Hi all, I'm new to the forum and new to the world of Mercedes diesels. I am going to do an oil change on my 1985 300TDT and want to know if there are any tricks I should know? I've done plenty of oil changes but never with the cartridge style oil filter. Also the dipstick has 2 notches on it - should the oil level be between these notches or to the top one? And can anyone recommend an oil. Brand? What viscosity? The car has 200K miles on it.

Thanks in advance,
Chris

Welcome to the forum and the world of Mercedes diesels. You've come to the right place -- a bunch of great folks here.

For me, the biggest thing to look out for are all the vacuum connections. Be very careful as you are removing and replacing the cartridge. You might find that something vacuum related doesn't work as it should after the oil change. For example, during my last oil change my motor didn't shut off with the key and I had to use the under hood lever because I had inadvertently knocked off the hose to the shutoff valve. Luckily, vacuum connections are something easily fixed.

As for oil, I just recently switched to Mobil 1 synthetic due to the cold winter. However, lots of folks have good luck with Rotella -- maybe 15W-40.

.....Dan

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99 e300
98 e300
90 Suburban 1500 4x4
92 ZR-1
04 Tahoe 4x4
05 Scag 52" zero turn
97 e300 - totaled on black ice
84 300SD - gave to a friend
85 300TDT Euro - SOLD to my little bro

Watch out for the oil. Used diesel oil will stain your hands and insure you stand out as diesel enthusiast.

Might not be the best thing if you are going out on a date later.....

Jim

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14 E250 BlueTEC black. 45k miles
95 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 66k miles
94 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 152k miles
85 300TD 4 spd man, euro bumpers and lights, 15" Pentas dark blue 274k miles

I always put the oil on the top notch. There is two quarts between the notches on the 617 too and with filter it is about 8 quarts.

I use the 15w40 rotella dino in my 617s.

Tom W

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Hey Lunchmeat, how are your cousins Salami and Boloney doing.

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DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012

Ideally, you want to keep the oil level between the two marks. Don't chase the full mark around. Add only a quart whenever the oil gets down below the bottom mark.

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'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.

There is an o-ring that goes around the lid of the filter housing. Once in a while it will get out of place while you're putting the filter housing back together. This happened to me once and I didn't catch it until I started the car. I had a pretty good mess to clean up.

Oil kind of depends on your climate and how you feel about synthetic. I've previously run 15W40 dino oil (Rotella or Delo-whichever's on sale), but have started using 5W40 (I think it's Valvoline) synthetic in my 300D. The weather here in northern Nevada frequently gets down into the teens, and at those temperatures the 5W40 makes a big difference in cranking speed on cold starts.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

Search the forum for discussion about what is the best oil type - there has been lots of lively debate on the topic. The most important thing is to make sure whatever oil you get is rated for a diesel engine. What brand is the best is a subject of endless debate. I just use the cheapest thing I can find that is diesel-rated. Lately I've been getting 5 gallon buckets of this brand called "Golden West" from my local oil supplier.

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1987 Mercedes 300D ~200K (Greasecar & Biodiesel)
1993 Ford F-250 7.3 IDI diesel 165K (Biodiesel)
1996 Thomas/International Bus with DT466 engine

Also there are two small "O" rings on the cap shaft that may need replacing.
Much easier to remove cap, and replace filter.

Attached Thumbnails

 

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83 SD

84 CD

I change the o rings every oil change, I use Delo 400. For the dipstick measure, go right up to the upper notch but don't cover it, that would just go out of your crankcase vent. Just keep it below the upper notch. Make sure to clean the oil filter holder stem as described in MB manual.

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99 Gurkha with OM616 IDI turbo

2015 Gurkha with OM616 DI turbo

2014 Rexton W with OM612 VGT

how is it described to clean the stem? I always spray a shot of Brake cleaner in the end tube and clean it off pretty well, what are the Recommended procedures?

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

Do you fill the filter housing with oil? Or just change the filter and all the oil goes in through the top?

ya can't fill the housing with oil... it's open to the crankcase at the bottom. just put the top on , and fill the sump with the correct amount of oil.

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

Another tip is to loosen and crack the lid on the filter housing while draining the oil. It will break the slight vacuum created in there while oil is running out the crankcase allowing the filter housing to drain quicker before you yank the filter.....less mess! And Do It Hot!

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FRED

Daily Driver: 98 E300TD 199K
Hobby Car: 69 Austin Mini
Past Diesels: 84 300SD, 312K
87 300SDL, 251K
94 Chev. K-1500 6.5Ltr.TD, 373K

I do pour some in, but that only helps a bit, for the filter to soak up some, thereby speeding up the oil pressure in the system.
I open the oil fill cap when draining, and usually open the filter cap too.

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83 SD

84 CD