Peter

I,m not sure what you mean, but speaking as a "humble apprentice wrench" who has thrown too many new parts at problems that still weren't fixed ....anyway cleaning oil off the contacts sounds like the place to start even if O rings and or a new sending unit is cheap.

Stevo

Stevo,

You're focusing on the reason for the thread. I'm merely saying you better change these little o rings on your own car, if they are rock hard. Mercedes put them there for a reason, and if they have hardened to the point where they shatter when you remove them, they need to be replaced. This is routine maintenance that has nothing to do with an oil gauge doing the St. Vitus Day dance.

Peter

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Auto Zentral Ltd.

Peter

OK, I see, What you mean.. I just got in from adjusting valves, changing oil & filter on my "85" 240D. Those O rings shattered when I pryed them out and were way hard. Maybe they had never been changed and , NO, my oil pressure gauge hadent been doing the "jumps"


Steve

I just got the O-rings but paid a relative fortune for 'em... $2.00 apiece. Does that make sense? I got them from the dealer that I typically avoid (I've found their stuff to typically be pretty expensive)...

And, Steve, FWIW, I'm just changing them as a precaution; in fact, my needle hasn't moved that much since the first few days I had the car, for some reason...

Got the Seafoam in and will change the oil tonight!

Wow Warden they must have given you the DEEE LUX O rings, I wont tell you what I payed for a doz. Both my "79" & "85" 240s got new ones and both sets crumbled apart when I pryed them out.
Ya, my needle never jumped either. but I,l bet they were never changed.

Stevo

I'm sure mine were never changed; I just got them off...in pieces.

So far, so good

Just an update...it's amazing what difference two little O-rings can make! After getting everything, including an oil change, done, I took her for a test-drive. I'm pretty sure that I got to full operating temperature, but the oil pressure was noticeably higher. Before, at warm idle, it was slightly less than halfway between the 1 and 2 bar mark, and now it's about 3/4's of the way to the 2 bar mark. Also, before, it would peg the needle at 1200 RPM; now it pegs the needle right around 1000 RPM.

I'm a happy camper

The Warden - I called 3 MB Dealers in the Wash. DC area and they were also approx. $2.00, +- 20 cents. Like you I paid the price because I needed them . On web sites such as this one, they are approx. .10 to .20 ! I expect to pay more at the dealer, but, this is just another case of feeling ripped off. Everytime that I decide to support my local MB dealer, I wish I had not. Have a good day.

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Paul 1987 300 SDL; 2000 ML; '69 MGB; '68 VW Fastback

Yay, I'm not alone *lol*

In all honesty, I've been real happy with the parts guys at Autobahn Motors up in Belmont, but the local dealer (Park Ave Motors for anyone in the Bay Area) overprice everything...

You guys are spending way too much time dorking around to get out of paying $4.00 for two o rings. I'm guessing you make about $4.50 an hour, because at that wage it might be worth running all over town to get o rings for 15 cents. The reason the dealer asks $2.00 is because they have to order, track, stock, and pay a parts person and a cashier to be able to hand you the two o rings when you ask for them. That is, in my opinion, excellent service, and service costs. Now here is the bomb shell. The dealer o ring is made of the proper material that won't deteriorate in the presence of a pretolium based product and be sucked into the oil system and clog an oil galley and destroy an engine. I've seen it happen.

Good luck with the cheap o rings,
Peter

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Auto Zentral Ltd.

I got the upper control arm bushings in, and did the wheel bearings and brakes...fixed almost everything. I've still got some groaning (on hitting bumps) and shakiness at the wheel, though; I'm 99% sure my guide rod bushings are bad (with a lug wrench, I can move the entire wheel about 3 inches straight back). At almost $70 apiece, I'm waiting to do them...especially 'cause it'd be nice ot do the other side as well, just to be thorough. Gotta come up with $$, though...and the car is driveable (and, otherwise, happy), so the truck's not eating me out of food and shelter.

Peter, I see your point, and agree...I was wondering if that dealer had ripped me off (as they've done before; I've gotten the same items from the other dealer for like half the price in the past) or not. For example, they wanted $25 for a part that the other dealer only charged $10 for. I was just wondering what the average dealer price was.

MB USA publishes a price list that covers every part # and distributes it to every dealer. Each dealer can do whatever to charge for the parts. Some dealers choose to price out at the suggested list on everything. Some mark up everything costing less than $100.00 or $200.00 to cover the cost of piddling with small items. Some dealers may drastically reduce prices on fast moving items like brake pads and filters to be competetive with independents. Some dealers sell higher priced items wholesale to the public and make a smaller profit, but make it up in volume. These are dealer only type items and they take the business away from other dealers that use the MB suggested list. Does that splain it?

Peter

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Auto Zentral Ltd.

Performance Products has the little o-rings. Can't find 'em right now but I remember seeing it in the catalog.