Has anyone ever heard of this oil? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

slowmoe · #1 07-13-2003, 12:13 PM

This week I will be purchasing a 96 E300D. I contacted the previous owner who was meticulous about maintenence - in his own way. The one thing that worries me is that he used Wolf's Head 15w-40 oil. Initial intervals were about 7000-9000 miles then about every 5000. There is 66K on the car and it looks brand new in all other repects.

Is anyone familiar with this oil? Is it diesel rated? Should this be a deal breaker?

By the way, my 92 300D is for sale.

New2MBZ · #2 07-13-2003, 12:42 PM

I'd never heard of the brand, but if it is the Special Duty 15W-40, here is a spec sheet: http://www.ppclubricants.com/PDF/WolfHead/SpecialDutyMotorOil.pdf

New2MBZ · #3 07-13-2003, 01:06 PM

I just found this... a forum on a site that is all about oils.

search for the word wolf
http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php

The talk on there is that Wolf's Head oil is a name that was owned by Pennzoil, was an economy line... and was sold a few times in recent years. It doesn't sound good, the little bit of talk that I read... and those oil change intervals are high, for regular (non-synthetic) oil, IMO.

Wasuchi · #4 07-13-2003, 01:17 PM

I've heard of Wolf's Head ATF but I was unaware that they had an oil line.

rdanz · #5 07-13-2003, 01:48 PM

Wolfshead Oil has been around for at least 50 years and it was a 100% pure Penn. oil, my dad used it in his trucks when i was a kid but i'm sure the company has been sold and wouldn't know anything about the quality of the oil today.

slowmoe · #6 07-13-2003, 03:37 PM

Wow, dosen't look too good so far... Could there have been ant substantial damage done in only 66K?

McDiesel · #7 07-13-2003, 04:23 PM

why would someone use a cheap oil in a mb diesel?
i would steer clear .. if he were using say rotella-t dino then i would say ok but he is basically playing russian roulette buy using
no name oil... I only use mobil1 or rotella-t synthetic in my three vehicles and still change the oil and filters every 3000 miles..
which brings me to my next question... wut type of oil filter is has the clown been using.. probably those crappy cans of cotton made by purolator.. I only use hengst or mann filters..

being that the oil is the life blood of that engine i would take a long hard look..

md21722 · #8 07-13-2003, 10:15 PM

I'd check the condition of the engine and see how well or poorly things checked out. If the motor runs strong and hot oil pressure is good, then great. I'd remove the oil filter cap and look at the cam and see how much sludge there is. You might also check the chain for "stretch" (elongation). If its more than 1-2 degree than I would stay away.

gs sparhawk · #9 07-13-2003, 10:29 PM

Give it a rest. You'd think the car was going to self destruct if every little item was not perfect. These are MBs not Yugos. Cars can be hammered with the very best oil in them. Look at the CONDITION. How anal can we get??

JimSmith · #10 07-13-2003, 10:43 PM

slowmoe,

Get a compression test done, as well as a leakdown test. If that checks out ok, I would be satisfied the engine has not been abused by the brand of oil, or the change intervals. Once I got the car, assuming the compression test showed it was within new car specs, I would switch to Mobil Delvac 1 and expect the car to last a long time. If the compression is low, or there is significant variation from lowest to highest cylinder I would stay away unless the leak down check shows there is a valve problem. Then you can figure what the head rebuild is worth and try to negotiate that cost off the purchase price.

In any case I would not buy a used car that I had not had compression tested. Good luck, Jim

BoostnBenz · #11 07-13-2003, 11:47 PM

I've heard of it before, I suppose I've never considered it before and don't really have any information on it. Always struck me as some cheap no-name crap that I've only seen at a store or two (Tractor Supply Company?).

Myself I wouldn't fear motor wear as much as I would the stuff gumming up on the seals, maybe there is a bad one somewhere and first time you put a good synthetic in there it'll start gushing oil. However a compression test would be nice if you had the time and tools.

slowmoe · #12 07-14-2003, 07:33 PM

Thanks, guys.

I had my mechanic look it over today. He took off the oil fill cap and gasped at how new everything looked. I passed on the compression test b/c of limitted time and his response. I hope I do not regret it!!

As a side note... These cars sure do ride softer than the 124's. Maybe it is because I am used to a new front end and HD's on all fours. I love the rest of the car - I will just have to get used to the ride...I feel a new thread comming on...

I will post some pics as soon as I can

The car is mine tomorrow at 5pm!!