Why does a Sprinter put me to sleep

brokcanadian

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Is it the soothing drone of the 2.7 diesel? Is it the gentle lulling motion as the wind rocks me? The soft seats and comfortable driving position? Or do I have an exhaust leak?

6 hours today and I was getting sleepy. Same last 2 days. Just wondering, I'll read responses later I need a nap
 

xmudman

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Didn't you just get the truck inspected? If you have an exhaust leak that your shop didn't catch, they got some 'splainin' to do :eek::rolleyes:
 

brokcanadian

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
The exhaust does end under the body, factory location...

They do have some splainin to do . . . both axle seals they replaced are blown out with oil dripping
 

ajakapari

Expert Expediter
Is it the soothing drone of the 2.7 diesel? Is it the gentle lulling motion as the wind rocks me? The soft seats and comfortable driving position? Or do I have an exhaust leak?

6 hours today and I was getting sleepy. Same last 2 days. Just wondering, I'll read responses later I need a nap
Remove the black engine cover check your injectors if they leak and there is black tar around them... If u smell exhaust leak is more likely it comes from the injector seal gone bad.... (Black Death)

GL
 
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Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
Diesel exhaust contains almost no carbon monoxide, so that shouldn't be an issue.
 

ajakapari

Expert Expediter
Diesel exhaust contains almost no carbon monoxide, so that shouldn't be an issue.
Ya it contains lower amount but is such small place it could be dangerous .... So you shouldnt give advice like that Turtle... And even so if that's the problem ... (Black Death) it should be fixed because the injectors will be stuck and in there.... + plus why would u want to keep smelling it when u are idling.... Tctc
 

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
Ya it contains lower amount but is such small place it could be dangerous .... So you shouldnt give advice like that Turtle
While diesel emissions could certainly generate lethal ambient concentrations of carbon monoxide given a sufficient amount of time in an enclosed space and under suitable environmental conditions, it's virtually impossible to find such conditions in a Sprinter, especially a moving one.

European engineers, especially German ones at Mercedes, are anal about airflow. Even with the recirculation door closed and all of the vents closed off, a high pressure area at the base of the windshield draws air into the cabin and is exited through low pressure vents in the doors, body and the rear of the van. The air is so carefully regulated in MB vehicles that you probably won't even notice a draft, but it is engineered and tested to remove exhaust that's directed entirely into the cabin. You would have to purposefully alter the high pressure intake and the low pressure output in order to create a non-ventilated, "enclosed space" in a Sprinter. Even a sealed bulkhead won't eliminate the low pressure output created by the high pressure intake at the base of the windshield.

I still recommend a CO detecor in a diesel vehicle, for all the reasons described in this article. Expedite Now Trucking Magazine - Carbon Monoxide Can Kill You

In any case, unless your "sleepy" is accompanied by headache, nausea, and dizziness, it's probably not carbon monoxide.
 

brokcanadian

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Remove the black engine cover check your injectors if they leak and there is black tar around them... If u smell exhaust leak is more likely it comes from the injector seal gone bad.... (Black Death)
Still have to check, in my driveway for only 2 days, now shop has it back
 
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Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
Twice I have been the victim of the Black Death. The first time it was fixed within a week of detection. It stank. It didn't smell like diesel fumes or exhaust, but rather some unholy mixture of fumes, exhaust, burning hair and a stale rest home.

The second time it didn't smell at all, and I let it go for like a year before fixing it by just replacing all 5 seals.
 
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ajakapari

Expert Expediter
One of my sprinters has it and I have to fix it it's on injector #5 :( but been lazy I think I will take to dealer...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
Still have to check, in my driveway for 2 days now shop has it back
It's a good idea to pull that cover every 6 months or so and just look around. You want to look for Black Death and the amber colored beginnings of it, and also if you've got and puddles of fuel. The snaps that connect the fuel rail to the top of each injector can crack and will leak fuel. The old snaps are plastic, the new ones are metal.
 

brokcanadian

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
I'm thinkin now it's empty ride comfort. My other vans, potholes when empty sounded like a sledgehammer on a barrel, white knuckle waiting for wheels to fly off...no matter how long I was driving the fear factor was pretty energizing

(Edit: based on fact, I've had too lower balljoint separations, one driving the left tire up thru the floor under my feet and stopping the door from opening . . . polar vortex over buffalo area, -40 and huge chunks missing out of the ice on the roadways...both happened under 15 mph)
 
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scottm4211

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Then stay out of a newer model. They're so smooth you'll be in the ditch before you know it.
 

greasytshirt

Moderator
Staff member
Mechanic
Speaking of five cylinder engines, one in particular stands out in my mind.

Remember back in the 80's when domestic V8s were making 190hp? Audi built this thing for Group B homologation and it was making 450hp in race trim.


Then if you took two inline fives, joined them at 90 degrees at crank centerline and had them share the crank, you ended up with the following. These engines have an inherent imbalance which contributes to the harmony coming out of them.



Sound comparison of V8, V10, and V12 engines at the highest level of competition.
I'll admit the V12 Ferrari sounds exquisite, but something about that V10 is especially alluring.
 
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