Sprinter frame crack

Hermes · Feb 26, 2020

My 2500 mercedes extended almost killed me when I hit a puddle that eased actually a pot hole. I wonder, just weld (see photos) patch and weld, or try and set up some sort of bone splint situation with two or three slabs of metal bolted on either side maybe six inches from the crack? This is on the left hand side just behind the back wheel.
Any ideas? Am I crazy to try and fix this? After not crashing (I'm an ok driver) I made it from Atlanta to Little Rock. Seemed fine. Then down to Houston where my mechanic looked it over and found this. No alignment issues at all. I thought everything was ok, maybe a little more shakey than usual.

xmudman · Feb 26, 2020

How old is the truck?

Sent from my iPhone using EO Forums

Grizzly · Feb 27, 2020

A pot hole?
Do you tow stuff with that van? What exactly??

Treadmill · Feb 27, 2020

How much weight do you actually haul?

Hermes · Feb 27, 2020

Heaviest I've hauled and got a scale verification for (because I thought it was sheisty) was 3130 which put me at exactly ten thousand pounds with a full tank of gas. I kid you not- exactly 10000, I kept the receipt.

Hermes · Feb 27, 2020

2016 extended. I don't tow. 3130 was the heaviest, putting me at exactly 10000 with a full tank (I scaled it at Pilot because I didn't believe the BOL)

ntimevan · Feb 27, 2020

Hermes said:
Heaviest I've hauled and got a scale verification for (because I thought it was sheisty) was 3130 which put me at exactly ten thousand pounds with a full tank of gas. I kid you not- exactly 10000, I kept the receipt.

10,000 pounds loaded ... ?
Let me guess the GVM of your Sprinter is 8550 lbs..?

sent from my Recliner..

Grizzly · Feb 27, 2020

I once scaled heavier.
We really need to start a thread for misadventures!

Question still stands, what do you tow with it? Did you have 3K pounds inside and another 2K on the tail? Do you regularly tow a trailer behind it for more capacity?

Saw a Sprinter last week towing a trailer on I10 ... pulled over on the shoulder ... blown out rear tire .. blown up! Too much weight.

Hermes · Feb 27, 2020

I really have never towed. Is that what that sort of damage looks like to you? I bought it used with about 20,000 miles on it from a dealer. Maybe someone used it for towing before that. I scale empty with full tank and me at 6860.

Hermes · Feb 27, 2020

I once had a guy put 3000 literally behind the back axle because he said he couldn't push it further. One of those die molds. Next time I will have something like that side loaded. Could it have weakened the structure enough then to cause this to happen when I hit that pot hole? (By the way, a truck's tire blew out in front of me and I had to move out of the way, the tire piece still hit me, the evasive action took me into an emergency triangle area where the roads merge apart- so it wasn't just some Hamtramck special, and it had water in it so I couldn't really judge the depth while trying to avoid the embankment etc...)
But if that is unmistakable tow damage then it shouldn't be a problem to weld it up and not worry about it being pulled apart again in that way because --I have not ever used the vehicle to tow anything. Really.

Hermes · Feb 27, 2020

The die mold thing was a long time ago, not during this evasive action.

danthewolf00 · Feb 28, 2020

This is why you need a mechanic to go over any vehicle purchase before you buy it....have fun welding that up with the protective under coating on the frame.

piper1 · Feb 28, 2020

Call your local Sprinter dealer and ask who they use for major collision work (if they don't do it themselves) and have them look at it. You can't just take it to anybody to get welded. Not entirely sure but in a lot of unibody vehicles (which the Sprinter is) structural panels like that need to be welded and then have an overlay of the same shape and steel put on them.

To anyone else reading this, this is the kind of thing that happens when you overload a van. Yes you might have been under 10,000 lbs but as mentioned above, you were well over the 8550 lbs the van was designed for. No amount of airbags or extra springs solves the basic fact the body, that acts as the 'frame' is not meant for anything over the GVWR listed on the decal.

Grizzly · Feb 28, 2020

3K lbs on one spot behind the rear wheels?
Yeah, that's not a good idea ....
You have to be more careful with the weight and how it's configured.

Treadmill · Feb 29, 2020

Was at Wayne’s shop one time and he told me that way too many drivers are overloading their Sprinters. He’s seen a few that the freight feel through the floor. He said once the frame is broke then you have compromised the strength of the van. Welding it may work for 1000-1500 lbs loads but you are still taking a chance.

NorthernBill · Feb 29, 2020

Thanks for posting your problem. Must have been a heck of a ride. Did the van body hit the ground? Does it have any suspension modifications?
A really good welder type of person, could fish plate the damaged section. Like you were saying, bolting plates over the crack, not so sure.

geo · Feb 29, 2020

when I had my sprinter on with CEVA I had rollers in floor. so I was always able to get load moved forward. always watch weight of the load.
a body shop that is nation wide and works on sprinter vans nation wide is caliber collision . they do good work.
if you are in Hampton roads VA , Harris truck and body is great place in Newport News VA