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So there we are on our month away heading out of Annecy in France up through the mountains towards Martigny when suddenly my Sprintshift starts changing down through the gears. there seemed to be no torque at all available at low revs and to get anywhere I had to rev the **** off the engine. At one point I was down to first on a slope that normally I could sail up in fifth if not sixth!!
Stop for 10 minutes to have a brew (and a serious worry about what might be wrong and check I had the right number for my breakdown insurance!!) Start up and drive off, all seems fine again. 10 miles later same problem !!! In fact it actually changed down whilst going DOWN hill in order to keep moving !! This happened a number of times over a 2 day period
Visit to local MB truck dealers soon sorted the problem (at a cost of 120 euro's that is)
Blocked diesel fuel filter !!! It would appear that this is a fairly common problem as the garage went straight to it after checking the water level/temp and oil level (I suspect they were thinking possible partial seizure due to no coolant and/or no oil.)
So if you are running a Sprinter make sure you change the Diesel filter on a regular basis. The actual parts only cost about £25 (as far as I can tell from the invoice!!) No there was no prior warning opf this problem and no warning light came on either.
Apart from that a wonderful five weeks, I averaged just a fraction under 28mpg overall which I reckon was pretty good for a MH running right up at its 4 tonne GVW, probably a bit over by the time we had "stocked up" at a few caves!!! (and that was staying off the motorways as well)
As has been said on a recent post in another section, we also found that France has become expensive, but still much better than the UK, what with municipal sites and Aires being available.
There are a couple of likely causes, one needs action the other does not.
1. You are using fuel with a high concentration of mineral hydrocarbons and have an algae type biological growth in the tank. This can be cleaned out with add to tank treatments.
2. The more likely scenario is that you are using diesel with a higher percentage than normal of biodiesel in it. The BD will act as a solvent and strip out the rubbish lining your tank (see above). Unfortunately it has nowhere to go but along your fuel line and into your filter.
The filter change should have cured the issue and will be surprised if you need to change it again due to BD.
______________________________________________________________ Satisfied now I´ve gotten rid of my Marquis supplied Autocruise- both were rubbish!
hi there
do you have a water trap in line that you undo and tip out the water/.if water manages to get to the filter it has the effect of it affecting the element and it restricts the fuel flow.keep the water trap empty .,if you have one.
roy
Thanks for that I did wonder if I had picked up some dodgy fuel, didnt think about Bio diesel though. the filter change has certainly cured the problem, now goes like a train again with LOADS of torque. Do you knopw how often I should chanhe the filter?? Cant find any info in the handbook.
Bill
I have done 14K miles since purchase 2 years ago and I dont know when (if??) it was changed prior to that. Its not something I ever thought about other than to suspect its one of those things they say you SHOULD do but no-one (inc me) does
Roy
The filter fitted did not have a water drain tap (I know some do)
Thanks for that I did wonder if I had picked up some dodgy fuel, didnt think about Bio diesel though. the filter change has certainly cured the problem, now goes like a train again with LOADS of torque. Do you knopw how often I should chanhe the filter?? Cant find any info in the handbook.
Bill
I have done 14K miles since purchase 2 years ago and I dont know when (if??) it was changed prior to that. Its not something I ever thought about other than to suspect its one of those things they say you SHOULD do but no-one (inc me) does
Roy
The filter fitted did not have a water drain tap (I know some do)
Andy,
I think the average for diesel cars and vans that I've owned is about 20k miles but that is with a water drain.
Apart from anything else the water will freeze and stop the fuel going through causing cold start problems.
Last edited by BillCreer on Sun Sep 04, 2011 7:18 pm; edited 1 time in total
For the price of a filter it is best to change it when ever you service the motor.
Andy
______________________________________________________________ There are no typing, spelling, or grammatical errors in my post. What you are seeing is the evolution of the English language in action.
This post may be unsuitable for overly sensitive persons with low self-esteem, no sense of humour or irrational religious beliefs,if you are please disregard the above post. Andy
For the price of a filter it is best to change it when ever you service the motor.
Andy
Not any more! They are often long life now. £40 is not uncommon. So every service will prove expensive. Most newer vans are every other service now. My VW was down to change at 80k. I was cautious and changed mine at 35k
______________________________________________________________ Satisfied now I´ve gotten rid of my Marquis supplied Autocruise- both were rubbish!
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