Caution about the Sprinter.

Congrats. I'll be interested to hear how it tows when fixed. I'll be surprised if the performance is anything less than quite satisfactory. Sounds like a good rig.

Comparing only to the Liberty, it's about 20% less on HP, while being 30% heavier.
Not sure how the tv would be rated at 5000 lbs.

Originally Posted by Pierak706

We thought that's what the computer system was for. Anyway, I will post again when we have the Sprinter back, and fully tested.

Based on the year of the Sprinter you have, there weren't all the strict emission system requirements on diesels that gas engines had, so the computer might not have been able to catch it (that's how a gas engine would have caught it).

Glad you found the problem. I suspect it'll be a much nicer vehicle to drive when you get it fixed.

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by Pierak706

Well,
got a little bit more information on our Sprinter. Just as Harveyrv said, it is the Turbo. A valve in it is completely broken, and the Turbo was not working at all. The mechanic has ordered a new valve, which has not come in yet. So, more waiting, but at least we think this may be the last problem, and the Sprinter will be fixed. Not cheap, but much cheaper than buying a new vehicle. Cannot complain too much, we have had the Sprinter for 6 years, and it has not cost us a dime, except for scheduled maintenance. But we'll believe it is OK after we have tested it up the hill!! We are still surprised that the vehicle could have such a severe problem, without any warning from the on-board computer system. We thought that's what the computer system was for. Anyway, I will post again when we have the Sprinter back, and fully tested.

Sorta what I suspected.......when the turbo is not working on a turbo diesel, it's not like you are still operating on the same level as a non-turbo diesel. The power loss would be severe.

I know that I will get flak over this but I am not a great lover of turbo-diesel engines. If I were to do diesel, I would go for more cubic inches for the power and fore-go the turbo. When the turbo works, it's great. When it fails, it's normally a very expensive repair and not something that can be done on the side of the road. To me, the beauty of a diesel engine lies in it's simplicity. When you add a turbo, everything changes.

Well, hello everybody!
We got our Sprinter back on Friday. They changed the Filters, the Turbo valve, and a gizmo which is supposed to reduce noise in the turbo. Air passes through it, and it was leaking.
The mechanic told us that the first time they took the van out, the engine light came on after a short while. So I guess it would have eventually let us know that there was a problem!
Anyway, all fixed now. We will leave Thursday, but for a much shorter and less hill-intense trip. We will do hill-climbing tests when we come back. We are going to Virginia (we live in Georgia) to visit some friends. This will give a chance to actually use the TM, which we are very excited about doing. Also we will be near a major city, so if anything goes wrong we will not get stranded. Can you tell we are a bit gun-shy?
If this trip and the following test go well, we will do a longer trip in the Fall.
I will keep posting on the results.
We really like our Sprinter. It has tons of room, very good mileage, and good visibility for sightseeing. However, since we bought it as a cargo van for our business (now gone), it only has two seats. So, if we are to keep it, we need to add an extra seat (some more extra weight). We sure hope it will pass the hill-test with flying colors!
Anyway, I'll post again here when we have more info.
For now, thank you all for your suggestions and help. I really appreciate it. It is nice to have somebody to 'talk to' and get advice from when you got trouble!
Hope everybody has a great time with their TM!

Originally Posted by Pierak706

However, since we bought it as a cargo van for our business (now gone), it only has two seats. So, if we are to keep it, we need to add an extra seat (some more extra weight).

Sounds like a good candidate for a Class B conversion :-)

[Bill]

Just for grins, I'm betting that the valve that was broken was the turbocharger's dump valve (there is probably a more elaborate name for it). Imagine, if you will, that the engine is running at high RPMs, the turbo is really reved, compressing air as fast as it can - and you take your foot off the throttle. Suddenly the engine doesn't need much air, but the turbo, still rotating, is pumping air at a furious rate. To prevent a dangerous overpressure in the intake air system, the turbo assembly has a dump valve, which opens quickly to let the excess air escape back into the atmosphere, and limit the pressure. If this dump valve sticks open, the turbo can pump like mad, but the air will just be vented, and the engine will be air-starved.

Just my guess. Did your mechanic give you any details?

Bill

TM Matt, yes, it certainly is! We thought about it, but if we had converted the Sprinter, then we would have had to tow a trailer with all ours stuff...:-[) I have to admit we do not travel light (but I'm working on that!)
Bill, the mechanic did not give us detail, other than show us the broken valve. The difference in the Sprinter is noticeable, but we have not done a 'hill-test' yet.
We did drive the Sprinter and the TM, and it seems to be doing a lot better. I'm very relieved. As I said before, we really like our Sprinter. It is truly a multi-use vehicle. It certainly comes in handy to transport stuff around.
We must have offended the god of travel, though, because on the day we were set to leave, we noticed that the TM air conditioner was not working (brand new TM-under warranty, that's the good part!). So we have driven it back to the dealer (a 2 hrs drive). There is where our TM is now. The Service guy said that the AC was doing "something funky", and he needed to call Carrier for help.
As it happens, the friend we were going to visit is not going to be home in August, so we have now rescheduled the whole trip for September/October.
But we are not deterred! We WILL go camping in the TM this year!!!

Update on the Sprinter: we have gone to get the TM (AC fixed) Thursday. The TM is still pretty much loaded, we have not emptied it. The Sprinter is empty. We used the occasion to test the Sprinter-TM combination, by driving up and down a few steep hills.
Result:
The Sprinter did OK, as in, it slowed down to about 40 mph, but did not overheat. We think that a fully loaded Sprinter would make it, but just. A bit disappointing, we so like the Sprinter. I think the newer version, which has a bigger engine and more power, may still be an OK tow vehicle; the older model is borderline.
Since we really want to go camping in the TM, we will limit ourselves to fairly flat terrain. That means along the East Coast, Gulf Coast, Florida. This will be OK for this year and half of next year.
We will revisit the subject next year, after we have a few trips under our belts. We may well decide to get a new vehicle. We usually do a 2-3 month trip in the summer, and several shorter trips throughout the year. Not this year though! :-)
Thanks again to all for the good info and feedback. I have been reading the forum a lot, trying to get an education on the TM.This is a fantastic forum, everybody is informative and friendly. How refreshing! If you read any other forums, you know that that is quite unusual!