PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - View Single Post - Mercedes-Benz oil specification

JHZR2 · #6 04-01-2004, 11:17 AM

The link I posted shows the specs better than how I could phrase it.

MB228.x specs are typically for heavy-duty diesel engines. Look ont he backs of any 15w-40 HD diesel oil sold at truckstops or wal-mart, etc., and youll typically see that it meets MB228.3, just as it meets a variety of CAT, Cummins, Mack, Detroit and other diesel specs.

Judging from how it looks to me, the 228.x specs are nearly identical to the similarly numbered 229.x specs. However, there are a few differences.

-229.x specs are also tested on a gas engine to see if there is a fuel economy improvement over the standard oil

-229.x specs require a prerequisite ACEA rating (A3/B3 for gas and diesels, if I recall correctly). The ACEA ratings are similar to the API ratings, which are currently SL for spark engines and CI-4 for 4-stroke diesel compression engines). However the ACEA has tiered setup, with A for gas engines, B for LD diesels, as arepopular in europe, and E for HD diesels. A1 and B1 are the low end' specs, for cheaper oils. A3/B3 are the high end specs, making tougher oils that stayin grade at high temps and high shear, as well as long drain intervals. A5/B5 is for an extended drain compatible cheaper oil.

-229.5 oils are very rare besides M1 0w-40, and 228.5 oils are nonexistant in the US, as far as I can tell.

-More or less, the only difference between a 229.1 oil and a 229.3 oil (or similarly between the 228. and 3 oils), is how long the oil can go in a tester before it causes excessive wear, begins to break down or coke up, begins to burn up, or begins to thickenup. As the spec numbers go up, the oils get better.

-I am not aware of any info stating that a newer spec shouldnt be used in an older engine. There are a variety of oils available for each spec, so that oil use can be tailored to climate/season. Modern synthetics are very versatile though, and quite good for large ranges. This is often due to basestock design, and so a 0w-40 oil for a new car may be the same basestock/ acceptable for useas a 10w-40 oil speced inanolder engine, it all depends on how the tempoerature/viscosity curve goes.

Your best bet is to buy an oil on MBs suggested list, or that stats that it meets MB specs. If a 10 or 15w-40 or 50 oil is specced for your car, my first try would be Mobil1 0w-40 or 15w-50. The 15w-50 at least used to classify for MB229.1, and the 0w-40 for 229.5. The ony real way to see if the oil is doing its job best is to get a sample when doing a change, and send it out for analysis. Otherwise, oil might be fine or might not be a good match for your engine. If your engine leaks, or youre not willing to use a synthetic due to price, etc., Id suggest a 15w-40 HD diesel oil, which sells for $6/gal nd meets MB 228.x specs. MPG might be slightly less (not more than 1-2%), but the oil will do an excellent job of protecting your engine.

Note though, if your engine is specced for 5 or 10w-30 oil inall climates (doubtful), then Id suggest an ACEA A3/B3 oil of correct grade, either 0,5, or 10w30, any of which could be interchanged. My suggeston at that point would be to go to autozone if there is one around, and find the castrol syntec 0w-30 that has red labeling and says made in germany on the back. This is a killer oil, and not a 'fake' synthetic as the other syntec oils are.

Hope this helps,

JMH