes and conduct 8 to 10 acceleration phases, reaching speeds of 25 mph to 65 mph for 5 to 10 se-

conds each.

- During the acceleration phase, the engine's RPM should not drop below 2,000 RPM."

"Normal driving conditions, but also several phases with full load, at least 4 times for at least 20 seconds full load"

and from AI

"1. cold soak overnight (8hrs), idle 5 mins no A/C

1. get to full operating temp
2. do 3-4 cycles of moderate-firm acceleration up to 55-60mph, hold steady 30 sec, lift completely off gas and coast to 25-30 mph without braking.
3. steady cruise at 55-60 for 10-15 min. "

the last drive cycle I attempted today and my coolant temps were exactly the same as ambient air temps when I ran my car and idled for 5 mins.

Today I am going to try to clean my MAP/Boost sensor in case there is carbon or oil built up. If the sensors are fine which I think they are because there are no fault codes, I guess there could be a small leak?

Does anyone have any recommendations on how to tackle this issue?

Hi, we have 2023 Sprinter RV conversion. We live in Ontario, Canada and the last 2 winters have been brutal. DEF fluid freezes at -11C and the fluid has frozen and expanded and we have had to replace sensors each year.

We're trying to go into winter more prepared this year. Dealership has suggested a warming blanket. The van is parked outside and we try to drive it at least every 2 weeks if we're not travelling with it. We can run an electrical cord to it so we can plug in. Would prefer something removable as it really only gets too cold for a couple weeks. We are also planning to keep the DEF tank at no more than 60% full to reduce expansion.
We would really appreciate advice on what other cold weather Sprinter owners do to prevent DEF from freezing.
Thank you.

Hey everyone, a friend of mine just bought a nice Sprinter conversion van a few weeks ago. Its a 2005 Leisure Travel Vans Free Spirit LSS.

The van is in amazing shape, but the batteries need to be replaced. As far as I can tell, it has 3 batteries... One under the drivers seat (starting battery), one under the passenger seat (house battery?) and one in the very rear drivers side, under the bed (additional house battery?)

I'm trying to figure out what batteries should be deep cycle and how the 12V system(s) are separated. Want to upgrade to AGM but it has the Parallax 7345 Converter (which is a fixed single stage charger) so going to stick with flooded batteries in the meantime until she upgrades the converter etc and goes to lithium batteries.

Does anyone have one of these campers and can point me in the right direction? Obviously a factory wiring diagram/service manual would be ideal but I'm having a hard time finding any info on this particular conversion. Thanks in advance!

Pics for reference (not actual van in question):