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2006 Sprinter 2500 200K Miles, Just Bought...

ExFedEx

ExFedEx

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
Owner/Operator
Surprise Surprise! What will be my first Surprise?? Just bought a decent looking 2006 Sprinter 2500 with 200K on the odometer, new tires, with a couple of dings in the body and a freight/driver separator. 2.7 diesel, powered windows, mirrors, cruise control, etc....

Having all the fluids (oil, tranny, coolant, brake) changed tomorrow plus the belt and O2 sensor (ran the check engine code), what surprises should I be looking forward to in the near future with this vehicle? I have no maintenance records whatsoever coming at me, nor an owners manual. I test drove it for 40 miles round trip to my mechanic and back to the seller (selling "As Is") and it really seemed to run great.

What's with the sun visors, no side sway, front only?? And front storage seems to be lacking somewhat, but I'll figure something out.

Besides the obvious oil changes and regular services, what am I looking at in terms of breakdowns/maintenance?
 
Jenny

Jenny

Veteran Expediter
Transmission, glow plugs and just basics really

Sent from my VS870 4G using Xparent Pink Tapatalk 2
 
scottm4211

scottm4211

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Make sure you change the pulleys when you do the belt.

Sent from my HTC One using EO Forums mobile app
 
OntarioVanMan

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
scottm4211 said:
Make sure you change the pulleys when you do the belt.

Sent from my HTC One using EO Forums mobile app
Click to expand...

Yes I'd have the 2 idler pulleys and the tensioner done with a new belt...just so you know where they are at for PM purposes...I change mine every year which is about 80-85,000 miles if they last that long, most do....

Europarts.com sells the whole set for about $175.00....belt included...
 
RoadTime

RoadTime

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
From past experience, I would take off the lid covering the injectors and check for any signs of "Black Death".

What you want to see...
black death after.jpg

What you Don't want to see...
black death before.jpg
 
Turtle

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
Here you will find links for the Owner's Manual, the Maintenance Manual, the Technical Service Manual, the Exploded Parts Catalog, the Sound 30 Radio Manual, as well as a handy dandy printable page with accurate serpentine belt routing.

You have to make a commitment to learning proper Sprinter maintenance. Biggest thing is the Approved Fluids List. Do not deviate from it. If it's not on The List, don't use it.

The average shelf life of an original Sprinter transmission is 350,000 miles. When it goes, and it will, replace it with a Silverstar transmission out of Broken Arrow, OK. In the Owner's Manual is tells you to change the transmission fluid every 80,000 miles. That's a lie. Change it every 30,000 miles or very close to it. Cheapest current place to get transmission fluid is eBay (Shell ATF 134).

Replace your engine coolant every 100,000 miles. Have the brake fluid renewed every 2 years (you'll need a Sprinter tech with the DRBIII tool to do that). Change the rear end gear oil every 100,000 to 120,000 miles (I change mine every other transmission fluid change, so every 50,000 to 60,000 miles).

In addition to the other things already mentioned, like Black Death and the pulleys, get the engine to operating temperature and feel the sides of the radiator. Both sides should be hot. If one side is cooler than the other, a new radiator will be your first surprise. Have the mechanic carefully inspect the water pump for leaks, otherwise at 200,000 miles that'll be your first surprise. Also, inspect the cabin air filter, which will probably need to be replaced. Have the engine air filter checked and replaced as necessary - don't go by the restriction gauge, replace the air filter every 50,000 to 80,000 miles, as you cannot have air too clean for a diesel (I use the heavy duty air filter and replace it every 50,000 miles). Monitor the operating temperature under normal driving conditions and on relatively flat terrain. If the temp is normally outside the range of 180-190 degrees, your fan clutch is the likely suspect.

Try to buy the bulk of your parts online instead of at a dealer. Some parts can be bought at Autozone, but I wouldn't recommend them for critical high dollar parts. Many parts really should be replaced with OEM parts, which can be found at Europarts of San Diego, Berry Dodge in Corsicana, TX, and often you'll find OEM parts at Rock Auto.
 
ExFedEx

ExFedEx

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
Owner/Operator
Great advice everyone, thank you! Turtle, you're scaring me...a commitment is right, wow. That's a lot of info you gave me, just what I asked for. It's a good starting off point. Thank you!
 
OntarioVanMan

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
ExFedEx said:
Great advice everyone, thank you! Turtle, you're scaring me...a commitment is right, wow. That's a lot of info you gave me, just what I asked for. It's a good starting off point. Thank you!
Click to expand...

bookmark them parts place..before you forget....they will save you a ton of cash....I got an AC compressor for $395 PLUS a FREE dryer and FREE shipping 2 summers ago...dealer price of a compressor about $1195 PLUS $159 for dryer.....DOH.....
 
Deville

Deville

Not a Member
ExFedEx said:
Surprise Surprise! What will be my first Surprise?? Just bought a decent looking 2006 Sprinter 2500 with 200K on the odometer, new tires, with a couple of dings in the body and a freight/driver separator. 2.7 diesel, powered windows, mirrors, cruise control, etc....

Having all the fluids (oil, tranny, coolant, brake) changed tomorrow plus the belt and O2 sensor (ran the check engine code), what surprises should I be looking forward to in the near future with this vehicle? I have no maintenance records whatsoever coming at me, nor an owners manual. I test drove it for 40 miles round trip to my mechanic and back to the seller (selling "As Is") and it really seemed to run great.

What's with the sun visors, no side sway, front only?? And front storage seems to be lacking somewhat, but I'll figure something out.

Besides the obvious oil changes and regular services, what am I looking at in terms of breakdowns/maintenance?
Click to expand...

How much did you pay for it?
 
ExFedEx

ExFedEx

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
Owner/Operator
Why do I need a code to turn on the radio? How do I get the code from a used vehicle?
 
Turtle

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
ExFedEx said:
Nasty looking! How does that happen?
Click to expand...
At the bottom of the injectors where the little needle part of the injector goes into the engine cylinders to spit fuel into the cylinder, just above that needle the injector sits on a small copper seal about the size of a penny with a hole in the middle of it. The seal prevents the combustion gasses (mostly carbon soot) from exiting the chamber, and keeps them inside the cylinder chamber. When the seal fails, it allows those gasses to escape up the side of the injector. The gasses cool off and you have a nifty volcanic glass residue left behind. The residue is pure carbon, so if you can keep it really hot for a while, like 2000 degrees, and keep a little pressure (about 725 PSI) on it for a few hours, you'll have a diamond encrusted engine in hours. Worth millions. Maybe.
 
ExFedEx

ExFedEx

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
Owner/Operator
OntarioVanMan said:
did the previous owner not leave the code card with the operators manual? or in the glovebox?
Click to expand...

It didn't come with an owners manual nor any maintenance documentation. I'm pretty sure the glove box is empty. The van is at the shop now getting checked out and getting fluids changed so I don't have access to it at this time.
 
Turtle

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
ExFedEx said:
wdo(0?)pd744065941217
Click to expand...

Radio Code is 66634

To enter the code
Press volume control knob to turn the radio on

You should see in display " CODE **** "

Rotate the volume knob till 1st digit of code displays, then press the Tune Up button to set the digit.

First digit should remain, and next position should blink, rotate the knob again to get the next number, then press Up again to set it.

Do that for all five digits, and once all five are entered, press and hold up button till radio beeps.
 
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ExFedEx

ExFedEx

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
Owner/Operator
Turtle said:
Radio Code is 66634

To enter the code
Press volume control knob to turn the radio on

You should see in display " CODE **** "

Rotate the volume knob till 1st digit of code displays, then press the Tune Up button to set the digit.

First digit should remain, and next position should blink, rotate the knob again to get the next number, then press Up again to set it.

Do that for all five digits, and once all five are entered, press and hold up button till radio beeps.
Click to expand...

You are good!! How the heck... oh never mind.

Do I have to do this every time I want to turn on the radio? If so, that is downright silly and makes no sense.
 
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