Quote:
Originally Posted by deanyel
Try a search - there's quite a bit of information on 112 and 113 motors having oil use problems - ring problems requiring major engine overhauls. Apparently MB has been helping with the cost in many cases. This is what scares me about 112/113 motors - the prospect of needing a bottom end overhaul. Say what you will about 104/119 motors - they don't have bottom end problems, or even top end problems for that matter. As these 112/113 cars decline in value the need for a bottom end overhaul, combined with the difficulty of doing modern engine swaps, is likely to send a lot of these cars to their premature graves.
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I did read up on that. The recall and class action suit seems to be centered around early cars that began life using dino oil. The dino oil, combined with long change intervals caused sludge build-up and then the failed rings, etc. Affects 98-00 cars I think. The entire FSS system was built around using synthetic oil. Also - I think posts on forums constitute a definite minority. There are a lot of happy owners out there with engines in great shape.
Mine has had synthetic all its life.
I started the car this morning and it was fine - no smoke, nothing. So I am beginning to wonder if I even saw any at all. It never makes any smoke while driving.
Lee, you are correct, the gap between the minimum and max is two quarts.
I am going to get the service done tomorrow and will monitor from there.
I would not be scared off an M112/M113 engine, as long as it has been maintained well. I will be doing oil changes every 10,000 Km now, basically one additional change between each A/B service.
There seems to be a lot of opinions regarding the interval length. Some swear by oil changes every 5000 miles, regardless of synthetic. Others, including techs like Gilly, say that 10,000 Km is fine with synthetic. Reasons being a large capacity - 8.5L - to absorb contaminants and the properties of the synthetic oil itself. There doesn't seem to be any consensus here on this topic. Figures, it's an oil topic.
I'm going to stay in between and change mine at 10,000 Km (every 6,200 miles).