Motor Oil Question ? W123 240D - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

greazzer · #1 02-29-2016, 08:31 AM

I started a thread as noted below. Been driving my car around on the weekends. Cannot drive it like a DD because of CC insurance, which is fine. The oil pressure FINALLY stopped being pegged at 3 BAR, so something got unplugged / broke loose.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/373947-could-bad-sign-good-sign.html

Now, after it warms up, it stays between the 2 and 3 BAR.

I decided on Sunday to adjust my valves, in-between post cold/flu battle(s). All super tight ... but as expected.

The current oil change does not have 200-300 miles on it, but the oil under the VC/Cam Cover looks like thick Hershey's syrup and everything is coated with heavy black oil/tarnish. I have the Luqui-Moly engine flush, and I am planning to do that after I have the time and energy to tackle the front crank seal, which I dread.

Does anyone know how long it will take to really clean out the oil? I thought my oil change was pretty thorough as I dropped the pan, let it drain for hours, cleaned everything to near surgical precision, et cet. My prior MBs, after all the basic maintenance, did not have oil which looked like this or the heavy black tarnish on inner engine components.

Any thoughts?

Clemson88 · #2 02-29-2016, 09:25 AM

I use to open Chevy engines and find that varnish. Every owner told me they ran Quakerstate oil. I know for a fact they didn't change it often enough. The only place that wouldn't have that coating was where metal contacted metal such as lifter/cam points of contact and ring/cylinder area. It could just be something the PO put in it for storage though.

I'd say the new thick/black oil is evidence that you're using a good quality oil and it's doing it's job.

I'd wonder if the varnish isn't/wasn't a part of your oil pressure problem.

I really don't see the varnish as such a big deal. I'd probably watch the color/thickness of the oil like a hawk until it returned to what we'd consider normal.

leathermang · #3 02-29-2016, 09:31 AM

The NA engines are different from the turbo engines with regards to the oil pump.
There are at least three different pressure valves which were installed on the oil pumps...
Suggest you read all about them in the 615,616,617na FSM.
There are also ' start up noises' attributed to the 616 which it talks about. Take advantage of the feedback loop the manufacturer is in and may have already mentioned in the MB Maintenance manual for your car and year. It is a formal display of all the ' Technical Service Bulletins ' published when changes to the FSM need to be distributed. They are numbered so they fit the original FSM numbering system.. so they can be cut out and inserted in your copy of the original FSM.

leathermang · #4 02-29-2016, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clemson88

I use to open Chevy engines and find that varnish. Every owner told me they ran Quakerstate oil.

I had a similar experience my very first mechanicing experience. In 1971 my Dodge Dart 340 needed a valve job at 60,000 miles. I took off the heads myself and delivered them (one at a time tied to my motorcycle ) to the best shop in Ft. Wolters area.. a guy who had been the motor pool sergeant for Patton in WW2. When I went to pick the heads up he showed me a couple of tablespoons full of granulated charcoal. He had found it behind each of the exhaust valves... He asked me if I had been using Quakerstate or another oil... I had been... He did not know what I had been using... I was shocked he could determine that from the lack of proper burning which left that junk in the head.
I changed to Mobil which is , after much testing , what the Army was using in their vehicles.

greazzer · #5 02-29-2016, 09:52 AM

Thanks gents.

I guess I am a little concerned over how funky the oil looks just in a few hundred miles and the fact that the car sat for a really long period of time, although in-doors.

I swapped out injectors and I am running a set for a customer for analysis, and all the maintenance (general) is pretty much now done.

I have decent noise / vibration, but I attribute that to both motor mounts being shot. I hope to have the energy one of these evenings this week to swap them out. Got a pair of the left over Duralast "life timers" which Autozone no longer carries. I wish I could read the blasted raised lettering which was ground off. If they last 6 months, I will be happy.

I'm hoping that the oil, once changed - flushed again, will have the nice black yet run off quality where all the parts under the VC/CC are nice and shiney vs. black as night tarnish. And yes, the cam lobes, et cet which have metal-to-metal contact are nice and shiny. Not sure 100% that the VC/CC which just got a new gasket is not leaking a smidge at the rear ...

noahlambert · #6 02-29-2016, 10:53 AM

I had an awful experience with a brand new Victor Reinz valve cover gasket. It split in two lengthwise when I tightened down the valve cover and sprayed 2-3 quarts of oil that day before I noticed.

Clearly I overtightened the valve cover, but when I compared the old Mercedes-Benz gasket to the Victor Reinz gasket the difference in material and shape was clear.

I guess my question is, what brand is the new valve cover gasket?

greazzer · #7 02-29-2016, 11:04 AM

V-R, of course. I have used them in the past, and never a real issue. It was torqued down to 11 ft pds. I am not 100% sure there's a leak. It could have been left over. I will know shortly as I plan on driving the car to the body shop this week.

vstech · #8 03-01-2016, 12:36 AM

I'd let the oil stay for 1K and dump and replace. Then 2K on the next batch, then 3, then maintain regular change intervals. It'll be fine.

Certainly verify the oil pump is in shape.

greazzer · #9 03-01-2016, 08:22 AM

I drove the car this AM around 30 miles or so. ZERO leaks at the valve cover / cam cover. I got a little nervous over the leak post in this thread, so I loosened the four nuts last night, and re-torqued to 11 ft pds. The motor mounts are shot ... tons of vibration and shaking, rattling, and transferred noise.

The 240D is pretty peppy at this point with the modified intake, EXCEPT I need to finalize the air cleaner situation because that's a mess right now with the dopy cone deal.

Thanks John with the suggestion about the oil. and change schedule. After I pick up the car from the body shop, I plan on a long way home, around 50 miles, mostly highway, highest speed I can get it, et cet., then I plan on pulling the cover again to see how it looks. Because I don't drive it a bunch, I might do the flush in a few weeks and new oil / filter again. I suspect after a handful of oil - filter changes, I will clear out the oil gunk from sitting for years and years.

barry12345 · #10 03-01-2016, 10:38 AM

If the engine was on wvo at one time. You might have had some polymerization of the oil at one time leaving stuff behinf in the engine.

I might run a container of miracle mystery oil to loosen things up for some time before the next change. Wvo sitting long term changes to a form of glue especially if air can get to it. no air just slows down the process. Remember some of the old oil would have remained in the oil heat exchanger as well.

greazzer · #11 03-01-2016, 10:52 AM

No, this was a survivor which was bought a while ago and stayed in the garage where the PO was planning a total restoration job. Time slipped by, et cet. From memory, I think the car was bought in 2004 by the PO, and it was stored since then less than a few thousand miles on the clock. I need to check my prior thread / paperwork. I smelled the injectors when I initially pulled them a while ago, and no tell tale odors of WVO. The fuel was a DARK brown, and the clear filter was black flake city. So, I did drain the tank, put in Biocide. Filter is so far clean, but I plan on some re-do's. I am planning on slight water injection to clean it out since this might be a long term issue regarding cleaning out deposits.