Help - Flood damaged Vito 120cdi

[ogport]

Hello all Mercedes technical brains, hoping that you can point me in the right direction for some help.

I have a Vito 120cdi which was sitting in my yard when it decided to take a swim up to its mirrors when we were flooded in the recent Great British weather !

Love the van and want to get it running again as the insurance has paid out and offered it to me very cheap.

What is the best way of getting it assessed as the flooding was over very quickly, no water inside and as it was not running it is not hydraulically locked.

Any helpful ideas apperciated.

 

[DSM10000]

Usually with flood damage the insurance company will issue a category A or B write off, neither of which may be used on the road again, what was your vehicle claasified as? I am amazed that water came up to the mirrors and no water entered.

You will have probably flooded the ECU, starter motor, fuses and relays so any attempt to start it again will mean methodical checking, cleaning and re-assembly

 

[ogport]

Thanks DSM, the insurance company listed it as category D.

The water came of the hill and hit it front on, loads if debri stuck in the engine bay and running gear but the vents were closed inside and the MB seals did their job for the 10 mins it was in the torrent.

Water had forced its way into the air box but we checked the engine oil, auto box etc and the only water was in the intercooler pipes ?! Local mechanic had it turning over on easy start spray but it wont run by itself so thinking that I need to take it to a specialist electrical / engine company nearby in Swansea, South Wales.

Will do a clean through of items suggested, but can anyone recommend a good independent in South Wales ?

 

[grober]

Most diesels now have considerable electrical/ electronic controls unlike the old diesels which were almost completely mechanically self contained. My guess this is where you will have to look to get the unit running.

 

[ogport]

Thanks Graeme,

Will try the electronics first as you say.

The ignition / instriments light up on first stage turn as they always did but the second stage which used to start / engage the engine now simply 'clicks' and goes blank. Will physically check the components first and then get the ECU and SAM checked.

May try the Main MB dealer to start with as hopefully they have the experienced techs.

 

[ringway]

I would open up what you can and leave things to dry out for as long as possible.

I wouldn't go near a dealership with that van. They could spend hour after hour trying to remedy the problems and there's no guarantee of a successful outcome, but there is a certainty of you having a huge invoice at the end of it all. You could soon run up a labour charge of £2000 and then have parts to pay for on top of that.

Let the air get to the van and keep searching for answers would be my bet.

 

[grober]

Try to locate any major electronic assemblies SAMs etc open them up to the air as suggested. You may wish to remove/check relays fuses etc one or a few at a time taking close note where everything goes! -- then a hair drier on low heat is your friend. Take some piccy's with a digital camera/phone to help remember where everything goes. Be methodical and take your time. Its possible several components have been fried but drying everything up is the first step.

 

[ogport]

Thanks Ringway, Living in South Wales we are not expecting dry weather for another 6 months !! Will stick the MB in the garage with a heater and dehumidifier and pray......... how has your 120cdi been on the reliability front ??

 

[ogport]

Thanks Graeme, not how I expected to spend my weekend but being an obsesive/comulsive sort of character viewing it as a bit of a challenge.

Where would be best place to obtain acopy of the Vito Dualiner V6 workshop manual in your view ? Had a look onlinw and the standard Vito manuals do not include the 3.0 V6 cdi spec. Would you know if this engine is derived from another MB model ?

 

[grober]

This might help a bit VITO VIANO+Wiring+Diagrams

You might get lucky but be warned that trouble shooting flooded car electrical systems is totally unpredictable -- its why insurance companies write them off because it's almost impossible to estimate how long or how much the repair will take/cost.

 

[ringway]

Will stick the MB in the garage with a heater and dehumidifier and pray......... how has your 120cdi been on the reliability front ??

I've enjoyed owning my Vito apart from THIS and THIS.

Would you know if this engine is derived from another MB model ?

It's the OM642 which is also used in the car range - 280 - 320CDI's.



I don't know what year your Vito is or what you bought it back for, but breaking it may be an option if things don't work out. A new OM642 is circa £9500 +VAT.

If you live near an Uncle Bens rice plant, have a word with the guys there and see if they'll let you drop the van into one of the huge vats of rice for a day or two.

 

[ogport]

Thanks Ringway,

2008 Dualiner lwb with 55k miles and bought back for £4k.

I only use the van for the dogs,kids,camping trips but even spending £3-4k would be worth it to me as it's a great allrounder with a bit of hidden performance for the boy racer in us !!

Thanks for the uncle bens recommend...... knowing my luck it would shrink to smart car size in the process !!

Reading some of the threads, I will dry this out and see if my luck kicks in, then drop with a local MB specialist to see what they can do.

 

[BTB 500]

Had our 120 since 2007, also just used for kids/dogs/caravan towing. Only problems have been a failed glowplug, and front window regulators (those were done under warranty). Good luck with getting yours sorted!

 

[Danny DeVito]

Ive never had a car flood so far but heres my advice. Disconnect battery. Unplug every connection you can find and spray with WD40 or else electrical cleaner. Actually i would use electrical cleaner because it evaporate. Leave the plugs etc to dry for a bit before reassembly. Remove covers from any relay boxes or control units you can see. Blast with compressor or again with electrical cleaner. These items are very unlikely to dry out unless you get surface water out and expose them. I presume you have fault indications on dash ? After you've dried it out for a bit refit plugs and reconnect battery and try again. If your dehumidifier is small be sure to put it on the engine some place and move it about now and then. After that its time to get codes checked

 

[90hybrid]

Before getting excited about wiring and circuit boards. The first thing to check would be , does the engine turn over by hand, or spanner on alternator to see if the engine turns over. - the reason being if there was signs of water in the induction system as stated then there's a high probability of water getting on to a piston with open valves. Don't force the engine on turnover. it should just be compression resistance felt any more and it's water locked.


EDIT. Disregard the above if the engine has been spun, though any presence of water in the intercooler pipes means water has got in. Don't forget it doesn't take much more than a spoon full to lock it.

 

[donubenz]

Read thread 3!

 

[Howard]

I don't think anyone is excited more just trying to help

Welcome on board by the way.