Fitz’ 2016 Sprinter 4x4 RB 150S Build

[eddyturn]

I think they should look at an expanding drain plug like SMB does. I had a hose pop off my system during the night with the pump on and put about 20 gallons on the floor. A lot of it ended up in my XL storage box and I just pulled the plug to drain it. Not that it's needed very often but just thinking...

 

[Fitz2]

I think they should look at an expanding drain plug like SMB does.

VC doesn’t have this up on their website yet, but there are pictures and a description on their Instagram feed. They are using the space for house batteries and an air heater, one picture shows an expanding drain plug in one corner.

FYI, my SMB Texas built box did not come with a drain plug, nor was there one in the one SMB West built box I recently looked at. The drain plug might be an owner-specified option, one more thing to be aware of if having this option installed.

 

[Fitz2]

Collision Prevention Assist

This from a response I recently posted in Backcountryguy's build thread:

We do not have the Parktronic feature. What we do have is a camera front and rear and the few times we have parallel parked (I can count the number of times in the last year and a half on one hand) they have both served well. I have the spare and the Aluminess box on the back, in my opinion I get far more use out of them then I ever would of the Parktronic.

We do have the front collision sensor and we find that we turn it off most of the time. It activates at about 20 mph and it does a really good job of alerting you of obstacles in front of you, oftentimes too good of a job. For example, in freeway traffic at speed it lets you know when someone brakes in front of you and on windy two lane roads it lets you know when there is a guardrail or signs in front of you, but in both cases those are the times when we are very much aware of what is in front of us and we find the alarm sounding repeatedly annoying and sometimes distracting. Where we do find it valuable is in fog, both day and night. The valley tule fog here in central CA can be amazingly thick, at those times the front sensor is always on. BTW, there is a convenient dash mounted switch to turn these sensors on and off.

And while I’m at it, the lane change and blind spot sensors are wonderful, I can’t say enough about how they improve the safety and drivability of the van. If you are undecided about this feature I strongly advise you order it.

I had to drive from the Bay Area to Fresno and back yesterday, approximately 300 miles round trip. Traffic wasn't bad, considering it was a Friday in CA... (still plenty of it...)

I consciously chose to drive with the front collision sensor on. I left at 5:00 am and thus was ahead of some of the traffic on the trip down, in this case the sensor wasn't too annoying. The trip back was a different story. I made it about half way before I had to reach over and turn it off. From the MB manual: "Due to the nature of the system, particularly complicated driving conditions may cause the system to display an unnecessary warning."

As I said above, I believe the system is of benefit in fog (and blowing snow and heavy rain, although the manual says "...can be impaired in the case of...snow or heavy rain"). Did you know these Sprinters have a single rear fog lamp? (Page 81 of the 2016 manual.) For me, I believe both will typically be off, but when one is on the other will be also.

 

[Mer1039]

.... rear fog lamp? Didn't know I had one until now. That explains why there are two indents when pulling the light switch to turn on the fog lights. The things you learn in this forum.

 

[Backcountryguy]

Fitz,

I'm going to have SMB add the wire run from dash to rear bumper with switch as you suggested in anticipation of a possible Aluminess rear bumper at a later date. I do like the options available with the bumper, including the LED lights. Kenny says they are about 3 months backordered. My plan is to see how I like all the sensors associated with the rear bumper first, and also get the actual weight of the vehicle to compare with GVWR of the vehicle after all the Agile Off-road upgrades. Both the main and aux fuel tank full, 30 gal water tank full, maybe even add a couple hundred pounds to the interior as a load to see if our van can take the extra weight. I'll make my decision based on that.

 

[Fitz2]

Backcountryguy,

From my experience, only the Parktronic sensors are affected by the rear bumper change. I don't know where the Parktronic sensors are located, but the others are behind the plastic panels that stay when the bumper is changed.

Big bumps off road make the front distance sensor register as a collision, that I do know!

Let's talk about weight and what to do about it. PM on it's way.

 

[JFlo-SMB]

My plan is to see how I like all the sensors associated with the rear bumper first,

I've got the parktronic feature. The front sensors are great and get used every day. I don't think I've ever relied on the rears. My backup camera obviates the need for the rear sensors. There is no doubt in my mind that a rear Aluminess bumper and box would interfere.

 

[Fitz2]

I've got the parktronic feature. The front sensors are great and get used every day. I don't think I've ever relied on the rears. My backup camera obviates the need for the rear sensors. There is no doubt in my mind that a rear Aluminess bumper and box would interfere.

JFlo,

Are the Parktronic sensors controlled with a dash on/off switch? If so, is it one switch for the front and another for the rear, or does one switch control all? What I have found is that it is a simple matter to turn the front collision sensor off when not needed (FYI, the system resets every time the engine is turned off, thus it always defaults to on), I'm just curious how much control one has with Parktronic installed.

 

[JFlo-SMB]

JFlo,

Are the Parktronic sensors controlled with a dash on/off switch? If so, is it one switch for the front and another for the rear, or does one switch control all?

Fitz,

Yes, the Parktronic system is controlled by an on/off switch which resets each time the engine is shut off. The single switch controls both the front and rear.

The rear sensors are located in the plastic bumper.

 

[Fitz2]

JFlo,

Is that a Van Compass rear step I see in the last picture? Nice addition.

If you are willing to do an experiment, I wonder how the system operates with the rear sensors covered, as with a piece of tape, to replicate having them obscured/removed with an Aluminess rear bumper with box and spare tire.

Does it throw an error code or ???? Do the front sensors still work when the rear ones are obscured? Inquiring minds want to know!

 

[Backcountryguy]

Jflo,

This is great information for us, as we have parktronic and are thinking about a Aluminess rear bumper. FYI on that, Kenny @ Aluminess tells me the parktronic rear sensors are definitely not usable with their bumper, all other sensors are.

 

[TomH-SMB]

Jflo,

This is great information for us, as we have parktronic and are thinking about a Aluminess rear bumper. FYI on that, Kenny @ Aluminess tells me the parktronic rear sensors are definitely not usable with their bumper, all other sensors are.

I plan to contact Kenny Monday. You can get both L & R swing gates independently of the bumper and of each other. I wonder if having only a tire carrying swing gate on the driver side would interfere with the sonar. If not, I'll also consider a shallower than normal box for the passenger side (length in the driveway and HOA rules are a problem).

 

[Backcountryguy]

TomH,

I took a look at that and according to the sensor pics I can find they would both (tire & box mounts) still interfere with the parktronic.

 

[JFlo-SMB]

JFlo,

Is that a Van Compass rear step I see in the last picture? Nice addition.

If you are willing to do an experiment, I wonder how the system operates with the rear sensors covered, as with a piece of tape, to replicate having them obscured/removed with an Aluminess rear bumper with box and spare tire.

Does it throw an error code or ???? Do the front sensors still work when the rear ones are obscured? Inquiring minds want to know!

Yes. The VC rear step is great.

I conducted your experiment. With rear sensors blocked using a 2x4, when the vehicle is put in reverse an audible alarm sounds and warning lights in the side mirrors illuminate. The audible alarm stops but the warning lights stay illuminated. The front sensors function normally indicating any obstruction in front of the vehicle. No error codes.

https://youtu.be/CILQ6WNLHkg

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

 

[Fitz2]

JFlo,

Thank you for running the test. Attaching the video was a nice touch!

So I guess the question for those trying to make this decision is this: If Aluminess installs their rear bumper with swing arms and etc., what do they do with the sensors? We have learned that the front sensors still work and no fault code is generated when the back ones are obscured, what happens if they are removed (assuming that removal is what Aluminess does)?

Anybody know the answer?

 

[JFlo-SMB]

"what happens if they are removed... Anybody know the answer?"

I don't have the exact answer as I was unable to locate the connector to disconnect the rear sensor harness. However, I was able to disconnect the front sensors. When I did that and put the van in reverse or drive, 4 red lights illuminated on the Parktronic display, 2 in each side mirror, and an slightly more ominous audible alarm sounded briefly. When I drove forward all lights eventually extinguished. It seems that if the front harness is disconnected, it affects the entire Parktronic system. No error codes were thrown other than the lights and alarm. My conjecture would be that a disconnected rear sensor harness would do the same.

 

[Scalf77]

No, the question was genuine. I was wondering if there are times you take the canoe on a longer trip and leave it up top if stopped in a location for a bit and there is no water on which to use it. In those conditions, do you get partial charging or does having some of the cells blocked prevent current completely?

You've said you don't camp in the rig. I guess that means you only stop for the night and don't sit still in a place for more than one night. Would I be guessing correctly that you only take the canoe on shorter trips where you go to one main water destination and return home? Or have you gone on multi-destination loop routes when you use the canoe on some days and not others?

Just curious because I will have an Aluminess rack on top with AC, MaxFan, Yakima/Thule box, and 2 solar panels. What I'm wondering about is whether a shadow from the box onto a panel will impede current from flowing. We're north of the 45th parallel up hare and get a lower angle of sunlight and thus more shadow. I shouldn't spend money on so much stuff up top if an overly crowded layout prevents power from getting generated and sent to the controller. That's why I was wondering what effect you might have noticed is from a shadow on the panel from your canoe on the panel.

Thanks,
Tom

Tom,

I tried to answer your question in another thread Solar Panels and Shading

Hope it helps, let me know if you have any more questions

 

[Fitz2]

Tom,

I tried to answer your question in another thread Solar Panels and Shading

Hope it helps, let me know if you have any more questions

Scalf77,

Great information, thanks for posting!

For those of you looking for the Solar Shading info, it has now been made a Sticky in the Electrical and Electronics section:

http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/forums/f20/solar-panels-and-shading-21140.html

 

[Fitz2]

Catching Up on the To-Do List

Back on 10/22/2016 I said the following in Post 177:

1. I am looking into adding the Battery Monitor Kit (ME-BMK) as an addition to the Magnum Inverter/Charger. For those of you in the build process, I suggest you look at including this simple addition.
2. I picked up a surge tank to add to the water system, but haven’t gotten around to installing it yet. I have had these in RV’s in the past and they do a good job of keeping the water pump from running constantly. This is another addition I would suggest for those of you in the build process, I will add mine as time allows.

Some 15 months later I am pleased to report that both items have been completed! (That says something about what using the van does to getting lower priority items done on the van...)

The additional Battery Monitor Kit isn't much to see tucked away under the seat adjacent to the inverter, but it does add reporting functionality that I am glad to have.

The Surge Tank/Accumulator is a typical component found in every water well system I have ever had. The SHURflo pump says it is not needed, but SHURflo sells the accumulator with this text prominently displayed on the front of the box:

Pre-pressurized with a built-in diaphragm, the SHURflo accumulator smoothes water faucet pulses and reduces pump cycling to keep line pressure up and pump motors cool.

Here is a picture of the accumulator and the box it comes in:

And here is a picture of the final installation. In my 150S model I found an easy installation location in front of the passenger side wheel well under the bottom closet shelf, the same location where the Rixen Comfort Hot storage tank is located. You can just see a corner of the Rixen tank in the foreground of the picture.

We typically leave the water pump switch on when we are using the van. After 16 months of use I noticed the water pump was beginning to cycle with a very short BRRRRP every 30 minutes or so, an indication that the system is loosing pressure ever so slowly. This reminded me of the accumulator sitting on my workbench and prompted me to action. I am pleased to report that it is working as anticipated. (And yes, I do realize that the water supply valve is closed in the picture above...!)

 

[Backcountryguy]

Tim,

Good stuff as always!

Added the shurflo accumulator to my build list. Have one on my boat, makes a big difference.

I'm going to wait and see what the final lithionics profiles look like before adding another battery monitor. I'd prefer to use the lithionics monitor.