Let us know when your oil turns black!

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Brian Toscano

I will, but it may take a while. I'll check my oil every 500 miles or so and will update this thread.

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2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

I would suppose that with the shape of the oil pan it is possible, even likely, that raising the rear of the car would roll some more of the oil out.
The rear of the lower engine case sits almost level with the car. So when you jack up the front to get to the oil plug, it would retain some of the oil in the rear of the lower engine case, back by the rear engine seal. Raising the rear of the car would then work to get that out of the engine. If it were hot, it should drain readily.

Yes you are a diesel addict and you must go in for rehab immediately!! It's that or you have way too much time on your hands! I can drain and fill my oil in 15 minutes or so. That's about all the time I can give to such a task with such a small payback. I would however like to be the guy who buys your car when you sell!

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Orland Park, IL
1985 300SD 215,000 miles

"That's about all the time I can give to such a task with such a small payback."

The payback for hot, frequent oil changes on my 240D was 380,000 miles from the same engine.

Like the old Fram oil filter commercial used to say "Pay me now or pay me later." I'm not a fan of Fram products, but oil and filters are cheap compared to the cost of MB engine rebuilds.

Have a great day,

Larry, what finally happened to your 240D engine at 380K? I was just curious what killed it...

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While the raising of the rear is trick... Does anyone use a top-loader as Mercedes Benz of NA recommends?

I don't own or use a TopSider. I see pulling the plug as an excuse to remove the lower engine sound panels, clean them, and inspect the bottom part of the engine while I'm down there. The TopSider does work well though, for those who prefer it.

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Larry, my reference to "time and small payback" was aimed at the time value of money. If I can change my oil in 15 minutes and be on to another task instead of spending an hour on it I've just put that much more money in my pocket. In fact I have on occasion used the Larry method of draining overnight when hot and then refilling. I simply don't have that much time to jack up, lower, jack up, lower, drain and all that. I'm sure the engine loves it but it approaches the realm of "over the top". IMHO.

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Orland Park, IL
1985 300SD 215,000 miles

Updating this thread as promised. Now at 700 miles after the oil change the oil is completely black at the bottom of the dipstick, but it's still semi-clear on the rest of the dipstick. Of course I never expected the oil to stay clear forever, but I still think it's beneficial to remove as much of the old oil as possible at every oil change. Check out my recent compression readings in another thread. This may have something to do with it.

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2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

gsxr,

At 380,000 I was screaming through West Texas on I20 in July and pulled into a truck stop for fuel. There was plenty of room so I came in and did a U turn to position the car at the pump. I popped the hood release, jumped out started the fuel running and lifted the hood. There was an oil puddle under the rear main that was already a few inches in diameter. I looked at my U turn path and there was an oil trail.

I finished my trip which was about another 600 miles before I made it back home. It took two gallons of Delo to get it home.

The rear main seal had begun gushing. The engine was so old it just didn't make any sense to pull it out and only replace the rear seal. Once the engine came apart we learned that the seal was not touching the crankshaft anywhere. Also once the engine was apart we discovered that there was ring land failure on one of the pistons. It was proabably about to really let go.

billrok,

Doing my old fashioned oil drain, I spend less than 15 minutes work on the car. The car might be tied up for hours, but I am free to do other things while the oil is draining.

Randall,

The only reason MB "recommends" the suction method is because their shops are set up with a suction system for convenience. Otherwise the logistics of draining oil and getting rid of it in a shop is a real hindrance to efficiency. Without the suction system at the dealer, they have to take a car in for an oil change to a specific bay. Also if the oil is being drained for engine service it presents a problem. You can't drain the oil at the grease pit because then it is a problem getting it to the techs bay. If you drain it into a pan at the techs bay, then it's time consuming and a problem to dispose of.

For those of us changing at home the drain plug method is at least as good as the suction method.

Have a great day,

Did anyone tried to add a trans fluid to the engine oil? I was told it suppose to clean up the engin really well.
Is 15W40 only grade suitable for diesel engines?

**sigh** Old wives tales die hard. Don't put ATF in the engine oil and don't put it in the fuel. Put it in the transmission. The BEST engine flush you can use is fully synthetic diesel oil like Mobil-1, Delvac-1, or Amsoil. Don't put anything else in your crankcase. Period.

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I pretty much ditto what gsxr is saying. In the sixties before engine oil had the great additive packages that they now have, ATF was a worthwhile thing to do to help clean out an engine.

The oils we have now, especially the universal grades designed specifically for diesels, have fabulous, well balanced additive packages. Adding ATF or anything else upsets the "balance" of these additive packages.

Good luck,

Yea, I also agree. I used some semi-synthetic oil and it did such a great job flushing the motor out that I found a 'new' leak or two....

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Jeff M.
Mercedes W123 DIY pages are now located here.
1983 / 1984 300D Sold
2000 CLK430 Cabriolet ~58k Sold
2005 Avalanche 4x4 ~66k