I am retiring my 2001 chevy express 2500 with 616k miles.Just bought a 2005 Dodge 158: high top 2500 with 167k on it.It has been company owned and maintained and looks and runs like new.I am looking for advice on maintenance to expect,spare parts to carry,accessorys to make it more comfortable.I want to insulate the back,and install e-trac first,then a auxillary heater,fold up bed,auxillary battery power,storage,etc.I am excited and ready to start equiping my first sprinter for the road.
1st. sprinter
- Thread starter tv121591
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It's all in the archives. The Sprinter is probably the single most discussed vehicle on EO. There are also many threads on outfitting vans for hauling freight. Everything you need and more is there for the searching.
What are your running speeds? and what kind of weight do you plan on hauling?
If you expect to get excellent mileage out of it you need to slow down.
At that, the mileage won't be insufferable. I regularly pushed mine hard, and it still managed 21, 20 mpg on a really hard day. If I took it easy, I might get 22.5 out of it.
One thing to watch for: They really love to eat idler pulleys. I had it happen with mine quite a bit, seems about 80,000 miles is what you can expect between having to replace idler pulleys. When it breaks, it's an immediate shut down-- the serpentine belt runs everything, after all. That and the tensioner-- the spring will weaken and break-- . Pay attention to your "idiot lights", the first warning you get is that the Battery light will illuminate. That's you cue to shut the engine off and look, before you overheat or worse.
Other thing to keep an eye on: The electrical connections. Sure, everything under the nameplate is Mercedes, and you'd think something that expensive would be quality, but--- Mercedes put stuff in these vans that Ford or GM wouldn't dare allow. Some of it was really questionable.
Interior lights. I had to replace these, the originals didn't put out much light at all. I bought some lights from an RV shop near where I live, and the difference was remarkable.
Beyond that: The one I had rode pretty good, had good power and gave fair service. I bought it used, and if appearances are any indication it was used pretty hard.
One thing to watch for: They really love to eat idler pulleys. I had it happen with mine quite a bit, seems about 80,000 miles is what you can expect between having to replace idler pulleys. When it breaks, it's an immediate shut down-- the serpentine belt runs everything, after all. That and the tensioner-- the spring will weaken and break-- . Pay attention to your "idiot lights", the first warning you get is that the Battery light will illuminate. That's you cue to shut the engine off and look, before you overheat or worse.
Other thing to keep an eye on: The electrical connections. Sure, everything under the nameplate is Mercedes, and you'd think something that expensive would be quality, but--- Mercedes put stuff in these vans that Ford or GM wouldn't dare allow. Some of it was really questionable.
Interior lights. I had to replace these, the originals didn't put out much light at all. I bought some lights from an RV shop near where I live, and the difference was remarkable.
Beyond that: The one I had rode pretty good, had good power and gave fair service. I bought it used, and if appearances are any indication it was used pretty hard.
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It takes discipline to slow down...I get a constant 23-24mpg at 65 mph...
Mine's been about 58,000 miles, give or take. It's fun.
It's not questionable at all. There's no question that some of it, like the interior lights, came out of einen Kracker Jack boxen.
I just can not understand how you guys are burning thru pulleys and tensioners...
Some people burn through EGR valves, headlamps, MAFs and turbos. Some people have more rust than paint on the bodies. Others go through those 4-pin relays like beer through a bladder. Fortunately (not for me and a few others) tensioner problems are rare.
One thing's for sure, if the alternator's decoupler pulley isn't performing perfectly, problems start compounding.
One thing's for sure, if the alternator's decoupler pulley isn't performing perfectly, problems start compounding.