Hello, I just got my waste vegetable oil burner on the road and have had a problem. I changed the oil and filter one week ago. Today while driving I noticed the oil pressure drop from 3 down to 0 then back up and down intermittently. I got home and found that it was about 3 quarts low. I have driven roughly 500 miles in one week with no problems. I did notice some oil below the air filter housing last week and found the drain tube leading to the valve cover had come loose below the air filter. I reinserted the tube and thought I had corrected the problem. Today I found that there was oil on the manifold below the air filter housing but the drain tube was still in place. I thought that maybe the PCV valve was clogged but then I removed the rubber hose on top of the valve cover there was no PCV valve. This is my first diesel so I am still learning and unsure if there should be a PCV valve or not. I do see some smoking from the exhaust when starting but nothing that would suggest 3 quarts usage in a weeks time. Any advice would be appreciated until then i will keep toping it off! Thanks, Noel.
Morrow, Ohio
1981 240D 146,595k
Veggie-Oil Burner

make sure that the tube is clear other wise pressure will build up in the crankcase and it could case leaking and burning oil. There is no PCV valve on these cars. check for leaking oil around the engine. First clean the engine up real good with a pressure washer just be careful around vacuum components and electrical. then see where the leak if be is coming from.

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1981 300d

Take a rag and clean the oil filter cannister all the way around the top -- on the side. Run a clean finger around and make sure there's no oil on the back where you can't see it.

Start the engine. Now run your finger around the filter holder. I'll bet the o-ring moved when you put the top on and oil is leaking out the back .... and faster, of course, at speed.

If that doesn't show up as the leak, check the drain plug.

I'll bet $1 it's the filter holder.

You might want to have a new o-ring on hand; the original one will be pinched.

Yep, could be an insidious oil leak somewhere. I've seen what estod is spaekin about especially with Wix oil filters that include an O-ring thats the wrong size.

Otherwise no surprise that disconnected valve cover breather line blows couple of qts in 500 miles. Think of it as being similar to leaving oil cap off. Monitor what it does now properly connected even with ring clamps. Anything at/near 1 qt consumption per 1200 miles or 1,000 (at worst) oughta be nothing to worry about. Meanwhile check yer oil at each fillup to become acquainted with whats normal consumption for the car.

My '79 240 also has a healthy appetite for oil, without seeing lots of smoke out the back either. Some on startup, as you mentioned, but not the blue oil-smoke I see on gas cars. White/grey.

Will be interested to see what you come up with. My guess for mine is the breather tube, it leaks some and is always really oily. I have a little oil always in the bottom of the intake manifold.

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'79 240D 4 speed manual 105k miles

I would compare the amount of blowby coming out the oil fill hole with the cap off to a known example. This refference might help you. A quick test is to leave your oil filler cap loose on the hole. Does it dance,rattle or blow off the engine?
Until the shut off test was no longer recommended to accertain the condition of the engine I found it useful. Doing it created no problems everytime I had used it but takes only once. It is felt it can blow out an old seal I believe so I discontinued it's application.
Basically it amounted to closing the vent on top of the valve cover and timeing how many seconds the engine ran. The building or containment of the blow by pressure shuts down the injector pump on these models. I think you want at least seven seconds of run but should look up the information.All the above tests should be done with the engine warmed up.
If testing indicates the engine has excess blowby. In warmer weather run straight 40 oil to lower the consumption. It usually works if the cause is worn mechanical parts like rings or in combintion with worn cylinder bores. Provides a much better seal than thinner oils like 15-40. These engines always seem to have some blowby anyways. The problems usually arrise if it is really excessive in volume.
One last thought is some models have an oil separator to return any oil that goes through that vent hose back to the engine. If you have one make sure it is working. Not all models have one . If the engine starts well cold and runs well I might consider adding one if excess blowby is present. Hopefully you just messed up the oil filter installation as another poster mentioned. If you have owned the car and it did not have this problem until very reciently it is probably that or something like it. You did check your oil pan nut for leakage?

Could engine be using the oil through a tear in the injection pump diafram. I would think if the oil was leaking that much there would be a puddle under the car. What kind of oil and filter did you use. just trying to help

Hi all, Well I drained the oil, there was 4.5 quarts total and I had driven 80 miles. The oil level was the same on the dip stick though so I was lower than I thought originally. I removed the air cleaner housing and clamped the breather tube, I found quite a bit of caked on oil where it attached to the manifold. I changed to oil filter gasket as well. My pressure went right up to 3 bars but after driving it 40 miles it registered 1.5 bars at idle. The engine seems to be back to normal and the pressure guage did not fluctuate while in motion as it had earlier. Is there anything else that I can do to check? I know when I first started the car I removed the oil filler cap and air blew out of the valve cover strongly so I replaced the cap. I thank all of you for your thoughtful suggestion and would appreciate any more input regarding the oil pressure. Noel
1981 240D 146,710k
Veggie-Oil Burner
Morrow, Ohio

Mine leaks from the rear of the valve cover gasket, getting a new gasket and will replace it when doing my valves shortly...so check back there.

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1983 Mercedes-Benz 240D
Automatic, A/C, Power Sunroof, Power Right Side Mirror
231K Miles FOR SALE MAKE OFFER

On my air filter housing, there is a drain hole just above where the shock attaches to the body. This car has a fair amount of blowby, and the air filter housing usually has some oil in the bottom of it. If I park with the front of the car facing down hill, oil leaks out of this weep hole.
This weekend when working on the car I was late for dinner while working at a friends shop. We had just power washed the engine, but I mis-installed the air filter housing and did not get the return oil line hooked up correctly.
I drove like a maniac to get home on time, and as a result, the next day found the passenger side of my engine coated with oil. Apparantely, the oil return line channels a lot of oil back into the pan.
Also, remember if you have a lot of blowby, oil is not going to only make its way down this tube, but out of any possible spot as you have pressure behind oil where there should be any pressure, ie in the oil pan, and the oil pan gasket is a prime place for this pressure to be relieved.

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Pure Vermont Maple Syrup
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1982 300D Turbo
1983 300D Turbo

Check the coolant. What speed do you drive? If you are trying to do 75 in a 240 your gonna burn alot of oil.

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1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42

Adjust valves, new valve cover gasket (pull exhaust manifold and look in valve chambers for oil, carbon), diesel purge; 2 cans, Lubro moly (carbon buildup in prechamber and valves, knocking noise), new upper and lower oil cooling lines, if oil cooling lines leaking on pressure side you will lose pressure and lots of oil, make sure oil level is right, too heavy an oil, use 5-40 syn, add some militec-1 (16 oz to main oil). I took a 81 300D from 10 miles a gallon to 28 just doing this. 247,000 miles on it. sure doesnt hurt to clean oil pan. if oil cooling lines have oil on them, 25 years they should be replaced anyway, compression test cylinders this one was 240, 300, 325, 325, 325, their all the same now, 240 was valves not closing due wrong valve lash adjustment and carbon buildup. injector spray pattern, atomization, incomplete combustion, check glow plugs, clean or replace, use the diesel purge first as if their is carbon buildup in precombustion chamber where glow plugs go into they may be hard to get out and break, caution tighten wires hand tight with lock washer,
Vacumn pump and lines have oil on them, get kit and overhaul pump, oil in these lines loosen fittings, gunk up damper valve and one way valve to doors and comfort system, steady 27" vac. replace as needed. 3.5 mm hose and 4mm hose on these and nylon vac connector kit.
small cracks on brake hose vac line one way valve replace, You got to remember that these cars are 25 years old and parts need to be replaced.
Engine still running when you stop engine with key, take off cover under dash drivers side, look for oil under where key is, as there are two vac lines that go to key, vac loss there, back to vac, door locks probably not working either.

There is another possibility, depending on which vacuum pump you have. Early vacuum pumps had a vent line which went from the pump to the top of the air cleaner. If a hole developed in the diaphragm, oil was fed directly into the intake. To know if this is possible on your car, see if there is a line, usually clear or white plastic, going from the vacuum pump to the air cleaner. If there is, disconnect this line and observe it while running the engine. If there is oil passing thru it, you have found the problem.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Hello All,
Appreciate all your advice, I did see some oil around the pan and on the manifold. Yes, the only way to turn off the engine is to push down the driver door lock and then shut off the engine and yes the power locks are not functional with exception of the trunk. Am I understanding that a dysfunctional vacuum will cause excessive oil loss? If so what happens to the oil, is it burned off in the cylinders? I just changed the oil, I used 15W40 Castrol Technix, will that burn off quickly? Should I be using a more viscous blend in case there is excessive ring wear from the use of WVO? I will follow through with the recommendations everyone has offered and hoepfully remedy this problem.
Thanks again,
Noel Smith
Morrow, Ohio
1981 240D 146,640k

If the diaphram is bad in the vaccum pump engine oil can be sent up the pipe that removes the air from the vacuum pump and then into the engine. If so and you have a line from your vaccum pump to the engine check it for being oily inside. The other line from your vaccum pump is the actual vacuum line. The earlier cars had this type of set up on their vaccum pump. It took Kerry to mention this as a possibility and it is a real one.
Unfortunatly if it turns out the engine is worn you cannot use the heavier viscosities until the weather warms up basically if you want to be able to start a cold car.