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Awesome! awesome write up Taiwanese! Benz dealer here in Edmonton, Alberta Canada charges $250.00 for an oil change. I thinking of getting a oil extractor that I can just plug into the compressor. Don't really need the whole canister. I can just use an empty canister to dispose the old oil. If its cheaper then I'll probably purchase one. If not the one that you have would be awesome as well. Thank you again for your DIY.
$250 for an oil change is highway robbery! But that shouldn't surprise me given the ridiculous price they charge to change spark plugs! IIRC, they wanted $320 to change the 6 plugs on Mrs. NCMudbug's C230.
So my first diy oil change did not go exactly as planned... When I took the plastic filter assembly out, the tip with the 2 smaller o-rings appears to be missing. I am not sure if it is stuck down the tube or not. I tried gently pulling up with pliers, but am afraid of breaking it and small plastic pieces making it down the drain... My guess is a mechanic over tightened the oil filter assembly In the past and the bottom broke off... Any advice on how to deal with this situation? Should I just replace the filter and large o-ring for now? Thanks!
The stationary part (stuck inside) is attached to the spinny part (the part you removed) with 4 hooks. These hooks get weak over time because German plastic.
Use a good set of pliers and yank the stationary part out. It takes quite a bit of force because the piece is held in place by an O-ring. Don't worry if a couple of plastic bits disintegrate and come off, since the (new) filter will catch any fragments. Obviously do this as carefully as you can, and pick out as many of the bits as possible.
The temporary solution is to yank the stationary part out and pop it back into the spinny part with a new filter. However, the hooks are weakened and the stationary part will stick again the next time you try to remove the thing.
The permanent solution is to replace the entire part for a nominal fee. The entire thing (stationary and spinny half) are a single part. This can be done at the next oil change.
Last edited by slammer111; 12-15-2019 at 08:28 PM.
The stationary part (stuck inside) is attached to the spinny part (the part you removed) with 4 hooks. These hooks get weak over time because German plastic.
Use a good set of pliers and yank the stationary part out. It takes quite a bit of force because the piece is held in place by an O-ring. Don't worry if a couple of plastic bits disintegrate and come off, since the (new) filter will catch any fragments. Obviously do this as carefully as you can, and pick out as many of the bits as possible.
The temporary solution is to yank the stationary part out and pop it back into the spinny part with a new filter. However, the hooks are weakened and the stationary part will stick again the next time you try to remove the thing.
The permanent solution is to replace the entire part for a nominal fee. The entire thing (stationary and spinny half) are a single part. This can be done at the next oil change.
Thanks for the quick reply, Slammer. Can I just leave the stationary part in, and slide on the new filter for the time being? And then change the entire filter housing assembly once I get my hands on the replacement part along with a longer pair of pliers? I already drained all the oil, so was hoping to get my car back up running tonight.
You can try but I wouldn't recommend it. If the stuck part is off centre for any reason you're going break the tabs off when you screw in the spinny part. Now you risk those chunks circulating around the engine.
Pull the stationary part out and reattach it to the spinny part, then do your oil and filter change as normal. The plastic will hold together until the the next oil change. I actually put up with this broken part for several years until I got sick of having to yank the part out every time.
You can try but I wouldn't recommend it. If the stuck part is off centre for any reason you're going break the tabs off when you screw in the spinny part. Now you risk those chunks circulating around the engine.
Pull the stationary part out and reattach it to the spinny part, then do your oil and filter change as normal. The plastic will hold together until the the next oil change. I actually put up with this broken part for several years until I got sick of having to yank the part out every time.
Your advice worked perfectly, the bottom part came out easily with long pliers. As you suggested, I will leave it alone and replace the oil filter housing assembly at the next oil change. The only thing that still puzzles me is the oil level. It shows 5.2 qts in the morning even though I poured in 5.8 qts. Is the difference due to some oil remaining in the filter and engine, and not making it all the way down to the oil pan where the sensor is located? I don't want to overfill, but should I continue adding more oil?
07-05-2015, 03:03 PM
