94 e320 oil change..use 15w-40 oil?
 

Hi,

I am doing the first oil change (first by me) on our 94 e320 and from the maintenance log of the car the previous service entries show use of various makers (Pennzoiol, Castrol, Valvoline, etc.) of 15w-40 oil. My question is...is that the correct oil type to use?

background info...94 e320, about 74,000 miles, full maintenance history (all entries show 15w-40), reside in Jacksonville, FL, driven by wife in non enthusiastic driving style, 3500 mile oil change intervals

I use 10w30 in my Miatas, non synthetic, change at 2500 miles mainly because I like wrenching on the Miatas :)

btw, anything special to look out for, is the drain plug easily accessible?

7.9 quarts...correct?

try this:

http://www.peachparts.com/Wikka/OilFilter2

it's all in this forum.this one came from the diy tab:)

Using the topsider is optional. You can also drain the oil conventionally using the drain plug.

Refill with 7 qts - not 7.9. There's been an engineering change since the car was produced. Too much oil can cause leakage past the main seals.

15W40 sounds about right for your car.

thanks folks

I pulled oof the plastic tray/cover under the car...drain plug appears to be towards the front, maybe a 12 or 14 mm plug..correct?

7 quarts..ok thanks!!

I need to go to Pep oys for a filter cover wrench..its on too tight to remove by hand :(

It's a 13 mm head. And, yes, get the special wrench for the oil filter cover.

Interesting... you have a cover under the engine, but my car doesn't. I bought my car second hand. I wonder if the cover was taken off before I bought my car?

7 quarts, a 13mm wrench, the size B filter wrench and some time equals my first MB oil change

have to say that this car is kind of a ***** to change the oil..why do they cover the oil plug with a plastic shroud? to force you to use a topsider?

I do not like the cartridge fliter elements..location is poor to fair from an access standpoint..why not use a self contained screw on filter..is it some kind of German design heritage to use the element type filters?

The first time was a mild chore the next 30 or 40 will be a joy :)

I agree, changing the oil in this car is unusually tedious. Almost worth paying to have it done. I used 10W-40 Castrol synthetic blend. I figure a little lighter oil in the winter is okay. Kestas, I don't have a shroud over my oil pan either.

I am still looking for a source for the oil filter housing wrench. I changed out the oil in mine Saturday, then drove it to my friendly indy (EuroConnection, Dallas) where they removed the old oil filter for me. Nearly embarassing.

I'm surprised that anyone considers this one any more difficult to change than any other car. The only thing really different is four screws on the belly pan.

The belly pan serves a good purpose. It keeps road slime from coming up on the engine, alternator and other accessories. If the belly pan is missing, you should get one.

If you will simply pull the drain plug, then loosen the oil filter cannister top, the oil will flow out of the filter quickly. You can then pull the filter so the remaining grunge in the cannister comes out more completely.

I took an empty one gallon oil jug and cut the top off leaving the handle. I then hold it next to the filter, and when I pull the filter, I place it right down into the cut open jug to prevent a mess.

Let it drain overnight, then just replace the drain plug, pour a gallon of oil in the oil filler, then pour a little into the cannister before putting in the new filter and top, then finish filling the crankcase. This minimizes the time the engine has to run before achieving oil pressure.

The advantages to the cannister oil filter is that the oil filter bypass valve is a quality piece that is in a permanent position. With most spin ons, the bypass filter is cheaply made and part of the oil filter. The cannister is a much higher volume and higher quality arrangement. It is far superior to the spin on.

To me most spin ons are messier than the cannister. You loosen the spin on and oil runs all over. When you loosen the cannister, the oil simply drains out. If you don't want oil messing up your manicure, you can even use a rag or gloves and ensure no oil on yourself at all. With a spin on, it's almost impossible.

Good luck,
Change oil hot and change oil often,

Larry, are you telling 95E320cab and myself that there once was a belly pan on our cars?

[QUOTE]Originally posted by LarryBible
[B]I'm surprised that anyone considers this one any more difficult to change than any other car. The only thing really different is four screws on the belly pan.


True but why cover the plug with the pan? It adds labor cost and potential for removing and misplacing items..i.e. pan, 6 screws on my model (one was missing).


"The belly pan serves a good purpose. It keeps road slime from coming up on the engine, alternator and other accessories. If the belly pan is missing, you should get one."

Absolutely agree here. It is an integral component of the vehicle. It may not be the case on this Merecedes but on my Miata's the underbelly pan is an integral component of the cooling system.


"I took an empty one gallon oil jug and cut the top off leaving the handle. I then hold it next to the filter, and when I pull the filter, I place it right down into the cut open jug to prevent a mess."

Your model must be different.. no way a one gallon jug can fit under my filter area.


"Let it drain overnight..."

Seems kind of obsessive. No offense but how much extra oil drain does an overnight drain yield?

Food for thought...I wonder if years of 7.9 quart oil changes instead of 7.0 resulted in any excessive cranckcase pressure and resulted in a leaky valve cover gasket?

Each time you took your car to have the oil serviced the gravel guard was removed in order to get to the drain plug. Believe it or not every garage I have ever worked in has a collection of these gravel guards somewhere in a corner or out back of the shop... not because we don't think they are important, but many times we simply forget to put them back on after servicing the oil. I have no idea why this happens as every part of the car has a function but maybe subconsciously we just hate how much of an inconvenience they are to the tech changing the oil... also 90% of the time when the tech is taking the guard off, half of the fasteners are missing and the other half are broken and being held on by zip ties... I would not be surprised if they end up falling off while driving... :P

You must have sloppy mechanic every parts that is taken loose must be put back I would not trust that kind of mechanic.

Yah! It's the kind of guy that would probably run three sentences together without any punctuation or capitalization or anything. Clearly such a person is not to be trusted.

back to topic. I use 15-40 diesel rated in my 95 e320. Gonna try the synthetic stuff this week..... go 7k in between changes rather than 3500.