I've done oil changes a number of times in the past with all my non-diesel cars but never in my newly aquired 300SD.

I looked over this DIY set of instructions but it's actually not for a 123/126 diesel.

So....can someone tell me what differences I can expect between this DIY and my car?

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Chris
1985 300SD - 'Grace' (198K mi.)
2018 Honda Civic Sport
2018 Honda CRV LX
2010 Honda Fit Sport (RIP)
2013 Honda Accord Sport (Sold)
1996 Lexus LS400 (Retired)
1995 Ford Contour SE (Retired)
1976 Porsche 914 (Sold)
1972 Datsun 240Z (RIP)

I found that an interesting set of instructions ,, nothing like what I do on my 300D.
So this is what I do ,, Drive into town , get the oil and filter , drive home ,, with the eng now properly hot , I pull the sump drain bung and allow all the oil to drain into an old 4 gal can with the side cut out of it . Then I replace the sump bung .
Shift the drain pan a little to be under the filter area , 'cause I can be a bit messy , get on top and undo the filter cap , pull the cannister out , get oil all over the cables and tubes , dump filter in drain pan , find rags ,, clean ,, install new filter ,, Fill engine with oil ,, find more rags ,, clean more spills ,, check level ,, start eng and check oil pressure on gauge and filter for leaks .
Drive on .

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'72 240D
'76 300D
'88 300sel
'40 Chev pickup , the shop hack.
'73 Monte Carlo Landau, for "Super Chevy Sunday"

THanks guys!
Nice writeup Bill. Bookmarked that one.

Only other thing would be recommendations for/against topsiders.
Any in particular that are good $50 range?


Chris
'85 300SD

Well darn ,, I could have saved all that typing TXBill ,, good site ,, I like the plastic bag bit ,, I'll do that next time .

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'72 240D
'76 300D
'88 300sel
'40 Chev pickup , the shop hack.
'73 Monte Carlo Landau, for "Super Chevy Sunday"

Good instructions. In order to avoid the drips from the oil filter I deep a small old metal bowl handy and hold it under the filter once I lift it clear of the housing. I also have never found it necessary to put the vehicle up on ramps or jack it up. My oil drain pan slides under the vehicle while it is on the ground. On mine, there is poor engineering in running the vacuum lines too close to the oil filter housing. I have to hold them aside to remove the filter cover and filter. A little more foresight on the part of the engineers would have been helpful.
Also, ALWAYS remember to tighten up those nuts on the filter housing. I was distracted a few weeks ago when changing the oil and only tightened them by hand. It pumped a gallon of oil out of that filter in less than 30 seconds. Not a pleasant experience, particularly since the engine compartment had just been detailed!

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Dusty,

WHen you pull the filter cap off, some of the oil in the filter runs back into the pan. So with the plug in the pan, yu don't get all the old oil out.

I also drain the oil cooler,

P E H

When I change mine, I do it after a long drive and immediately pull the car up on blocks. I then take the hot drain plug out while trying not to burn myself. I then take the filter canister cover off (also trying not to burn myself). I then lift the filter up and off of the post at the bottom on the canister. I let the filter set back down loose inside the canister. I then let it drain for an hour or two and cool down. The best thing about this is that the filter is now almost oil free since it dripped for an hour or two into the canister and MUCH less sloppy when lifting it out of the canister.

JohnM 1983 240D 4 sp manual 156K

Thanks for the support there guys ,I appreciate it ,, its great to be able to learn something new every day .

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'72 240D
'76 300D
'88 300sel
'40 Chev pickup , the shop hack.
'73 Monte Carlo Landau, for "Super Chevy Sunday"

JohnM,

That's the way I do it too. But I also drain the oil cooler.

Sometimes I will let it drain overnight and refill it in the morning. Nice and cool then.

P E H

Anyone removing oil from the top?

I'm seriously thinking about buying one of the many suction type devices to do oil removal.

Choices become severely limited tho once you try to find ones that have a container that can hold all the oil that our diesels contain.
Other choice is to just get one that doesn't have a container.

Would love to hear comments from those that have used them and which model they used.

Chris
'85 300SD

Ck42,

Why bother from the top, when its so easy from the bottom? Its not necessary to jack up the car. All I do is slide a 2 gallon plastic oil bottle with the side cut out under the oil pan and remove the drain plug. Then remove the oil filter cover and lift the filter slightly. Another small container is placed under the oil cooler and the bottom oil line loosened (not removed). Let it sit for few hours or over night and then refil and replace the filter. You can't drain the oil cooler from the top so you might as well drain the pan from the bottom.

P E H

I've done oil changes on my car both ways from the top and the bottom. I rigged up a homemade Topsider from a used freon tank, some tubing and hose, fittings and valves. I use an old air conditioning vacuum pump to create a vacuum in the tank. I then stick the tube down the dipstick and open the valve and it sucks like mad. I've found the device works best on the hard to change items like the transmission fluid and the power steering fluid. I rarely use it on the engine oil since its so easy to remove the drain plug on a 617 engine. I did go to the dealer and buy another drain plug. When I change the oil, I just unscrew the very hot plug and let it fall into my container. After draining, I screw the clean cool plug with new washer into the pan and retrieve the other plug as I dump the oil into my recycling container. Simple but rewarding.

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Orland Park, IL
1985 300SD 215,000 miles

Ok...I'll go ahead and give the bottom side removal method a try first. There certainly IS a ton of room underneath w/o jacking up the car.

Chris
'85 300SD

Another way to avoid the dripping of oil from the filter is to put get a plastic bag and put your hand inside of it. You can grab the filter handle, lift the filter up while drapping the bag over the filter, then quickly turn it over, and stick it back in the box that the new filter came in. A plastic Walmart bag would do, or something similar.

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1999 MB SL500 (110,000 mi)
2004 Volvo V70 2.5T (220,000 mi)
2014 Tesla Model S 85 (136,000 mi)
MBCA member