My 10/87 built 300 SEL's owners manual says 8 liters (8.5 quarts) - I put in 8 quarts and it comes up to a little bit over 1/2 way between min/max on the stick, which I guess is exactly where it should be. Hasn't burned a drop of the M1 Truck & SUV 5W-40 in the last 1700 miles (151k total on the car).

Now, everything I have read on the forum and in the WIS says the M103 should take ~6.5 liters for an oil & filter change.

Does mine have a different pan? Am I missing something?

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(2) 1988 300 SEL W126

Mine holds 6.3 qts with a new filter during oil/filter change. You take a reading after you start it up, let the new oil fill the filter and the oil has had plenty of time to drain down after shut-off.

All sorts of arguments here about how long to wait before checking stick.

8 qts. and you're 1/2 way up the mark???

Your eng. is essentially the same as mine as far as oil capacity goes.

Not sure how you've ended up with this situation?

I know, confusing!

Well I doubt they would have included such a blatant misprint in the manual all the way out into 1988?

Here's a theory - my car is the Light Ivory color (623 Hellelfenbein) - the official color of the taxis in Germany. It has none of the optional features you'd find only on a cab, none of the extra feature code #'s on the plate etc, but perhaps they stuck a bigger oil pan on the taxi models to accomodate a more severe duty cycle on the oil?

I would think 8 quarts on a regular 6.3 qt capacity would really bury the level over the max line... If I didn't have one of those midget size Purflux filters on it the dealer supplied me with, I bet the extra .5 the owner's manual specifies would have fit in fine on a full length Knecht.

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(2) 1988 300 SEL W126

Is this a euro model vehicle? If so, you may have answered your question.

I live and purchased the car in South Dakota... I would imagine it's just a regular US model.

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(2) 1988 300 SEL W126

Yeah, my 90 300SE takes 6.5 quarts. Very wierd. Perhaps they switched the oil pan on the m103 around 89?

So I went out and bought another 1988 300 SEL and it has the original service records with it.

The owner's manual also states 8 liters (8.5 qts) and on the original service records the San Antonio dealer stuck 7 quarts in @ 1224 miles and 9 quarts @ 7411 miles. The thing lived off Quaker State 20W-50.

I refilled it and stuck 6.5 quarts in and it comes up slightly below the middle of the min/max lines. So it appears a full 8 quarts+ would take it up to the max.

I guess these 88's must have a different capacity than the later models.

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(2) 1988 300 SEL W126

it gets 6 liters or 6.3 US quarts.
I am assuming it should about the same ammount
ACM

Is your's the same version of the 103 ? How is the performance ?
I normally don't even make it to 6 liters. That's with the dipstick at the halfway mark or a little over that. Can't imagine all that extra oil doing the seals (pressure) much good.
Using the following quote is not really any help understanding your 103's unusual apetite, but what the dealer invoice says is a whole other bag of worms -" on the original service records the San Antonio dealer stuck 7 quarts in @ 1224 miles and 9 quarts @ 7411 miles. "

Are you sure the vehicle has the correct dipstick?

Makes no sense why this 103 motor uses 1.5 or more qts. than all the others?

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'91 300-SEL