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Engine oil gauge below 1 & fluctuated

1K views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  Joe-V12 
#1 · (Edited)
Did this curve filter caused weir symptoms

I was used semi syn 10w-40 about 3K
So I decided to change fluid and filter
I found that last mechanic hasn't put the filter on its place.
Or this symptom came from low quality filter
I didn't expect to buy authentic parts in THA..LOL
 
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#2 ·
the photo isnt visible. try uploading directly from your computer files.
im sure everyone is going to get on my ass for this but... I have NO bar oil pressure reading on my cluster at all. It goes up to 3 bar upon starting the car and drops immediately. then it will bounce a few times during shifts for a few minutes but its almost always at zero. I talked to a master mechanic that retired from mercedes, who had the same car as me, and he said if the check engine light isnt on dont worry but change the oil religiously. so i do now. people who dont change the oil all the time in older 140s, like every 5000 or once a year, risk blowing the motor he said. crud plugs up a very small oil return line that splashes the cams and it overheats and POP! some sysptoms include an idle that drops and catches itself every so often...
use mobil 1 european car formula, i think its 0w40. walmart has the 5q jugs for less than $30.
 

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#3 ·
Your gauge is reading incorrectly for one of number of reasons:

1.) The lower engine harness is failing or has failed, or;

2.) The gauge sender is bad, or;

3.) There's a problem in your instrument cluster.

#2 is the most common reason. Oil pressure gauge senders are prone to fail on these cars over time.

I'm not going to weigh in on your approach to monitoring our oil pressure. Suffice to say you're living dangerously, and that's coming from someone who has worked with high line import cars, primarily Mercedes, for almost 30 years. But hey, you roll the dice, and sometimes you win. Or not.

Dan
 
#4 ·
Hi Dan,
I have just read your "motor mount replacement"
Very informative. I'm going to do mine within this week.

Forgot to give more detail
This 18 years old, ran about 270k km.
The symptom happened after I cut coolant pipe off.
Most MBZ in my country done the same.

I thought dyno oil (semi = 15% syn in earth oil?)was teared down on high temp like Thailand.
But the needle jump to 3bar immediately i hit the gas

Should i chang 100% syn oil like Hawaiian posting above?
 
#6 ·
If your reading ZERO than most likely a bad oil pressure switch or the gauge in the cluster.

If you are still reading but lower than 1 and than it jumps when you hit the pedal, your motor might not like the new oil.

Change the oil again and see if it makes a difference. My 95 S500 did not like full synthetic. I would get the oil light on sometimes and would even burn it. I used Mobile 1 Full synthetic and didn't like it. Went back to Conventional oil and it has been back to normal since. I only have 105'xxx miles on mine.
 
#7 ·
If you're below 1 and bouncing-ish at idle, you're either low on oil or it just doesn't like your oil. By low on oil, I mean even by as little as half a quart - simply topping mine off by that much (after checking) made the oil pressure gauge much more friendly-looking.
 
#8 · (Edited)
If your reading ZERO than most likely a bad oil pressure switch or the gauge in the cluster.

If you are still reading but lower than 1 and than it jumps when you hit the pedal, your motor might not like the new oil.

Change the oil again and see if it makes a difference. My 95 S500 did not like full synthetic. I would get the oil light on sometimes and would even burn it. I used Mobile 1 Full synthetic and didn't like it. Went back to Conventional oil and it has been back to normal since. I only have 105'xxx miles on mine.
This whale(Thai slang) didn't like synthetic pricy oil.
Previous owner told me he paid a lot done overhauling, cause of oil leaked
(I thought "Indy mechanic filled 8 L of Mobil 1 0W-40 was too much for M104. I'm also his customer, he always do...LOL)

He has done overhaul at another Indy. This time filled semi- synthetic CITGO 10W-40

I've been googling about oil for line production from year 97 and before
Most searched results told the "dyno oil" as a factory filled

But..... I am a guy who accept new tech
If synthetic has been proved that it perform better in crazy hi temp climate all year here. I will try it.
Hope the fresh gasket( 8000km life)won't leak fluid..LOL
 
#9 ·
Dino can turn to wax and stay that way at cold temps and breaks down easier at high temps. Quality fully synthetic beats dino every time, requires less viscosity modifiers. It's well documented that Mobil 1 has the highest shear strength, and highest temp tolerance, for road car engines, hence why it is recommended. You can use other quality oils, but a few dollars saved on dino oil can cost in sludge problems and broken chain guides, blocked oil galleries etc. Risk vs reward?

My S420 had semi synth put in from PO from a independent mechanic, when I did the valve covers it had some sludge up the top, not cool. You can see pics of my M120 with the valve covers removed. That car has documented Mobil 1 services for its whole 285,000kms, no sludge, chain guides have barely any wear.

I personally use Castrol Edge Titanium 0w30, it has a slightly lower shear strength than Mobil 1. Every now and then it comes up on special and works out about half price compared to Mobil 1. With the speed limits around here spirited drives are short, so engine temps stay low, which also means the thinner grade really isn't a problem. If I was doing German Autobahn type driving I'd use the Mobil 1. I only use MB genuine oil filters, they are cheap anyway.
 
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