Comments and help given

 
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  • From Bart on Mercedes Sprinter Radio Code Decoder

    Hi all
    Could You please help me to decode my radio?

    BECKER Q02
    Sound 10
    model BE 6045
    serial 58136071

    Thank You

    • Avatar photo

      From Steve Ball on Mercedes Sprinter Radio Code Decoder

      Hi Bart,
      25531 should do the trick!
      Regards
      Steve

  • From Douglas on Mercedes Diesel Injector Advice - Sprinter and others

    I like the way you talk ! Last week I was driving my 519 2011 to work and lost 80% of power, looked in the mirror saw the smoke pulled over and waiting 4 hours to have a proper tow back to the Merc dealer. Imagined a piston ring or con rod had gone with only 45K Kms i was surprised. In the shop now out of warranty by 2 months and have been told the injector is the problem #4 to be precise. Was told Mercedes may most probably do a good will warranty for the parts. See how that goes next week. have you heard of this happening and what are the chances there has been damage to the cylinder? I could see how all this could be a one off experience since i pulled over within 60 seconds of the issue occurring. Your thoughts would be appreciated. i do love the Vehicle.

    • From Norbert on Mercedes Diesel Injector Advice - Sprinter and others

      Hi There
      You seems to be a very lucky man.
      I have just a 3 years old van 313 CDI being serviced a week ago at MB and found that 1 of the injectors are leaking. I told MB that it supposed to be seen 3 weeks ago when they checked the van (just before the warranty expired). As they said they “missed it but “no goodwill can be done” as it was out of warranty”. Ok, we got it done in a costly way.

      The garage is a mile (1) from us and the very next day the van did not start. We called MB and they towed the van back to the garage. The result of their check was that the engine is now seized.

      QUESTION:
      Can anybody tell me whether a job with the injector could caused a seized engine (there was no alert light on the dashboard when the van was picked up after the injector service – everything seemed to be perfect).

      Many thanks

      • Avatar photo

        From Steve Ball on Mercedes Diesel Injector Advice - Sprinter and others

        Hi Norbert,
        That is indeed a very sad tale. It is so hard to say what the issues were here, one can only assume that the two instances were unconnected. Most engine seizures are connected to oil starvation as a primary reason. There are indeed instances where engine seizures are caused by injectors that are worn, what happens there is the incorrect rate of fuel is injected and the piston melts over time, however I do find it hard to believe this happened to you – given you only drove the vehicle home one mile away after the repair!

        There are many questions to ask of the dealer and to be honest it was poor form for them not to even split the difference on the cost of the original injector job, as clearly it was their negligence it was missed at inspection (within the warranty period). There was little to nothing to gain in the dealer not doing this injector work under warranty as its cost is all reclaimed back from MB central. So they missed it and should have really split the cost with you as a gesture of good will.

        Still, all that is a mute point now, as the damage is done. What remains now is to find out the reason for engine failure by stripping down the engine to see what is found.
        I am at a loss to see how this could have happened as a result of any work the dealer carried out, as the van travelled no distance after the repair before failure. It will be interesting to see what they/you find. Do report back and let me know what you discover.

        Many thanks and for what it is worth good luck – you need some after this!
        All the best
        Steve

    • Avatar photo

      From Steve Ball on Mercedes Diesel Injector Advice - Sprinter and others

      Hi there Douglas,
      The effect of a faulty injector can over a prolonged period cause some overheating issues to the effected piston and/or valve components, the fact that your problem was short-lived and you reacted quickly to the situation should hold you in good fortune. I have a feeling once the injector is replaced and properly coded you will be good to go!

      Let me know how you get on. All the best
      Steve

      • From Douglas on Mercedes Diesel Injector Advice - Sprinter and others

        Steve,

        Like you said I was fortunate to be able to pull over in time before any damage was done. GrandMotors Mercedes, Gold coast gave me dealership in house full warranty replacement for the lot and included parts for the leaky coolant as well. Very happy that the only defective part was No#4 injector. I decided a full B maintenance or service was in order as well so with towing included a $952 donation was extracted with little tears from myself and I have my 516 4X4 back home. The service mgr was excellent and honest as well. I had a much better experience than I could have had if the engine had to be replaced and I had to pay a part of the cost as was initially suggested. Thanks again

  • From Johnny on Mercedes Sprinter Turbo - Limp Home - Diagnosis and Fault Finding

    Hi there,
    very interesting article and well documented.

    Well I don’t have a Sprinter but my problem is similar and I can’t solve it for a while now….spent lots of money with mechanics with no luck. I don’t have any fault code on my obd2 scanner. I changed with 2 different valves with no luck. After all the tests and checks my conclusion is that it may be related to the ECU. If I connect 12V directly to the valve the actuator is moving and I have boost. The voltage on the plug is 11.2V(constant with the engine started) I checked the connectivity between the plug and ECU and is fine(blue cable) the blue&black cable goes to a relay which Is fine(I swapped it with an exact model ) ..also the connectivity to the relay box is fine. So I assume for some reason the ECU is not sending signal to the Valve ….are there any other sensors/valves that may cause the ECU to act like this??

    Thank you.

    • Avatar photo

      From Steve Ball on Mercedes Sprinter Turbo - Limp Home - Diagnosis and Fault Finding

      Hi Johnny,
      There are many factors that can hold the ECU in limp home without illuminating any warning lamp ( in effect, holding off the operation of the turbo boost control valve ) Its likely that your basic code reader is not giving you the exact cause of the issue. It could be anything from a faulty brake light switch above the pedal to a split in the intake hose, even the turbo itself! My advise would be to find a good independent Mercedes repair shop or even a MB dealer and pay for them to read the codes with a specific code reader and document them for you, depending on what they find either replace the faulty components yourself or entrust them to do it. You are pretty much in the dark without a dedicated code reader and the above would be my best advice.
      I hope its of some help!
      All the best
      Steve

      • From Johnny on Mercedes Sprinter Turbo - Limp Home - Diagnosis and Fault Finding

        Thank you Steve.

        I manage to go to a diesel specialist and he used a dedicated tester and still no faults apart for one of the glow plugs which I will replace soon. He said it may be the ECU. He even tested the contacts between the ECU and all the mains sensors/valves that may create a limp mode and all look fine. He didn’t cleaned the ECU contacts. Do you think this may be a good idea?? From the plug all the wires look good. He didn’t checked the injectors …. somebody said I may consider checking the injectors . I was thinking to go to the main dealer but when I called they quoted me some ridiculous price/hour for diagnosing complex faults like mine.

        Thank you.

        • Avatar photo

          From Steve Ball on Mercedes Sprinter Turbo - Limp Home - Diagnosis and Fault Finding

          Hi Johnny
          This is a real long shot but I will voice it anyway. If your vehicle has been to an Auto electrician (not MB) for diagnosis of the loom there is a chance that the ECU connector was dismantled and the positions changed for connection to the boost valve. I am unsure where they sometimes get pin connection data from (I am assuming its listed in Auto Data but I am building a picture that its incorrect!) and they do re-connect it wrongly! This has happened twice to my knowledge once to me personally some time back. You need to have a look through the posts, I know there is a diagram with the correct ecu to boost control valve pin connecton numbers, if you don’t find it easily, drop me a line back again and I will get a link for you.
          Its a puzzler!! Injector problems would be showing poor starting issues I think, if it starts easily and runs OK then its elsewhere. You need to pull a vac on the turbo actuator itself, does it move the vane adjustment lever? Does this move freely with a hard push? Check all the fuses under the steering column especially the ECU fuse. Pay special attention to the loom where it hooks from the engine under the inlet manifold across the engine mount, have a good look here as its a very common fault the wiring loom chafes and shorts. You never know its worth a look. Don’t discount fuel flow as being the issue, if you have not already, put a new fuel filter on, get the service guy to look at the reported rail pressures though I would have expected he had done this.

          The key indicator to finding this fault is if the turbo actuator lever pulls down when you start the van, and it only trips to Limp home when you get moving, OR does the lever never move?

          I would not worry about the glow plug, most of my fleet as do all others have none working and they still start and run fine in all weathers.

          All the best
          Steve

          • From Johnny on Mercedes Sprinter Turbo - Limp Home - Diagnosis and Fault Finding

            Hi Steve,
            really appreciate your help here.
            That’s the problem, is very weird because the vanes and turbo are all fine, if I connect a 12V(checking the voltage on the plug that goes to the valve is below 12v…..If i remember well is 11.2V constant) directly to the Turbo Boost regulator (vacuum valve) I have boost(the lever is moving) but because is not controlled by the ECU is going up to 25psi and I avoid testing this too much…But I can say I try to drive the car like that and is flying….proper torque and acceleration :)). Now to give you more details I replaced and tested the valve and is fine, When I start the engine the actuator lever is not moving…same if I rev the engine….When driving is acting like a petrol car…….low power up to 2500RPM then starting to work better…..also the MPG is 30% worst than normal. I replaced everything I could think about…..all the mechanics I ask about this are telling me the turbo is gone…but as an Engineer I think here is just a case of excluding possible faults/broken parts…..or at least that’s how I proceed with my servers …. :))…. Thank you again.

          • Avatar photo

            From Steve Ball on Mercedes Sprinter Turbo - Limp Home - Diagnosis and Fault Finding

            Just another thought, its not an auto gearbox is it? as a fault or code raised in the auto box controller can hold off the turbo as a fail protection, this is the case on MB auto boxes and Sprintshift’s. You have to clear the fault on the autobox before the engine restores.

            Steve

          • From Johnny on Mercedes Sprinter Turbo - Limp Home - Diagnosis and Fault Finding

            Wow Steve, that’s a lot of new information. I can tell you are a specialist . It;s a Suzuki grand vitara truck(2007) manual gearbox with renault f9q engine which is very popular on a lot of cars and trucks/vans. You are right about the howl…I can hear it….and also I hear like a whistle when I bypass the vacuum valve…with proper boost. You are also right about consuming diesel like a train. The MAP I think is working fine..I can read the pressure using the OBD2 reader connected to my android app(torque). I also have the full service manual of the car and until now I manage to fix most of the small issues I had…problem is that the diagnose part in the manual is very basic with usual how too.
            I have no problems with the vacuum pump . It was the first thing I checked. As another detail I can tell you that first time this happen the car stopped completely then it was starting and stopping after couple of seconds…..and after multiple starts it was fine but with this problem….Maybe this can make you an idea about the overall condition.
            I’m sure you are right …there is something in the control circuit and probably I’m not looking in the right direction. For now you are the only one who manage to bring some light in this …I can tell you I spent over £600 and with a baby on the way I don’t think I will allocate more budget to this car…even if I love it and it helps me a lot….so I will probably give it another chance :)).
            Thank you again and if you can give me more info about the fuel sensor and the intake termistor I will be grateful.

          • Avatar photo

            From Steve Ball on Mercedes Sprinter Turbo - Limp Home - Diagnosis and Fault Finding

            Johnny,
            As you say the lever does not move, even at start up. The way the control valve works is the valve is pulsed (PWM Pulse width modulated) its almost like on and offs depending how much boost is required, during an off period the valve vents the actuator vac to atmosphere. This happens a few times a second controlled by the pulses given from the ECU. The normal working state on ignition on and running at idle is lever down, full boost, you should hear a howl like a banshee if you have the air box off! Its ok to run with the boost at full chat for a temporary period, 30 to 35 psi is not unusual in the intake and although not controlling as it should you will get drive home ability but it will consume diesel like a man possessed.

            What exact vehicle is it VW?

            The only other things in the basic circuit that can prevent the actuator not moving from the word go would be implausible pressure sensor (MAP) but I guess you are reading boost pressure from somewhere this gives an output in circuit measurable 1.2 to 5v dc depending on boost. Its a 3 wire, one ground one supply and one output. There is also an inlet manifold temperature thermistor check this is not busted. There is also a fuel rail low pressure switch in the fuel supply to the LP pump, if this is corroded or not working it will not allow turbo actuation as to protect the engine.

            Do you have sufficient vac to the actuator, often there is heater flaps driven from the same vac supply, there is a reserve (like a ball cock shape) in circuit, these do split sometimes as can the pipework. Check the tapping on the brake servo side of the vac pump supply behind the one way valve and ensure you have vac there even when the engine is off !! Pull the servo hose after a while of engine off and it should have a huge inrush of air, if not suspect one way valve. (You may have noticed a varied hard/soft brake pedal if this was an issue)

            As you can obtain boost by hot wiring then the turbo is proven as able to provide capable boost so its in the control circuit some where.

            Steve

  • From Stephen Hale on Poor First Gear Selection - Manual Gearbox Problem W639 Vito - Cure

    I’ve just changed the oil in my 109 gearbox thinking maintenance is a good thing to do….it’s hideous now ! Really annoying because there was absolutely nothing wrong with it…got some atf on order.. how many miles have you done with the atf In now ?

    • Avatar photo

      From Steve Ball on Poor First Gear Selection - Manual Gearbox Problem W639 Vito - Cure

      Hi Stephen,
      Isn’t that always the way! From previous posts I have found people who have done similar, finding that the gearbox oil removed was not as originally fitted and had been changed to something lighter somewhere along the line. So go for the ATF-U, I am almost to 20k now with the ATF-U and no ill effects.
      Good luck,

      Steve

  • From vilson on Mercedes Sprinter Radio Code Decoder

    hi
    i have a radio becker blocked.
    type sound 10
    model no BE 4013
    serial no18095631
    can i have tho code ? thx

    • Avatar photo

      From Steve Ball on Mercedes Sprinter Radio Code Decoder

      33631 is the code Vilson.
      Regards
      Steve

  • From john on Mercedes Sprinter Radio Code Decoder

    Hi there,

    Is it possible to get the code for radio BE4103, serial no: 28219078.

    Many thanks.

    • Avatar photo

      From Steve Ball on Mercedes Sprinter Radio Code Decoder

      61331 should do it John.
      Regards
      Steve

      • From John on Mercedes Sprinter Radio Code Decoder

        Excellent Steve, you’ve just prevented a murder enquiry. The father in law messed about with the battery while I was on holiday. i have been without a radio in the van for 2 months now!! Was ready to kill

  • From Christoffel on Mercedes C Class W203 - Dim Multi-Function Instrument Display (MFD) - LCD Panel Replacement

    THANKYOU STEVE.
    Appreciate..

  • From Neil Duffy on New turbo - still no boost! Mercedes Sprinter

    Another excellent post

  • From Neil Duffy on Mercedes Sprinter Turbo - Limp Home - Diagnosis and Fault Finding

    Steve.Thank you for the very help full information you have provided on this page

    • Avatar photo

      From Steve Ball on Mercedes Sprinter Turbo - Limp Home - Diagnosis and Fault Finding

      Thanks for the accolades Neil!
      All the best
      Steve

  • From Christoffel on Mercedes C Class W203 - Dim Multi-Function Instrument Display (MFD) - LCD Panel Replacement

    Need a LCD display on the r/side of the cluster for temp. display.
    CLK 320
    208 465 21091365
    Please help.

    • Avatar photo

      From Steve Ball on Mercedes C Class W203 - Dim Multi-Function Instrument Display (MFD) - LCD Panel Replacement

      Hi Christoffel
      If you have no joy with the links in my post and the display cannot be repaired (Poor contact ribbon connection) then I feel your only chance is a unit from a breakers where you can then transfer the LCD unit to your own cluster.
      All the best
      Steve

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