General sprinter rearend question

[brokcanadian]

Are they fairly strong? Do I need to slow down for railroad tracks? Trying to figure out how a shop could change backing plates and screw up the seals... I could have done it at the side of the road and it would have been fine...

Never had an issue with leaking axle seals even at a million miles...

 

[brokcanadian]

Spent some quality time with the sprinter service manual. Only way I can see them failing is wrong seals or installed wrong, I know they replaced them, the used ones were in the box of old parts I got back . . . hope the bearings actually were OK after they pressed them on and off that might do it too...anybody?

 

[Turtle]

Are they fairly strong?

Yes, they are. Rear end issues are not unheard of, but they are rare. I'm still on my original seals. I once drove down a mountain right after they re-opened the roads after a snowfall, and the road was basically asphalt covered in 18-inches of highly compacted ice that had been thoroughly chewed up by tire chains on big trucks. I lost two fillings but the van somehow stayed in one piece even with 3000 pounds of freight on board. .

Do I need to slow down for railroad tracks?

Well, uhm, yeah! Duh!
Ever see a show called "Canada's Worst Driver"?

Trying to figure out how a shop could change backing plates and screw up the seals...

Rushed it and didn't really get a tight fit?

I could have done it at the side of the road and it would have been fine...

Well la... ti... daaaa.

Never had an issue with leaking axle seals even at a million miles...

Me neither, but now that you've posted this I'm sure mine will start leaking tomorrow. Thanks.

 

[brokcanadian]

Terse reply. thanks for the vote on rearends being good, no experience with these yet . . . I'll continue to slow down just enough for comfort lest I get rear-ended by T.O. drivers. . . rearend was fine before they touched it I just want people to do what they say they are going to been losing money 2 days now

 

[greasytshirt]

I put a ring and pinion on one last year. I'm assuming it had been leaking from somewhere for a while because it was the pinion bearings that failed.

Customer was shocked at the cost of OEM parts. Took a gamble with his approval: bought a ring and pinion kit off of eBay for about $400. Timken bearings, r+p made in India. Everything fit perfectly, even to the point where the original pinion shim stack needed no adjustment at all. Great gear pattern the first time it was assembled and checked.

Time will tell if it holds up, but so far so good. No scary metal chips or paste forming, no noise. This is an overweight HVAC service truck.

 

[brokcanadian]

Great tip on parts!...hoping to not need gears, took only a squirt out of the bottle to top up, I noticed it quickly...they either forgot the seals or didn't torque the bearing nuts to 369 they told me it took a whole day (no special tools on hand?)

 

[Moot]

I once drove down a mountain right after they re-opened the roads after a snowfall, and the road was basically asphalt covered in 18-inches of highly compacted ice that had been thoroughly chewed up by tire chains on big trucks. I lost two fillings but the van somehow stayed in one piece even with 3000 pounds of freight on board. .

That's a lot of weight to be toting around in the mountains. No wonder you are on your second transmission.

 

[brokcanadian]

No comment on weight. This one I won't have to fill up the passenger seat middle and dashboard with freight. On that subject, I scaled at an actual weigh station, and rounded up to 5500 so I can take 3050 in a long and tall...

They fixed it (again) couldn't tell me why it happened, they used a mercedes kit instead of dodge for the seals this time, and actually got offended when I asked of they torqued the bearing nuts properly...gee why would I ask when 200 miles later axle oil is spraying all over the inside wheels and brakes

 

[Turtle]

That's a lot of weight to be toting around in the mountains. No wonder you are on your second transmission.

The 03-06 Sprinters have an OEM transmission shelf life of an average between 350,000 to 400,000 miles. My transmission went out at 372,000. The load mentioned above happened when I was past 400,000, so I really don't think the replacing the original transmission and the load are linked in any way.

 

[brokcanadian]

My transmission went out at 372,000

Did it give any warning? I don't want to be stuck far from home, my former dodge announced its failures, I just ignored it

 

[Turtle]

Did it give any warning?

None whatsoever.

People have pulled up to a fuel island and gotten fuel, only to not be able to pull forward. In my case I pulled into a rest area and took a short nap, then backed out of the parking spot and started to head back onto the Interstate, and when it came time to shift from 2nd to 3rd it just dropped out of gear and wouldn't go into any forward gear. Reverse still mostly worked, tho.

 

[brokcanadian]

Thanks. I'll start working on my reserve fund

 

[beachbum]

None whatsoever.

People have pulled up to a fuel island and gotten fuel, only to not be able to pull forward. In my case I pulled into a rest area and took a short nap, then backed out of the parking spot and started to head back onto the Interstate, and when it came time to shift from 2nd to 3rd it just dropped out of gear and wouldn't go into any forward gear. Reverse still mostly worked, tho.

When my transmission went I was also at a rest area for a bathroom stop and backed out and the van wouldn't go when I put it in drive. 4600 later back on the road. I hate that when I break down I'm usually out of town. I should add no warning at all. That happen at about 350,000 or so miles.

 

[scottm4211]

Avoid rest areas?

 

[OntarioVanMan]

and fuel islands...thats where mine went out....

 

[Treadmill]

Avoid rest areas?

and fuel islands...thats where mine went out....

Between not stopping at rest areas and not stopping for fuel, one has to think there is going to be some sort of problem there.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Between not stopping at rest areas and not stopping for fuel, one has to think there is going to be some sort of problem there.

I think it has to do with the seals/gaskets in the transmission...the internal pressure just drops and the fluid goes to the bottom of pan....I noticed for a very brief time when I tried restarting there were a few seconds it would move and then stop again...once you pull off the highway or whatever... game over...

Steady Eddie, I think was going thru a construction zone, took his foot off the pedal to slow down and when he pressed the pedal it was gone......nothing...and neither of us had any warning..

 

[Turtle]

I think it has to do with the seals/gaskets in the transmission...the internal pressure just drops and the fluid goes to the bottom of pan....

Sort of, kind of. The main cause is the saddle bearing that supports the tail shaft. The transmission shaft end is a milled aluminum carrier bearing. The bearing block has a hole drilled into it to a specified depth. At the end of
this is a bushing disc placed at the end of the hole to support the spinning transmission shaft. There's no sleeve around the end of the transmission shaft which ends on the bushing. As it wears over time, the transmission shaft then wallows out the surrounding aluminum case. It eventually gets wallowed out to where it can't support the internal pressure, effectively acting the same as a suddenly-failed seal. That's why virtually all of them failed the same way and within the same timeframe (some went at 200,000 or even earlier, some have gone more than 500,000, but those are the rare exceptions).

Silverstar created a fix for it in 2007 and rebuilds from MB manufactured after 2007 should have the same fix, so any of those replacements shouldn't fail for the same reason.

 

[brokcanadian]

Swapping in a post 2007 at 350000 thanks guys

 

[tolandch]

I just had my rear axel replace. I broke at 172000. Thank the Lord my extended warranty covered it.