Oil Consumption
 

My E230 MERC consumes about 1 liter of Engine oil for every 1500 kms of mileage. I top up the spent oil regularly but am quite concerned about the oil consumption. Please advice what could be wrong. Does anyone think the engine needs a overhall?.

Also i get a creaking sound from the front left wheel side when i turn the stearing wheel. I have tried lubricating ( randomly) the front side behind the left wheel by using WD-40. It works .. but only for sometime. The creaking sound returns back. What causes the creaking sound ?

How many kilometers on your car? How has it been maintained (oil viscosity, change frequency, etc.)? I've owned Mercedes for 19 years and in my experience neither my 190D nor my 300E use any oil to speak of.

In my humble opinion, WD-40 is useless. If you have a rubber bushing that is noisy, you might try spraying it with heavy duty silicone.

When you say you top it off, do you try to keep the oil level right at the "full" mark on the dipstick? If so, don't do that. Aim for halfway between "full" and "add", and remember to check with the oil HOT and after the car has been turned off at least 5 minutes.

Oil consumption will often increase when the level is higher than halfway between the marks.

Thanks guys for the info.

Hello

Kilometers done is 140,000 kms and have been maintaining it well since the past 10,000 kms. Earlier to this I do not know as i have purchased it second hand. Also thanks for the info on WD-40.

I have been always aiming for the "full" mark on the dipstick. Hereon i will try to aim for the halfway mark. Hope this is OK.

Thanks

Is it the M102 2.3L 8-V engine or the M111 DOHC 16-valve engine?

The 102 is not a big oil burner, but a litre per 1500km's isn't bad. For the later model M111 DOHC engine, that's probably quite a bit of consumption.

In the future, the model year and more details of the car are helpful...

It;s a 1990 model W124. Hope that would help. Sorry for not mentioning the model earlier.

Just to reassure you, it is absolutely OK to go for the area between the marks, or even a bit lower. MB put out a technical service bulletin (TSB) on this very topic a couple years back because even the dealers noticed this phenomenon. These engines, for some reason, seem to "like" to have their oil levels not too high, and when filled to the max mark tend to consume oil until they're at their happy level.


Here's a quote from the TSB:

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Dealers are reminded to fill the engine with the exact amount of engine oil specified for that engine (e.g. if specified quantity is 8.5 quarts, do not fill with 9.0 quarts or 9.0 liters of engine oil). The MAX mark on the oil dipstick must not be exceeded (upper arrow, Figure 1).

Also, please remind your customers of the proper procedure for checking/correcting the engine oil level. Emphasizing that the engine should be at normal operating temperature (80°C) and that the vehicle is parked on a level surface The engine must not have run for approx. 2 minutes, to allow the engine oil to drain into the oil pan.

Then after removing and wiping off and reinserting the oil dipstick, allow the oil dipstick to remain fully Inserted in the oil dipstick tube for a minimum of 3 seconds before rechecking the oil level again

Ideally, the engine oil level should be around halfway between the MAX and MIN marks on the oil dipstick.

Also, the customer should refrain from frequently "topping off" the engine oil level.

Never add engine oil above the MAX mark on the oil dipstick (upper arrow, Figure 1).

For approved engine oil classifications and correct viscosity grades, refer to the latest edition of the Factory Approved Service Products sheet.
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Do let the list know whether this works (or not) ...

I had the same phenom. on my '90 300E...the oil consumption, or loss, suddenly became a concern when the oil light came on one day. In between the next 2 or 3 oil changes (every 5000km), the car started to need 2 full liters. I also would see a puff of white smoke if I 'gunned' the engine.

At about that time, the car needed a periodic emissions test (provincial law), which it passed, but the hydrocarbons emissions were now up near the high end of acceptable (150ppm, max. allowed 200ppm).

I saw a post here about valve stem seals needing attention and decided to look into any product that could help, before looking at any more large scale engine work, worth a 10$ try, I figured.

I found an oil additive that promised to address this exact problem at the nearby automotive supply place. It is called "CD something-something", in a not-easy-to-miss package with neon all over it...sorry for the lack of precision.

I'm now over halfway to the next change of oil, and I have had no noticeable loss of oil.

Maybe it, or something like it found in your parts, could help you.

CB