Correct me if I'm wrong...

You're supposed to check your oil when your car has been turned off and parked for a while, on a flat surface. Letting it sit for a 1/2 hour or so allows the oil to drain out of the engine and into the oil pan so you get a correct oil reading, right?

The reason I'm asking is, I was driving around last week, haven't really checked my oil since the last oil change 4,000 miles ago, and I got the red idiot light that came on, on the dash, saying the engine was low on oil.

Thanks,

Jeff 1991 300d, 111k

You are quite right, though I think ten minutes is usually enough of a wait.

Usually 10-15 minutes is enough time to get hot oil drained back down into the pan/sump. Personally I would check oil at least once a week......even new cars will use a quart of oil between oil change intervals......we are talking about aging MBs that are 10-20 years old here.

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FRED

Daily Driver: 98 E300TD 199K
Hobby Car: 69 Austin Mini
Past Diesels: 84 300SD, 312K
87 300SDL, 251K
94 Chev. K-1500 6.5Ltr.TD, 373K

Yep, depending on how far I drive in a week I check it every 1-2 weeks....mine uses about 1.5qts per 5000 miles.

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In a perfect world, every day before you start the engine.

Since it's not a perfect world, I usually check mine every two weeks when I get fuel.

But before you start the engine all the oil is in the pan. It would therefore read higher than it should be.

Oil level should be checked with the engine at operating temp on flat ground, and after shutting it off for a few minutes. It's in the owner's manual.

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Not trying to hijack the thread--this is somewhat related. Is it true that sometimes there are "bubbles" that can cause a false reading. It seems to happen to me. I always check four or five times a week at operating temp to make sure the oil cooler is full and is doing its thing, and certainly with car at level. But lately, I have been getting inconsistent readings on the dipstick. Not by much--maybe 3 or 4 mm on the stick, but it's aggrevating because I'd really like to know how much oil if any I'm using between oil changes. BTW, how low do you have to go before the light on the dash comes on?

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1998 E300D, 287k, barely broken in.

I keep a rag in the engine compartment just to wipe off the oil on the dipstick, dip it again and measure from there. That way you can get a clean slate to start with rather than just base it on the current measurement which will probably be off.

I used to check my oil in the morning then I found out that if the oil in a cold engine was at the max line, then it will probably be a half a centimeter low (or less) when I check the oil again when it's warmed up. So if you check it in the morning, make sure it's just a few millimeters higher than the max reading when it's cold (maybe up to half a centimeter) then from there you'll get a warm reading of just at max or slightly below.

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It is YOUR resposibility as a husband to check her oil! BTW i check everytime i get fuel which is every 5 days.

NOT GOING THERE

MUST RESIST

NOOO DON"T DO IT

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81 Mercedes 300SD 289k.......SOLD
82 Mercedes 300CD 252k......slow ride

82 mercedes 300 SD...mi Unknown
83 Mercedes 300D ????ksniff..gone too
84 Mercedes 300D 148k........SOLD
85 Mercedes 300TD 386k and holding some one elses project

3:30 AM is the proper time to check your oil. But, that means that only Carramow has proper oil readings.

I apologize in advance for the stupidity of this post.

The oil light and the low fuel light are two separate items. Low fuel, no problem there is a reserve of a couple gallons.

There is no reserve when it comes to the engine oil. when the oil light comes on , you probably should have a reserve engine near by. with a little luck you might squeek by.

I would rather check the oil now and then for the wives, and not complain about it. I like to eat and sleep indoors. It`s usually something a lot women don`t even think about.

I don`t sew, and she doesn`t pull engines.

Charlie

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I have noticed a few things on my 500SEL (i know, not a diesel). If I check the oil cold I get one reading. If I check at a fuel stop after running hard for a few hours, I get a higher reading. I assume it is because of the 8.5 quarts of oil expanding like the transmission oil does. So, any time I check the oil, if it is between the lower mark and the higher mark it is fine.
The other thing I have found is if you wipe off the stick and reinsert it and pull it back out quickly the reading is lower than if you reinsert, wait 10 seconds and pull and check again. Since the tube goes all the way down to the bottom of the pan, the o-ring at the top of the stick acts like a plunger, pushing the oil down in the tube and making the level lower in the tube.
I have never noticed this on my 300D mainly because I seldom run it long distances and also have the habit of waiting 10 seconds like on the other car.
So, just check it and think about the conditions at the time and every thing will be fine.

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84 500 SEL (307,xxx miles)

Here, read the official procedure from Mercedes:

http://www.w124performance.com/docs/mb/other/oil_level_checking.pdf

Summary: Check with the engine at operating temp (80°C), on a level surface, and wait 2 minutes after you shut off the engine. When inserting the clean dipstick, wait at least 3 seconds before removing it. Finally, the optimum level is between MIN and MAX, not at the MAX mark.

Some cars have oil level sensors that trigger early - on my 1987 300D, I need to keep the level above the middle (closer to the MAX mark) in order to keep the dash idiot light off. A new sensor didn't cure it, and I've given up trying to figure out the cause. And yes, I have a new gauge pod where the 60-second light delay is functioning fine (doesn't trigger during sharp left turns).

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