Non-synthetic oil can quiet noice of hydraulic lifter ?

[joetam]

My 2000 E320 has very noisy hydraulic lifters when starting cold but my mechanic suggested me to use non-synthetic oil instead which is not recommended by MB for this car. Surprisingly the regular oil does keep the noice level down for at least 70%. So, should I contiunue using regular oil which is not recommended by MB? Any comments?

[Ali Al-Chalabi]

I would use synthetic, especially for extended drain intervals.

[joetam]

I change my oil every 4000Km which is 2400 miles which i think will also have the same protection as synthetic. Am I right on that?

[Ali Al-Chalabi]

Whether or not you would have the same protection as synthetic is something that has been very heavily debated and I won't get into any deeper.

I chane my oil every 3,750 miles with Mobil 1. In the end, the factory has a recommendation for what type of oil is to be used in their engines. It is your personal preference whether you want to follow these guidelines or modify them for your own use. You can never go wrong by using a quality oil and changing in frequently.

You did not indicate how many miles this engine has and how often oil has been changed.

I would expect that the valve noise is due to gunking up. The best way to cure this is to use a Universal grade oil and change oil and filter about every 500 miles, draining it when hot, until the noise goes away. Universal grade is specifically for diesels but tested and certified for gas engines as well. It has an EXTREMELY larger amount of detergents than other oils and will SAFELY clean out a gunked up engine.

After that change to synthetic if you are running extended oil drain intervals.

More history of the car would be helpful in answering your questions.

Good luck,

[ktlimq]

According to a post, the grade might have something to do with noise. Mobil 1 15W-50 made the engine quieter than Mobil 1 0W40 in that case.

Mobil 1 0W-40 vs 15W-50 - My Experience

[joetam]

Larry,

My 2000 E320 got only about 15000 miles on the engine so the engine should not be as gunky as you expected. But it is true that more frequent oil change can improve the noice level, may be the previous owner (I bought it last May) abused the engine. By the way what universal motor oil can I use, any brand and grade? Thanks for your suggestion.

[Duke2.6]

Look at the API label for "CI-4". This is the service category for HD diesel engine oil. The major national brands are Chevron Delo, Mobil Delvac, and Shell Rotella, but any house brand will do. The primary criterion is CI-4. The common multi-grade is 15W-40, which is suitable for down to about 15-20 degrees F.

CI-4 oils are not generally recommended for spark ignition engines because the additive combustion byproducts can degrade catalysts, but they can be effective for short term use to free sticky lifters or sticky rings.

I use CI-4 oil in my two vintage non-catalyst cars.

Duke

[joetam]

Thanks a lot. This is the most informative forum I ever got into and I will refer more MB owners to join.

I've heard this argument about Universal grade oils effecting catalytic converters and I don't buy it with one POSSIBLE exception. If an engine is so worn out that it is burning oil, then there MIGHT be a possibility of this being the case. But if an engine is that worn out, burning ANY oil will soot up the cat.

An engine in good shape and NOT burning oil is not ingesting it, thus, how does it effect the cat?

I use Chevron Delo multigrade in everything on my place except my C240. Since it came with synthetic, that's what I stay with.

I have NEVER had ANY issues with catalytic converters on ANY of my vehicles and my family and I drive A LOT.

All that said, I don't propose that joetam use Universal Grade permanently, only to clean things out. But now that I hear that his engine only has 15,000 miles I can't imagine that it is gunked up. I expect that changing to a little heavier oil might be his solution.

Have a great day,

[joetam]

I live in Hong Kong, an all year above zero place so I believe I can use thick oil, but I don't know what fits me. Tempreture here is around 60 to 85F all year round.

15W50 synthetic or 15W40 dino would work well in that temperature range.

Good luck,

[joetam]

Larry, thanks so much...

[BullyBear]

Just a thought chaps, but my previous Merc got a bit noisy in the same area, so I got my garage to flush the engine on the next oil and filter change and then to be sure changed the oil and filter again after another 1000 miles. For me this helped an awful lot, but it was a much older (25yrs+) engine. Not sure if its available where you live, but engine flush can be purchased at most motor factors or "DIY" garage stores in the UK. (Wynns or similair)

Regards

Shane