Patton001

How the heck do you get to the drain plug. It appears to be blocked by a brace under there. I can get a socket on it but not with the wrench on the socket. Am I in the right place?

megacrazy

Is this where you're looking?

Patton001

Yeah, finally got it. My manual didn't show that brace in the way. Just very little room to turn the wrench.

Rudeney

Better yet, use a top-side suction pump through the dipstick tube.

Patton001

I am thinking about it but I am old school. I like to get under and crawl around.

abqhudson

Is there access for my Topsider on my 2005 CLK convertible - no dipstick? Any help will be appreciated.

grane

Mityvac rules.

Rudeney

Even though there is no dipstick, there is still a dipstick tube. It will have a small plastic cap on it. Don't confuse it with the transmission dipstick tube (it will have a sealed cap that has to be broken for removal).

abqhudson

Thanks.

Rudeney

Here's the MityVac fluid extractor that I use...

http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/p-16...ator-plus.aspx

Patton001

I would be interested in ani experiment . Use a vac to pull out as much oil as you can, then pull the plug and see how much more comes out.

Rudeney

My guess is that you will get a little more oil from the lower drain. Since you suction the oil out when hot, you really aren't going to leave any sediment pooled in the bottom of the pan, so it's just a matter of whether or not it's worth it for the mess and trouble to get that extra few ounces out.

clydem

I just did an oil change today. ride the car up on some ramps and it's cake dropping the plastic underbody panels. Easy access to the drain plug.

I'm not comfortable not being able to read a dipstick on the oil lever afterwards. I called my local MB dealer who said it is a "Tool" and not a part and goes for $150.

Anybody have a 2nd source or a place to buy it cheaper?

Rudeney

The part number you want is 120 589 07 21 00, and yes, MSRP is about $150.

Here's a good price on one (though I can't necessarily recommend that seller):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mercedes-Benz-Engine-Oil-Dipstick-Volute-End-MB-part-120-589-07-21-00-/111156960064?pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&hash=item19e1789b40&vxp=mtr

clydem

Thank you. Tool bought

<lk350

When using the drain pan I would say you will not be as successful in extracting all the oil as you would from vacing it out from the top.

How are you not comfortable with out a dip stick? the car has sensors and all that good stuff to let you know what the oil level is at, scroll thru your comp settings to find oil level ( car should be off)

clydem

I would expect the drain pan to be more efficient. First, that's the way the engine was designed, and second - metals (if any) and gunk would sink to the pan floor and I wouldn't expect a pump to pick them up unless they were suspended in solution.

As to the sensors - I'll have to recheck my 320CLK. But all I've seen has been simply "Level OK". there's no level sensing so if I was a quart low, or a quart high, I wouldn't know it.

Fatz

<lk350, I agree with you on the evacuation of the oil vs draining. I replied with what I experienced on this several mths ago. I used a mity-vac and the oil was sucked out completely by the time I got the filter off. I had to go under the car anyway because I needed to change the drain plug seal (leaking).

I had rotated the evac tube around a couple times, to do this test, before raising the car. Not a drop of oil dripped out when I removed the plug. Lowered the car with plug removed; nothing. Besides, the plug is on the side of the pan and not the bottom making it unlikely that you could drain all the oil via the plug (unless you tilted the car/pan).

And, I would guest the oil is pumped from the tank similiar to the way gas is pumped fromthe gas tank; unless you run near empty a lot, you won't pick up much, if any, of the trash in the bottom of you gas tank. Besides, there is a filter in both systems.

I think to drain the oil is just the preferred method of some. Having choice is good. I still hand wash my car myself and wax my wheels almost as much as I wax the car body and put protectant on the underbody panels. Go figure!

megacrazy

I would have to agree that draining the oil gets more of the crap that's at the bottom of the pan out. You might suck all the oil out but I doubt the contaminants will come out as well. Plus it's not that big of a deal to drive the car up on a ramp and drain the oil. It's the "under the car experience" that matters haha.

clydem

Mine has the plug on the back, so when she's up on ramps, the tilt is spot-on.

But then any dealer using a lift, the car is drained level.

mis3

<lk350: How about defective sensors? I myself prefer a dipstick to check the oil level.

clydem: Go to Dyno Mode and you will see exactly the oil level in liters. Do a search how to go to Dyno Mode in your car.

Rudeney

On thing to remember is that when using the suction method, the oil is to be at operating temp, which means most particulate is suspended in the oil so it gets sucked out and doesn't lie at the bottom of the pan.

clydem

Son-of-a-gun! I've never seen that series before. THough I'll have to recheck it later. It said 8.8 and since I just did an oil change, there should be 8qts in there.

DangermouseCLK

I assume that the drain plug on a CLK320 is at the rear and that for a CLK350 is at the side.

I did mine on my 320 a few months ago, but I realized after I had the plug out that I didn't have a new copper crush washer. The old one looked OK, so I just reused it (not that I had a choice). But afterwards, I've had a tiny leak when the oil heats up - cold, there's no leak.

So now I have to do it again, and try and capture that almost-new oil in a clean container and re-use if possible.

In my case, the Mityvac would have worked out better, but I will probably still keep doing it the old-fashioned way as I like to poke around under there looking at rubber boots etc.

clydem

FYI - in a pinch such as that, you can re-anneal the washer by heating it (away from the plug & car ) with a propane torch.