tristantiojanco

i got my car about a month ago, the dealer said they just did an oil change in the car so, yesterday i checked the level and i added a half a quart of oil and its normal with no sign of oil leak..now here's my problem when i took of the oil filler cap i noticed oil gunk and sludge...can somebody tell me how to clean this or what kind of engine flush should i use...or is this normal???????? pls help!!!
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ohlord

the cap,usually quite common,from condensation.just wipe it off.
on the dipstick not good,get it back to the dealer.
long drives that let the engine come to temp and evap moisture usually create engines with less of the peanut butter goo on the oil cap.So enjoy a nice ride often
mobil1 0-w40 syn oil and fleece filter when you change oil,never 30wt in an amg

Jons95c36amg

I use 10-30w synthetic. Doesn't burn oil. Why not 30w?

MarcusF

A little low on a cold engine is normal. On my car, if filled to the upper mark on the dipstick while cold, it will be over full when hot. The dash warning will illuminate when that happens.

The reason for not using 30W in an AMG is that (the last time I looked) none were approved. Two 0W-30's and a single 5W-30 were on the last 229.5, 229.51, and 229.3 approved oil list, but they all were followed by a notation that stated they were not approved for AMG engines.

SeeKlasse

so 0-40 huh.... ill make a note of that, i think im runnin some 10-30 now...

HLG600

The weight of an oil correlates to the temperature range in which the vehicle operates under.

tristantiojanco

so with all this kind of oil which one is the right one for my car 1998 C43 with 96k miles....any brand other than thats comparable or better than mobil-1..thanx

HLG600

AMSOIL and Royal Purple are independently rated as two of the best. Have used both and can attest to the quality.

tristantiojanco

what kind of weight should i need to get? 0w-30 or what and i live in southern cali too with my a/c on all the time..thanx

C43AMG

What does your owners manual say ?

Z06EATER

your engine is WAAAAY to dirty bro, next time you change the oil, put a can or two of seafoam in the crankcase, and let the engine run for 20mins....and empty old oil..iv'e started doin that with my C36 and the components inside the crankcase from wat i can see is all grey colored, meaning its clean of gunnk...your gonna see how BLACK ur old oil will come out...it'll look like chocolate syrup

Jons95c36amg

The manual says 10-30,10-40 is good for -4F and above. Around here it never gets below 0F. I think Castrol Syntec is better then Mobil 1. Also Valvoline Syn rated better then Mobil 1. I use Castrol and Valvoline.

Justchill

with a bit of google searching of independent testing results (blackstone labs and the like) with mobile1 and other high performance motor oil, one will quickly surmise that Mobile1 is by far the best motor oil bar none. Nonetheless royal purple and other "Boutique" performance oils also do quite well.

FLYNAVY

Honestly, this doesn't sound that normal when compared to my experience. I just serviced the car, and I had only burned 1/4 quart in 5000 miles (which is normal for my car).....no sludge, still reasonably colored oil. I run the normal 0-40 synthetic Mobil 1 as recommended, and have never had any problems thus far (crossing fingers). I'd take a closer look at it, or take it to someone who can....that is just me though

TexasBob

I'm hoping those of you who say that using Seafoam could help. My wife has a 2001 ML320 that PepBoys didn't want to change the oil on because it got peanut-buttered up. I go to PepBoys for little stuff (basic maintenance), but real repairs are referred to a garage that I've trusted for years.

I'm going to give SeaFoam a try (if it destroys the engine, CarMax here I come!), so hopefully life will be much better after this afternoon.

mexgua16

hey texasbob can you let me know if the seafoam worked. I want to try it on my 2003 c240 but im scared to damage the engine. thanks in advance

doublebassdanny

TexasBob: I'd love to know if that worked also. Could you fill us in?

johnhef

should be fine, I just picked up a 00 ML and am going to do the same thing on it.

yamadjs08

Don't be scared about using Seafoam guys, its great stuff. I use it on every one of my cars with great success. I primarily use it to clean up carbon though, I suck a whole can through a vacuum line and let it sit for 5-10 minutes and then go beat on it to clear out all of the loosened up carbon. Be prepared for a smoke show if you do it this way though.

I have used it in the oil before an oil change a couple times also, once on my IS300, had some lifter tick and I put about 1/2 of the can in and drove it for 10 minutes before the oil change and it did help quiet the lifter.

grane

I use 0-40 M1 and the fleece filter from MB or Bosch in both my cars. My G has 105k miles and gets better Mpg than when I bought it.

This is an amazing oil and one should use it under any temp conditions as the most wear comes from engine startup. 0 viscosity helps this under any temp.

If your engine is has latte on the filler cap please exclude coolant getting in the oil.

Do not use any additives except Techron. Sea foam is not accepted by MB. You are on your own here but it sounds too much like patent medicine - cures whatever ails you!

To clean your engine have the oil and filter changed two or three times - every 3kmiles and then you can go back to a normal interval I use 6kmiles even though MB says 10k miles is nominally ok.

yamadjs08

Changing your filter multiple times in 3k miles isn't going to do much for cleaning out your engine. It might clean the oil a bit, but it definitely isn't going to clean up any gunk inside the crankcase.

Seafoam is hardly a patent medicine, read on any other car forum, there are 10 page threads about how it has helped their engine. You just don't see it on here because this is a MB forum where everyone vigorously follows the MB manual and only uses MB approved fluid, oils, etc.

Again guys, just because Seafoam is not approved my MB, do not hesitate one bit to use it...

illmaticnyc

just another pov...

Detergents And Solvents

Many of the older, better-known oil treatments on the market do not make claims nearly so lavish as the new upstarts. Old standbys like Bardahl, Rislone and Marvel Mystery Oil, instead offer things like "quieter lifters," "reduced oil burning" and a "cleaner engine."

Most of these products are made up of solvents and detergents designed to dissolve sludge and carbon deposits inside your engine so they can be flushed or burned out. Wynn's Friction Proofing Oil, for example, is 83 percent kerosene. Other brands use naphthalene, xylene, acetone and isopropanol. Usually, these ingredients will be found in a base of standard mineral oil.

In general, these products are designed to do just the opposite of what the PTFE and zinc phosphate additives claim to do. Instead of leaving behind a "coating" or a "plating" on your engine surfaces, they are designed to strip away such things.

All of these products will strip sludge and deposits out and clean up your engine, particularly if it is an older, abused one. The problem is, unless you have some way of determining just how much is needed to remove your deposits without going any further, such solvents also can strip away the boundary lubrication layer provided by your oil. Overuse of solvents is an easy trap to fall into, and one which can promote harmful metal-to-metal contact within your engine.

As a general rule of thumb these products had their place and were at least moderately useful on older automobile and motorcycle engines of the Fifties and Sixties, but are basically unneeded on the more efficient engine designs of the past two decades.