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2016 Freightliner Sprinter 3500

Reliability tier: verified - see /disclosure/

Engine: OM651 2.1L Twin-Turbo BlueTEC (Mercedes-Benz OM651, 2.1L)

2,143 cc I4, two-stage (bi-turbo) charging, Bosch common-rail piezo injectors. 161 hp @ 3,800 / 265 lb-ft @ 1,400 (Edmunds 2014 specs; MotorWeek/J.D. Power corroborate; one parts retailer lists 258 lb-ft and some period sources a 163 hp high-output tune on 3500 chassis-cabs - window 161-163 hp / 258-265 lb-ft across sources). 7-speed automatic. The BASE diesel of the facelift - the 3.0 V6 OM642 (mercedes-sprinter-om642) is the optional upgrade. No gasoline engine existed on US NCV3 facelift vans.

Applicable failure modes (7)

• Injector seal blow-by ('black death')
• BlueTEC DEF/SCR service (2014-2018)
• EGR system: coking and cooler coolant leak
• Fuel system: high-pressure pump and piezo injectors
• Glow plug module and cold starts
• Intake port shutoff (swirl) flaps and motor
• Timing chain stretch (long-oil-interval related)

Applicable parts (22)

• Sprinter DEF Supply Pump, facelift (000-470-04-00)
• Sprinter DEF Tank, 2.1 era (906-470-18-15)
• OM651 EGR Cooler (651-140-07-00, current)
• OM651 EGR Valve (651-140-08-60, current)
• OM651 EGR Valve Gasket (651-142-23-80)
• OM651 Fuel Filter (651-090-31-52)
• OM651 Fuel Rail / Distributor (651-070-07-00)
• OM651 Fuel Water Separator (651-090-29-52)
• OM651 Glow System Control Unit (651-900-80-03, current)
• OM651 High-Pressure Pump (651-070-26-01, current)
• OM651 High-Pressure Pump, second chain (651-070-28-01-64, current)
• OM651 Piezo Injector (651-070-30-87)
• OM651 Piezo Injector, exchange (651-070-29-87-64)
• OM651 Injector Copper Seal (611-017-00-60)
• OM651 Intake Manifold with Port Shutoff Flaps (651-090-00-37)
• OM651 Intake Manifold Seal (651-091-00-60-64)
• OM651 Oil Filter Element (651-180-01-09)
• OM651 Oil Filter Housing (651-180-13-10, current)
• OM651 Thermostat (651-200-32-00-64, current)
• mercedes-sprinter-om651: timing-chain (honest catalog gap)
• OM651 Coolant Pump (651-200-16-02, current exchange)
• OM651 Coolant Pump, parallel variant (651-200-17-02)

Platform recipes (3)

• Catch-it-early injector reseal: the copper seal blows by, combustion gas cokes around the injector ('black death')
• BlueTEC DEF/SCR derate on the 2.1 (2014-2018): diagnosis chain first - DEF quality and level sensing, then the supply pump, tank last
• EGR coking and swirl-flap service on the 2.1: EGR soot jams the port shutoff flaps (P2017-family codes) and cokes the valve/cooler