Ignored 2010 Vito om642 - website

[LunaCraze]

In order to get a more suitable vehicle for the family and put an end to the struggle with rust, I sold my beloved VW T3 transporter day-van. I was really surprised by the Brabus Vito's silky powertrain when I bought one up locally. Our goal is to turn this Dualiner into a camper by fixing the mechanical issues. As a positive frame of reference, working on this vehicle is an improvement over the transporter.

I have initiated a thread to record the process of restoring this car. This car has practically all the typical flaws, according to my study and fiddling!


Present status: 1. DPF clogged; recently had it cleaned by a professional; removed from car.
2. The compressor input seal is either leaking or split, and the plastic pipe has deteriorated; I am now awaiting new orange seals and am intrigued by a silicone repair kit, but I am unable to find a particular vito (not bat wing) type.
Thirdly, there's a likely oil cooler leak; the garage may fix it.
4. Replacement kit is on its way for the PCV valve diaphragm that split.
5. We have not fully determined the cause of the leak from the trans oil cooler line.
6. New PCV heater plug ordered by the garage due to a broken one.
Repairs made using epoxy putty and new facia and vents purchased from Amazon were necessary to mend the broken flaps on the cabin heater and the collapsed button panels.
8. I'm waiting to install a new tie rod at both ends, as well as ard bushes and a new tie rod for the front axle, which is knocking. It's likely an inner tie rod.
9. During the second part of the warmup, there was white smoke (or blue, it was impossible to tell) that persisted even after I disconnected the PCV; this is my main concern right now. It's possible that the PCV left some oil in the intercooler or elsewhere.
10. The oil has coated the swirl flap motor. However, I believe it is effective.
11. I'll have a garage take care of the seized glow plug and the oil cooler simultaneously.

My current enquiries are:

Is it possible to use the silicone repair kits made for Mercedes turbo inlets with the airbox design of the Vito and Sprinter with a single filter?

What else may be causing the white smoke behaviour? Is there anything else I need to check for?

After I patch the known leaks, I'm considering adding a UV dye to the engine oil to see if the oil cooler is leaking. Can somebody tell me where I can find this?

Is there a way to take the turbo off a Vito? Back there, it's rather crowded! Did I anticipate how tough it would be to drop the engine?

Thank you, everyone

[DaisyDrift]

“Why” is the key point. Other points made thereafter, nevertheless, may provide light.

[DaisyDrift]

After giving the seal a thorough washing with white spirit, I proceeded to run a bead of silicon across its inside and exterior.
On occasion, I would check for signs of seepage by running a white tissue beneath the turbo connect.

[DaisyDrift]

I don't know what you mean, but I would check the wiring leading to the engine control unit (pilot bush). The 'o' rings are movable.

[DaisyDrift]

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[DaisyDrift]

These will fall if the panel is removed carelessly. Here, YouTube is great. I can rebuild it, but it's going to be a real pain. You may find new replacement panels on eBay.
While it's out, change the bulbs in the back; that's probably why someone took it apart and destroyed it.

[LunaCraze]

Excellent response. I am really grateful. Some sound pearls of wisdom are sprinkled throughout.

The van's mileage is 127,000. The model year is 2010. A few random receipts are all it has in the place of a service book. The air filter's condition and the amount of unfixed problems indicate that it has been ignored for some time.

[DaisyDrift]

That is a really thoughtful reply. I am really appreciative. Throughout are a few excellent pieces of advice.

There are 127,000 miles on the vehicle. It is a 2010 model year. Instead of a service book, it just includes a few haphazard receipts. It appears that the air filter has been neglected for a while, given its state and the number of unresolved issues.

[LunaCraze]

This concludes the PCV repair. I had to get a new air intake pipe, so I bought an aftermarket one. It wasn't perfect, but it worked. The only thing was, I had to reamed out the PCV port so it was bigger. The oil leak persists, thus it appears I'll have to perform the oil seal job.

It was out of the question for me to try removing the light plug because it had cracked in half. Oh no.


After the coolant temperature reaches 60C, the DPF actively regenerates, which is why there is smoke. For a little period, it is emitting a considerable amount of white smoke. It appears like there's a problem with the gloss plug and the post injection in that cylinder. The gasoline is merely vaporising instead of igniting, which might explain the heavy smoke.

For keeping tabs on the soot level and differential pressure in the DPF, I've been making good use of an Autel diagnostics tool. While parked, it can also activate a forced regeneration. Even after 10 minutes of trying, the exhaust temperature remains below 350 degrees, thus clearly it isn't working. The glow plug is probably at issue, and the cooling effect of the vaporised gasoline is to blame.

According to the error code, I've experienced several DPF problems where the soot concentration became too high for regeneration. Following this, active regen was hindered while driving about with the fuel light on. Because it needs to clean the code before it can try aggressive regen again, it becomes troublesome. Lucky for us, a journey along the French highways has done a great job of clearing the DPF. In order to prevent it from filling up again due to the low speed island driving, I need to get that glow plug corrected.

Has anyone ever tried smoke from typical regen? whether so, can you tell me whether my idea makes sense? I am grateful.

[MuffinClaw]

As a fellow OM642 Vito owner, it's great to see this post. However, I would prefer it if you could avoid the issues I've been experiencing. My vehicle is currently on 295K mls and has started dripping oil. It's at the "got to do something" stage, so I've decided to have the cooler seals replaced. The commercial mechanic is removing the engine to do this, and he claims that this is the safest way to avoid debris and grime from entering the turbo oil drain, which apparently feeds the crankshaft. D Just a heads up, I've relocated to Northern Ireland, so I haven't been able to find another Vito that I'm interested in purchasing. Regular oil changes are essential for longevity, and I'm not a fan of the ad blue versions or ones with a 20,000 service interval. So, I'm taking a chance, and we'll see what happens.

[MuffinClaw]

Also, it's great to see M80's trustworthy feedback.