We are Emily and Dan, a goal oriented couple that have wandering souls, seeking a different path from a life of suburbia and using a van to find it. Join us on our journey as we outfit our 2019 Sprinter Van from the ground up and travel where ever our hearts lead.
Check our Blog at ramblingambition.com where we go into detail on our build steps and installations
Awesome! Congrats and yes it is so much better than the V6 diesel. And I am 6’9” so van life perspective for me is a bit different that the average van person!
I do not believe so, the v6 had a dipstick tube that was just covered with a plug, it appears the only way to check level is through the computer as much as it pains me to say, I like a non computer way of checking the oul
Excellent job, i got nothing to add here.. i really like this, simple, not over complicated, just glue and go.. perfect, the only thing i did differently was i installed 2x2 runners in 6 channels, front to back, and a few perimeter pieces, for some extra rigidity, and i did screw my subfloor to those, i used banister railing from HD, which laid in the grooves perfectly at the same height as the foam board. I did screw my subloor to those railings, but it's not screwed into the van. Looking forward to your next video, thanks
Rack looks good, im struggling to get more than 300w of panels being in a 144, i did spray the sides of my panels with a 3m rubberized coating, they blend in really well now. looking forward to your flooring install, as i said before, i used the 2tec2 precut, in a dark color, almost black, it cleans up really easy, i just vacuum it like carpet , will you be cutting your own subfloor?.. i went with a kit from veritas vans, and a fvc floor extension, happy with the quality so far, everything went in smooth. Are you going to install flares? Im waiting for mine to ship, thats my next project, thanks for the video.
Thanks, I am happy with it, based on your comment of the 2tec2 i ordered a sample to see if we like it, as to the subfloor yes ill make the cuts it all myself, it has the factory floor in it now so i have a good template, my last van i did a integrated floor extension, but have looked at the fvc one as well for the new van. Does the floor go over the fvc insert? And no flares, the 170 ext gives plenty of room for a north south queen bed
@@ramblingambition the insert is designed at stock floor height, so if you lay your floor directly on the metal, it will line up perfectly, I did have to raise my insert using the same 2x2s I used in my subfloor, I sanded the 2x2s and sprayed them with rubber undercoating , then screwed them to the base of the insert edges, it looks factory now, im very happy with it.
Thanks for sharing Dan. I ordered AO RIP kit for my 170 RWD. Saw your earlier DIY install. Not sure if I can do it myself. You're installing a different setup this time?
Excellent you will be happy with it, it makes a huge difference and if you have the tools, the install really isnt that bad. As for the new van, just adding some add a leafs in the short term, before i make a complete suspension choice i want to get it built out and see how it handles and that will direct my choices, with a 170 extended my offroading is going to be limited to forrest roads but where the true eval is on highway with winds and to see how it handles in the curvy mtn roads, but like I said i want it weighted first, the rip kit is where I am leaning probably with the add-on of the aux shock up front
Thanks, recommend reading the instructions start to finish prior to starting. I also assembled the entire side using two jacks and it went faster. Appreciate you taking the time to make this.
That came out really nice, Dan. You know I saw some hood wraps online, and they wanted 100s of dollars. After seeing their prices, I kinda gave up on having any kind of hood wrap. Now, I think I can definitely do this myself. Last week, I installed my floor, and the 2tec2 covering, it came out perfect, I followed your video using the 2x2s, so thanks for these videos 🫡
Thanks yes super happy with both the back panels and the hood the whole roll only cost 70.00 and i have plenty left over for other ideas in the sides i have. Glad the video helped, do you like the 2tec2 floor? I have seen a few posts of them done and have not decided what my floor covering will be yet
@e3ucxp hey thanks for the question yes I am planning on adding the rip kit to the new van, my experience with the old van was night and day difference after adding it so I am definitely planning on adding it to the new one. I may also add their extra front shock as well but we will see when I get it built out how it handles
Thanks, i just took out the factory floor today, it was nasty under there 😮.. i used my hotsy and got it nice and clean.. im excited for the floor, then i can finally start building 🫡
Boulder dodge?.. same place i got my 144 4x4.. i probably wouldn't buy there again but the 144 4x4 with low miles is hard to find so.. i say i wouldn't buy there again because they were hesitant to provide a carfax, which took a while to pull out of them, it disclosed the van had been in an accident
Yep, they had the van i wanted,Its hard to find a 170 extended awd in white, that has just basic features, I also wont shop there again, they did get the carfax stuff straight I didnt have to ask for it they had it ready!
I was surprised how much oil this small engine holds, my van had 30k miles when i got it, i immediately switched it to amsoil and wix filters, im also running amsoil all in 1 fuel treatment
Are you happy with the amsoil? I am planning on changing the oil soon in the new van and am on the fence about sticking with the mercedes recommended oil
@@ramblingambition 100% , other than improved protection, it also extends the service intervals, I'll change it every 15k miles now, which is 5k under amsoils guarantee of 20k miles.. and the fuel additive makes a noticeable improvement on the smoothness of the engine, and I think I've even gained a small amount in MPG, im waiting for an order now, so I can change the differential fluid and transmission/ transfer case fluids, pricing isn't much more if you're willing to wait a few days for shipping, well worth it imo
Hey, thanks for the video, im working on my 144 and i noticed those bolt locations, i assumed there was a factory option for rails and mine just didnt get them. So do i need these rails to install any roof rack, or do some roof racks use a different method? Is this the best option for roof rails , i also had my 1st experience with sika flex installing my windows recently, that stuff can really make a mess if you aren't careful😂
Thanks, I appreciate it and yes sika flex is super messy if your not careful, but it works so well its worth it, fortunately its an easy clean up with alcohol or acetone, for the racks yes almost all aftermarket roof rack mount to the factory rail system or in this case the aftermarket rail that is the same style, there are ways to mount them differently but honestly its the best method if you want a quality premade rack from any of the big distributors, owl, fvc, etc. after doing a rack out of unistrut which was easy you are really limited for attachments and add ons, it was for that reason on this van i went with these rails
@@ramblingambition Thanks for the info, I'll be ordering a set soon, also, thanks for all the videos you've made, as someone who also prefers to do things myself, your videos will be a good guide as I build out my van, appreciate it 🫡
Thanks we are really happy with them of all the options out there we like these the best behind the owl running boards but they are quite pricy and yes about 3 1/2 hours to install in the driveway!
Hi, great video and thanks for the run thru, quick question, does the pressure dump of the drain for the water heater need a valve? How much water drains out of it?
Thanks, no valve it needs to be open in case it has to release if the pressure gets to high, the amount of water released depends on the pressure that needs to be bled off, hope that helps
With full synthetic oil mercedes recommends 10k on these motors and they have been around since 2007 in the vans without issues, anyone can choose to change their oil on an earlier interval if they feel it is necessary
@@ramblingambition Mercedes "recommends" is the key word, it's just recommendation. I have 5 Mercedes Diesels out of which 2 are Sprinters different generations and the good rule of thumb( based on 2 decades of experience and talking to a lot of mechanics) is whatever manufacture recommends cut in half if you planning to keep it until the wheels fall off. But you are right, you can do whatever you wish, it was just friendly recommendation. Cheers.
I just finished watching your video, and I have to say, wow! The level of detail you provided was outstanding, and it's clear how much thought went into showcasing every aspect of the product. I'm so impressed that I feel like I have to purchase this now. It's too bad I already ordered an Ultra Swing, but this looks like a much better option. Your explanation and attention to detail really made the difference. Thank you for creating such a thorough and informative video. You truly have a talent for presenting the finer points.
Those stickers afix to the vehicle rather than the magnets. They're meant to protect your paint. Clean the van, apply the decal, leave it in place and just place/remove magnet when needed. You get 4 so you can setup on both sides of the van. 😉
The only issue with doing it that way is you assume that you are only going to place the ladder in the same spot every time, in my case that ladder needs to be moved as its used. Thanks
Mine just lifts right out, no hammers required. Everyone needs to make an EGR cleaning kit and keep it in the van at all times, you never know when it will loose power. Also go ahead and clean it every oil change or 7500 miles.
Hey Dan, I like your video. Im about to install a 7500 into my MB. I picked up the same wood yesterday. How is your install doing? Any issues with leaks or condensation? I will be painting the wood gasket with a mold paint. Thanks!
Thanks Appreciate it, I used a ppg mold resistant paint as a final coat and it has worked out great, I have had zero issues since the install, no leaks, no condensation problems, and no mechanical problems, been totally happy with the set up, now that I am in Colorado they are the perfect set up to keep the van cool in the nice mountain air, been a hot summer here, but we were just in leadville a few weekends ago. We have put 15000 miles on the van since and I, knock on wood, have not had a single issue with anything we have installed, hope it continues :) good luck with your install
@@ramblingambition Hi Dan, I will be installing my Maxx air today, I just watched your vid (Thanks again). I noticed that you do not have an A/C. I am in Vancouver BC and cannot decide whether to get A/C or not. Do you go down south often?
Hello, yes i dont have ac, it was a cost thing more than anything and most of the trips we have done have been in the spring and fall and also in the mountains where ac was not a necessity, if i did it over and possibly a retro in the future, i would have added it in the rear location and kept the front as a fan, its really a luxury and you have to have the power system to manage it unless your going to plug in more often than not, we wanted to be completely self sufficient and ac would have pushed that envelope with adding my battery capacity, but both fans move a ton of air which keeps you cool enough, the ac would just be nice to take the edge off and keep the dogs more comfortable
I check the oil when the motor is warm but like 20 min after its been shut down, i feel that gives me the best reading, buts lots of opinions on warm, hot, cold etc. cold will give you the most accurate but i think warm is a more realistic for checking on a regular basis
Did the car raise EGR fault code? My 3.0 Sprinter lacks power in cold weather when the engine is cold. No error codes. The workshop couldn't find a thing. EGR is one culprit I'm suspecting, might open it up before next winter.
I did not get a CEL for it, I started noticing some power loss and shuttering and knowing the egr is a known problem I just cleaned it and it made all the difference, just moved to colorado from virginia this spring and the van did great during the 1700 mile trip west
I am sorry, this is just a hobby for me, I enjoy doing projects like this but I also have a full time job and I just work on the van when I have time but there are plenty of folks out there that do this for folks working on their van and there are lots of diy kits you can order and install yourself that takes the guess work out of all the cutting and measuring
I ordered 10’ of red and black each to make sure i had plenty so it could be tucked nicely, made my own ends so that helps worked out perfectly I think the way i routed everything it took about 9 for both legs
Any images or videos of what the van looks like with the new tires? What size wheels and tires did you go with? Whats ize wheel and tire can you fit? Sorry for all the questions :)
Nothing yet, I ended up moving to colorado from virginia so we left the old tires on it for the trip, we plan on putting on the same size as the spare which is a 265/75/16 they fit good with the lift and we are sticking with the stock mercedes steel rims, thats the biggest tire we can fit on the van without fender trimming. If you have the rip kit on a 4x4 or awd sprinter i think it can take a 285
@@ramblingambition I drove to Colorado from NJ 13 years ago with just my snowboard, a bag of clothes and my car. I never went back lol. Still love it. How close to the stock Mercedes 4x4 does the kit get you? I don't love how tucked in my sprinter 1500 wheel base is. Im looking for something more aggressive.
@JohnDrach thats awesome, I had planned to move out to colorado in the early 90’s after college and well it took me 30 years to make but I love it out here, the folks from agile told me the rip kit and i got the 5400lb rear springs, would bring the van up to stock 4x4 height and It has even loaded
The wire was tied to a piece of front clip so I just re- fastened it there in about the same position that it was on the factory bumper but not to the scout bumper
I try to do that but the front ac in the van will only do so much to cool down the back too. The air volume in the 170 vs the heating surfaces of the van sides and roof even with good insulation is a loosing battle but it does take the edge off for sure to do it that way
Hey sorry, i did not get around to filming it, I took a job in colorado and just moved back in april and am still getting settled, once i am i will take a video of how i installed them, it was really easy, just line the boxes up with the mounting holes on the rack mount and put bolts through, i used butyl tape to seal everything and its water tight! Stay tuned thanks
@michaelcarman-yv9tm if you can get to it easily, it should come out and it just needs to be cleaned real good with parts or carb cleaner, just get the gaskets for it, black smoke under acceleration means you have excess fuel that isnt getting burned off not sure if the egr is causing that though, have you noticed your fuel mileage is bad and lack of power?
@@ramblingambition actually my mpg is 25 consistently. thanks for your response. she goes into limp mode sometimes. i am replacing the tranny electronics board to see if that helps the limp thing. i've seen that an air filter or egr can cause the black smoke. but she runs real nice usually. i will try cleaning the egr as you say. thanks again
Question: Are the longer brackets provided by Backwoods needed for all Sprinters or only to specific year model? The reason for this question is the installation video by Backwoods didn’t mention this. Thanks.
So my van is a 2 wheel drive van and the longer brackets are for the 2 wheel drive vans since they dont have the cradle that holds the front drive axle. I guess most people buy the 4x4 versions and their bumpers fit both models so the longer brackets make up for the front end structure difference in the 2 wheel drive version. Hope that helps
@bhduong2008 good, yeah I can see how that would be, when I first put the bumper up to test fit it i had a small panic attack because the bottom of the bumper attachments we super short then I unpacked the drop brackets for the subframe and took a deep breath of relief, but for the 4x4 you dont need them and I looked up the kits and they are not included in hardware kit for the 4x4
Randomly found your channel. I just installed the Aluminess ladder and tire rack yesterday and editing the vid tomorrow. I subscribed and will be catching up on your earlier videos this week!
