Help! Possible Blown Motor in Baja '19 MB Sprinter

[19Sprinter]

Hi, I have a 2019 Mercedes Sprinter 2500 Cargo 6-cylinder 2WD with ~75,000 miles. I purchased it about a year ago and have put 10,000 miles on it (7,000 in Baja, MX). It ran great the whole time, apart from noting a small oil leak a couple months ago. A faulty glow plug in cylinder 1 was causing the check engine light to come on but I hadn’t noted any other issues. I was driving up a long gradual incline when the van lost power and the battery died. We were towed into La Paz. After seeing two non-Mercedes mechanics (the La Paz MB dealership turned us away and said they don’t work on Sprinters), we got the van running. After running for about 10 minutes, the front crank shaft seal blew and oil dumped out. We repaired the seal, all filters, and performed an oil change. This got it running again, and it ran very smooth upon start up with no oil leaks. We drove it about a mile, and it slowly lost power with significant upper engine noise and then stopped running entirely. After an expensive tow to Mulege, I’m stuck here with a possible blown engine trying to figure out next steps to get the van home to the pacific northwest.

• Contacted Mercedes Benz Tijuana and they said they will not work on American sprinters.
• Contacted several mechanics in San Diego and received extremely high quotes for a new motor – around $18,000 installed.

I am looking to get the engine repaired or replaced. If anyone has any experience with something similar or any ideas/suggestions/advice, any and everything is welcomed and appreciated! Please comment and like to boost views—thank you so much!

 

[GeorgeRad]

Sorry about your problems, I would suggest contacting lindenengineering on the Sprinter Forum. He has experience with Sprinters and his shop is in Colorado somewhere, I think. He helped me solving my issues with MB warranty for exhaust treatment.

 

[grmucci]

Hi, I have a 2019 Mercedes Sprinter 2500 Cargo 6-cylinder 2WD with ~75,000 miles. I purchased it about a year ago and have put 10,000 miles on it (7,000 in Baja, MX). It ran great the whole time, apart from noting a small oil leak a couple months ago. A faulty glow plug in cylinder 1 was causing the check engine light to come on but I hadn’t noted any other issues. I was driving up a long gradual incline when the van lost power and the battery died. We were towed into La Paz. After seeing two non-Mercedes mechanics (the La Paz MB dealership turned us away and said they don’t work on Sprinters), we got the van running. After running for about 10 minutes, the front crank shaft seal blew and oil dumped out. We repaired the seal, all filters, and performed an oil change. This got it running again, and it ran very smooth upon start up with no oil leaks. We drove it about a mile, and it slowly lost power with significant upper engine noise and then stopped running entirely. After an expensive tow to Mulege, I’m stuck here with a possible blown engine trying to figure out next steps to get the van home to the pacific northwest.

• Contacted Mercedes Benz Tijuana and they said they will not work on American sprinters.
• Contacted several mechanics in San Diego and received extremely high quotes for a new motor – around $18,000 installed.

I am looking to get the engine repaired or replaced. If anyone has any experience with something similar or any ideas/suggestions/advice, any and everything is welcomed and appreciated! Please comment and like to boost views—thank you so much!

A friend has a 2021 with a blown engine - significant noise before it quit. Had it towed to a Mercedes dealer a few miles down the road in Kentucky. Required a new engine from Germany. Took a bit over a month to complete the job. $23k for the job - covered by Mercedes warranty. May be a known issue they are aware of and cover beyond the normal warranty.