I have a lovingly cared for 1984 w123 turbo I have owned for over five years. Last summer after extensive maintenance, repair, and a really nice paint job I allowed my youngest daughter to drive the car back to school in Michigan with strict instructions to follow simple automobile maintenance guidelines, such as checking fluids often. You know where this story is going...... Whenever my daughters are home I always check fluids and service their cars; except this Christmas when the w123 was home for the holidays I don't remember doing anything in the way of service because i was pretty sick. Anyway fast forward to spring break about 6 weeks ago and my daughter is home again for a week. Service checkup!!! Imagine my surprise as I un-threaded the oil pan bolt the last few threads expecting to find oil gushing out the hole and filling up the catch pan. I got almost a quart of black gooe....... in total. No telling how long the engine has been run without oil but for sure she put over 500 mile on it just getting home. Probably the oil was never checked after she drove off in the fall and no telling how many miles she drove without oil.

FAST FORWARD: I kept the Mercedes home and sent her packing to school with my daily driver so I could keep an eye on the engine. In the six weeks before traveling up to visit my daughter in school this weekend it went through two quarts of oil over 1100 miles. (mostly highway) This weekend driving the automobile 350 miles resulted in the engine needing 1 1/2 quarts of oil to top it off.
BOTTOM LINE, IS THE ENGINE TOAST??

Performance wise the car doesn't seem to be down on power. Goes right through the gears quickly. Engine has always leaked some oil which was noted when a new exhaust was installed in November 2012. Engine seems to be now smoking a lot more on start up (black) but not a great amount I can see while driving. Before she took the car this fall oil consumption was maybe a quart every 1500 miles.

Kinda bummed. I have really made every effort to stay ahead of the repairs as they happen or even going out of my way to fix thing I think might fail in advance. I feel partly responsible too because it was probably wishful thinking on my part to expect her to fiddle with the car.

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Cliff D.
Central Illinois
1987 300SDL 200K
1984 300D Turbo 245K

Your engine compression test will answer what I think you already know,youll want to do a valve adjustment first and formost ,these steps are important .Ill link an informative video to give you some insight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFcKOYXaTWM

First, I'm not a trained Mercedes Benz mechanic but if it were my car, I would run a compression check and/or leak down test to see if you have a problem with piston rings.

And......not to sound preachy, but training family members in basic car maintenance procedures will save you a lot of headaches. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. IMHO, women only want to turn the key and DRIVE, they don't want to have to learn anything about the upkeep and maintenance of a car. In a woman's world, the only reason to keep a man around is so he can work on her car.

I would never give anything of value to a teen aged driver. Be thankful that's all that happened. Buy her a disposable beater to use at school.

I wouldn't worry about the compression, the piston/cylinder assembly is the last thing to go when an engine is run out of oil. If the bearings are OK, so is the rest of the engine.

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'83 300D, 126K miles.

If the engine actually ran without oil, it wouldn't last more than a few miles. Hence, I don't think it every ran without oil. It ran with a very small amount of oil. I wouldn't jump to any conclusion before you determine where the missing oil is going.

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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

Dont blame yourself to much ,hopefully she learned a lesson that she wont forget.Ive had the experience of meeting the worst car owner in the history of the automobile.A mechanic friend was the benafactor of all his malace deeds laid onto each car he got behind the wheel of,every 6 months it was another car with issues ,we would even play a guessing game to what kind of triggered event took place for the demize of each car that came in.

thanks, watched video.

Valves adjusted August 2012 before daughter drove off with car. Checked twice for proper clearance. Replaced timing chain at same time as preventative maintenance.

Car actually starts quickly after short glow plug warmup. Idles smoothly not rough. (This was even in Michigan while at school over the winter.)

As noted engine seems to be now smoking more on start up, but i would be hard pressed to say its really down on power.

thanks for reply. Will do compression test at earliest opportunity.

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Cliff D.
Central Illinois
1987 300SDL 200K
1984 300D Turbo 245K

Well, my DIY Rx would be to add a measure (probably start off with 1 to 2 Qts.) of kerosene to the crankcase, and let run a bit - at least to operating temperature while monitoring what you hear and see from the engine. Drain, repeat adding Mobil 1 0-40 weight to the kerosene with every cycle. -Until you clean it up from within.

Have you looked at the color of the trans. fluid in it's an automatic?

Have you looked at the coolant for signs of oil mixing in with it?

As far as turning over a nice used MB diesel to a relative, being that it's your Daughter, I would recommend you take the time to shepherd the car's maintenance along - even though the car is in a distant place. That is what I am planning on doing with m y old MB diesel at some point. I am fretting about the car's well-being in a relative's hands, but it will be all their's anyway at that time, but I know how you feel.

Noted: as i said, I feel like I shouldn't have sent her packing with the car knowing how women in general and her sister are about servicing cars. At best wishful thinking on my part expecting her to follow through. I am going to get her a dead reliable car to drive for her return to school for the fall semester.

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Cliff D.
Central Illinois
1987 300SDL 200K
1984 300D Turbo 245K

You could strap a case of motor oil around her neck as a "hint" so she doesn't forget to check the oil!!

Boy good luck with that.

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Cliff D.
Central Illinois
1987 300SDL 200K
1984 300D Turbo 245K

again, not to sound preachy but I've used Amsoil ATF in my benzes for over twenty years and it has yet to let me down. After 20,000 miles on the ATF, I pulled the transmission pan on the diesel awhile back and the fluid looked pristine no metal filings whatsoever. unbelievable.

Sorry let me clarify, it wasn't totally empty but there was only less than a quart of oil remaining when i went to change it. Amazing that the engine still runs as strong as it does.

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Cliff D.
Central Illinois
1987 300SDL 200K
1984 300D Turbo 245K

I instructed the lovely Mrs engatwork not to even open the hood on the 05 E320. She is one of those women that don't have any business being under there.

My recommendation on the daughter is to get her a Honda

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Jim

Or a Schwinn!

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“Whatever story you're telling, it will be more interesting if, at the end you add, "and then everything burst into flames.”
― Brian P. Cleary, You Oughta Know By Now