I am going to be changing the oil in my limited slip diff. I went the my Benz dealer I inquired about getting the oil specific to the limited slip...since I know there is a special oil required. He said they didn't have it or weren't able to get it or something to that effect. He told me to go down to the GM parts place (dealer is part of larger GM dealership) and he said that they have limited slip oil. I have also seen oil at AutoZone labled as limited slip oil.

Question is: Do I have to use specific MB limited slip oil, or will any oil be fine so long as it is made for limited slip??

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'86 420SE Euro
904 Midnight Blue, Gray Velour
Dad bought it new, now I own it.

"A Mercedes-Benz is like a fine wine, it only gets better with age."

To the best of my knowledge, MBZ limited slip axles such as the one on the 16-valve use a conventional clutch type limited slip differential, and the friction modifier additive is required if you use a conventional mineral oil based gear oil. The only gear oils that I know of that don't require the additive (because it is already added) are some synthetic blends from Redline.

Go to a GM dealer and order 1052358. This is a four-ounce bottle of the friction modifier for clutch or cone type limited slip units. If your diff capacity is about two quarts or less I would suggest starting out with half of it, but don't quite fill the diff in case you have to add more. If your diff capacity of 3-4 pints, use the entire 4 0z.

After you complete the job, drive the car around for a week and see if you detect any chatter. If you hear/feel any chatter, you'll need more additive. As a final check for chatter, find a parking lot where you can drive the car slowly in a tight circle. If you can't detect any chatter, you're good to go. If there is some chatter, you'll need to add a little more additive.

Duke

I used mobil 1 differential oil and add the bg limited slip additive works great.
m

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Martin Ingram
Colorado Springs
2005 320 CDI
2006.5 VW Jetta TDI
1991 560SEL (179000 Sold)
1972 280SEL 4.5 ('The Lead Sled' 320000 miles when sold.)
1972 220D (225000 when sold)

Amsoil's Series 2000 gear oil doesn't require any additives for limited slip diffs. I used to use it in my 5.0L mustang and never had any chatter problems using it. Just another idea for you

I looked at the Redline and the Amsoil websites and looks like either will be a good choice since they both have the additive. Regarding weights though, it looks like their "standard" weight is 75W90. Is this what my car needs or something else??

When refilling, the manual says 1.3 liters (I think). Do I actually need to measure this out, or is it just up to the bottom of the fill hole?

Also, since my diff cover is weeping, I plan to take it off and reseal it. thomaspin, on his excellent website, describes the procedure on a non-limited slip rear end. It looks like all that is holding the diff in place is the rear mount. However, on mine, in addition the rear mount, it looks like there is some sort of a rubber bushing on the left side held on be an allen key. Is there anything I need to know about this bushing before I tackle this job? Thanks!

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'86 420SE Euro
904 Midnight Blue, Gray Velour
Dad bought it new, now I own it.

"A Mercedes-Benz is like a fine wine, it only gets better with age."