2006 Gulf Stream Vista Cruiser MB Murrells Inlet, SC $36,000

[ed3590]

2006 Gulf Stream Vista Cruiser RV

Freightliner badged Sprinter based RV with Mercedes 5 cylinder 2.7l diesel engine. The engine was replaced with in 2017 with a Mercedes rebuilt engine at a Mercedes dealer. Rebuilt engine has 13k miles, chassis has 52k miles.

Microwave, refrigerator, Onan propane generator, propane heater and propane stove. Recently replaced roof top AC. Back up camera, TV/DVD player in the rear. Rooftop antenna and vent. Lots of storage. Trailer hitch. Awning with indoor and outdoor shower.

Easy to drive and very maneuverable. Average 22 mpg. Great RV for two people.

VIN WDYPD744065948312

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by ed3590

2006 ... The engine was replaced with in 2017 with a Mercedes rebuilt engine at a Mercedes dealer. Rebuilt engine has 13k miles, chassis has 52k miles. ...

Do you mind if I ask why the engine had to be replaced at such low mileage?

[ed3590]

The dealer said a thrown rod destroyed the engine. They said they had never seen this before. Theory was low oil pressure but I changed the oil regularly and the oil level was not low. Found out later that the Sprinter does not have a low oil pressure warning light. Strange and expensive

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by ed3590

The dealer said a thrown rod destroyed the engine. They said they had never seen this before. Theory was low oil pressure but I changed the oil regularly and the oil level was not low. Found out later that the Sprinter does not have a low oil pressure warning light. Strange and expensive

I was asking because I just replaced my '06 engine at about 72,000 miles, which by T1N standards is supposed to mean "barely broken in". The #1 piston inexplicably split, and the damage scored the cylinder wall, such that it could not be salvaged in situ. I, too, had to get a new MB-branded engine.

You sound like a careful and conscientious owner. We are all under the impression that the T1N Sprinter offers as close to a bullet-proof engine as can be had, and of the T1Ns, many mechanics believe the '06 model year to be the best. Yet this is the second "rare" low-mileage catastrophic failure I've heard of inside one month.

I routinely run an active Bluetooth'd OBD while driving, and my engine gave no hint of any problem before this spontaneously developed.

We had perhaps 500 miles on our oil when this happened - we had just changed it, and we use Mobil TurboDiesel synthetic - it's good stuff. And a new oil filter, of course. The oil level in ours was perfect at the moment of failure.

Now I'm wondering if there's any way to retrofit an oil pressure monitor...

[ed3590]

The RV is sold

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by ed3590

The dealer said a thrown rod destroyed the engine. They said they had never seen this before. Theory was low oil pressure but I changed the oil regularly and the oil level was not low. Found out later that the Sprinter does not have a low oil pressure warning light. Strange and expensive

I find this question of a missing "low oil pressure" light a little hard to believe given the photo here on this page, see below.

Also, I don't understand how the oil was not regularly checked?

Of course things happen, very unexpectedly on vehicles...maybe this was one of those instances. How unfortunate this was; 72,000 miles on any car or truck is extremely low. Am I missing something here???

[avanti]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

I find this question of a missing "low oil pressure" light a little hard to believe given the photo here on this page, see below.

The statement is correct. There are low and high oil LEVEL indicators, but Sprinters do not measure oil pressure. I have never heard of a low oil pressure condition in any Sprinter engine if the oil level is correct. If it isn't, then the vehicle will let you know PDQ.

[InterBlog]

Adventurous, please read the posts. The one in question clearly said T1N Sprinter. The pic of symbols that you show has nothing to do with T1Ns.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

Adventurous, please read the posts. The one in question clearly said T1N Sprinter. The pic of symbols that you show has nothing to do with T1Ns.

I see....however, here's another picture.....and the caption makes a reference to a 2006 Dodge Sprinter

[Bud]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

I see....however, here's another picture.....and the caption makes a reference to a 2006 Dodge Sprinter

That is not evidence in and of itself. Got anything else?

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by Bud

That is not evidence in and of itself. Got anything else?

I circled the sentence that describes it as a 2006 Sprinter....showing the low oil pressure warning light.....

What do you think that means??

[Bud]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

I circled the sentence that describes it as a 2006 Sprinter....showing the low oil pressure warning light.....

What do you think that means??

That was the point. You don't know, or do you? Is it oil level (see picture) or pressure?

Do you have any definitive evidence or not?

Thanks.

Bud

[D&J Phillips]

I don't have a sprinter but I found the idea of no oil pressure warning very surprising.

A quick google search led me to the Sprinter Forum where several posters clearly stated that the T1N and NCV3 engines do not have oil pressure monitoring of any kind - only oil level.

in my lifetime I have had a lot of different vehicles but I have never heard of a vehicle with no oil pressure monitoring/warning system. Do they figure that if you have lost oil pressure the damage is done and no point adding production costs for a device that tells you it's dead???

That would be hard for me to get used to.

Dave

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by Bud

That was the point. You don't know, or do you? Is it oil level (see picture) or pressure?

Do you have any definitive evidence or not?

Thanks.

Bud

It's on the caption for the 2006..... look at the photo again.

It really doesn't matter... the engine burned up.

[hepcat]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

It's on the caption for the 2006..... look at the photo again.

It really doesn't matter... the engine burned up.

FWIW, the T1N really doesn't have an oil pressure sensor system. I don't know about later Sprinters. Here's the screenshot from my '04 owner's manual. The warning lamp is for oil level only.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

I circled the sentence that describes it as a 2006 Sprinter....showing the low oil pressure warning light.....

What do you think that means??

I missed a few intervening posts when my email pulled this back up, but let me confirm:

Number one, that's not oil pressure - that's oil level.

Number two, that's not a picture of a 2006 Dodge Sprinter dashboard. Here is what one really looks like. Mine.

[avanti]

This is ridiculous. The lack of an oil pressure sensor in Sprinters (ALL NAFTA Sprinters) is a simple and well-known fact. (With a Sprinter's gear-style oil pump, it is nearly impossible to have low oil pressure if the engine has oil in it.) That some people can't believe it does not change this fact. The difference between opinions and facts is also rather well-known.

We may as well argue about the color of the sky. Might I suggest that before deciding to engage with knowledgable members on points of fact (rather than points of opinion), we might all consider taking a minute to ask ourselves "do I really KNOW what I am claiming, or am I basing my claim on an unsupported preconception".

Thank you for listening.

P.S. -- If for some reason you really want an oil pressure sensor, here is how you can install one:
OilPressureGaugeWrite-up.pdf.pdf

[Rachaelk]

Do you have a car fax on this vehicle that you could send to me?

Thanks
Rachael