To change or not to change....
 

Hey guys, just want someone else's opinion.... Running Mobile 1 15W50, was going to do about 5000 mile changes. My driving is about 75% highway and 25% city (under 40mph or so). I am at about 4000 miles added 1/2 quart at around 3000 ( I think mainly from dripping). About to take a 2500 mile road trip next week. The question is should I go ahead and change it before I go or wait till I get back with 6000-6500 miles on the change?

Thanks in advance!

How long have you been using Mobil 1?

Since I got the car back in April and did the first change...

Do it before the trip....I feel its better to change too early than run it too long.

In that case, change it now. Synthetic oil tends to break loose accumulated crud and varnish in engines that have previously used conventional oil. So I would suggest a shorter service interval on the first run of synthetic.

Dawg379,

Wait for 10,000 miles like I do.

P E H

Hmmmmmm
 

Well, was not sure what to do. Have several friends that go 7500-10,000 on a change doing mostly highway driving like I do, but since this will be only the 3rd change with M1 I just wanted to check with y'all, and I am a "newbie" (april)

to the Benz diesels. Just dont want to mess up the re-built motor. To clarify that, I got this car from my mechanic who had a customer bring it in to rebuild the engine and replace the tranny, he did and the guy didn't have the $$$ to pay so he signed it over to Jose. Well, after having it sitting around the garage for like 2 1/2 yrs I bought it. So the motor prolly didnt have too many miles on it before I changed it out to M1 the first time. Oh and BTW, he was about to take her to the auction because he needed the room and I got it for $3000. I thought it was a helluva deal! Thanks for the input Y'all.. I will probably change the oil after work tomorrow just so "Hilda" is fresh for the trip.She is gonna visit Jose tomorrow AM for a new wiper/turn signal switch and a new "brain" for the cruise. To make my drive a bit easier

Thanks again! Damn I love this site! I have been edumacated in the last couple months!!!!! :D

The Mobil 1 15w50 really cleaned out the inside of my engine when I first used it....and of course my driveway started looking a lot more like my basset hound :)

I was amazed at how clean that engine was on the inside...that synth. sure does its thing..(only after 3-5k miles on synth).

I haven't found anything harder to get off my hands/arms/skin yet than heavily used synthetic diesel motor oil :(

If this is a freshly rebuilt engine, I would change it now to get all the metal junk out of it. I'd do the same in 3000 miles then you can extend the change time. When I break in a freshly rebuilt engine, I change the oil (cheap oil) at 500, 1000, 3000 then whenever the interval should be. The best way to figure it is after you change oil at 3000, send it for an analysis. My 99 E300 has it's own crude meter and sometimes, based on the driving I do, I can go 13000 miles before a change. Sometimes 8000.

Dawg,

Since your MB Diesel engine holds about twice as much oil as other auto engines, the drain interval is longer just on that fact alone. That plus the better quality of Mobil 1 oil makes drain intervals longer.

I did notice that you have been not been edumacated enough to learn that that big hunk of cast iron under your hood is an engine, not a motor.

P E H

Well, I've always known them as engines, and I've heard the term motor used to define these engines, even MB calls them motors (the OM before the engine number stands for Oel Motor). The definition of the word motor is as follows
"Something, such as a machine or an engine, that produces or imparts motion.
A device that converts any form of energy into mechanical energy, especially an internal-combustion engine or an arrangement of coils and magnets that converts electric current into mechanical power.
A motor vehicle, especially an automobile."

Not trying to start an argument or anything, but I'm just saying that you CAN call it a motor while using correct terminology, but I prefer the term engine better for some reason.
-Joe

Send a sample out to be tested. Every engine is different you may need to change it at 4k miles or 10k miles.

But I do know with the old 617's soot loading becomes a problem past 5k miles.

The first change you also want to cut a little short because a lot of stuff gets cleaned out.

H-town,

With the advent of hybrids, automobiles again have motors. So it is much more important to distinguish between engine and motor so we will know which one a person is talking about

So who wrote that definition of motor? Some liberal arts major major that doesn't know a cranksft from a camshaft? I believe little that a dictionary says about mechanical things because the writers do not have a mechanical engineering background.

Both engines and motors convert one form of energy into mechaincal energy. Engines convert a fuel and oxidizer into mechanical energy whereas a motor convets non fuel energy such as electric, hydraulic or wind energy into mechanical energy.

P E H