Mercedes V6 diesel

[Sully2]

Who has one? And do you like its power and pulling capabilities ( for a toad puller)

So many of the coaches that Im looking over have this V6 diesel and I dont know doodlie squat about it.

Help me out
Sully

[hooligan]

Sully2- I traded a 2000 GeorgieBoy Dp on my Siesta Sprinter earlier this year. Trade in numbers were not what I expected but combined with a 30% discount from MSRP the price became more palatable. You have all winter to haggle.

[Timberdog]

Wanna trade...lol

[Sully2]

Old Crows wrote:

Sully2 wrote:
OK. Thanks to you all. It all may be for naught because I got an off the cuff quote from the RV dealer for my coach and they said "in the 25K neighborhood"... I thence told him he could stuff his quote where the sun dont shine if thats the best they can do.

I know its not worth new price....heck even "Im" not worth new prices.....:B,,:S....but to let my rig go for 25K..... I'll let it sit till the Alcoa's rust off it!

Well DANG! I was getting excited about hearing of your new wheels. If I may suggest.... I helped my neighbor sell her 14 View Profile about 6 months ago after her hubby passed. It took about 6 months to move it. It had about 750 miles on it and the plastic was still on the carpets.

Initially, she took it back to the dealer here in town to see if they could put it on the lot. They were willing to 'take it off her hands' for about 50% of her purchase price. (Yes, he sold it to her...) I thought we could do better. She eventually got about 90% of her purchase price back.

What I learned: Your local newspaper may be one of your best advertising values... and any 'big' city close by. That's what brought in the tire kickers and lookers....eventually a buyer.

I also added a listing on iRV2 forums. They have a very nice easy to use "Classifieds" section. You can add photos, etc., etc.. That got lots of coverage and a couple nibbles. I also posted on the Sprinter-Forum classified (it had a 3500 chassis).

I prepared a short and long form 'brochure'in PDF that I could email to interested parties. Printed the small ones and posted at our local RV shops and RV camps. They didn't bring anyone in but it made it easy to tell someone what was in the coach.

Hope this helps.....

Well mine is 15 years old and now its winter....*sigh* But if I have to keep it cover till nest spring...so be it. Ive done that many a winder before.

As I said its NOT new....but only has about 54K miles on a ISC Cummins.....far from being worn out. Does need tires or anything...so Im not going to bend over and give it away!

[Old_Crows]

Sully2 wrote:
OK. Thanks to you all. It all may be for naught because I got an off the cuff quote from the RV dealer for my coach and they said "in the 25K neighborhood"... I thence told him he could stuff his quote where the sun dont shine if thats the best they can do.

I know its not worth new price....heck even "Im" not worth new prices.....:B,,:S....but to let my rig go for 25K..... I'll let it sit till the Alcoa's rust off it!

Well DANG! I was getting excited about hearing of your new wheels. If I may suggest.... I helped my neighbor sell her 14 View Profile about 6 months ago after her hubby passed. It took about 6 months to move it. It had about 750 miles on it and the plastic was still on the carpets.

Initially, she took it back to the dealer here in town to see if they could put it on the lot. They were willing to 'take it off her hands' for about 50% of her purchase price. (Yes, he sold it to her...) I thought we could do better. She eventually got about 90% of her purchase price back.

What I learned: Your local newspaper may be one of your best advertising values... and any 'big' city close by. That's what brought in the tire kickers and lookers....eventually a buyer.

I also added a listing on iRV2 forums. They have a very nice easy to use "Classifieds" section. You can add photos, etc., etc.. That got lots of coverage and a couple nibbles. I also posted on the Sprinter-Forum classified (it had a 3500 chassis).

I prepared a short and long form 'brochure'in PDF that I could email to interested parties. Printed the small ones and posted at our local RV shops and RV camps. They didn't bring anyone in but it made it easy to tell someone what was in the coach.

Hope this helps.....

[Old_Crows]

loneryder wrote:

Old Crows wrote:
So one would think..... We can only pay attention to Mother Benz's recommendations and try to comply. Note that Mother changed the oil specification to 229.52, which gives a slightly better resistance to oil contamination from bio (as I understand it). Also, better resistance to acids. The new specification will allow for longer change intervals.... or, better protection with a shorter change.

So, maybe its not a mechanical issue but one of the oil needing to be upgraded.

The change to .52 was to increase their CAFE numbers. They are 0w oils is the only difference. You can't go any longer oci's on them. You won't notice better mileage but multiplied by 1000's wi ll reduce their CAFE by .00x%?

Its not all about CAFE numbers. Improved MPG helps us all. Heres a link that shows the difference in specs. Daimler is the entry point.
https://www.lubrizol.com/apps/relperftool/pc.html

[Sully2]

OK. Thanks to you all. It all may be for naught because I got an off the cuff quote from the RV dealer for my coach and they said "in the 25K neighborhood"... I thence told him he could stuff his quote where the sun dont shine if thats the best they can do.

I know its not worth new price....heck even "Im" not worth new prices.....:B,,:S....but to let my rig go for 25K..... I'll let it sit till the Alcoa's rust off it!

[loneryder]

Old Crows wrote:
So one would think..... We can only pay attention to Mother Benz's recommendations and try to comply. Note that Mother changed the oil specification to 229.52, which gives a slightly better resistance to oil contamination from bio (as I understand it). Also, better resistance to acids. The new specification will allow for longer change intervals.... or, better protection with a shorter change.

So, maybe its not a mechanical issue but one of the oil needing to be upgraded.

The change to .52 was to increase their CAFE numbers. They are 0w oils is the only difference. You can't go any longer oci's on them. You won't notice better mileage but multiplied by 1000's wi ll reduce their CAFE by .00x%?

[loneryder]

Snowman9000 wrote:

Timberdog wrote:
I've had one for 3 years and its been great. DIY maintenance such as oil and filter changes are simple. Depending on what type of MB based RV you're looking at will determine what you can tow. Mine is rated for 3500# due its size. Smaller units are rated for 5000#. Either one still gets great fuel mileage. They are picky about what diesel you burn, low sulpher only and no bio-diesel.

What happens when you run biodiesel, or is that just a personal preference for you? Here in IL, you'd be hard pressed to find non-bio diesel. And there are Sprinter fleet vans running everywhere.

You have to change the oil/filter and fuel filter more often. The biodiesel will shorten the life of the exhaust scrubbers. MB actually stopped selling their new diesels in Ill. for a couple of yrs. because of that. About a yr ago they started selling again. They stated that the maintenance should be done more often and that they would eat the warranty costs (50k).
I have the 642 engine in an suv and it has been good to me. When I was looking at small motorhomes, I wanted one for the mileage. The main deciding factor was purchase cost and the fact that you can find someone to work on a Ford in any decent sized town in the US.

[Old_Crows]

Linky for MB approved oil for 229.52 specification

https://bevo.mercedes-benz.com/bevolisten/229.52_en.html

[Old_Crows]

Sully2 wrote:
So just what oils do members of this BB use in their V6 diesels??
Brand and weight!

Always MB spec 229.51/52.***** Since early 2015, the recommended grade is 5W30. Previously, 5W40. 5W30 appears to be 'back speced' for older V6s. As of September when I changed oil, the Benz store was only stocking 5W30 for ALL V6 diesels.

Old call out was Mobil Formula M. Mobil changed the name in 2015.

MB changed the "Mobil" labeled bottles of Formula M to MB label. The bottles are gold but shaped like Mobil bottles. I'd think that with the dacades close relationship between Mobil and Mercedes, the oil is made by Mobil.

Pentosin, Liqui-Moly, & Valvoline @ NAPA.

If you have a Benz store close by, the price per L is competitive with parts stores. Better if you chat up the parts guys and get the discount.

***** It is a fine point but Mother Benz has a disclaimer in their literature. Mother says that the oils meeting their various specifications are "approved" for use in engine families...right down to geographic markets. Also, they list by name and grade. It will say "MB approved" on the bottle.

Some oils may say "meets" MB spec xxx.xx" that is likely NOT the same as "approved" and it may not appear on the MB list of "approved" oils.

[Dakzuki]

Old Crows wrote:

funtogo1 wrote:
Looking at used Mercedes diesels,what is the best way to check whether bio diesel fuel has been used enough to damage the engine?Newby question..

I'm not sure that question is easily answered. There's just too many variables. I think (it's a guess) that if the previous owner didn't convert it to veggie oil or use high concentrations of bio-diesel (not generally available as a road fuel) you've not much to worry about.

The older Merc diesels (5 cylinder) are likely more forgiving of fuel and oil quality. The V-6s, not so much.

If it is a V-6 and you are really concerned, I'd check the maintenance records to see what has been serviced on the engine. Might be available from Mercedes dealer... or from the owner. The key items would be oil changes about every 10K and fuel filter about every 20K. Since it is an RV, I'd not get too concerned about time intervals... they tend to 'time out' before 'distancing out' when it comes to oil changes.

I'm of the mind that 'cleanliness is next to Godliness' when it comes to fueling my Sprinters. Open the filler flap by the driver's door and look closely at the filler neck and cap. If it's nice and tidy, I'd think that the owner took some care in fueling and was using ULSD. If it's funky and filthy.... I'd be a little skeptical and start asking questions.... (Doesn't tell us squat about what's inside the tank... but it could be an indicator...)


Inspection of the fuel filter element should tell a lot about the status of the fuel system before the injection system. (Changing the fuel filter is not a DIY service item until you have some experience with the V-6. It's buried in the V of the engine block and has some fiddley plastic clamps that are easily broken. Best let one of Mother's trained mechanics break them...)

A records check should tell you what oil has been used. If a V-6, it should meet MB BEVO Specification 229.51, or now, .51 or .52. It is a LOW SAPS oil to protect the diesel particulate filter (DPF), EGR, intake manifold, etc.. In my '09, it was 5W40. That was true in my '14 up till early 2015 where it's now 5W30 but always 229.51/52 spec.

Honestly, I'd be a bit more concerned about the oil used than the fuel since it's an RV, as it is more a more likely place for the previous owner to have taken short cuts. If it was changed by Mother Benz, you can have confidence that it was the correct, LOW SAPS, oil. If the previous owner DIY'd or took it to someone ...??? Be skeptical unless they can show you a oil can or invoice.

You could also take an oil sample and send it to Blackstone Labs and ask for a TBN in addition to the regular data dump. That will tell you the quality of the oil in the machine right now as well as any wear in the engine. Both my OM-642 V-6 CRD turbo diesels return good results with Mobil Formula "M" but do show elevated iron. Normal for the engine with 10,000 miles.

I hope this is helpful.

Good info here. I've (successfully) changed the V6 fuel filter and it is not a job for the inexperienced. It will expose the turbocharger inlet and getting the water sensor out was a delicate job.

[Dakzuki]

Sully2 wrote:
So just what oils do members of this BB use in their V6 diesels??
Brand and weight!

229.51 spec Mobil 1..... what came in it. I have enough oil for 1 more oil change (I buy it on sale) and then will likely go to 229.52 spec as the stuff I currently use is out of production.

Look at your owner's manual and proceed from there.

[Timberdog]

Smell the exhaust, it will have a sweet smell if the proper fuel was used. Also, if the fuel used was always high percentage of bio the engine would be running like ****.

[Sully2]

So just what oils do members of this BB use in their V6 diesels??
Brand and weight!