Any body having problems with a 2012 sprinter ?

ebsprintin · Mar 19, 2013

OntarioVanMan said:
I think and that is my direction a link between Bio and the the DEF system that Mercedes hasn't figured out yet....we had a problem when sprinters first came over....EGR had to be redesigned because the U.S still had dirty diesel...
Dealerships can't fix anything when they don't have any guidance from Mercedes engineers on the solution

I'm also working on the theory that we had some problems when we transitioned from D1 to D2. I think there was cross contamination of the two when we thought we were getting D2 early in the transition.

Wouldn't it suck if Mercedes went to all the trouble of DEF when the real problem was the transition to D2, and now that D1 is entirely burned out of the inventory, the SCR system is just more dead weight and an added complexity?

eb

rebelclass · May 13, 2014

I have a 2012 MB sprinter 2500 it has done great for the most part. However it is in the shop right now because the check engine light came on because the heater in the def tank went out ($1100) I have 206764 miles basically good ride just the shell can dent extremely easily and when i run thru rain or snow it has no traction at all and gas pedal becomes non usable at that point until traction is regained ( couldn't get out of a parking lot when it snowed a small amount because when I tried to excelerate it would do nothing but rev the motor up). As far as def fluid and the 16 cranks when that light comes on you have 1000 miles you can drive before having to fill up or the 16 cranks which ever comes first. The headlights are set to stay on all the time so the lights burn out quick but you can go on your control panel ( check owners manual) and change that feature. When I got my sprinter at work it had 250 miles on it and now with it being over 200k it has done pretty good and I can confidently say with plenty of experience on the sprinter

danthewolf00 · May 13, 2014

Ok i'll point to a sprinter only fourm Sprinter-Source.com - The best reSource for Sprinter van owners and enthusiasts. for both problems and fixes.

xiggi · May 13, 2014

You really don't want to get to the countdown mode on your def. Running things low never seems to produce good results. Just top it off about every five thousand miles and you'll never see the countdown unless something else in the system goes bad. The spray nozzles that disperse the fluid have a habit of going bad in the def system.

Sent from my - Fisher Price ABC - 123

coalminer · May 13, 2014

I have always wondered, will a basic OBD scanner reset the 'countdown" messages? One day I will work on a DEF system, my Sprinter and my straight truck are both 2005s but at some point I will upgrade to a newer one, will have to learn how to fix it.

To me it seems pretty simple, there is a DEF tank, a pump, a heater, a level gauge, tubing, a nozzle in the SCR, and I would imagine there has to be sensor to measure the NOX levels to regulate the DEF injection.

greasytshirt · May 13, 2014

coalminer said:
I have always wondered, will a basic OBD scanner reset the 'countdown" messages? One day I will work on a DEF system, my Sprinter and my straight truck are both 2005s but at some point I will upgrade to a newer one, will have to learn how to fix it.

To me it seems pretty simple, there is a DEF tank, a pump, a heater, a level gauge, tubing, a nozzle in the SCR, and I would imagine there has to be sensor to measure the NOX levels to regulate the DEF injection.

Trucks are getting more and more proprietary with their computers and programming, so very soon generic scan tools are going to be nearly obsolete. They're not as bad as in the automotive world, but they're getting there.

You're pretty close on the Def/SCR system, but it's even more complex than that. Some systems have a pre and a post SCR NOx sensor, so a before and after NOx comparison can be made. If one starts deteriorating, it can be very difficult to judge which one is the culprit if neither have had an outright failure. Their information is used along with input from the engine, especially the mass airflow sensor, in determining DEF injection quantity. In turn, if an unexpected NOx level is measured, culprits could include a clogged DEF injector, diluted/contaminated DEF, or other abnormalities in DEF quality.

DST001 · May 16, 2014

Wow after reading all this on $printers I'm glad I got rid of my 08 and didn't get a new one. I have a gas van so simple to fix and fuel is cheaper.

xiggi · May 16, 2014

I like my sprinter. Can get dressed standing up, room for fridge and stuff while keeping my passenger seat. Can haul a wide variety of freight. Might spend a few bucks on maitence but at the end of the year the numbers look good. I am a big fan of comfort in this job and at 6'3" a cargo van isn't it.

Sent from my - Fisher Price ABC - 123

DST001 · May 21, 2014

xiggi said:
I like my sprinter. Can get dressed standing up, room for fridge and stuff while keeping my passenger seat. Can haul a wide variety of freight. Might spend a few bucks on maitence but at the end of the year the numbers look good. I am a big fan of comfort in this job and at 6'3" a cargo van isn't it.

Sent from my - Fisher Price ABC - 123

Xiggi I can understand being a tall guy a cv would be a pain I'm only 5'4 and when I borrowed my friends cv extended it was a pain for me to get dressed lol . Don't get me wrong the sprinters are nice in some ways but the expense to fix them is crazy especially in Canada 7 grand to fix the swirl agitator 2 grand for a rear end and 120 an hr for labor when you have starting /electrical problems . Way to much stress for me I'd buy a gm srw cube any day over that crap again .

eded5215 · Mar 3, 2015

I just replaced my def lines...$900. Then my dpf filter $2400...now my def heater went and that's $1400...don't know what to do?...can you drive it with the heater broken?

eded5215 · Mar 3, 2015

Check engine light is on...but no power derate or number of starts left.

Unclebob · Mar 3, 2015

eded5215 said:
I just replaced my def lines...$900. Then my dpf filter $2400...now my def heater went and that's $1400...don't know what to do?...can you drive it with the heater broken?

As long as you stay away from freezing temps. If I remember right DEF starts to crystallize at 26 degrees.

I think if you only run in Key West you should be fine.

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tknight · Mar 3, 2015

is the def tank plastic, aluminum, or steel? The McGuiver in me has a thought, why not use a 12volt immersion hearer element, like is used in a block heater, they make 12 volt 200 watt heaters with thermostate, for dialing it down if wattage is too high, for like 69.00 available on ebay, if i could figure out how to attach the link to it, i would, i may be an McGuiver, but i'm not a 14 year old asian kid......
don't think it'll work with a plastic tank, but certainly worth looking into for steel or aluminum, all ya need is to pull the tank and figure a good way to attach a threaded entry to it, use some teflon tape, and hard wire to a power source, heck saves about 1300.00 smackers

Treadmill · Mar 3, 2015

tknight said:
is the def tank plastic, aluminum, or steel? The McGuiver in me has a thought, why not use a 12volt immersion hearer element, like is used in a block heater, they make 12 volt 200 watt heaters with thermostate, for dialing it down if wattage is too high, for like 69.00 available on ebay, if i could figure out how to attach the link to it, i would, i may be an McGuiver, but i'm not a 14 year old asian kid......
don't think it'll work with a plastic tank, but certainly worth looking into for steel or aluminum, all ya need is to pull the tank and figure a good way to attach a threaded entry to it, use some teflon tape, and hard wire to a power source, heck saves about 1300.00 smackers

I believe they are plastic tanks. Have not looked at me me in quite a while.

tknight · Mar 3, 2015

theres a tank heater for freightliner 13 gallon def tank on ebay for 275, new are you sure its not working, could just be the sensor has bit the dust

Treadmill · Mar 3, 2015

ebsprintin said:
I'm also working on the theory that we had some problems when we transitioned from D1 to D2. I think there was cross contamination of the two when we thought we were getting D2 early in the transition.

Wouldn't it suck if Mercedes went to all the trouble of DEF when the real problem was the transition to D2, and now that D1 is entirely burned out of the inventory, the SCR system is just more dead weight and an added complexity?

eb

I can't remember what year it is supposed to happen maybe 2016 or 2017 but the diesel is supposed to go from 15ppm to 5ppm. Wonder what monkey wrench that will cause?

eded5215 · Mar 3, 2015

Just at the dealer yesterday and that was what they said...the def tank heater was bad and the check engine light will stay on till it's fixed. Def fluid starts to freeze at 12 degrees....I just put a new dpf filter on here and don't want to break it.

xiggi · Mar 4, 2015

Def fluid does not freeze until 12 degrees. The fl u I'd is not harmed when it freezes and thaws. At this point on the year I would feel ok pushing the repair until next fall if money is an issue.

eded5215 · Mar 4, 2015

Just a piece of advice to anyone buying a used sprinter with 100, 000 plus miles....nake sure that the previous owner has cleaned or replaced the dpf filter and replaced the def heater and def lines. These are apparently known trouble spots for these vehicles. Get receipts. I didn't know this and it has cost me thousands of dollars.