It was April 1st, and my day began with the usual mundane tasks – laundry, grocery shopping, and a post office run. Hopping into my Mercedes Sprinter van, I started the engine, ready to tackle my list. Pulling away from my parking spot, however, my plans quickly changed.
Less than a hundred feet into my drive, the van began to sputter violently and abruptly stalled. Initially, I wasn’t too concerned. I tried restarting the engine, and with some hesitation, it turned over. Disappointingly, the relief was short-lived. Within another hundred feet, the sputtering returned, and the van struggled to move forward.
Fortunately, I was still on a quiet residential street. My priority was to avoid a complete breakdown in the middle of the road, so I maneuvered the sputtering Mercedes Sprinter to the curb and parked, leaving the engine running.
The van continued to sputter erratically. As it did, I contacted the nearest Mercedes-Benz dealership and connected with their service department. They suggested bringing the van in immediately. I hesitated for a moment because, strangely, the sputtering ceased, and the engine seemed to hum normally a few minutes into our call. Just as I was about to convince myself it was a minor hiccup, the engine stalled completely again.
Recognizing this was more serious, 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 appreciated their efficient system. (The first time, I accidentally locked my dog, Bruce Leroy, inside the van – a truly terrifying experience!).
AAA’s online tool indicated a tow truck would arrive within five minutes. The rapid response caught me off guard, prompting a quick dash to prepare the van for towing. I secured everything inside and gathered essential items I might need for a couple of days, anticipating a potentially lengthy service.
One crucial step was removing a galley drawer entirely from the van. A push-button latch on the drawer was faulty, and I was concerned it might fly open during towing or while at the service center.
Next, I emptied the perishable food from our Dometic cooler and used the Goal Zero App to switch off the 110-volt, USB, and 12-volt power outlets. Our van is powered by a Goal Zero Yeti 6000x.
I opted not to completely power down the Goal Zero as the battery was at a healthy 63% charge, and no devices were actively drawing power. My thinking was that the solar panels could continue charging the battery during the tow and while the van was parked at Mercedes, likely outdoors. If the Mercedes Sprinter van ended up stuck in service for more than a couple of days, I could always return and fully power it down. But I was hoping for a quicker resolution!
As I finished these preparations, a flatbed tow truck arrived in under ten minutes, precisely as estimated by AAA.
The tow truck driver hoped he could start the van and drive it onto the flatbed. We had a brief moment of optimism when he managed to coax the engine to start. However, our hope was dashed as the van stalled again as soon as he attempted to accelerate up the ramp. Undeterred, with some skillful maneuvering and persistence, he successfully loaded the Mercedes Sprinter, and it was soon on its way to the Mercedes dealership.
Shortly after the van arrived at Mercedes, a service advisor called me. To my utter disbelief and disappointment, he informed me that the van started immediately and was running perfectly fine.
I explained the van had been sitting for three days prior to this incident, which shouldn’t be an issue for a Mercedes Sprinter. Could that have been related? I also suggested a possible fuel filter problem, as the van was nearing its next scheduled service. After a busy winter, I suspected some build-up or grime might be contributing to the issue.
No warning lights or error messages had appeared on the dashboard, so Mercedes indicated they would proceed with their diagnosis. The diagnostic service alone was quoted at $299, and I was still unsure if the warranty would cover any necessary repairs and parts. Immediately after hanging up, I started scouring my emails for Mercedes service coupons, hoping to mitigate the potential financial impact.
While awaiting a status update, I thought I’d share this latest episode of van life adventures. This wasn’t our first towing experience with a Sprinter van. I previously wrote about towing our 2019 Winnebago Revel, built on a 2018 Mercedes Sprinter chassis. That article includes some helpful tips if you ever find yourself needing roadside assistance for your van.
Here’s a photo from the second time our Revel / Sprinter required towing:
April 2nd Update: Mercedes Sprinter Service and Diagnosis
One of the commendable aspects of Mercedes service is the direct line of communication you establish with your service advisor while your vehicle is being assessed. Upon the van’s arrival at the service center, you receive a text message, facilitating easy communication via text or phone.
This morning, I exchanged text messages and had a phone conversation with my service advisor, Jesse. They had yet to replicate the sputtering and stalling issue – the Mercedes Sprinter was running smoothly for them!
Jesse posed a few diagnostic questions, clearly puzzled by the intermittent nature of the problem. Was the van parked on an incline? No. When was the last time I filled up the fuel tank? Five days prior. When did we replace the original fuel tank with this 47-gallon fuel tank replacement? The upgraded fuel tank was installed by Van America as part of the van conversion in November 2022.
Jesse mentioned that Sprinter van owners who leave their vehicles stationary for extended periods might encounter similar issues, but our situation seemed unusual given our recent usage.
I didn’t have any further insights to offer, but Jesse informed me of their plan: they would let the van sit overnight and attempt to replicate the rough idle and stalling again the next morning. If they still couldn’t reproduce the issue, their next step was to replace the EGR valve. Since our warranty would cover this, they reasoned it was a worthwhile diagnostic step.
Apparently, EGR valve replacements had resolved similar intermittent sputtering and stalling problems in other Mercedes Sprinter vans. Carbon buildup in the EGR valve can lead to the exact symptoms our van exhibited. Hopefully, we’ll have a clearer understanding tomorrow!
