1987 300TD OM603 lifter noise...285,000 miles, will synthetic help? BTW, I live in Jacksonville, FL

Looking at doing the following to help with lifter noise in lieu of cracking open and replacing the lifters:

it currently has Mobil non synthetic 15w40

Thinking of adding Marvel Mystery oil and/or turpentine or ATF to the crankcase and idle in the driveway for an hour or so or taking it for a 50 mile drive or so and seeing if it makes a difference. Any suggestions on additives to the crankcase or length to idle or drive. I will do an oil and filter swap after this procedure...it's due anyways.

As for oil Amazon has 0W40 diesel rated for $26 for 5 quart jugs on special 5W40 is around $40. Any thoughts on the oil? One of my buddies recommends Rotella.

I am also going to do a diesel purge. Will I want to do the purge before the oil change? Will the purge contaminate the oil?

Turpentine, ATF, and Marvel "Mystery" oil makes no sense at all in the crank case. Thanks for the heads up on the oil deal.

Just replace the lifters. It's ~$120 in parts and an afternoon of work.

The lifters can be disassembled and cleaned. Usually they're full of varnish and soot and the little ball bearing "valves" get crusty. Don't waste your time with expensive oil or "treatment in a bottle" solutions, they won't fix the issue.

If the valve train is REALLY noisy, check for reduced oil flow. There is a passage in the head that can become clogged, or can become blocked by a migrating head gasket.

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Current stable:
1995 E320 149K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 120K (SLoL)

Black Sheep:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)

Mobil 1 synthetic oils have a reputation for reducing / eliminating lifter noise, but it takes a few thousand miles.

__________________
Respectfully,
/s/
M. Dillon
'87 124.193 (300TD) "White Whale", ~392k miles, 3.5l IP fitted
'95 124.131 (E300) "Sapphire", 380k miles
'73 Balboa 20 "Sanctification"
Charleston SC

Thank you. Is 0W40 or 5W40 acceptable with the synthetic?

Either one should be fine, but the 0w-40 needs to be the "European" flavor.

__________________
Respectfully,
/s/
M. Dillon
'87 124.193 (300TD) "White Whale", ~392k miles, 3.5l IP fitted
'95 124.131 (E300) "Sapphire", 380k miles
'73 Balboa 20 "Sanctification"
Charleston SC

I went down that road, it's a waste of time when new INA lifters are $10 a pop.

And no, synthetic oil is not going fix worn out lifters.

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CENSORED due to not family friendly words

FYSA 5W40 Mobil 1 synthetic is on sale at Wal Mart for $15.11 saved $11.72 each

$10 x 12 tappets = $120 + S&H Or a couple hours of time with some tools and solvent. I have both the money and the time to do it either way. I chose to spend my time and wound up saving my money.

As the expression goes - your mileage may vary.

__________________
Current stable:
1995 E320 149K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 120K (SLoL)

Black Sheep:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)

Is your top end doing the 603.xxx transient "clack" that goes away with raised rpms?

If so, & with 285k on your motor I would simply replace them.

In my 603 from about 175k to 400k (15 or so years) I did oil stabilizers, straight weights, full synthetic for many thousands, pulled and cleaned old lifters, only to end up just replacing the lifters at about 400,000 miles.

And of course wondered why the hell I didn't replace the lifters in the first place. Well, truth is, it was easier, but I'm sure I put well over the cost of lifters into "bottle fixes".

Initially it would always seem that each new treatment attempt worked (marginally), but I could always know when it was oil change time by ear 'cause the lifters would get noisier.


Don't get me wrong...I love the serviceability of many MB parts, love to save the labor costs, but in my case the best return was new components.

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1986 300SDL 440,xxx

If the Old Lifters were "fed" a diet of 5W40 FULLY synthetic
(From a"New" State)
[Say "Redline's" 5W40] they wouldn't "Clacketh",now.

In ANY case... Do Not Run ANYTHING through the Sump
EXCEPT the Correct Viscosity DIESEL rated Motor Oil.

NO: WD40
NO: Marvel Mystery Oil
NO: Mineral Spirits
NO EXCEPTIONS !

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'84 300SD sold
124.128

I will look for the new lifters. If anyone has a direct link it would be appreciated. Thanks all

The forum censors direct links because "reasons". Google shopping search INA 6010500825. When you get the lifters, bathe them in a tub of engine oil until you're ready to install them.

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CENSORED due to not family friendly words

Thanks tjts1....Just ordered from Pelican...about a buck more per lifter but its worth it to keep the forum going. Also ordered some other misc bits too. Should be here by next weekend for an install