go to the dealer

 

went to the dealer today. tech said it was normal and he hasnt heard of any lifter problems with the m156.

I'll film at actual video of mine and put it up and see what you guys think

 

did u show him your vid?

 

I don't think that ticking vid was by natman316, just one he copied from the net.

 

Mobil 1 Formula M 5W40 is on the MB Approved Oil List Specification 229.5.

You seem to keep posting information like you are an authority or something but you are not. Your information is not accurate or complete. What is up with that?

 

Mine makes the same sound. It was one quart low. I added one quart and it still makes the ticking noise. I have a 2012 C63 coupe. 4000 miles. I had the same confusion over what weight oil to use. I ended up adding Mobil 1 0W-40 per dealer. My 2006 SL 55 made the same ticking noise. I don't know what to make of it. The dealer will tell me it is normal and I will go away.

 

didnt show him the vid of the start up...since it hasnt happened again. and the ticking sound video is not mine...its just something similar to mine. i feel like it has quieten down a little though

yeah its a video from another member that sounded close to mine

 

You guys should try olive oil I heard it gets rid of the ticking.

 

will extra virgin olive oil work? should i mix it with balsamic?

 

^ lol

 

I think one of the big problems that people are having is that there are TWO different types of Mobil 1 5w-40 oils available, one is made to conform to 229.51 diesel spec and has ESP additive. The other is made to conform to 229.5 spec and does NOT have ESP additive.Here is the product page:
http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/Lub...a_M_5W-40.aspx
There was some confusion in this thread (I myself was VERY confused on this for a long time and was scared my dealer on its first two changes had put in ESP OIL)! However, they didn't

The 0w40 meets more manufactures, and it is richer in additives when you run an analysis on it. If you are going for the 10k-13k oil changes, it might be better. If you don't do so many miles in the year, my oil analysis I send in, shows that the 5w40 Formula M (NOT ESP) gives essentially the same results, even if it is a slightly less robust oil in its additive package.

Nevertheless, I still use the 0w40 for the extra additives in case I do ever go to the full 10k+ miles in a year.


Now, the ESP (diesel) version I also had an analysis ran on for the fun of it. It is MUCH weaker in additives than its gasoline approved counterparts. It would likely work fine for a short time, but after a few thousand miles, the additives would be used up and that wouldn't be so good for the engine to keep using it then.

The solution is to simply use Mobil 1 0w-40 oil. It also complies with 229.5 spec and is perfectly fine for use in modern AMG gasoline engines. The main difference is that the 0w-40 is good in colder climates, and the 5w-40 is better in warmer climates, in my experience.

this is the page for Mobil 1 ESP Formula M 5w-40
http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/Lub...a_M_5W-40.aspx __________________

 

well explained, i was about to post something similar, but you took the words out of my mouth. in conclusion both oils(0w-40, 5w-40) are approved and good to use!!!! /end oil debate!!

 

I had a startup EXACTLY like that on my 2011 c63 2 days ago @ 8400 miles and a one not quite as bad @ ~6000 miles. I took it in this time. They tested a bunch of stuff. I'm picking it up today, I will post up a summary of paperwork

I wish i had your video when i went in, i might show them that link

 

Funny how I see this thread today. Same thing happened to me today. Start up was the normal vaaROoom then tick tick tick tick. I thought to myself sounds like a lifter. I let it idle for a while the tick did not go away then drove to a food joint and was in the drive thru and it went away probaly a 3 mile raound trip and the tick did not caome back. Car has approx 3500 miles on it and did a 150 mile trip last night, the oil was fine last week but I'm going to definately check it later.

 

to me that noise sounds like the camshaft adjust deal,that i have seen on a few of the M156's.as far as the start up,it didn't look that weird to me,just kind of slow to fire/could have been like you said and the keyless go had something to do with it.

i would be way more worried about that sound,the whinning and the ticking increasing with rpm is BAD.i have an M156 with 75k miles on it and it ticks,but it always ticks the same.its just the sound these engine make.yours or that video definitely accelerated with rpm.

as far as the oil,both are approved.i use the 0W-40 b/c i feel like the carf has been on it ever since it was built,why change now.don't know why MB is always trying to confuse people,but it seems like they do.like first they say the 722.9 transmission is a lifetime fill,now they say change it every 39,000 miles.make up your mind.

 

This is absolutely incorrect.

Its 5W40 Formula M, and its the recommend oil for the M156. Maybe some dealers in the states haven't got the memo, but my tech here said one went out a few years ago in Canada, it said not to use 0W40 in the M156.

Lifter bleed down being the reason.

 

Merc63 is absolutely right

Mobil1 5W40 Formula M is the way to go.

Keep an eye on the oil level , specially for the first 10,000km. Keep a couple of spare 1L containers in the trunk with the spare to always have on hand if you need a top up.

 

If your car is a 2012 C63 it came with 5W40 from the factory.

MB Germany has stopped using 0W40 on M156 motors for a long time now. According to my friend who works at Mercedes Germany (Unofficially) it has something to do with camshaft wear and lifter noise.

The North American dealers are clueless. There was a TSB that went out to all the dealers saying 5W40 is what they recommend now for the M156.


I've posted this before... here it is again... From Weistec

Quoted from Steve at Weistec:
We have taken apart many of these engines, and have documented any issues (if any) very well. Some of these issues that have been mentioned in the class action documents seem to be perhaps "exaggerated". We have not seen any lifter or camshaft issues, but these are a few things that we have seen that can be a potential problem down the line, and can also be a problem for a customer returning with the problem at a dealership. This might also be a reason why the customer might have been denied any kind of warranty of the defected parts or whatever the case may be.

Issue 1: These engines take 0w-40 synthetic oil from the factory. If you have the dealership change your oil they put 5w-40 synthetic oil. Although MB isn't admitting any type of guilt here, they have obviously learned to change the oil. The reason for this is because the lifters are known to bleed the oil out when the camshaft is in the correct position overnight or for a few days pressing against the lifter. When someone starts the car the next day you get the lifter tick which many people have complained about. If this happens enough times, it will cause an issue, and this can perhaps be the reasoning behind this.

Issue 2: When replacing or simply removing camshafts the lifter will expand from the pressure. The problem with this is the fact that simply installing the camshaft can be a problem now because the lifter will now hang the valve open for a while, and it is a possibility that if can bind the valve spring putting unwanted pressure on the camshaft, lifter, valves, etc. Now these are 1 out of a million chances of causing serious damage, but again it is possible.

Issue 3: As someone stated earlier, the lifter is very flat where it meets the camshaft lobe. This is a little odd in design because the lifter needs to have some kind of ability to spin in its bore during its motion. It might have been beneficial to give it a dome like shape.

Lastly, just an FYI for guys running the M156/M159 engine. If you haven't driven the car in a few days and you hear an kind of valve train noise, do not drive the car. Let it idle till the noise goes away. Also put 5w-40 in the engine if you haven't yet. Thanks.

Steve
Weistec Engineering

 

I agree with this and I would say this applies to all MB powerplants, the last time what I remember my local dealership (Germany) still has 0W40 on display by the show room floor and I have used it for several different MB motors but have gone back to 5W and feel much more confident doing so, I feel that using 5W you cant go "wrong".

 

just found this listing

http://bevo.mercedes-benz.com/bevolisten/229.5_de.html

unless I am misreading the chart, it would appear that 0W40 is NOT recommended under the 229.5 spec as indicated above. can someone actually link to a place online where you can buy the correct mobil 1 or motul 5W40 oil online? I'd like to buy a case or two just to have it onhand the next time i need it and for a change.

I was above to find the mobil 1 ESP 5W40 but NOT the non-ESP. likewise, I was able to find the motul 8100 X-cess but not the 8100 SAE x-cess. this really shouldnt be this obfuscated

 

All of the listed oils in the link are 229.5 approved including Mobil 1 0W-40.
You can order Mobil 1 or Motul from amazon.com

 

sorry, you're right. I meant in the 5W40 range i guess.

 

Just had my Service B and requested Total 5W40 based on the opinions of several local shops that deal with high-end european cars.

 

There is an updated oil to use here in Canada to be 5w40. I personally use Motul 5w40 229.5 spec and never have any lifter noise. I think that most dealers will tell you to use the oil they recommend because of the relationship they have with what ever oil company as long as it's spec'ed for the engine by the manufacturer.

As for the lifter noise, this is only normal if the valve train is being starved by oil. Do not allow your car to continue to make noise or you will eventually hurt the valve train and or other parts. I hate when dealers say that this is normal, that's just lazy techs. Of course, if your low on oil they will make noise but if your topped up with oil and still ticking, take it back to the dealer and make them fix it.

 

I had this same thing happen to me this past weekend! You can find the info and the full context of my issues in my thread here: https://mbworld.org/forums/c63-amg-w...d-tonight.html

But once I restarted my car, it hesitated as if it was choking twice before firing up on the third try and sounded exactly like the OPs first video (no ticking, however.) I suspect this might be a cam issue. My car is at the dealer now...waiting for an update.