Does anyone use anything other than the MB fluid?.... I use a universal hydraulic fluid from Cenix in my tractor hydraulics and since I have a small leak in the 240Ds self leveling, I was thinking of using this till I can fix the leak.

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1985 Euro 240D 5 spd 140K
1979 240D 5 spd, 40K on engine rebuild
1994 Dodge/Cummins, 5 spd, 121K
1964 Allice Chalmers D15 tractor
2014 Kubota L3800 tractor
1964 VW bug

"Lifes too short to drive a boring car"

I've used tractor hydraulic stuff myself. Had the same leak problem and figured the tractor stuff was better than nothing and the system was already broken so couldn't hurt anything.

Any guesses as to who will be first to say MB stuff only?

Cheers,

Bill

Me, me, me.

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'10 Chrysler T&C Stow-N-Go White. Grandpa's ride.

'13 Chrysler 200 Touring Candy Red. Grandma's ride.

Age and cunning will always over come youth and vigor.

Yeah, I knew somebody would

cheers,

Bill

I just looked at the bottle of MB stuff I've got, it doesn't list any specifications or anything.

Honestly, I really don't know what else would work. I've heard that the MB stuff is pretty different from 'regular' hydraulic fluid, but thats all just heresay.

I've heard that the only way to really tell is a taste test. Get a few wine glasses, pour in an ounce or so of the hydraulic fluid. Swirl it around, give it a sniff, and then sip some into your mouth. You'll quickly notice the refined flavor and delicate complexity of the MB hydraulic fluid. Compare that to the crude and unsophisticated palate of the generic hydraulic fluid. The choice of what to use, of course, is yours.

Seriously though, I'm sticking with the MB stuff for the moment, because I don't know enough about hydraulics to decide on a good replacement, I've already got a liter of it that the previous owner gave me, and the hydraulic system is in perfect working order with lots of new parts, and I see no reason to potentially endanger it... However, if the system wasn't working well anyway, or I knew more about hydraulics, I'd consider other fluids. I'm certainly not dogmatic about it.

peace,
sam

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"That f***in' biodiesel is makin' me hungry."

1982 300TD Astral Silver w/ 250k (BIO BNZ)
2001 Aprilia SR50 Corsa Red w/ 5.5k (>100 MPG)

Link to previous Self Leveling Hydraulic Oil thread

I used the Febi Fluid for a flush & refill with a new filter 12 months ago......the old fluid was like cloudy castor oil.....probably best not to mix old & new fluid

Easy to flush & refill.......just undo the return.......put some clear plastic tubing on the line....start her up and run until bottle nearly empty.........fill bottle with new fluid..........run until clearer new fluid comes out while making sure bottle doesn't empty......I needed ~2 liters

The filter is under the bottle cap.........I suspect this was the first time this fluid & filter were changed on my 1978 280CE (w123)

My 'cheap' MB parts supplier in Australia told me it is the same as the genuine MB Fluid.......and $US10.51 per liter seems a low enough price not to risk anything else

Link to Febi Hydraulic Fluid on Fastlane

David

Just a few minutes ago I found a puddle of hydro oil under my rear passenger door and a near-empty tank!

A rubber bushing/grommet on the support bracket got loose and the metal wore a 1/2 pinhole through the line. I assume it's the return line since It's not spraying, just dripping.

The passenger side accumulator is also soaked, hopefully It's just a fitting.

Until I find a TD in the scrapyard or a sutable way to repair the line, I'm surely not going to pay $17/L willy-nilly. So-far I have seen from here the Febi and O-rileys oil work as sutable replacments.

The fluid is actually a mineral oil based product and is used on a variety of cars. Citroen probably has the most history using mineral based hydraulic oils but there are a bunch of others as well. Castrol, Febi and another who's name escapes me are all pretty much the same. If you can find a store that supplies parts for wierd foreign cars you'll probably find another (and likely cheaper) source. No matter what, do NOT substitute or add a petroleum based or regular brake type fluid. It will destroy your seals like a scene out of Andromeda Strain.

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LRG
1987 300D Turbo 175K
2006 Toyota Prius, efficent but no soul
1985 300 TDT(130K miles of trouble free motoring)now sold