W140 OM603 oil change issue

[JHZR2]

The car is new to me, and I don’t have an owners manual with it nor have I found a good source for a W140 factory service manual.

I went to do an oil change today and everything went as usual until I put oil back in the car. I put 7 quarts in and started it up. The oil warning light illuminated yellow and the engine made just about three bars of pressure. I stopped the car check the oil and there’s none on the dipstick. I added an eighth Court started it up again and had the same exact issue . There is no oil showing on the dipstick with 8 quarts in it. I’m not really sure what’s going on and why I don’t see any oil in it. I have not yet measured out exactly how much I got back out of the engine but I can’t imagine that I’m very far off.


Before I did the oil change the car would make three bars of pressure no problem, and there was no oil warning light. I’ve changed oil many times on various Mercedes diesel engines so I’m kind of at a loss unless the W140 Takes a lot more oil than the W126 with the same exact engine.

The drain plug that was on the car didn’t even have a copper crush washer on it. Of course I put everything back together, and torqued it all to spec.

Any ideas with it could be? I think the W140 oil pan is different than the W126. I don’t know if the oil level sensor is different or slower or something else. Any ideas?

[bsmuwk]

Capacity is 8L or roughly 8.5quarts.

If you have 8 quarts in it, let it get up to operating temp and shut it down. It takes about 5 minutes for the oil to drain back down to the pan for an "accurate" dipstick measurement.

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted by bsmuwk

Capacity is 8L or roughly 8.5quarts.

If you have 8 quarts in it, let it get up to operating temp and shut it down. It takes about 5 minutes for the oil to drain back down to the pan for an "accurate" dipstick measurement.

Does the W140 603 have a different design that slows things down? I know some later cars and oil pans had windage trays.

No vehicle, MB diesel or otherwise, have I seen no oil on the dipstick after staring and running it up to oil pressure and idling it a bit.

Wondering why it’s harder to get oil into the pan on this, granted it’s 15w-40 in the cold.

[bsmuwk]

No, it just takes that long to get oil back down for a “correct” reading. Im not doubting you, but as I don’t know how you’re checking it, if you’re even looking at the dipstick correctly, etc all I can tell you are constants.

It takes 8.5 quarts and at operating temperature, an accurate oil measurement must be done after observing a wait time of roughly 5 minutes.

If you have 8.5qts of oil in it and it’s not reading on the stick, make sure you have the correct dipstick in the thing!!


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[JHZR2]

Originally Posted by bsmuwk

No, it just takes that long to get oil back down for a “correct” reading. Im not doubting you, but as I don’t know how you’re checking it, if you’re even looking at the dipstick correctly, etc all I can tell you are constants.

It takes 8.5 quarts and at operating temperature, an accurate oil measurement must be done after observing a wait time of roughly 5 minutes.

If you have 8.5qts of oil in it and it’s not reading on the stick, make sure you have the correct dipstick in the thing!!


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The dipstick is something that has gone through my mind. But it was reading proper before I dumped the oil. I need to measure how many quarts roughly I got out. Granted I don’t recall if my basin was empty!!

I can’t really see how I’m not checking correctly, given I’m checking the same way as I do every other 61x and 60x engine we have owned and changed oil on!

[bsmuwk]

Originally Posted by JHZR2

The dipstick is something that has gone through my mind. But it was reading proper before I dumped the oil. I need to measure how many quarts roughly I got out. Granted I don’t recall if my basin was empty!!

I can’t really see how I’m not checking correctly, given I’m checking the same way as I do every other 61x and 60x engine we have owned and changed oil on!

Dipstick is ultimately irrelevant if you’ve filled it with 8 or 8.5 quarts of oil. You know how much you’ve filled, so the potential for there to be an incorrect dipstick is very high. Too much oil is worse than too little!


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[JHZR2]

Originally Posted by bsmuwk

Dipstick is ultimately irrelevant if you’ve filled it with 8 or 8.5 quarts of oil. You know how much you’ve filled, so the potential for there to be an incorrect dipstick is very high. Too much oil is worse than too little!


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Agree!

I drained my collection basin and got out 10 3/4 quarts. Granted I don’t know how much was in there before…

I ultimately put in 8.5 and see nothing. Yellow oil warning light is also not out which is more concerning.

I looked at the dipstick. It is a model 60324. Then black one next to it is much shorter, I think it was from a 606.



I tried the experiment where I sat the dipstick where it would be fully seated and tried to see where it ended.





So it seems like it should sit far enough down in there to meet the main part of the sump.

I’m at a loss.

You’re right that I know that 8.5 quarts are in there. It just bugs me that either the dipstick is wrong and/or somehow the oil sensor broke just from draining the oil!!

[JHZR2]

I drove the car extensively tonight. To date, a few hundred miles of ownership, there was no oil light. Draining and refilling the oil must have done something weird to the sensor.

The sensor light turned off for a time, but then came back on.

Still no oil on the dipstick. Hoping another w140 owner can verify the part number and length of the dipstick in their engine.

[zloca944]

That red 60324 dipstick is the one for the 3.5 OM603.I have W140 with OM603 and can check the length in next couple days if you want just in case.

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted by zloca944

That red 60324 dipstick is the one for the 3.5 OM603.I have W140 with OM603 and can check the length in next couple days if you want just in case.

That would be really wonderful! I would greatly appreciate knowing the part number on the dipstick, and the length.

Thanks!!

[barry12345]

Aftermarket oil cooler in there? With both the light and the dipstick showing low there has to almost be something.

I even wonder if it has the right oil pan if that engine was used in another of Mercedes type vehicles originally. I might contact the Mercedes classic center if it remains a mystery.

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted by barry12345

Aftermarket oil cooler in there? With both the light and the dipstick showing low there has to almost be something.

I even wonder if it has the right oil pan if that engine was used in another of Mercedes type vehicles originally. I might contact the Mercedes classic center if it remains a mystery.

Not that I’m aware of. And the dipstick is consistent in part number and length as someone with a W140 603 has.

I had heard from one person that some of these engines take 10quarts. I haven’t been able to substantiate it anywhere, but it would be consistent with what I think mine needs….

[bsmuwk]

Originally Posted by JHZR2

Not that I’m aware of. And the dipstick is consistent in part number and length as someone with a W140 603 has.

I had heard from one person that some of these engines take 10quarts. I haven’t been able to substantiate it anywhere, but it would be consistent with what I think mine needs….

Diesel G wagen use the deep pan that holds nearly 10 quarts. Dipstick tube on the front of the engine through the timing cover. It’s unlikely someone went through that much effort to swap over for a sedan.

Who knows though, maybe you got a factory reman with a deep pan. Got a tag on the pass side of the block near the bell housing? Dipstick # would be 60322 for the deep pan.

I do know .97 engines had a bit more capacity, but 8 quarts of oil would’ve been showing up on the dipstick.

Maybe post some under car shots


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[JHZR2]

Originally Posted by bsmuwk

Diesel G wagen use the deep pan that holds nearly 10 quarts. Dipstick tube on the front of the engine through the timing cover. It’s unlikely someone went through that much effort to swap over for a sedan.

Who knows though, maybe you got a factory reman with a deep pan. Got a tag on the pass side of the block near the bell housing? Dipstick # would be 60322 for the deep pan.

I do know .97 engines had a bit more capacity, but 8 quarts of oil would’ve been showing up on the dipstick.

Maybe post some under car shots


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Yep, totally strange. Filled with the drain plug in there. Filled it in the spot that it’s parked now. No oil slick, I should know if two gallons dumped out….

I’m at a loss. Nothing out of the ordinary that I can see.

One w140 owner over on the other board told me that it was 8L plus 1.5L for the filter…