'87 260E with 220,000 miles. 2.5 bar at hot idle. 3 bar at 1500 rpm & above.

hmmm, good suggestion, with 187,500 miles I am really looking for an oil that has a bit extra detegrent... do you still recommend the Delvac 1300?

The only thing stopping me from using Mobile one is the fear of it shrinking the gaskets...

Last thing I want to go through now is pulling the cylinder head and trying to go throught all that stuff...

That is exactly what the Delvac is. It has a great additive package for an effective cleaning.

I am about at 1.7 , hot , in gear. Immediately goes to 3 when you drive away.

1989 300e 151k, newer head gasket, valve seals. burns no oil at 3k oil change interval. 20-50 dino, whatever is on sale. Currently Shell which was 59 cents a quart after rebate at Pep Boys.

[QUOTE=Rahulio1989300E]hmmm, do you still recommend the Delvac 1300?

The only thing stopping me from using Mobile one is the fear of it shrinking the gaskets...

LQUOTE]

Delvac is a high detegrent oil and will cause the same number of leaks as a synthetic. Synthetic oil does not bother good gaskets that is a myth. If the PO didn't change the oil and you engine is full of sludge either oil will clean it out and yep you might find a few new leaks.

good point, I will try Delvac 1300 first to see how it is..! Thanks!

:Smile_1: WHAT?!?!?

I just read that Delvac 1300 is a diesel motor oil!

Am I wrong?

What weight do you recommend?

From what I have read here... 15W-50 sounds safe....

but I can only find Delvac 1300 in 15W-40 and 10W-30...

Also, thanks to all who have relied to this thread!
It is nice to hear that many cars here arre getting the right oil pressures! YAY! GO BENZ!

Mobil Delvac is a HD diesel engine oil, API service category CI-4. It has a higher dose of detergent, dispersant, anti-wear, and anti-corrosion additives than API category SL oils designed for spark ignition engine use. CI-4 oils are available in both mineral and synthetic oil base.

I recommend CI-4 oils for all vintage engines without catalysts, but there is some concern that the additive combustion byproducts can degrade catalysts, which is why the concentraction of some of these critical motor oil additives have actually been reduced over the years in spark ignition engine oils.

The other major national brands of CI-4 oil are Shell Rotella and Chevron Delo 400, and the commonly available multigrade is 15W-40, which is suitable for ambient temperature cold starts from about 10F to over 100F.

Duke

Duke 2.6,

Do you recommend the Shell Rotella, Chevron Delo 400, Mobile 1, or anything else for my engine?

(Car is a 1989 300E 187,500 miles)

I probably should have mentioned, I'm using Shell Rotella. It's rated for API SL as well as the diesel rating. It comes out of the jug a darker brown than a lot of oils, but seems to stay as that color for several thousand miles. I'm changing at about 6,000 miles. Two of the gallon jugs give me an oil change and a couple of top-offs later.

My '92 300TE4M with 152,000 miles and 5W50 synthetic oil holds a minumum of about 1.3 bar at idle and in gear on the hottest days with a/c on etc (Balt-Wash D.C. area).

My '90 300CE (198,000mi. and same oil) is just a tad lower and runs a tad hotter.

I have used synthetic oil for 25 years and I have gotten 250,000 to 350,000 miles out of most of my engines. Before I would rebuild at 100,000 to 150,000 miles. This includes GM, Ford, Chrysler, Jaguar, VW, Volvo and now Mercedes.

I don't recommend any specific brand. If you want to use HD diesel engine oil, look for the API service description "CI-4". There is very little difference between brands other than advertising and marketing. If it's labeled CI-4 and is from a reputable manfacturer, it has passed the very rigid suite of tests to earn the CI-4 label.

The same applies to API SL oil for spark ignition engines.

Whether I am buying SL or CI-4 I just buy whatever major brand is "on sale" or has a lower regular price.

Whether a SL or CI-4 the only real difference is base stock - synthetic or mineral oil. The synthetics will always be more expensive, and you should use them if your model specifically requires them and go with the extended change intervals.

Since all my cars were originally designed for mineral based oil, that's what I use and I follow the manufacturers' recommended change interval.

Duke