valve job? - Page 3 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

funola · #31 01-18-2018, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by allenying

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a benefit of going to a trusted shop is spending more time driving than researching. if they say techron is good for the engine, it's only $12, no big a deal, one less thing for me to think about. it's a fuel additive, i imagine it's long gone.
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Boy, this shop must love you! You brought the car in for a simple oil change, they put 10W40 oil in which is not a common diesel oil and then added a $12 Techron charge to the bill. Did you ask them (as I suggested) exactly what kind of oil they put in and what kind of Techron and where did they put it?

The 10W40 diesel oil you googled up is Rotella T5 is a synthetic blend https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/SCA550019907 , not a common oil to be found on store shelfs.

Synthetic blend is a high profit oil for the manufacturer by blending dino and synthetic of usually less than 10%.

This quote is from the oil link I posted earlier:

"warning, Synthetic blend motor oils do not offer much to the costumer, and are marketed because they are extremely cheap for manufacturers to produce."

I would never waste my money on a synthetic blend diesel oil. Would any one else here? I run full synthetic 5W40 year round for the best engine protection and ease of cold starts at sub teen temps.

I doubt your trusted shop put in 10W40 Rotella T5 synthetic blend which leads to the question: what 10W40 oil is in your engine?

Maybe you should have this trusted shop replace your IP. They maybe onto something.

leathermang · #32 01-18-2018, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diseasel300

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Also of worthy note: If you're really interested in saving money, skip the "seal rejuvenator". It's snake oil.

I agree with everything Disealel300 said.

but would like to clarify the one sentence I left in the quote... I agree if you are talking about an engine... which clearly was the subject...

but for TRANSMISSIONS it is sometimes possible to stop a seal leak using one of the '' snake oils'' like Trans-x ... if used properly ( according to the instructions on the car .. which may require doing the math to make sure your initial installation is the proper Percentage of the Total Fluid... it took to of the big cans to reach that Percentage on my 1981 MB Wagon...
in the archives I have described how it fixed more than one car I have owned .. the most dramatic was my 1995 Lincoln which was losing a Quart per 75 miles.... and within a couple of additions of the Trans-x it stopped leaking...
there are other brands which people have given good reports on .. Lucas, Seafoam, etc... I have never used those..

Diseasel300 · #33 01-18-2018, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leathermang

but for TRANSMISSIONS it is sometimes possible to stop a seal leak using one of the '' snake oils'' like Trans-x ... if used properly ( according to the instructions on the car .. which may require doing the math to make sure your initial installation is the proper Percentage of the Total Fluid... it took to of the big cans to reach that Percentage on my 1981 MB Wagon...
in the archives I have described how it fixed more than one car I have owned .. the most dramatic was my 1995 Lincoln which was losing a Quart per 75 miles.... and within a couple of additions of the Trans-x it stopped leaking...
there are other brands which people have given good reports on .. Lucas, Seafoam, etc... I have never used those..

Transmissions and hydraulic systems are another story. I've had good luck with Trans-X in my own vehicle and I've also had good luck with Lucas P/S Stop-Leak.

In the engine though - Snake oil. Choose your snake, they're all irrelevant. Most seals in the engine leak from heat hardening or wear. Seal "rejuvenator" would have a pretty tough time swelling the seal and softening it to be useful again.

allenying · #34 01-18-2018, 09:29 PM

i'm just trying to clear up misunderstanding when someone is trying to call me out under false pretenses about why i have Qs and what my intentions for were. i find that disrespectful.

i get questioning the shop's practices, and I don't have a problem questioning a forum member that I am paying.

i'm not wholly discrediting the shop for wanting to change the IP, and i'm not wholly discrediting funola for claiming 10w-40 is a gasoline oil.

i appreciate the feedback, and i appreciate not passing judgement based on incorrect information.

i think it would be best if we stick to actual information, and not get personal with assumptions or insinuating insults.

i'll call the shop when i have time while they're open. whether they're using something bad or good, nobody needs to be insinuating someone else is a fool for trusting or not trusting them.

a trustworthy shop can save someone a lot of time not dealing with forum opinions, and forum opinions can save someone a lot of money. those who diy may be in different situations than those who don't. i'm somewhere in between.

full synthetic sounds worth trying.

thanks again.

vwnate1 · #35 01-19-2018, 02:26 PM

I just read this thread again from the beginning and didn't notice any mention of total miles on the car nor the actual compression results (you mentioned low compression) nor any actual pop testing of the injectors and without these specific details you're chasing your tail endlessly .

I also noticed you were running veggie oil bio fuels, that's caused a lot of headaches and engine failures over time, mostly because it's a time intensive job to do right and since the engine *seems* to run the same when short cuts are taken, there's almost always steps skipped .

RE : synthetic oils, yes they weep, seep and drip more out of older engines for the reasons clearly explained above . Mercedes OM 616 & 617 engines leak out their rear mail seals because it's a 1930's technology rope typ of seal so nothing ever made will slow that leak down, physically impossible .

Nevertheless, synthetic oils (I prefer fully synthetic, Diesel rated oils) are a seriously good thing on two fronts :

#1 : they pretty much stop the engine's normal wear cycle wherever it is ~ I have several seriously old high mileage engines I keep running because they're not only run on fully synthetic oils, these oils are also incredibly detergent and so will clean up an old sludgy engine but it's critical for you to do routine HOT OIL & FILTER CHANGES because, as also mentioned above, Detergent oils keep the abrasive wear particles suspended in the oil so it is removed when you hot change the oil, synthetic oils, due to their superior cleaning abilities, keep more wear particles in suspension making it extra important to do these routine oil changes so you don't slowly grind the engine to death .

To solve your problems and questions, you must follow the basic rules and in the correct order .

Lastly, for those who are just reading along here, I tried the 'Trans-X' snake oil in the worn out, leaking and poor shifting auto tranny in my 1982 240D, there were at least FIVE different Trans-X products on the shelf at the Auto Parts Store and I read all the various labels, none was specific so I just grabbed the yellow bottle and added it the next time I topped up the tranny and Lo ! the leak nearly stopped and the shifting improved noticeably .

This lasted about a year before the leakage started again, (20,000 miles or so) so I added another bottle and 15,000 miles later decided to have the tranny rebuilt, I highly recommend this Trans-X stuff but I wish those here who recommended it, would have been nice if they'd mentioned which specific product they were suggesting .

leathermang · #36 01-19-2018, 06:28 PM

When I first used Trans-X was about 1976 in a 1965 or 6 Rambler... I used the metal quart can which had the electric blue anodized outside. I do not know that there was a choice of Trans-X products at that time.
The car ONLY HAD ONE GEAR.... 2nd....
and our family mechanic suggested I try it when I described the situation.. prior to that I considered all that sort of stuff Snake Oil ... thirty minutes of sitting in the driveway moving the shifter through all the ' gears' the transmission worked perfectly... I drove it more than a year. I sold it when I found an original 1934 Plymouth Coupe to waste my time and money on.

allenying · #37 01-19-2018, 07:48 PM

ok i called the shop, kraft german auto in brooklyn, they are a reputable shop, the owner steve kraft was not available, but they put another mechanic on the phone and told me they use castrol 10w-40 high mileage standard oil, and that it is not a “diesel” oil. he insisted that the diesel label is nonsense, like marketing, and was only concerned with the viscosity. i am extremely disappointed, and knew i had to come back here to report. i’m pretty sure when i first asked him 2 yrs ago, he told me they use MB oil.

i called castrol, and they clarified clearly that is not the case, they have one line of 15w-40 that meets both gasoline and diesel oil requirements, but as we all know, there are various ratings and specifications for gasoline and diesel oils, american and european specs, and car manufacturers have their ratings as well.

castrol said the MB oil spec for 1985 300D are MB 229.3 or 229.5. and the castrol oils they have that meet that requirement are called castrol edge, synthetic 0w-30 and 0w-40, they however do not list zinc content.

kraft’s suggestion to change the injection pump was the first red flag, and now something as simple as using a diesel oil… this is unacceptable. it is sad to not have a go to shop i can trust. i am going to email kraft, maybe his mechanic was wrong, but his mechanic is the one performing the oil changes, and even if kraft replies claiming something else, he will have to let me watch him open new jugs and pour them in.

thanks funola and everyone for being thorough and insisting that i question the shop, i was wrong to trust them. i would think a shop that has been working on german cars since the 80s, with many dedicated customers that would only bring their car to him, would be better than this. i know the forum folks here are pretty expert as well, but i thought a mechanic who has seen hundreds of cars would be comparable to various DIY folks.

i plan to change to shell rotella T6 5w-40 full synthetic asap. i was adding rotella 15w-40 periodically.

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as far as the valve issue.
the car is at about 176,200 miles.
funola performed the following tests while i was present.
the compression test results were
1) 300
2) 450
3) 425
4) 450
5) didn’t test

injector #1 and #2 were pop tested, i don’t have the exact numbers written down, i probably have a picture of the meter on my phone but basically they tested close to spec, with an even spray pattern.

the leak down on #1 cylinder, leak could be heard at the exhaust pipe with a microphone, we did not test cylinder 2 for comparison.

those tests, after valve adjustments, and diesel purge, are how we narrowed it down to potential valve job.

idk if i missed anything to respond to, but thanks again for all the help.

vwnate1 · #38 01-19-2018, 08:03 PM

Now we're getting there, IMO no reason not to have tested all cylinder compression and all five injectors .

FWIW, Once you find an honest (good luck) and competent (even harder) shop it's not hard to make an old clapped out engine run pretty well indeed .

Some are old & experienced enough to do this, many more just want to throw money at the vehicle and change parts .

I was taught to diagnose and then repair things, never just change parts .

It's worked out very well in the 50 + years I've been spinning wrenches, my vehicles rarely look like much but all are ready to go anywhere at the drop of a hat and quite often do just that as I like o drive and road rallies are my favorite .

RE : Trans-X : Leathermang I do not know but having read many of his thoughts and ideas I tried this stuff, why not, the tranny had been linping along near dead for rears, it may not be obvious to all reading here that pouring in snake oil when the ATF is brown and smells burned, is a waste of time .

I always do occasional tranny services too and in Mercedes there's a drain plug in the torque converter (5MM hex) so you can really do a good job of things before adding the Trans-X .

Don't feel too badly about the shop, I get burned from time to time too as I'm old crippled and cannot so all the same things I did back when .

Every so often I discover they're B.S.'ing me, it's bad but that's how it is : Mechanicing is dead simple to cheat at .

That's why so many Dealerships have complaints : their Mechanics are too young to have learned sufficient self respect and so will short cut every job they can .

Don't get discouraged/hopeless/give up , keep plugging away .

Diseasel300 · #39 01-19-2018, 09:08 PM

It's always good to follow up and question when you aren't sure of something. This time, it looks like it paid off. Now you know that the oil is not suitable for the diesel, and you probably know that the injection pump isn't the issue (how could it be? You have low compression in 1 cylinder!).

Now you know why this forum exists too. When you drive an older vehicle like these, you better bone up on your DIY skills. Finding a mechanic competent enough to fix a car made this morning is bad enough, finding one who actually knows his s**t well enough to fix one made 30 years ago is just about impossible.

leathermang · #40 01-20-2018, 12:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vwnate1

......
RE : Trans-X : Leathermang I do not know but having read many of his thoughts and ideas I tried this stuff, why not, the tranny had been linping along near dead for rears, it may not be obvious to all reading here that pouring in snake oil when the ATF is brown and smells burned, is a waste of time .

I always do occasional tranny services too and in Mercedes there's a drain plug in the torque converter (5MM hex) so you can really do a good job of things before adding the Trans-X ....... .

IF you are implying that I would just ADD Trans-x to anything.. that would be incorrect..... I drained the old fluid each time I have used it......and computed the 20% needed for the initial cleanout..( my 81 wagon required two of the quart metal sized cans )...... then drained that at a hundred miles or so and put in the amount suggested for long term use ( 10%).. again with new trans fluid.
Trans-X is a varnish dissolver and has something to swell seals....

vwnate1 · #41 01-20-2018, 09:06 AM

Nope ~ I wasn't implying anything except after much careful consideration I have decided your suggestions have more merit than many I read here .

Gotta remember : you and I (others too !) have many years of on the job experience, I was just mentioning fresh ATF because I so often see it nearly black and smelling worse than Navy coffee (!) and the Customer hasn't a clue this isn't normal .

A old used car lot trick I learned in the 1960's was to add a teaspoon of brake fluid to the ATF to soften (not swell) the seals and so staunch or slow down slushbox leaks .

leathermang · #42 01-20-2018, 09:47 AM

LOL, I am not paranoid but we have such a WIDE variety of experience levels reading our posts I am always worried that if something is not really spelled out well a member might incur unnecessary problems working off of an incomplete description. In THAT respect I am paranoid.... but I think properly so....

vwnate1 · #43 01-20-2018, 09:51 AM

Agreed .

This is why I value your inputs ~ you try to take a wide view before giving advice, very few do .

leathermang · #44 01-20-2018, 10:04 AM

vwnate1, I appreciate your vote of confidence on this, my 69th birthday. I nice way to start the day.

funola · #45 01-20-2018, 10:27 AM

Fellas, the OP does not have transmission problems. Please stay on topic instead of tootin your own horns and help the OP. He's not helping himself by starting new threads (and not linking to the old threads) instead of staying on the old thread such that you do not get the full history. If you want to know the history about his car, you will have to search yourself.

His latest disclosure is: For 2 years, trusted shop has been putting in castrol 10w-40 high mileage standard oil, not a “diesel” oil.

I have no experience with such practice. Could running a gasoline rated oil for 2 years result in his engine burning oil?

To OP
Obviously, this shop cannot be trusted. I'd suggest checking shop's other work done:

1. Was tank strainer actually replaced? Crawl under and take/ post a few good pics of it. We should be able to tell from looking at it.

2. Where was the Techron placed during the oil change? Hopefully not in the oil.