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Mercedes-Benz Viano Viano long CDI 2.2 Trend common faults.

2010–2014, van, diesel, 163 HP.

The fault list covers: OM651DE22LA engine, MB6MT transmission.

What you save stays on this device only. My saves

3 fault write-ups. All are important. No recall on the list.

If you know the year, pick it. Faults for other years drop out of the list.

Before you buy

Known faults

3 important faults

critical1

OM651: the sealing ring of the chain tensioner leaks and the chain can loosen

critical

The sealing ring of the chain tensioner starts to let through, and engine oil escapes at the tensioner. The cause is insufficient manufacturing tolerance of the sealing rings. Beyond the loss of oil the chain tensioner can also loosen, and in an extreme case the timing chain comes free, which means engine damage. A separate phenomenon is that on the early OM651 engines a shortcoming of the tensioner let the chain stretch prematurely, which typically caused serious engine damage. The maker revised the tensioner several times, so this mainly affects the older units. The maker issued a recall, for more than 100,000 cars in Germany and for 2,869 cars and 2,579 vans in Austria. The range is the four-cylinder diesel units built between February and November 2014. The classes affected are A, B, C, E, S, V, CLA, GLA, GLK, SLK, CLS, ML, GL, Vito, Viano and Sprinter. It also affects older cars that received a replacement engine or chain tensioner from that period. The repair is replacing the sealing ring, free of charge under the campaign, and takes 1.5 to 2.5 hours of workshop time. The visible sign is an oil trace at the rear of the engine.

What to check

  • Ask whether the recall has been carried out, and ask for the workshop confirmation
  • Start the engine cold and listen for a clacking or rattling noise
  • Listen to the chain on lifting off and on load changes as well
2 more steps in the write-up

expensive2

OM651 2.1/2.2 diesel: Delphi piezo injectors and rear timing chain

expensive

The Mercedes OM651 common rail diesel has two faults that are independent of each other.

Show the rest

1) Delphi piezo injectors. According to the German technical press the fault affected the two more powerful versions (125 kW / 170 hp and 150 kW / 204 hp). The weaker versions got solenoid injectors and were not affected. The fault could show up as early as around 50,000 km: the engine drops into limp mode, power is limited, and the car can still be driven slowly. Because of supply shortages the maker at first replaced only the failed injector rather than all four, so some owners went back four times. Later they moved to replacing the full set. From spring 2011 every 220 CDI version got solenoid injectors; the 250 CDI kept piezo injectors throughout, in several revised versions.

2) Timing chain. The engine runs on gears plus a short simplex roller chain. Increased chain wear (typically caused by a faulty chain tensioner) shows up occasionally at higher mileage. The replacement is very labour intensive, because the chain sits on the rear of the engine, on the gearbox side. The labour is the bigger part of the bill.

In November 2014 the chain tensioner caused trouble again: it can release, and engine oil can leak. The maker recalled cars built between February and November 2014. If the car falls in that window, check that the campaign was carried out.

The water pump can leak too.

between 50,000 and 250,000 km

What to check

  • Check the power output first: the 125 kW (170 hp) and 150 kW (204 hp) versions are the piezo injector, higher risk group. The weaker ones got solenoid injectors
  • Ask whether the injectors were replaced, and how many: a partial replacement meant repeat workshop visits
  • Listen to the engine on a cold start: rough running, shaking, smoke; limp mode or limited power while driving
4 more steps in the write-up

OM651 diesel: contested defeat device, KBA authority recalls

expensive

The Stuttgart public prosecutor investigated the OM651 diesel on suspicion of an illegal defeat device (Abschalteinrichtung): the engine management returns better emission figures on the test bench than in real use. According to the German technical press the suspicion covered more than one million cars sold in Europe and the USA between 2008 and 2016.

Show the rest

For Germany the suspicion was confirmed in KBA recalls supervised by the authority:

  • KBA 8227: GLC 220d / GLC 250d, 06.2015 to 06.2018
  • KBA 8251, 8252, 8253, 8314: Vito 2.2 diesel, 09.2014 to 09.2016 (partly classed as M1 passenger cars, partly as N1 commercial vehicles)

The ADAC lists these on top: C 220d / C 250d and C 220 / C 250 BlueTEC (12.2013 to 05.2018), S 300 BlueTEC HYBRID / S 300 h (12.2013 to 09.2016), ML 250 BlueTEC (08.2011 to 06.2015), and possibly the GLE 250d. In October 2019 the KBA ordered a third recall as well.

A large share of the cars exported out of the German market come from exactly this group, and the paperwork does not show whether the software update was done. In most countries this alone does not take the car off the road, but it hurts the car's value and how easily you can sell it on.

After the update many owners report higher fuel consumption and worse drivability: you notice that while driving, not from the documents. And in March 2021 the Stuttgart regional court found deliberate, immoral conduct on the maker's part and awarded a C 220 buyer around 25,000 euro in damages (7 O 224/20).

What to check

  • Ask the franchised dealer, by VIN, whether the KBA recall (8227 / 8251 / 8252 / 8253 / 8314) applies to this car and whether it was carried out
  • On an imported car ask for the German service history: the software update is documented there
  • If it was carried out: watch the drivability on the test drive and ask about real fuel consumption, because the update can make both worse
2 more steps in the write-up

Checklist

Mercedes-Benz Viano Viano long CDI 2.2 Trend

First what you would check on any car. Then the faults of this model.

Before you buy

Checklist

The printed sheet starts with what you would check on any car. What you tick stays on this device only.

On every car

Ask the owner

Faults of this model

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Engine and transmission

OM651DE22LA · Viano 2.0 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY (4MATIC)

100–150 kW (136–204 HP) · diesel

MB6MT · 6-speed manual, longitudinal (Mercedes-Benz)

manual · 6 speed

Torque limit450 Nm
MakerMercedes-Benz

We built the code from the model and the gear count. The factory sheet does not state it.

Variant data

What is in this version

Factory data

Trim
Viano long CDI 2.2 Trend
Body
van
Fuel
diesel
Transmission
manual
Engine size
2143 cc
Power
120 kW (163 HP)
Drive
RWD
Production
2010–2014

Factory service interval

The manufacturer specifies this for this version. Of the mileage and the time, the one that comes first is the one that counts.

  • Cabin (pollen) filter

    • 30,000 km or 2 years

  • Air filter

    • 60,000 km or 4 years

  • Brake fluid change

    • first: 3 years, then 2 years(first change at 3 years, then every two years)

  • Fuel filter, diesel

    • 60,000 km or 2 years
All W639 versions

Information, not an expert opinion

We write the descriptions, and we put the source next to them. A person reviews them before they go out. They are still information, not a technical expert opinion.

  • A fault on the list does not mean the car you are looking at has it.
  • A fault missing from the list does not mean the model is fault-free. Write-ups are made model by model. Not all of them are done.
  • You decide whether to buy. This is no substitute for an inspection. That needs a workshop and a history check.
Details in the terms