April 1st started like any other day, with good intentions and a mundane to-do list: laundry, groceries, and a post office run. Hopping into my Mercedes Sprinter van, I was ready to tackle these errands, but my trusty van had other plans.
Barely a hundred feet from my parking spot, the van began to sputter, quickly losing power and stalling. Initially, I wasn’t too concerned and tried restarting. It hesitated, then started, but the relief was short-lived. Again, within a short distance, the sputtering returned, and forward motion became a struggle.
Luckily, I was still on a quiet residential street. My priority shifted to avoiding a complete breakdown in the middle of the road, so I pulled over to the curb, parked, and kept the engine running.
The sputtering persisted. I decided to call the nearest Mercedes-Benz service department. They suggested bringing it in immediately. For a moment, the engine smoothed out, humming normally, and I almost convinced myself it was a fluke. However, just as I was about to dismiss my concerns, it stalled completely again.
Time for Plan B. I reached for my AAA card and initiated the roadside assistance process. This was only my second time using AAA since embracing van life, and I appreciate how straightforward their system is. (The first time? Let’s just say it involved locking the keys inside with my dog – a stressful van life moment!).
AAA’s online tool was impressively efficient, indicating a tow truck arrival within five minutes. The speed caught me off guard, and I rushed to prepare the van for towing. Securing everything inside, I gathered essentials for a couple of days, anticipating a potentially lengthy service.
One of our galley drawers needed special attention. A push-button latch was malfunctioning, and I didn’t want it flying open during towing or at the service center. So, I completely removed the drawer from the van for safekeeping.
Next, I emptied the food from our Dometic cooler and used the Goal Zero app to switch off the 110-volt, USB, and 12-volt plugs connected to our Goal Zero Yeti 6000x power station. This unit powers the van’s living systems.
I opted not to completely power down the Goal Zero, as the battery was at 63% and no power was being drawn. My thinking was that the solar panels could continue charging while the van was en route to Mercedes and potentially while parked at the service center. If the van were to be stuck there for an extended period, I could always return to power it down fully. Fingers crossed that wouldn’t be necessary!
Just as I finished these preparations, a flatbed tow truck arrived – a mere ten minutes after my call.
The driver hoped to start the Mercedes Sprinter van and drive it onto the flatbed. We had a brief moment of optimism when he managed to start it. But, as soon as he tried to accelerate up the ramp, it stalled again. With some skillful maneuvering and persistence, he successfully loaded the van, and it was finally on its way to Mercedes-Benz.
Shortly after the van arrived, a Mercedes service advisor called me. Imagine my surprise when he informed me that the van started immediately and was running perfectly. No sputtering, no stalling – nothing.
I explained that the van had been sitting for three days prior to this incident, which didn’t seem unreasonable. Could that be related? I also suggested a possible fuel filter issue, as the van was likely approaching its next service interval. After a busy winter of travels, some build-up seemed plausible.
Since the van hadn’t displayed any dashboard error messages or codes, Mercedes would proceed with their diagnosis. The diagnosis alone would cost $299, and I was still unsure if the warranty would cover any necessary repairs and parts. Immediately after hanging up, I started searching for Mercedes email coupons, hoping to lessen the financial impact.
While awaiting a status update, I thought I’d share this Mercedes Sprinter van adventure with you. Interestingly, this isn’t our first towing experience with a Sprinter. I previously wrote about towing our 2019 Winnebago Revel, built on a 2018 Mercedes Sprinter chassis. That article includes some useful tips in case you ever find yourself needing roadside assistance for your van.
April 2nd Update: The Mystery Deepens
One of the advantages of Mercedes service is the direct line of communication with your dedicated service advisor. Upon van intake, you receive a text message, enabling easy replies and calls.
This morning, I had both text and phone conversations with my service advisor, Jesse. The perplexing news? They still haven’t been able to replicate the issue. The Mercedes Sprinter van starts and runs flawlessly for them.
Jesse, understandably puzzled, asked a few troubleshooting questions. Was the van parked on an incline? No. When did we last refuel? Five days prior. When did we replace the original fuel tank with the 47-gallon fuel tank replacement? That upgrade was part of the van conversion completed by Van America in November 2022.
He mentioned that Sprinter owners who leave their vans stationary for extended periods sometimes encounter similar issues, but our situation seemed unusual given our recent usage.
Honestly, I didn’t have any groundbreaking insights to offer. Their current plan is to let the van sit overnight again and attempt to replicate the rough idle and stalling in the morning. If the issue remains elusive, they plan to replace the EGR valve. Since our warranty should cover this, they figured it was a worthwhile step.
Apparently, EGR valve replacements have resolved similar issues in other Sprinters. Carbon buildup in the EGR valve can lead to symptoms like those our van experienced. Fingers crossed that this is the solution! I’ll be sure to update you tomorrow on the outcome.
