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InterBlog · 06-16-2023, 05:20 PM

Today in category of “can’t live with it, can’t live without it”, that is the EGR assembly for the T1N Sprinter, which Joel is currently selling for about $400.

That’s a big financial OUCH for the onboard spare parts kit, but guess what happened to us last year? Our EGR valve failed on the return trip from Nova Scotia to Houston. Ta-da!! Stranded yet again!

Some indie Sprinter guy in Knoxville happened to have a used one laying around his shop that he sold to my husband for a fair price and he also installed it, where it remains to this day. But who knows how old that thing was or how much life it has left in it? These things are increasingly hard to get - I don’t even know who else sells them besides Million Mile Sprinter. So this one will stay in our emergency kit for the rest of the van’s life, or until it needs to be installed, whichever comes first.

Lotus54 · 06-16-2023, 05:56 PM

I keep one in the van.
New ones are readily avliable.

https://europarts-sd.com/egrvalve2004-2006.asp

wachuko · 06-20-2023, 01:48 PM

Same here… pretty sure I paid around 160.00 new with a gasket.

I also got a few spare gaskets as I remove mine to clean every so often….

InterBlog · 06-20-2023, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wachuko

Same here… pretty sure I paid around 160.00 new with a gasket.

I also got a few spare gaskets as I remove mine to clean every so often….

I would wager a guess that the newer Sprinter model valves are cheaper because the host vehicle hasn’t been out of production for 17 years.

**Rocinante** · 06-20-2023, 03:20 PM

This appears to be the aftermarket EGR valve from that site that fits NCV3 Sprinters. Yes, much less expensive at $245. My only question before ordering one is whether it's as good as the OEM part or a cheap knock-off. I wouldn't want the latter.

https://europarts-sd.com/item.asp?cID=114&PID=5637

Here's another source for NCV3. More expensive at $580. Better part? I have no idea.
https://www.idparts.com/sprinter-nvc...1d-p-6130.html

Super-cheap version of an EGR valve for NCV3 at $135. Any good? No idea.
https://www.fridayparts.com/egr-valv...nter-2010-2021

StogieMan · 06-20-2023, 08:15 PM

When I was in for our B Service and DEF problem a few weeks back, the service manager told me that they are now cleaning the EGR valves which is new to them when folks come in with EGR issues. Before, they would just replace them. The only way that they will change it is if the computer throws out some electrical code error. He then still has to get it approved through MB for a replacement. So these things are still gold.

**Rocinante** · 06-20-2023, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StogieMan

When I was in for our B Service and DEF problem a few weeks back, the service manager told me that they are now cleaning the EGR valves which is new to them when folks come in with EGR issues. Before, they would just replace them. The only way that they will change it is if the computer throws out some electrical code error. He then still has to get it approved through MB for a replacement. So these things are still gold.

Also, when I asked a dealer whether they’d be willing to proactively clean our EGR valve to prevent possible problems, he said they wouldn’t touch one unless there are already known EGR-valve-specific problems, for fear of breaking it and being unable to get a replacement. 🤷

InterBlog · 06-21-2023, 05:05 AM

My understanding is that they can be cleaned up to a point. But the valve mechanism eventually seizes, and they need to be replaced at that point.

wachuko · 06-21-2023, 08:26 AM

Correct. Reason I got the spare unit. Once the original is no longer functional, out it goes…

InterBlog · 07-03-2023, 11:08 AM

A humbling moment for me today:

I was no spring chicken when we began our Interstate adventures 9 years ago. I have continued to maintain a disciplined diet and exercise regime, but I am now at the point where I can’t escape some impact of age-related decline.

We brought our Interstate down to Houston from Zavalla so that we could tackle a massive list of maintenance items, the first of which is an epic cleaning to recover from the natural severity of that environment. There’s not one crevice in the entire van that is free of either a brown recluse or a black widow - that’s what you get when you live across the street from 150,000 acres of National Forest. And the pollen…? It has to be seen to be believed. And when it mixes with water, it forms a caustic glue.

Debbie does Dallas, but only Houston can do July. So it’s approaching 100 degrees as I’m spidermanning my way around a slippery, soapy roof ten feet off the ground, trying to kill venomous things and scrub off the paste. This was a lot easier 9 years ago. I shudder to think what it’s going to be like 9 years from now.

InterBlog · 07-06-2023, 05:11 AM

Maintenance reminder for T1N Interstate owners (which do not have macerators):

If your 3-inch Valterra black tank blade valve is more than 3 years old, replace it. Amazon has them starting around $13.

It’s an easy DIY job under controlled conditions, but an absolute nightmare on the road. The black tank needs to be opened AND cleaned prior to beginning work. So even if you have been smart enough to be carrying a spare Valterra at all times, you still have to divert to a dump station and find a place to do the work. And worry about the restroom logistics in the process.

2019 feels like three weeks ago, but according to my Amazon purchase records, that’s the last time we had replaced ours prior to doing it again last night. After he removed it, my husband noted, “That looked like it could have been opened at most 3 more times before it disintegrated.”

The life-shortening factor on these valves is not the water and waste - it seems to be the black tank chemicals. They precipitate out salts and scale which then coat the blade and both erode and stiffen that all-important rubber gasket that prevents black water from dribbling all over your camp sites.

InterBlog · 07-07-2023, 07:18 PM

It never lasts, but at least the polishing kits are only 16 bucks now (Cerakote):

InterBlog · 07-18-2023, 05:48 AM

If you ever need Sprinter maintenance work done in Colorado, here’s a shout out to Linden Automotive and Engineering in Golden. The owner generiously posted instructions on Sprinter Forum as to how to DIY-fix a leaky T1N cab air conditioner. This represents the very best of what user forums are capable of achieving in terms of people helping people. We sure hope that his fix holds, because look (!!):

InterBlog · 08-13-2023, 02:57 PM

Here’s a plug for Million Mile Sprinter’s Sprinter-specific tool kit (I am not affiliated with that business), the one that contains every tool needed to perform every function on every model year of Sprinter.

I wish I had bought this thing at the outset. We packed our own toolkit containing everything we thought we might need, but it was never organized, and with each and every breakdown (there have been many), we’ve had to stop and buy one additional tool or another while on the road. We will dedicate this to Interstate/Sprinter-only work, with no tools to be touched for any other purpose.

It’s big, and the online pics don’t do it justice, so here’s some feet for scale. It weighs about 22 pounds and fits nicely behind my driver’s seat, next to the Telesteps ladder.

Boxster1971 · 08-13-2023, 08:04 PM

Thanks, InterBlog - I just ordered one for my new smaller Interstate 19. On my current 2013 Interstate Lounge EXT there is a big storage box under the van behind the spare tire where I have a big toolbox stored. Needed something smaller and this kit looks perfect!

Quote:

Originally Posted by InterBlog

Here’s a plug for Million Mile Sprinter’s Sprinter-specific tool kit (I am not affiliated with that business), the one that contains every tool needed to perform every function on every model year of Sprinter.

I wish I had bought this thing at the outset. We packed our own toolkit containing everything we thought we might need, but it was never organized, and with each and every breakdown (there have been many), we’ve had to stop and buy one additional tool or another while on the road. We will dedicate this to Interstate/Sprinter-only work, with no tools to be touched for any other purpose.

It’s big, and the online pics don’t do it justice, so here’s some feet for scale. It weighs about 22 pounds and fits nicely behind my driver’s seat, next to the Telesteps ladder.

ITSNO60 · 08-13-2023, 08:13 PM

I'm thinking about it, I think I have most of that stuff already though. What is that in the top right corner?

InterBlog · 08-14-2023, 05:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ITSNO60

I'm thinking about it, I think I have most of that stuff already though. What is that in the top right corner?

Do you mean top left corner, maybe? The silver thing that looks like a miniature space ship landed in the kit?

That’s the component needed to get a grip on the oil filter housing in order to loosen it to get at the filter underneath for replacement. We change our own oil, and we use a strap wrench for that when we are home. But this could do the job in the field.

Yes, we, too, have most of those tools already, but they are a hot mess of disorganization and not integrated into the same kit. We’ve paid the price for that numerous times, including several weeks ago when we had to do an unscheduled swap of our Bosch 200A alternator with just 40,000 miles on it in a New Hampshire parking lot.

Speaking of which, there are a few items I will add to the MMS kit that are not mechanical tools per se, but still 100% needed in any Interstate. The most obvious is a good multi-meter. As soon as our alternator started acting in an erratic manner a few weeks ago, I whipped out the multimeter, popped the hood, and measured the chassis battery voltage terminal-to-terminal, directly. My mechanic husband asked me what the freak I was doing because he was cognitively hobbled by two inhibiting paradigms at that point: Number one, he had not lived through the experience of the last alternator failure (I had been traveling alone), so he had not developed a gut instinct as to what was happening. Number two, specifically because he is a mechanic, he was in “denial - not just a river in Egypt” mode, refusing to believe that this could possibly be happening AGAIN given that it was such a young alternator, and supposedly one of the best quality brands. I had to try to convince him that the alternator was stone cold dead - its electrified soul had already departed this Earth - and the only way for me to make a command decision about what to do in response to it was to determine where the battery voltage was at. Above 13, and I had enough reserve to risk a 30-minute mad dash to the nearest O’Reilly distribution center, which was the only place where we could get a sufficiently large replacement. Significantly below 13, and I would need to order a flat bed tow even if the engine was still running, because you see, the Sprinter will stop dead in the middle of the freeway the moment its central computer fails to receive enough juice. That’s the most dangerous of all scenarios short of a full-on wreck. A good multi-meter is the most valuable tool in my kit because it’s the only device that can tell me whether I can proceed down the road in a situation like that.

After we got our failed alternator diagnosed, the technician said “You are damned lucky that this failure did not also shred your belt - it is probably compromised.” So we will be using our new MMS toolkit to replace the belt within the next few days.

ITSNO60 · 08-14-2023, 06:42 AM

No, the piece in the right hand corner. I carry 12 point ratcheting box wrenches, they also fit the E-Torx bolts. I have everything in a Voltstorm tool roll bag with pockets and the sockets on Ernst organizers and the wrenches in cloth wrench rolls with pockets. I post a picture later for anyone interested in putting their own kit together.

I'm still considering that kit although there's a lot of stuff I don't need, I have bought so many tools in my life I have triplicate and quadruple pieces filling 2 rollaways and several travel bags. I had a travel set in a blow mold case which I hated and the tool roll bag was the solution.