1986 300SDL
 

Weird thing: last weekend I changed the oil on my 300SDL. Pretty straightforward as usual. I've been doing this simple task for a couple of years, and by now I'm pretty good at it.

I use a mityvac topside fluid extractor, and it just sucks the oil right out of the dipstick tube. Easy...However, i went for a spin, just a 5 mile trip around the block last night.

well, I got home, pulled into my driveway and the low oil warning light comes on, which is weird because I just did the oil. I guessed that I must have screwed it up somehow, so, I open the hood, expecting to see a engine covered in oil...and the engine is CLEAN. I pulled the dipstick. EMPTY. Not a little low, but totally empty, just the barest little smidge of oil on the tip of the dipstick.

I looked under the car. no obvious leaks or drips. Certainly not anything that would suggest a loss of almost 2 gallons of oil. No black trail of oil leading back to the main drag.

Stumped. Did my ol' reliable just go all rod-bender on me? What gives?

A 1986 300SDL does not have the "rod bender" engine.

First, go the garbage can and tell us how many empty oil containers you found.

I am not being flippant, that is the first thing to check.

Next, fill the crankcase with oil (how much did it take ?), then drive the 5 miles again. What happened this time ?

Check the exhaust pipe to see if you've got oil coming out the exhaust, which would be caused by a bad turbo.