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Oil Change

14K views 133 replies 14 participants last post by  wallyp 
#1 ·
Ive tried searching this a few times but I couldn't find anything, and then the search feature completely quit working for me. I was hoping to get some advice on oil changes. From what I found on here and youtube, most ppl go the traditional way and simply pull the plug from the oil pan. Does anyone use a suction method from the top of the engine on the 2003 s600? If so, where are you inserting the suction tube? Also, are we supposed to be using 0w-40 or 5w-40 on these cars? Ive seen both but not a lot of guidance on which one or why.
 
#2 ·
Hi,

Always get Engine hot, go for a drive first, then safely raise the car and remove any shields necessary to get at the Sump Plug, do this with it idling to keep it hot.
Now switch Engine off, remove the Filter first, then Sump Plug and leave it for an hour or so to drip drip drip !!

Suction method does not get all the old Oil out !!

MB recommend 5W/40 Full Synth for UK Climate, I have no idea where you are in the world because you haven't completed your profile, so I cannot advise for your particular climate ;)

Cheers Dave
 
#3 ·
I stick with the old-school method, 'cause it works, and it works on any car. On my S600 TT (also an '03, like yours), I usually go for a drive like Dave says. It's not really "required", but it does thin the oil out a bit and make it easier to flow out of the oil drain. Plus, 's'fun. :) Then, I either put the car on jackstands or (more commonly) drive the car up on my Rhino Ramps. Pull the plug and let it drain for 15-20 minutes, to get the maximum old oil out. Change filter. Replace crush washer and put the plug back in.

Then, I fill up with Mobil-1 0W-40 Fully Synthetic, European Formula. Why? 'Cause it's readily available at any Walmart in the United States, it's affordable, and the book says it's correct for all W220 engines, including the M275, in all Known Earthly Climates.

As Dave mentioned, 5W-40 is also correct, depending on your climate. The book says you can use 5W-40 in virtually all Known Earthly Climates as well.

The previous owner of the project 2000 S500 actually used Mobil-1 Fully Synthetic 5W-30 in the car for several years. This was in the state of Maryland. He also did his oil changes regularly; I could tell. So, apparently 5W-30 works for the V8's and probably the V12 as well.
 
#4 ·
Hi again,

I wouldn't use 5W/30 it is not specified for these Engines ;)

The Drive is necessary so that the dirt particles are suspended in the Oil rather than settled on the bottom of the Sump :wink

Reason for removing Oil filter first is if you don't do it before all the Oil has drained, i.e. you drain the Oil, put the Bung back in then change Filter, you will get half a litre + of dirty Oil drop into the Sump, to mix with your nice new clean Oil :rolleyes:

Believe me I've seen Garages do that who should really know better :frown

HTH,

Cheers Dave
 
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#6 ·
I finally completed the profile, but I live in Texas so its very hot for most of the year. Even in winter its usually not freezing. It looks like I'll be using the traditional method then. I have all the stuff for that since I've been doing it that way on other cars for years. Probably a good idea to get under the car and take a look at everything anyways. I appreciate all the responses as well guys.
 
#7 ·
Another VERY important reason to warm up the car to full operating temperature is to remove the moisture as well. If you live in a humid climate, and have access to an easy valve cover to pull off of a car for inspection (like an early small block Chevy or something) you will immediately see why it is important to warm the oil. The inside of the cover will be covered with water droplets when it is cold and has only been sitting for a few days.

This is the same reason it is important to warm the engine to operating temperature everytime you start the car. If not, the water mixes with the oil and forms sludge. The water needs time to be heated so it can evaporate from the inside of the engine. Once it becomes homogenous with the oil (sludge) it can no longer be "boiled out".
 
#8 · (Edited)
This is the same reason it is important to warm the engine to operating temperature everytime you start the car. If not, the water mixes with the oil and forms sludge. The water needs time to be heated so it can evaporate from the inside of the engine. Once it becomes homogenous with the oil (sludge) it can no longer be "boiled out".
Hi,

LOL, you just reminded me .....................

Here's an amusing tale from February this year.................

It is a cold climate where I live, and just 100 yards up the road we have a Filling Station with shop. If it is raining, and I need something at the shop, I start up one of our Vehicles and drive up there, park up and leave the Engine running.

This particular night I drove my new Workshop Van up there.

There is one woman who often does evening shifts in the shop, a rapidly ageing and scruffy "hippy chick" type, who, as she was giving me my change said to me "Why the ' F ' do you always have to leave your ' F'ing ' Engine running, I hate ' F'ing ' exhaust fumes !!" ...................

I explained exactly what you said very nicely, but she was still snarling and swearing about environment damage, (whilst hugging a tree) :grin ...................

At this point I replied " My Workshop Van's exhaust, with it's DPF and Cat is far cleaner than you are, you miserable old c**t " :devil ......................

Her jaw dropped, and another local customer who I know well is nearly falling over laughing ......................

I exited whilst she was still dumb-struck :big laugh:

Cheers Dave
 
#9 ·
I used a mighty vac to remove the oil on a SL600 twin turbo 2004, also on my W220 S500 2002. Then change the filter, add new oil, ....done.
I use it on all my cars, there are few that it will not work on, due to oil pan shape or dipstick tube shape.
 
#14 ·
Being old and cynical, I suspect that the reason might be heavy discounts on the purchase of the Mobil 1. Not saying that it is a bad oil, as it is very good oil, just that it isn't enough better than any other MB-approved brand (and some non-approved brands) to justify required usage by the dealers.
 
#18 ·
Oh, you're very likely right. Indeed, that's why we buy it, 'cause it's *a* correct oil for our cars, for which the price is right. :)

As for the Pentosin, good to go. It seems, generally, that Pentosin fluids are good for Ze Deutsche Automobilen. If it were Pentosin or LiquiMoly or any of the other good ones at Walmart prices, I'd be using that, too. Same reason so many of us use Shell ATF 134 in the transmissions--economy of scale makes the price good, and it's *a* correct fluid.

And for the record, I'm with Dave about using the suction method. It works, but even better to get as much old oil out as one can, and that means pulling the drain plug. Seriously, crush washers are cheap, only US $2.10 even at the dealer.
 
#15 ·
If it is 5W / 40 Full Synthetic and has MB approval no 226.5 or 229.5 or newer then it is just fine in most all climates ;)
 
#17 ·
Yep, that's ok, it says MB 229.5 approval
 
#19 ·
First off 5w30 is fine for these engines and is on the approval list 229.5.
Mobil 1 fs 5w30 is just one of the approved ones.

The oil vacs are fine to use on most of our engines, I have checked by removing the sump plug after using the vac and got less than a teaspoon of oil, a few drops. So either method is fine for most of our engines, AMG models on the other hand are different and must be drained by the sump plugs (2 plugs in the sump) as this is the only way to get all the oil out of them.

Yes you can get sludge with either method if you don't do it right, it will be easier to tell when draining than when vacuuming the oil. Best practice as has been stated get the oil hot first. Second I do is remove the filter this ensures the dirty oil left around the filter gets to the sump for removal. Then drain/vac the oil out.

As for what oil you want to use just check bevo.mercedes-benz.com to see if it is on the list first.
 
#20 ·
I'm a member of the suction/extraction club for many years. My Mity Vac unit has volumetric indices and I measure what comes out to compare what goes in. For the S500 it's 8 L in and virtually 8 L out. This tells me two things: the suction method is indeed efficient and the engine has no oil consumption/leaks. I agree the oil must be hot and running the engine is imperative to suspend the particulates in the oil. All methods of drainage will leave a couple teaspoons or so at best.

John

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
 
#21 ·
I was hoping to get some advice on oil changes. From what I found on here and youtube, most ppl go the traditional way and simply pull the plug from the oil pan.
I did that for years, crawling under a jacked-up car. Then 4/5 years ago I acquired a suction system and I have never looked back.

Does anyone use a suction method from the top of the engine on the 2003 s600? If so, where are you inserting the suction tube? Also, are we supposed to be using 0w-40 or 5w-40 on these cars? Ive seen both but not a lot of guidance on which one or why.
The long flexible tube goes down the dipstick tube. There are electric & hand-pumped models and it is how MB now remove engine oil in their workshops.

Ignore claims that ALL the oil is not removed. 99.9% of it is, which is about the same as draining from beneath.

You have model 220176 with engine type 275. 950. Here is the WIS procedure for this task on your car and note that MB assume suction extraction. If you go that way, ignore steps 6,7 and 8.

Note the torque for re-fitting the oil filter. I use the filter tool shown here. Removing the plastic engine covers should be easy but take care not to damage them. The clips can use a little light grease to prevent sticking. Maybe only the front cover has to go to gain access the oil filter.

The oil type can be ANY manufacturer that complies with MB spec 229.5. It must be stated on the tin.
Viscosity OW-30 or OW-40. I use Mobil 1. If you drain you will need a bucket that can hold 10 liters.
 

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#22 ·
IMHO 90% is probably an over estimate, 99.9% is pure tosh, however I don't care, it's your Engine, and btw Inverness MB dealer do not use Suction, I can't speak for others, but if they do..................

They don't care either, it's your engine not theirs !!

I would never advise it, that's just my 10p worth, but "you can lead the horse to water" etc etc
 
#27 ·
Hi,

I too am very anal with all things Cars, now here's a thing, I've never read that blog, but guess what .....................

In my Rally Car, 24V V6 Cosworth Engine, I use GTX.

In my American V8 Muscle Cars I used to use Quaker State or Valvoline, whatever was available from Real Steel (in UK), back in the day.

In the huge Bus Coach fleet Turbo Diesel Engines we always used Valvoline, in the MB Diesel Minibuses too.

My personal MB's now, I don't actually use Mobil 1 because it is stupid expensive in UK, but I do use MB specced top end oil from my Factor, they differ for my Diesels 5w/30 FS and my V8 5w/40 FS ;)

I would not however use the "Snake Oil" additive :wink

Cheers Dave.
 
#28 ·
I, too, have a similar story. I used to run GTX in my vehicles and go-carts, as did my friends, way back when simply because it was the least expensive and synthetics were still fairly new.
Even without the "snake-oil" added, it still earned a very respectful score. Which helps answer why our engines ran a little better and a little longer than our competitors back then.
All this time I just thought I was better at feeling the torque when building then the other guy was! ;)

Now, back to that snake-oil. I've been a skeptic too on most of those - because I've tried a lot of them just to see what they'd do.
But with this Prolong additive, it's the real deal IF used with the right oil!

I tried it with the exact GTX listed in his blog in my lawnmower first. Before, it ran very well using Royal Purple 15W-40, consistently took 2 pulls to start, only had an occasional miss while running, and had a slightly audible knocking of the main rod bearing (7 years old in 2016)
After changing the oil to GTX with Prolong it immediately ran just a tad better: It would start half the time on one pull (fully cold from sitting for a week), had fewer missed ignitions, and I could no longer hear the knocking!

A few months later a friend of mine came by and happened to mention he'd just changed his oil. He said he used the GTX 5W-30. (Because it was the cheapest)
He was driving a very high mileage 2000 Ford Ranger (small 2 door pickup truck, inline 6 cylinder engine) with lightly audible valve tappets and heavy rod knocking during start-up or under heavy load.
I poured in a bottle of the Prolong and told him to let me know what differences he noticed.
He called back a week later. Starts easier, quieter valve tappets, less rod knocking, and he said it was easier to pass cars on the freeway.
So then I put Prolong in my three air compressors (using the same straight 30W oil I already had been using in them, not the GTX). Same story: quieter, smoother sounding, and a few degrees cooler.
Next, I put GTX\Prolong in my then daily driver: 1998 Honda Accord EX 4 cylinder with 248K miles. Again, same story: quieter, smoother, easier to start, and perceptibly quicker.

After getting the S500, I decided to use GTX\Prolong as the flushing oil to clean the engine with, meaning I ran it for 1000 miles and then changed it again back to Mobil 1 0W-40. (Even though the dealer had already just changed the oil before listing it for sale)
I can't say I noticed anything different between the two, but given the GTX was a thinner oil I was expecting the engine to be a little louder when listening to it with the hood up or using a stethoscope. It wasn't. But the oil sure was BLACK when I drained the GTX compared to the oil the dealer had put in. It's possible the thinner oil allowed more combustion carbon past the piston rings. Or maybe it truly did do a better job cleaning the internals.
One thing is for sure, my old engines were always very clean when I used to run GTX in them!
I have photos of the passenger's side valve train when I changed the cover gasket before running the GTX.
I'll be changing the other valve cover gasket - possibly this evening - and will get photos as well.
I've only driven 2K miles since putting the Mobil 1 back in, and may be able to tell if the GTX flush made any difference.
 
#29 ·
LOL, I used to run Castrol R in my 2 stroke 100cc Karts, terrific smell at the circuits on Race Day :grin
 
#32 ·
Because many of us DIY-wrench-turners like to experiment and see if we can do it better, faster, cheaper, than the factory. After all...that IS how cars came into existence in the first place: Wondering what if, tinkering, and trying new things!
And then sometimes we just like to do things different than the instructions because we're defiant like that.
:-D
We're the modern day Cowboy!
 
#33 ·
/\ /\ /\ LOL if you had an Oil Pressure gauge on your MB you would soon go back to a decent 5w/40 MB specced Oil :wink
 
#35 ·
I gave a little more thought to Prolong (what you affectionately termed snake-oil) previously mentioned below), and decided to copy over one of my answers posted elsewhere regarding it:
Prolong is NOT a lubricant oil, nor does it treat the oil it's paired with. Prolong is a METAL treatment: It physically bonds with with metal's surface making it more difficult for oil, sludge, carbon, or anything else, to adhere to it. This facilitates the oil in carrying away more heat from the metal parts (a lubricant's second most important job: cooling). Also, by helping oil slide off metal surfaces (analagus to RainX on windshields), there is physically more oil available to lubricate, cool, and clean bearing surfaces.
There's another product that does the exact same thing for air conditioning systems, called Permafrost. It actually works, and has been in use for about 20 years in commercial and residential environments. I first learned about and began using it back in 2007. It dropped the A/C temps in the car by about 7 degrees, from 47 to 42 (F). Yes, we were careful to account for the outside temp changes a vehicle run times. Same result when I installed it in the home A/C, including four other's homes and vehicles. In one house the air blowing out of the register dropped by 10 degrees. That temperature drop was still present on following weeks of checking, when the outside temp, pressure, and humidity were the same as on the original day. All of those A/C systems are still running today - zero issues!
I conclude the decrease in temperatures has facilitated the extended operating lifespans.
The effects (colder air blowing out of the vents) are most noticed in older systems. For a newer system, the effects are best observed by measuring the temperatures directly on the compressor before and after.
For using Prolong in an engine or gear box, you would measure the effectiveness the same way: taking temperatures directly on the block before and after.
Improvements are often seen within a few minutes with best results after a few days of driving. Something running 24x7 will see max results as quick as one day.
For a sealed system, such as A/C, you only need the one treatment. For frequently changed environments, such as engine oil, you'll want additional treatment added each time (less than the original time).
.....
Hmm... After reading through this all again (most of the post was from 2011, I've updated it for here) I think I'll start using it in the MB with the Mobil 1 and see what the temperatures do. Of course, I've already treated the engine once, so I may not see anything.
 
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