Hi wondering how often I should be changing the oil in the 300D? What oil, filter is recommended? Anything else that needs to be replaced regularly? Sorry for the dumb questions.

__________________
72 280SE His Majesty

Opinions differ wildly.

I change mine every 5000 with synthetic, I used to go 3000 with conventional. The book says 5000 (conventional oil).

I am a diesel mechanic i work with diesels every day and i see what Not changing the oil at the schedualed times does to the bearings and rings. Please dont listen to anything anybody tells you about how you can go longer without changing your oil if you switch to synthetic. Change your oil HOT and OFTEN is a good way to prolong your engines life. 3000 miles then do an oilchange is not unusual. good oil suppliers are:

mobile 1 and delo are the only two i trust. make sure that they are compliant to MB .229 specifications on the rear or atleast have the api certs that comply with MB.

__________________
Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?

As long as they would add one additional commandment for you to keep thy religion to thyself.
George Carlin (Wonder where he is now..)

1981 240d (engine donor 1983 240d) recently rebuilt engine hurray! - No more.. fought a tree and the tree won.

pearl black 1983 240d 4speed (Converted!@$$%) atleast the tranny was rebuilt.

MB says 5000 miles...that was 20 year old oil & oil filter technology...

I say 5000 is still good, especially considering todays oils are better now

__________________
1987 300TDT
1981 VW MKI Caddy 1.6 diesel, waiting on engine swap
1983 D-50 Power Ram 4x4 "Mitsubishi" 2.3 turbo diesel
assorted gas powered crap and motorcycles

RIP: 1984 300TDT, 1982 300TDT, 1984 190D 2.2, 1992 300D 2.5, 1987 300TDT, 1982 Maxima LD28, 1983 Maxima LD28, Isuzu C223 P'ups X3, 1983 Holiday Rambler 6.2 Banks turbo diesel, 1984 Winnebago LeSharo 2.1 TD, 1985 Allegro 6.5

I'm still pretty comfortable with 5000 miles for synthetic. The limitation is not due to the oil quality in these engines, it's the soot buildup. I once tried 10K miles with mobil 1 5W40 and had the oil analyzed, the oil packages were still good but the soot level (and therefore the viscosity) was too high. If you want to experiment with longer intervals, I would strongly recommend an oil analysis so you know what your really doing.

I suspect you could get away with 7500 miles, but oil changes are cheap.

Why do you think synthetic can hold 2000 more miles worth of soot?

Personally, 3K is when I know I should start thinking about it.
I won't let it get past 5K.

__________________
1982 300CD Petrol/Black Leather

Do you not like Rotella??? I use Rotella synthetic in my F250 powerstroke and it works fine.

I do mine every 5k miles using a WIX oil filter. My oil level goes from the top notch on the dip stick to the middle over 2500 miles. I top it off to raise it back to the full level, then change it after 2500 more. I check the fluid levels once a week, and engine oil at every fill up.

__________________
RRGrassi


70's Southern Pacific #5608 Fairmont A-4 MOW car

13 VW JSW 2.0 TDI 193K, Tuned with DPF and EGR Delete.

91 W124 300D Turbo replaced, Pressure W/G actuator installed. 210K

90 Dodge D250 5.9 Cummins/5 speed. 400K

There is someone in the area where I live that has as sign on a late model diesel GMC truck that says something to the effect that he has over 56,000 on the same Amsoil oil. Apparently his truck engine must not be worth much to him.

This is a bad place to ask about when to do oil changes. You could get answers everywhere from 1000 miles (thats me) to Never (can't remember the name that said that). The type of driving you do governs how often oil changes are needed. Almost all my driving is SHORT trips in city traffic. Engine usually never gets warm except on the weekends, but still not for long.
Some people commute long distances on interstate hiways. They can safely go much longer between changes.
I was just looking at the owners manual for a 1987 420SEL. I know its gas but the point I am making still applies. The recommended oil change interval for this car is every 7500 miles. The next paragraph says, under Severe Operating Conditions to change every 3750 miles. The list of things that make it Severe conditions is - City driving over short distances, mountain driving, poor roads, dusty and muddy conditions, trailer operation, hard and sporty driving, etc. So as you can see, It depends on your driving habits, not a magic number that someone else says is correct.
I will continue to change my oil every 1000 to 1500 miles. If I go on a long trip of say 1000 miles, I will add that to the above figures or 2000-2500 miles.
Think about it and deside what is best for you.

__________________
84 500 SEL (307,xxx miles)

Thanks Also which oil viscocity is recommended fro winter/ summer? Anoher dumb question. I was planning on putting together an emergency kit for break downs. What should be there? Thanks

__________________
72 280SE His Majesty

Some of the guys here like to run Mobil 1 5W-40 during the winter, and for the summertime, they like to switch to the 15W-40, various brands are recommended. If you do a search on this topic, you'll find enough threads about it that'll content your heart.

__________________
'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.

Have you ever done oil analyses at 3K and/or 5K, do you know the percent soot for your engine? Several folks have, do a search and you will find some results posted. As I said, oil changes are cheap, do what makes you comfortable. I often do more than 3K in a single trip, so 5K works better for me.

At the moment I drive the car about 1K Miles per Month. It is not my main mode of transportation. In my area it is all stop and go traffic even in the highways.

__________________
72 280SE His Majesty

My question is on whether synthetic oil can hold more soot than conventional oil. Has anyone done oil test comparisons of soot content of synthetic vs. conventional?
If not, then why do you feel it is safe to extend the change another 2K miles if soot is your concern?

__________________
1982 300CD Petrol/Black Leather