Observation: M103's like Rotella 5w40 Synthetic diesel oil - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

pawoSD · #1 03-05-2009, 05:03 PM

I know this is an "oil thread" per say....but today I changed out the Mobil 1 0w40 I had been running in the 300E, and filled it with Rotella Synthetic 5w40 diesel oil + a Bosch filter....and I must say, it likes it. It idles smoother and quieter.....and there's about .3 bar higher oil pressure at hot idle.

Not to mention using that oil saves about $17 per oil change over the toast-your-wallet Mobil 1!

Just thought I'd share my observations.

My other thing I am looking for (yet to be seen) is if the engine will use/loose/burn less oil between changes on this oil. On the Mobil 1 it was averaging about 1qt per 1200 miles depending on driving style....

WhoWhat · #2 03-05-2009, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawoSD

I know this is an "oil thread" per say....but today I changed out the Mobil 1 0w40 I had been running in the 300E, and filled it with Rotella Synthetic 5w40 diesel oil + a Bosch filter....and I must say, it likes it. It idles smoother and quieter.....and there's about .3 bar higher oil pressure at hot idle.

Not to mention using that oil saves about $17 per oil change over the toast-your-wallet Mobil 1!

Just thought I'd share my observations.

My other thing I am looking for (yet to be seen) is if the engine will use/loose/burn less oil between changes on this oil. On the Mobil 1 it was averaging about 1qt per 1200 miles depending on driving style....

Nice. Eventually, if you force-feed your gasser enough diesel stuff, it will turn into a diesel.

Question: how do all you pros get such accurate oil readings? Maybe I'm just a dummy, but that seems pretty precise.

pawoSD · #3 03-05-2009, 09:31 PM

I'm kind of a freak and remember what the odometer said when I last added oil....when you're as obsessed as I am....

I have the current mile counts of all our cars memorized.

I was trying to consolidate the kind of oils I buy and keep around too....its easier if all the cars are running the same thing....because then there's always some extra laying around.

S-Class Guru · #4 03-06-2009, 01:43 PM

From my experience, the 103 is so tough, you could run french-fry grease in the crankcase and still get 300k miles - assuming of course you do the valve seals and head gaskets and cover seals routinely. What a monster bottom-end in this motor!

DG

pawoSD · #5 03-06-2009, 02:03 PM

Aside from the touchy electronics/fuel system (which I haven't had any problems with now that I cleaned/replaced a bunch of stuff)....its a pretty awesome motor. I've finally gotten it to run so smooth that it feels like the car is off at idle.

Worlds apart from my 300SD....

chinny4290 · #6 03-06-2009, 10:06 PM

I always thought M103s/m104s liked thicker oil. My cert. Mbz mech always used 15W40, and then I tried out 10W40 for a while and just got better fuel economy. It ran slightly smoother though with the 15.

A. Rosich · #7 03-07-2009, 12:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chinny4290

I always thought M103s/m104s liked thicker oil. My cert. Mbz mech always used 15W40, and then I tried out 10W40 for a while and just got better fuel economy. It ran slightly smoother though with the 15.

They do love the thicker oil, have used 20W50 (since there are no freezing problems here in the tropic) and the M104 loves it. Runs smoother, quieter and more (apparently) more efficient.

HarryM · #8 03-07-2009, 05:58 AM

<< M103's like Rotella 5w40 Synthetic diesel oil >>

Rotella 5w40 Synthetic is not necessarily just for diesels. It shows service SM on the container as well as all the 'C' service levels.

Harry

S-Class Guru · #9 03-07-2009, 02:09 PM

Yeah, my dealer out in hot West Texas put Kendall 15-50 in all their cars back in the early 90's. I switched to 10-40 in '93, and it seems ok so far.

DG

chinny4290 · #10 03-07-2009, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by S-Class Guru

Yeah, my dealer out in hot West Texas put Kendall 15-50 in all their cars back in the early 90's. I switched to 10-40 in '93, and it seems ok so far.

DG

I've used 10W40 on several occassions and really have nothing to complain about. Anything thinner I think isn't healthy for the engine because the top end is lubricated by pressure (aka it's not mechanically delivered) an at idle when warm the pressure is around 1.25 bar which I think is low as it is. Any thinner and the pressure I think will drop too low and the top end won't
get sufficient lubrication.

WhoWhat · #11 03-07-2009, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pawoSD

I'm kind of a freak and remember what the odometer said when I last added oil....when you're as obsessed as I am....

I have the current mile counts of all our cars memorized.

I was trying to consolidate the kind of oils I buy and keep around too....its easier if all the cars are running the same thing....because then there's always some extra laying around.

At the risk of sounding really stupid...

So, you're saying that you change the oil, check the dip stick to make sure it's at the right level, drive 1000 miles, check the dipstick and see that it's down a little bit, then add more oil (which you track carefully how much you add), until you get the oil on the stick back to the original level?

pawoSD · #12 03-07-2009, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhoWhat

At the risk of sounding really stupid...

So, you're saying that you change the oil, check the dip stick to make sure it's at the right level, drive 1000 miles, check the dipstick and see that it's down a little bit, then add more oil (which you track carefully how much you add), until you get the oil on the stick back to the original level?

Close....on the 300E there is a low oil warning lamp. I fill it, check the level and how many miles are on the odometer....drive until the light comes on, fill it back to the previous level (while keeping track of the amt) and check that against how many miles I had driven. Makes it pretty easy to keep track.

pawoSD · #13 03-07-2009, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chinny4290

I've used 10W40 on several occassions and really have nothing to complain about. Anything thinner I think isn't healthy for the engine because the top end is lubricated by pressure (aka it's not mechanically delivered) an at idle when warm the pressure is around 1.25 bar which I think is low as it is. Any thinner and the pressure I think will drop too low and the top end won't
get sufficient lubrication.

MB says it can be as low as .3 bar at warm idle without hurting the motor....mine seems to always be around 1.1 to 1.4 bar depending on outside temp.

pawoSD · #14 03-07-2009, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryM

<< M103's like Rotella 5w40 Synthetic diesel oil >>

Rotella 5w40 Synthetic is not necessarily just for diesels. It shows service SM on the container as well as all the 'C' service levels.

Harry

Yeah I know, I checked the bottle a while back and saw it was gas rated (I figured it was anyways...) so I just made the switch.

JonL · #15 03-08-2009, 07:36 PM

If a gasoline engine is burning some oil, a heavy duty diesel oil like Rotella might be detrimental. The diesel oils have higher metallic ash levels (from the additives that give it more detergency and TBN, typically containing calcium, magnesium, and/or zinc). These can cause spark plug fouling. If the engine doesn't have high oil consumption, there's no problem.