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Comments
404
There's going to be 3 wheelbases, 4 lengths, 3 heights, gas or diesel, standard or automatic.
Too many choices.
I had a tough time selecting mine.
I opened the hood and saw quite a few cables connected to the battery.
Which cable comes from the alternator?
The alternator cable should be connected to the alternator post of my isolator I believe, and then I should have a cable going to each battery, correct?
Is it already wired for rear speakers?
Thanks--I hope someday soon to have acquired the Sprinter experience and knowledge to be an advisor and not just a learner in this forum.
If I lead that to the alternator post of the isolator, I won't hurt anything, will I?
Does anyone know a good place to buy?
I called Becker Automotive Design to ask them what they do with the original driver and passenger seats, but I was told that they don't take those out. I guess that means they just reupholster them?
If anyone has upgraded their driver and passenger seats, I would like to buy the original seats to bolt in for my second-row seating.
Thanks,
Ken in Camarillo, CA
This setup was smoother sounding but the stock radio doesn’t have enough power for a good sneeze. So the next step was more power. After all a Sprinter isn’t the quietest vehicle at highway speeds and there’s a lot of cubic footage to fill. For this I installed the basic JL Audio 4x75 watt amp and one of their interface devices called a “Clean Sweep” under the passenger seat.
This sounded much better, but there wasn’t enough bass. So the search was on for a way to get bass that didn’t eat up people and cargo space (and money). Ultimately the solution was a JL Audio 10” woofer in an enclosure the size of 2 Kleenex boxes mounted behind the drivers seat bolted to the floor where that weird metal tray with the strap was. This setup sounds awesome and gets plenty loud.
The final touch was to install an XM radio adaptor and a Magellan Roadmate Navigation system. For these to work the antennas must be mounted on the roof; not on the face of the truck over the windshield.
A cost saving option would be to change the head unit to one of the many high power quality DIN units available. This should give satisfying performance and you may be able to put the subwoofer under the front passenger seat. Good luck!
I had thought of putting woofers in the space under the two front seats.
Did you do the installation yourself, or did you have an auto stereo shop do it?
Thanks again, I really appreciate your help.
Ken
Camarillo, CA
with all the options.You have to go heavy duty on all.
If you look at all the complaints most folks cheap out.
i made a purchace from the states I bought wholsale and can sell you mine with 1400 k Iam going down next month
to buy another.
This procedure works on all Mercedes-Benz vehicles equipped with ASSYST.
I'm not sure if it voids warranty or not.
Turn the key to position 2 in the ignition lock and immediately press button 000.0 twice within the space of one second.
Turn the key to position 0 in the ignition lock.
Press and hold button 000.0 Turn the key to position 2 in the ignition lock. Keep button 000.0 pressed.
Service message with current remaining distance or remaining time appears.
After about 10 seconds, an acoustic signal will sound and the service display with the new starting distance or starting time appears for about 10 seconds.
Release button 000.0
I've got a 2002 Freightliner 2500SHC 158 with the stock AM/FM/Cassette system and have several AM/FM/CD units sitting around. I've seen kits to adapt a single DIN unit into Sprinters but all state the kits are for 2003 and up. Will these work on my 2002? The stock radio has, I believe an anti-theft system in it...will this cause problems during the switch?
Sarge
Can anyone confirm.
Post 404
Plus it was discussed in Post 429.
4 lengths, 3 wheelbases, 3 heights, standard & automatic, gasoline & diesel.
The one in my vehicle came on 10 minutes after leaving the dealership with my new purchase! They fixed it right away.
the tiny grills in the back are for the stale air exhaust vents which are often found in the rear of vans and cars, often in the rear pillars.
I have a plan to add two or four small monitor speakers, like the JBL Control 1A speakers, and then add a powered tube sub-woofer. Still don't know about the in-dash speaks... maybe some 4 ohm wide-range drivers that I know of from AURASOUND
KenB :shades:
my added $0.02
KenB
I'll probably end up going to a local (independently owned and operated) auto stereo shop, as I lack the time and expertise to do the job myself.
(If anyone knows of a good shop in Ventura County, CA, I would appreciate the referral.)
But I have to do it soon; I don't know how long I can endure that stock CD player and those tinny dash speakers.
Thanks again,
KenBob
And thanks also for your post #437; I will take your specs to an auto stereo shop.
I wish Cartunes were in my area.
If anyone knows a good independently owned and operated shop in Ventura County (CA) I would appreciate the referral.
Thanks again!
I'm changing to 16" wheels next week, and hoping my MPG will improve. (But I guess my odometer will also register fewer miles per tankful with the larger circumference tires, so it will be somewhat of a wash?) :confuse:
According to him, and some others as well, the 5speed tranny is very picky on the correct level of ATF. Sometimes it comes underfilled and exhibits the rumble strip noise or transmission vibration.
There are tire calculator programs on the net, but it is easy to do it yourself.
For example, my Dodge Spirit has 195/70-14 tires on 14" wheels.
Dia at tread = (195mm)(0.70)(1in/25.4mm)(2) + 14in = 24.75 inches
The tire sticker also lists 205/60-15 tires which would of course require new 15" wheels
Dia at tread = (205)(0.60)(1/25.4)(2) + 15 = 24.69 inches.
The diameters at the tread are equal and the speedometer/odometer will read the same. The 205/60-15s give superior handling, but at the expense of slightly lower mpg due to increased rolling resistance of performance (sticky) tires. The 10 mm narrower stock tires give adequate handling for me, and I value fuel economy highly, so I've just stayed with the original tires/wheels which came on this 1991 base model Dodge Spirit 2.5L 5-spd, 34 mpg at 70 mph with the a/c on.
If you change to a tire/wheel combination which is significantly larger at the tread then you would be increasing the effective gear ratio throughout the gear range and this should save fuel when cruising at light accelerator pressure, but you will not have as good acceleration. If you habitually have the van relatively lightly loaded and don't use it in hilly terrain, then this may be the right thing to do. But if you use an unapproved tire size, then you will have substituted your own judgment for that of the MB engineers as to what is the best tire for the Sprinter. I wouldn't do this lightly.
Tire Calculator
As mentioned, the gear ratio will be different with different tires. Sure, you may save a few bucks on fuel, but how long until you need engine work due to the strain on the engine?
I'm changing my rims and tires for several reasons: I can't stand those Goodyear Cargo Vectors that came on the van; they have ultra-stiff sidewalls and ride too rough. My (118", low-roof, passenger model) van is almost always lightly loaded. Also, my speedometer & odometer are registering high as is, so the larger-circumference tires will correct some of this.
(Why does DC do this? My cynical side tells me that they save millions in warranty work by having warranties expire sooner. My wife's Honda CRV came with a high-registering odometer also (we had it checked, and it was almost 8% high), and when I took it into the dealer for recalibrating they said they couldn't do it, and besides, 10% leeway is the legal parameter. So apparently, manufacturers are turning out cars with high-registering speedometers and odometers on purpose. The service advisor told me that that's so I wouldn't get a surprise speeding ticket. Riiiight.)
As far as acceleration, the van has plenty of low-end power, and I do a lot of highway cruising. And I want to go to not only taller but wider rims so I can put on wider tires to improve the vehicle's stability in cornering and crosswinds. (It's already surprisingly good, though.) Yes, I know that the wider tires might lower the MPG somewhat, depending on the tire type.
And lastly, I don't like the looks of the stock steel wheels. I've looked at a lot of rims, but I'll probably just end up going with the OEM painted alloy ones that come on some 3500s and are available at dealers or dodgeparts.com. I'm not into fancy. I don't like the looks of the Borbets, I understand the AT Italias have been discontinued, and I can't afford the 18" G-Wagens.
BTW, as of my second tankful, my MPG increased to 24.79, so it's breaking in, apparently.
My conundrum was that the new larger-circumference tires will lower the odometer registry, thereby offsetting measured increase in highway MPG I might realize.
But that's only measurement; my real-world highway MPG will increase, I think.
Thanks for your input.
So it's best to work with a tire shop who knows what they are doing.
What are the sizes of the original tire/wheel combination and the proposed new ones? This vehicle has dynamic stability and traction control. It's at least theoretically possible that the DSTC is engineered to work best with the stock tires.
And yeah, we would HOPE that a consistent bias by auto manufacturers would be exposed, but there's little government oversight going on in any area these days (mine safety, for example), and investigative journalists are a vanishing breed; bloggers seem to do all the heavy lifting.
My existing stock tires are 27.4" dia. and the 245/70 16s would be about 29.5". I hope they will fit without having to modify the wheel wells and mudflaps as some owners have had to do when changing wheels/tires.
Thanks for raising the issue of the DSTC; if anyone has any further insight, I would appreciate it.
I do not think there could be any reasonably expected benefit which would justify this, first from the cost, but second and mainly you would be raising an already high and narrow vehicle significantly higher. This could reduce stability and increase the effect of cross winds.
Raising the vehicle could increase the air resistance and negate the fuel saving effect of higher gearing. Then there is the potential for interference of the tires with the wheel wells.
we hear this is pretty normal, especially for a color choice, in fact, your estimate is a bit short of the 5-6 months some have reported.
Most WHITE combinations (without extraordinary options) would probably be in your geographic region, especially in the cargo version. It appears to me that most regular Sprinters are shipped WHITE unless special ordered.
In the Northern regions you might even see more of the heater, block heater, and timed heater options shipped on the "spec" Sprinters shipped to dealers for immediate sale to the customer just in off of the street.
Here in Oklahoma we don't see many individually owned Sprinters yet (not many passenger "wagons" that is). The cargo, delivery, and even the custom cab/chassis are catching on very well. I really like the one version of mechanics bed that I have seen at the dealer.
KenB (2004 2500 HC Wagon, MWB, white, 10 pass.; bought new in Sept. 2005) :shades: 10,000 miles and first Oil Change behind me now.
I have to admit I really do not like the smell of the exhaust. Hopefully, soon I will be smelling the remnants of my favorite Thai restaurant. Good luck
Page 209 states:
QUOTE:
FUEL REQUIREMENTS
Use only commercially available vehicular diesel fuels No. 2 or No. 1 (ASTM D 975 No. 2-D or No. 1-D).
...
...
WARNING!
Marine diesel fuel, Bio diesel fuel, heating oil or the like must not be used.
...
END QUOTE
What about the various biodiesel-geodiesel blends B10, B20, etc.?
B5, and B10 are widely used in Mercedes products in Europe, some may even be certified on at least B85.
B20 is probably easily acceptable in a fairly new vehicle. B100 in a brand new vehicle should be totally acceptable within the limits of reasonable temeratures. Bio-diesel is also more lubricating than its DDD counterpart. Cloud point issues are similar to DDD or better, so a preheater is required in the coldest climates.
In the past, different diesel blends were quite apparent in the north in winter when compared to the south in summer. The added parafin in southern (summer) diesel helped lubricate injector pumps and injectors in hot weather, but was too cloudy (gelled) in northern winter (cold) weather.
Testing by the manufacturer is the key... :shades: That, and common sense if you ever switch over to anything near B100, plus $5.95 will probably buy you a cup at Starbucks.
Biodiesel, by definition, is not damaging to a fuel system or diesel engine. It is essentially de-esterized vegetable oil (some might have animal fat, another debate later)with the stray proteins removed. It is even relatively non-damaging to the human organism; as it is estimated that it would require people drinking about 3 liters of B100 (each person) before 50 percent of them would get sick/die.
KenB
They stopped building the one Dodge is selling.
Why are we waiting for the new one?
It seems unwise to order the obsolete version and wait for 6 months.
.
Peanut oil biodiesel would the methyl esters of the fatty acids from peanut oil. This would be produced by transesterification of peanut oil with methyl alcohol and then separating the methyl esters from the glycerin byproduct.
Would really appreciate any feedback on advisability of using this kind of vehicle.