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Old 01-29-2014, 05:41 PM   #101
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Re: Full-time planning

Quote:
Originally Posted by 100sqft
Just a quick update to say that after what seems to be an eternity of planning, I sent Sportsmobile a deposit check for a Sprinter today.
great news. congrats.
keep us posted on your build and floor plan details.

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Old 01-30-2014, 08:25 AM   #102
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Re: Full-time planning

Quote:
Originally Posted by 100sqft
Here's a quote right off the SMB website:
"The diesel engine will use about 1.25 gallons per hour idling at 1500 RPMs."
This is given in the context of running the engine to prolong A/C use off of batteries. You can find it on this page:
http://sportsmobile.com/2_sr_heatingcooling.html
Here's another interesting/useful quote:
"The Sprinter’s engine is actually a little quieter than a diesel generator."
Thanks for the link. However, that much fuel consumption seems excessive to me. A fuel rate of 1.25 gallons per hour of diesel is more than what a Prius uses to hold a steady 60 MPH. Just doesn't make sense to me.

I can relate to 1.25 liters per hour based on previous research I've done on this subject, but it's hard to understand how an idling 3-liter modern diesel can burn 1.25 gallons per hour even if fast-idling at 1500 RPM. If that high a fuel rate is correct it would suggest a high load on the engine; and to me a factory alternator would not be enough. Not even if the vehicle AC was on. I know Sprinter alternators can produce up to around 3000 watts of power, but that shouldn't load the engine that much.

There is data in the thread I started about idling a small diesel engine to run the vehicle AC in lieu of having a generator. And this 1.25 GPH just doesn't add up.

viewtopic.php?f=39&t=11369&start=15

Most important, government reports show large trucks idle at about 0.8 GPH, and they are usually in the range of 15 liters in engine capacity.

carringb stated his V10 Ford gasoline engine only uses 0.7 GPH with the AC on.

And a European owner who measured his 2.7-liter inline 5 Sprinter reported 1.08 liters per hour (.29 GPH) with AC on and .62 liters per hour (.16 GPH) with AC off.


If Sportsmobile's 1.25 GPH is even close to correct, it would suggest something is highly inefficient in the setup. That's just a lot of fuel energy to burn in such a short time doing so little.

If I had to guess it would be that liters went to gallons in translation. But it's just a guess on my part. If the fuel rate is actually 1.25 GPH it would concern me for other reasons, not just cost.
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Old 01-30-2014, 02:46 PM   #103
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Re: Full-time planning

Using my Bluetooth ODB2 sender and an app on my tablet, I measured the fuel consumption directly on my 2012 Sprinter. Here are the results with only the radio and headlights on (I have mine configured to have the headlights on whenever the engine is running).

Idle (807 rpm), 0.36 gallons/hour
1000 rpm, 0.47 g/h
1500 rpm, 0.79 g/h
2000 rpm, 1.48 g/h

One thing I learned is that it's not very easy to hold the rpm really steady (within about 10 rpm) by pressing your foot on the accelerator.

One nice thing about cruising with the ODB sender displaying the fuel consumption rate is that I get an idea of how many hours I can drive before needing to fill up.
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Old 01-30-2014, 05:27 PM   #104
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Re: Full-time planning

Steve,

Interesting data but you left out what the beer consumption rate was when making this test
you can report back in cans, gallons or liters per hour

All this talk about fuel consumption reminds of a pretty funny Seinfield episode when Kramer takes a car out for a test drive.

What type of Sprinter setup do you have?
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Old 01-30-2014, 06:28 PM   #105
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Re: Full-time planning

When I did the fuel consumption test right after lunch today, I had not yet consumed any beer for the day, so the beer consumption rate at the time was 0.0. You can use any units you like, the results are the same

As to my rig, it's a 2012 regular body low top with a penthouse top. I have the RB 150S floor plan with a couple of changes. I deleted the propane stove and replaced the cabinet by the sliding door with a full-depth one. That's where I keep the portta-potti. I had the D5 heater installed. The color is stone (or pebble, I don't recall which) grey, which is about the color of putty. Not the most hansom, but it hides the dirt really well!

I've added a home theater system (surround speakers, Blu-ray player, 27" monitor with HDMI input; having the subwoofer under the bench seat gives it an extra 'kick' sometimes ) and a CB radio, but I can't use that when the inverter is on because it makes so much radio noise.

Finally, I had a cargo carrier fabricated for the back to carry my motor bike, two 5-gallon fuel cans (diesel and gas) and a small gas generator. There's room for a few other small items, plus it has a hitch receiver so I can mount my mountain bike rack and a small jib crane to lift the motorbike up. They welded two new hitch receivers on the van so the carrier would be supported at two points, not just one in the center. It's very stable.
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Old 01-31-2014, 09:43 AM   #106
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Re: Full-time planning

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Originally Posted by SteveTOaks

You can find out exactly how much fuel your engine uses if you get an ODB2 scanner and an app for your smart phone to mate with it. I got this Bluetooth ODB2 scanner and the TouchScan app for Android, both for less than $20. There are lots of apps to choose from, and lots of scanners, too. I got them to measure the fuel mileage on my 2012 Sprinter RB with pop-top. My calculations based on gallons filled and miles driven was only 17-19 MPG, which was confirmed with the ODB scanner on a trip of a few hundred miles, mostly on the freeway or highway, mostly 55 - 65 MPH. Disappointing. I know people with older Sprinters who get over 25 MPG.
17 to 19 MPG seems low to me also for a smaller low-roof van. Do you think that's typical or is your van below normal?

By the way, how did you get the scanner and AP so inexpensively? My son was going to get me one as a gift but it was well over $100. Is there that much variation in cost?
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Old 01-31-2014, 11:39 AM   #107
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Re: Full-time planning

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chance
17 to 19 MPG seems low to me also for a smaller low-roof van. Do you think that's typical or is your van below normal?

By the way, how did you get the scanner and AP so inexpensively? My son was going to get me one as a gift but it was well over $100. Is there that much variation in cost?
I expected better mileage than I'm getting, especially since I heard older vans were getting about 25-27 mpg. But while I was driving, my girlfriend went online and found that there was a big drop in mileage with the V6 compared to the 5-cylinder. I don't know what site(s) she saw that on. I was thinking of posting here to see what others were getting until she told me what she found. Maybe I still should? I haven't had a chance to go on a long mostly freeway trip since I got it (just before Christmas) so I'm hoping it will be a bit better there.

As for the ODB2 scanner, there was a link in my previous message to it, but it's hard to see, so here it is in plain text:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AAO ... UTF8&psc=1

It's the one I got, $12.50 at Amazon. Search Amazon for "ODB2 bluetooth" to see the range of prices. There are a lot of them for about $10. An Android app will set you back a few dollars more, but not many. One thing I forgot to mention, I got a ribbon cable extension, just so I can get the cover back on the fuse box. I just velcro'd the scanner onto a convenient location nearby.
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Old 01-31-2014, 12:46 PM   #108
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Re: Full-time planning

Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveTOaks

I expected better mileage than I'm getting, especially since I heard older vans were getting about 25-27 mpg. But while I was driving, my girlfriend went online and found that there was a big drop in mileage with the V6 compared to the 5-cylinder. I don't know what site(s) she saw that on. I was thinking of posting here to see what others were getting until she told me what she found. Maybe I still should? ......cut.........
I think you should start a new thread on Sprinter fuel economy because it's such an important subject. And we are getting off topic.

MPG in the range of 17 to 19, if typical, is not much better than early reports for gasoline ProMasters. For that matter it's not that "much" higher than the 15 MPG I have gotten with an old V10 at steady 70 MPH.

Motor Trend magazine estimated real-world fuel economy for low-roof Sprinter with 4-cylinder diesel at 19/23 city/highway, and a tall roof 2500 V6 diesel at 15/19. By comparison, the same rating process estimated a high-roof V6 gasoline ProMaster at 13/18 city/highway.
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Old 01-31-2014, 03:48 PM   #109
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Re: Full-time planning

Started a new topic on fuel economy...

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=12867
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Old 05-20-2014, 04:05 PM   #110
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Re: Full-time planning

Finally, some news. My Sprinter has arrived at SMB West. That's just about exactly four months after I placed the order. I have an appointment with Jonathan Feld on May 28th to go over my finalized plans and select materials. The bad news: conversion times have stretched to 10 to 12 weeks rather than the 4 to 8 that the website still lists. Oh, well, can't fault them for a booming business.
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