So which brand of oil for M103 to pick from?
 

I have done some searching and there are many debates over this...

So being in Southern California, what viscosity would be best suited for me?

Now that I understand why Rotella, Delvac etc.. are used because of the additives and how it helps these older engines, so I want to start using it from now onwards.

Would Shell Rotella 15-40 be okay?

That's fine.

I use Mobil Delvac 1300 Super 15W-40 in my CIS-E M104. My engine loves that stuff.

Are there any other choices for it? I think I will just go with whatever is cheapest...

Where do you find this stuff too? I think I saw the Rotella at Walmart the other day, but I'm not sure if it was the correct one.

I also saw there is Rotella-T and a few other "versions", are they all ok or are they different?

Where I am using Dino oil, I use Shell rotella 15 /40 or Delo 400 15/40 for the summer here. Both are comparable products and I just buy whichever is on sale.

For the winter, I usually use Mobil 1 10/30. Our winters get cold. Certainly doesnt apply to southern California.

I run the same Shell Rotella Synthetic 5w40 in my M103 as I do in my OM617 diesels....it runs great on the stuff. Consumption with the new valve stem seals is barely 1/4 quart per 2000 miles.....it used to be an entire quart every 500ish miles. :eek: Huuuuge improvement.

Anything less than 20-50w, and I get oil pressure problems...



I think LA and Sacramento are almost the same temperature wise.

What kind of pressure problems? On very hot days at idle mine has never gone below 1 bar.....when its cooler out its around 1.5 to 1.7 at idle.....and it jumps right up to 3 around 1200rpm.

Around Chicago, you can find the Delvac stuff for about $10 a gallon. My car takes a little under 2 gallons. :)

Shell Rotella T is a good choice. I prefer Chevron Delo 400, but any of these TYPE oils will serve you well in this engine.

So went to Walmart...

Rotella-T, Delo 400 and Delvac 1300. $11, $10.50 and $10.50/gal respectively.
Decided on Delvac 1300 due being cheapest and a cool looking container (j/k on the last comment).

Can't wait to get the wagon on the correct oil now. Looks like its roughly $23 an oil change. Not too bad.

iWrock: I have no oil pressure problems using any type of oil. I put in 10-30 after my head rebuild to make sure I did not lose any oil. And I am not :)

Don't kid, it is a cool looking container. :D

I drop to .5 bar for oil pressure on 110+ days if I run anything thinner. The lifters start making noise too.


Good to hear. There may be some internal engine work in my nearish future for the TE.

Sounds like its time for a new oil pump.

One of the most widely assumed fixes that is absolutely incorrect is that when the oil pressure is low, the correct fix is a new oil pump. It would probably work in only about 1 out of 1,000 cases. Another 1 in 1,000 cases, oil pressure would be improved by replacing the relief valve. The other 998 cases will be due to the following:

The cause for low oil pressure and why it is an engine condition indicator is the indication of worn bearings and/or journals. That said, even with hot idle oil pressure as low as .5 Bar, as long as the pressure comes up significantly with engine speed, things will probably be okay for quite sometime as long as the crankcase doesn't run too low and the oil is kept changed.

BTW, IMHO Delvac is a very good oil choice. I personally prefer it over Rotella. Rotella has a much higher parafin content than does Delvac and Delo. It is still a good oil though.

I've been running my m117 and om617 on various 15/40 weight oils for a few years now, with no complaints from either of them.

Getting the oil for $20/case lately has me using Delo 400, but when that runs out, who knows. :)

That being said, I'm looking at running a lighter weight oil for the om617 this winter, as it was a pain to crank up in the cold last winter.

diesel additives
 

Are not the diesel oils only recommended for the older m103s? I have been assuming that my 1992 m103 should have the gas engine oil. Any input?

Diesel oils work fine, in fact they are better in the M103 engines due to the style of cam shaft vs. modern cars. They do better with a zinc additive in the oil, which modern gasser oils do not have.

I am impressed at the responses in this thread. The most important thing that the OP needed to know was the TYPE of oil that he should be using and that came out in this thread.

Thanks to the information available today, the zinc additive and non roller cam followers is now almost household knowledge among car guys. Just a few years ago when I started explaining this I got nothing but a blank stare.

For the OP, not only is the zinc additive, but also the added detergents in the Rotella/Delo/Delvac type oils are very healthy for the M103.

ya but
 

didn't Mercedes change the design in the later years of the m103 so that the zink additve is not necessary - and if that's the case what year did that change take place

Where can I find Mobil Delvac in Canada? Shell Rotella can be found locally at Walmart and Canadian Tire, but I've yet to see the Delvac.

Don't worry about it. Just run the Rotella, it is cheaper anyways. :)

Yes, the last time I was getting oil for a change in my 300E they were out of Delo. I never blinked an eye while I was grabbing for the Rotella jugs.

I have never heard of an M103 with a roller cam. Maybe someone else has heard of such a thing.

Even if they added roller lifters, these oils work great in an M103. Not only do they have very good base stock, but the additives for soot dispersal keep the inside of a gas engine SQUEAKY clean.

My M103 just earned its half million kilometer badge and it's never seen anything except these oils, almost always Delo. The bottom has never been apart and it still holds great oil pressure, sounds great and uses no oil.

Man, THIS oil thread is boring! Usually by the second page we have people talking about other people's mommas!:D Where did all the hayta's go?:rolleyes:

Great advice given on this thread.

Maybe I should start a thread with why the right wingers prefer using R-12 in conjunction with Zerex antifreeze and DOT4 brake fluid? That'll get us all going!:P

Impressive. I'd love to see that in both mine and keep these cars forever.

I wonder if it would clean up my 260E's valvetrain?
http://www.ps2cho.net/downloads/phot...E_valveoff.jpg

^ This is before I changed the oil...so its not quite as "red" now, but there is still that redish layer all over. If I scratch it with my finger it comes off.

My toyota had kindof a reddish tint like that on the upper end when I got it, it was run on an unknown dino oil....after a couple changes on Mobil 1 it was going away.....must be something in the oil....makes a red varnish.

I hope that cheap no-name looking oil filter has been replaced with a nice German one! :eek: ;)

I don't use anything other than Bosch. For < $4/each its a no-brainer...

The women (wait what?)....did practically no maintenance on this car for what looks like a good 30k+ miles. I think the oil was at least 9k miles old when I got it. You could fit Everest through the gaps in the spark plugs...that's how old they were...

Looks like I got leaky stem seals on this car too....I'm debating whether I should first swap the oil to a correct one (I'm currently running 20-50) or just do the stem seal repair on it then change oil? Not as much a price issue as a time issue....But wasting buying the oil to have it burn up is a price issue. Any thoughts? IIRC it took me like 3-4hours to do the valve stem seals on my 300TE a year or two back.

If that engine were mine, I'd change oil and filter using Delo, then after about 1,000 miles, get it piping hot and change it again, allowing the oil to drain overnight. With this engine in the 124 chassis, I would also raise the right rear wheel about six inches while it's draining. With the car setting on a flat floor it leaves a few ounces of old oil in the pan. After that I would place a pretty good bet that when you pull the valve cover it will look squeaky clean.

You might want to try some Auto RX. It worked great in my 360 Dodge truck. Oil pressure improved after the treatment :cool:

-Jason

Just out of curiosity is there any one grade you guys stick to? I can only find Synthetic Rotella in 5W-40 and 0W-40, no synthetic in 15W-40 unless I'm missing something.

Ya know that Bosch does not make their own filters in the US?

But the ones you buy online are German Bosch.....that is where I get mine. If I had to use a US made filter I'd use the Mobil 1 filters, they are quite good....but way overpriced.

Bosch has been pushing it's filter production to China FWI.

Mann/Mahle/Knecht are still a good bet.

As for oil, Brad Penn 20/50 in my M103, 117, 119...M1 15/50 in M104 36 and M120.

Jonathan

except that it snows in sacramento and almost never in LA ;)