So, if you didn't read the other thread, I recently had a oil change improperly performed which led to an Reduce Oil Level error message. I also had body work completed on the car the day before the oil was changed, and since then I have noticed a loud ticking from the passenger side of the engine on cold start up, which fades as the engine warms up. Although there is still an audible ticking noise when the hood is open and the engine is warm This noise was not there before I dropped the car off for the body work. Before the oil was changed the first time I checked the level using the electronic measurment, and it said to add 1.5 quarts, which is what prompted me to just change the oil, as it had been 5000 miles since my last oil change.

So today I go to a different shop to get the oil changed again, properly, to hopefully solve the problem of the error message and the ticking, which I assumed was lifter noise due somehow to the oil overfill, although again I noticed the ticking before the oil was changed the first time. The oil was changed, I'm assured the correct way, and refilled with 8 quarts of Mobil 1 0w-40. When I went into Dyno Mode the oil level read 9.0l (the same level it read at after the botched oil change). This was confusing, but we decided to just drive the car, and let it correct itself.

Then Advans and I were comparing exhaust sounds, and the check engine light came on. The code was read and it was the Crank Position Sensor code. He cleared the code and thus far, after about 30 minutes of driving it hasn't come back again. However, on the way home from the shop the reduce oil level message came back. Also, examining my pulleys, we noticed that my crank shaft pulley was very wobbly, and my alternator pulley, although it wasn't wobbly, was discolored.

Assuming that the oil change was performed correctly, what would cause the oil to not drain properly leading to the excess oil in the engine? Is it possible that my sensor is faulty? Are the crank shaft pulley wobble and the CEL at all related, to each other or the oil? Where can I get a new OEM crank shaft pulley, and how much are they? (I checked parts.com genuinemercedesparts.com and the Ft Lauderdale site, and none of them have the C55 crank shaft pulley) Anyone have any idea WTF is going on with my car, which is still apparently running fine, i.e. no noticeable loss of power, no rough idle etc??

Thanks for your help.

 

Hey Will,

I can guarantee your oil was properly changed. I've had my oil changed at Impressive since I bought the car, and never had a problem. They work on mostly ALL europeans (as you have noticed today), so we should be good.

I was asking John on the phone today, and he said it's possible that your sensor is at fault. Hopefully if you're there on Monday, we can put on the star and see if there are any other codes showing up.


Also, to clarify. We were comparing the pulleys and engine idle on both cars, right next to each other. On my car, the Alternator Pulley is black, and everything seems to be running aligned, and the engine seems to idle very smoothly with no noise.

On Will's car, there were uneven color distortion on his Alternator Pulley (not sure if it was because of his recent Alternator change). and the Crank shaft pulley was super wobbly. There were also ticking noises coming from the motor.

We are wondering if any other fanatics had such issues? so we can hopefully diagnose this according to similar issues and fixes.

 

Yeah, I tend to agree with John. I feel like if there was some serious internal problem that the engine was holding on to oil there would be more serious symptoms. They say the most obvious solution is normally the correct one, which in this case would be the sensor malfunctioning. Do you by chance have a dip stick for our car? That would be the easiest way to test whether or not the oil level is actually incorrect.

Anyway, hopefully it's something simple that we can fix on Monday. I drove the car almost 100 miles today, and apart from the Reduce Oil Level malfunction coming on at random intervals during the trips, I had no problems, so fingers crossed.

 

Hmm interesting. I had my oil changed about 2 months ago and same problem. When i got my car back it read reduce oil level. I took it back and they assured me that they would fix it and it wouldn;t be a problem in the future. I know they had trouble finally getting it to read right before i picked it up but everything seemed fine and no warning lights.
Now i am noticing the same type of noise that you are on a cold startup. Just sounds like a tike a ticking/clicking type of noise, and i have no idea what it is. Any suggestions or anything i can do to help? It sounds like we are having similar issues and i'd like to fix mine before it gets any worse. Thanks.

 

Some years back I put 10W-30 in a motor (not a MB)that called for 5W-30 and it ticked on cold start up. I quickly drained it out went back to 5W-30 and the problem went away. You might want to check on exactly what oil they put in, there some shops that will say "he'll never no the difference" but your motor might. Just a thought, it's why I do my own and know that I used 0W-40 Mobil 1 and a fleece filter.

 

I concur, when the original shop changed my oil they put 1 quart of 10w-30 into the engine before I realised what they were doing and made them use 0w-40, and now since the correct oil change was performed the loud ticking is gone.

I would advise to do as Phil said, and make doubly sure that they used 0w-40, and if they didn't I would either tell them to redo it, or take it to another shop and have it redone.

 

One more thing too, drop the belly pans and actually drain the oil from both drain plugs and remove the oil filter when the plugs are pulled, you will get nearly all the old oil out this way.

 

^that's exactly what was done!

Will bought his own oil, so i'm sure he's using 0-40