reduce engine oil level warning????? c240
#1
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2003 c240 4matic wagon
reduce engine oil level warning????? c240
2003 c240 4matic wagon 123km on car was 3C out today and misty rain if that matters
changed the oil approx 5k km ago
tonight on the way home from work dash went red and I got the reduce engine oil level
nobody has touched my engine
dyno mode engine off oil level is 8.5 liters
so i left it for 15 mins went out malfunction was gone but approx 5 mins into my drive it came back reduce oil level
so WTF any ideas Im pretty sure its not overfilled
just took the oil filler cap off and its full of that yellow goo from condensation since i do 99% short trips maybe i need to run it on the hwy for a bit to burn off anything in the oil??
changed the oil approx 5k km ago
tonight on the way home from work dash went red and I got the reduce engine oil level
nobody has touched my engine
dyno mode engine off oil level is 8.5 liters
so i left it for 15 mins went out malfunction was gone but approx 5 mins into my drive it came back reduce oil level
so WTF any ideas Im pretty sure its not overfilled
just took the oil filler cap off and its full of that yellow goo from condensation since i do 99% short trips maybe i need to run it on the hwy for a bit to burn off anything in the oil??
Last edited by contact148; 11-25-2010 at 05:57 PM.
#2
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It's either:
- Over filled with oil
- The level sensor is Kaput
- You have a dribbling injector or have picked up a tank of gas contaminated with diesel. The fuel has not ignited & run down past the rings & diluted the sump oil causing the level to rise.
You should have an oil sample analysed for fuel dilution. More common than you might think. If there is no fuel in the oil then the other alternatives apply as long as there is not coolant in the oil.
- Over filled with oil
- The level sensor is Kaput
- You have a dribbling injector or have picked up a tank of gas contaminated with diesel. The fuel has not ignited & run down past the rings & diluted the sump oil causing the level to rise.
You should have an oil sample analysed for fuel dilution. More common than you might think. If there is no fuel in the oil then the other alternatives apply as long as there is not coolant in the oil.
#3
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2003 c240 4matic wagon
It's either:
- Over filled with oil
- The level sensor is Kaput
- You have a dribbling injector or have picked up a tank of gas contaminated with diesel. The fuel has not ignited & run down past the rings & diluted the sump oil causing the level to rise.
You should have an oil sample analysed for fuel dilution. More common than you might think. If there is no fuel in the oil then the other alternatives apply as long as there is not coolant in the oil.
- Over filled with oil
- The level sensor is Kaput
- You have a dribbling injector or have picked up a tank of gas contaminated with diesel. The fuel has not ignited & run down past the rings & diluted the sump oil causing the level to rise.
You should have an oil sample analysed for fuel dilution. More common than you might think. If there is no fuel in the oil then the other alternatives apply as long as there is not coolant in the oil.
oil level on dyno mode is 8.5L oil has not been added in months
is 8.5L the correct amount for my engine??
would short trips cause too much moisture to build up in the oil?
I do get alot of yellowish gunk on the oil filler cap in the winter...not in the summer through
head gaskets are not a known problem with this engine are they?? (03 c240 4matic wagon)
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2002 C230K, 2006 VZ800
If you have a dip stick for engine oil check it at the gas station (where it is suppose to be level.) if oil is at the mark or between mark then senor in pan is in question. changing the sensor mean draining the pan. the goo is moisture built up but also might a small amount of coolant? I hope not. running on the high way does not burn contaminates. once in oil stays in oil and an oil change is needed with filter. not saying you need oil change now. but manually checking with dip stick is a sure way to see if sensor is lying.
Hope this helps.
Rom
PS happy thanks giving if in US.
Hope this helps.
Rom
PS happy thanks giving if in US.
#6
Super Moderator
Repeated short trips in cold weather can get free water level in the sump up as high as 7%.
I've proved this on a Dyno doing repeated testing back to back for months over 20Km from a cold start without a long hot run when testing friction modified engine oils.
These engines do not usually blow head gaskets.
If you go back to my very early posts on this forum I tried to establish the exact oil capacity for the M112 2.6 litre engine with filter. It's all over the place & no one knows. Even my owners manual is contradictory. It suggests about 8.6 litres but my car has never taken more than about 7.8 to full.
I've proved this on a Dyno doing repeated testing back to back for months over 20Km from a cold start without a long hot run when testing friction modified engine oils.
These engines do not usually blow head gaskets.
If you go back to my very early posts on this forum I tried to establish the exact oil capacity for the M112 2.6 litre engine with filter. It's all over the place & no one knows. Even my owners manual is contradictory. It suggests about 8.6 litres but my car has never taken more than about 7.8 to full.
#7
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If you have any worries then send a representative oil sample to Blackstone.
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#9
Super Moderator
Yes!
The best thing about an oil sample is that it will tell you immediately if it's water, or coolant or fuel in the oil - or if you have nothing to worry about & need to drop the level slightly. Explain when you submit the sample that you are worried about these three in the oil & expect them to report findings properly. Blackstone is an excellent lab but don't leave them guessing.
The best thing about an oil sample is that it will tell you immediately if it's water, or coolant or fuel in the oil - or if you have nothing to worry about & need to drop the level slightly. Explain when you submit the sample that you are worried about these three in the oil & expect them to report findings properly. Blackstone is an excellent lab but don't leave them guessing.
Last edited by Glyn M Ruck; 11-26-2010 at 07:09 AM.
#11
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If you are going to use part of that as a sample then run the car for a few minutes before extracting oil to ensure that the sample is representative. Then give it a good shake before transferring into the sample bottle.
#12
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C320 2002
If your car is reading 8.5 in dyno mode your car has been over filled.. It should not read 8.5 or more around 7.2-7.7 MAX. The reason for this when you floor the car the oil will raise higher than 8.5. You could even check for your self. Put the car in dyno mode go drive around for a mile or so watch the qts jump up and down when you play with the pedal. 100% you over filled your oil. Reduce engine oil has nothing to do with bad gas... lol Bad gas would give you misfires not a REDUCE engine oil malfunction.
When changing the oil in your car. If you don't have a pump to messure how much you took out.. Start with 5.5 qts and use the on board computer. It will tell you how much to add. Ive changed my oil 9 times so far owning this car. 1 time was due to me being stupid and wanted to use the wrong oil.
I have two C class that i work.
I would at least take out 300ml 2 be safe
When changing the oil in your car. If you don't have a pump to messure how much you took out.. Start with 5.5 qts and use the on board computer. It will tell you how much to add. Ive changed my oil 9 times so far owning this car. 1 time was due to me being stupid and wanted to use the wrong oil.
I have two C class that i work.
I would at least take out 300ml 2 be safe
Last edited by Xhale707; 11-26-2010 at 02:31 PM.
#13
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Raised oil levels frequently have to do with bad gas & it does not cause misfires. I will put 20% diesel in petrol & your vehicle will appear to run fine but the sump level will steadily rise.
#15
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Because mistakes happen in bulk fuel terminals when filling delivery trucks.
#16
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2003 c240 4matic wagon
the 8.5 liters was with engine off
I filled this car back in july/aug and have put allmost 6K on it and only yesterday did the warning come on..... which i find strange that it took 6k to figure out it was overfilled
I removed 400ml today
I put it on dyno mode and extracted a bit at a time untill the oil level check said it was oil level ok
I filled this car back in july/aug and have put allmost 6K on it and only yesterday did the warning come on..... which i find strange that it took 6k to figure out it was overfilled
I removed 400ml today
I put it on dyno mode and extracted a bit at a time untill the oil level check said it was oil level ok
#17
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Yes - It does not make a lot of sense - unless it's one of the items above. Keep an eye on it.
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2003 c240 4matic wagon
well it took till a few days before christmass to get the kit i had the oil i removed from engine (from the start of this thread) in a jar I sent it to blackstone labs and here we are
Oil Analysis
as you can see i have a high amount of fuel in the oil
so why?
I do 99% short trips with engine hardly warming up (its 10mins to work city staying under 60km/h both ways)
about 2 weeks ago i went for a 2hour hwy drive and put in techron before i filled up I use shell 91 gas allways so do I have a leaking injector? my mileage sucks
or is it all the short trips causeing this???
Ive put about 2500km on it since I corrected the oil level and its been fine since should I do an oil change soon? (7500km on mobile 1 0w 40 oil and fleece filter)
Oil Analysis
as you can see i have a high amount of fuel in the oil
so why?
I do 99% short trips with engine hardly warming up (its 10mins to work city staying under 60km/h both ways)
about 2 weeks ago i went for a 2hour hwy drive and put in techron before i filled up I use shell 91 gas allways so do I have a leaking injector? my mileage sucks
or is it all the short trips causeing this???
Ive put about 2500km on it since I corrected the oil level and its been fine since should I do an oil change soon? (7500km on mobile 1 0w 40 oil and fleece filter)
Last edited by contact148; 01-14-2011 at 06:55 PM.
#21
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2003 c240 4matic wagon
25.00 and a few weeks depending whre you live Im in canada and it was christmas mail rush so it took a while to get the kit to me but they got my sample regular mail in about 2 weeks
#22
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Glad you got this sorted out. As an addendum......8.5 quarts in the engine can show about 7.5 quarts dyno mode. A quart or so can remain in the filter/housing. That's why you want to loosen the filter cap to let air in when draining oil. The first time I changed my oil I drained it until it completely stopped dripping.....took a while. Then I added 8.5 quarts and the dyno mode showed 7.5. It varies for me from 7.5 to 7.7 after changes. I also did some tests to see how long it took for oil to drain from galley ways etc. to see if that affected anything. It does....up to 1/2 quart over an hour's time from when it starts a slow drip.
#23
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well it took till a few days before christmass to get the kit i had the oil i removed from engine (from the start of this thread) in a jar I sent it to blackstone labs and here we are
Oil Analysis
as you can see i have a high amount of fuel in the oil
so why?
I do 99% short trips with engine hardly warming up (its 10mins to work city staying under 60km/h both ways)
about 2 weeks ago i went for a 2hour hwy drive and put in techron before i filled up I use shell 91 gas allways so do I have a leaking injector? my mileage sucks
or is it all the short trips causeing this???
Ive put about 2500km on it since I corrected the oil level and its been fine since should I do an oil change soon? (7500km on mobile 1 0w 40 oil and fleece filter)
Oil Analysis
as you can see i have a high amount of fuel in the oil
so why?
I do 99% short trips with engine hardly warming up (its 10mins to work city staying under 60km/h both ways)
about 2 weeks ago i went for a 2hour hwy drive and put in techron before i filled up I use shell 91 gas allways so do I have a leaking injector? my mileage sucks
or is it all the short trips causeing this???
Ive put about 2500km on it since I corrected the oil level and its been fine since should I do an oil change soon? (7500km on mobile 1 0w 40 oil and fleece filter)
My conclusion is that this level for fuel dilution is too high to be purely from cold running.
Likely causes:
1) Temp sender unit is faulty & is misleading the ECU & causing the vehicle to run too rich for too long when cold because the ECU thinks the engine is colder than it is.
2) You have a dribbling injector/injectors. Your mileage is low for injector problems but they happen.
You can intersperse your short trips with a long hot run & do another sample to see if this improves matters or you can tackle the items above. Your car might also benefit from a cold temperature thermostat rather than the standard 87 deg C one.
Good luck!