Twowildman

i need help my 2009 ml320 is using large amounts of oil.
i pulled the diesel exhaust filter and blew it out and cleaned it put it back on after 2 weeks its back with catalyst efficiency code again.
exhaust was dry before the exhaust filter which tells me the turbo seals are not bad.
there are a lot of oil drops coming from the pcv system. Is ther a oil centifuge on the pcv system on this engine which slings the oil drops out of pcv gas before entering to intake side of turbo.
please help

kajtek1

Did you check the "famous" oil cooler for leaks?
From what I know the particles in the filter will not come with blow. You have special DPF purge for it, or I have seen youtube where people cut DPF open, soak it in detergents and then pressure wash.

larrypmyers

To properly clean a very dirty dpf requires a very expensive dedicated machine that subjects the filter to extremely high temperatures so as to loosen the accumulated ash. After which the loose ash must be removed from the many many tiny passages. This is usually an eight hour process. After which the filter is placed on another dedicated machine that measures pressure drop across the filter thereby ensuring cleanliness.

Less dirty filters may be cleaned using high pressure water. Not necessarily an approved procedure but it seems to work. The downside is one will need to repeat this process more frequently than the one above.

The procedure that will contribute to long filter life is to ensure that both active and passive regeneration occur as called for by the vehicle's computer.

Another tip is to use low ash motor oil.

Twowildman

yes these are supposedly not cleanable. i was able to clean it. .this oil is not leaking externally it is burning the oil

Twowildman

i am using low ashe oil.
is there a oil centrifuge in the crankcase breather system.,
or do you have any suggestions on where or how the oil is entering the combustion chamber.

kajtek1

Blow-by.
Open oil fill cap on stopped engine, put paper towel on the hole and start the engine.
Towel should stay on it. If it gets blown- you have excessive blow-by.

rosenhauer

I have performed this test and the paper towel stayed on no excessive pressure or smoke. I also plugged the line going back to the turbo inlet (the "ERG" line) and it slowly builds pressure. The engine didn't die for more than 20 seconds - This was a test on older diesel engines not sure if it's valid on the om642. I had already replaced this also a few months ago. I pulled the y tube to get to the turbo. There is no plan or movement of the shaft and it spins freely.

On our trip to last week I got the check engine oil level at next refueling twice. I ended up adding 2 quarts each time - the level didn't touch the dipstick. So about 4 quarts in 4000 miles.

Any other places to check. There is no oil dripping anywhere and no burnt oil smell so I don't think it's dripping onto the exhaust.

Daveh5525

How many miles are on the car and how many miles between oil changes?
I had a 2007 GL320 CDI that started using oil at about 130,000 miles. I got the same message to check oil level at next fill up. I only had to add 1 quart. My mechanic said that the oil was breaking down and then blowing by the piston rings. He recommnded oil changes at 5,000 miles. He then did an oil flush to get rid of any sludge due to oil changes every 10,000 miles. I then had no more problems with that car to 160,000 miles. I traded it for a certified pre owned 2016 GL350 Bluetech with extended warrantee til 2022.

rosenhauer

I'm at 114K miles.

Bought it with 93K no idea what PO used. Timing Chain at 97K (LiquiMoly used by the shop invoice doesn't say what one). Changed to Amsoil at 104k. I know I didn't get 9 qts out of it but didn't measure it. It's due now for the oil change according to the computer (~10k miles). I'm used good quality oil (Amsoil European AFL 5w40) for the last oil change. But the stuff I've added has been walmart stuff since I was on the road. It was Pennzoil Platinum Euro L 5w30. It's 229.51 rated (but not approved) it was the best I could do in the middle of nowhere. Maybe the 5w30 is too thin in.

I'm doing a flush and change tonight back to the AFL and will check/log at every fuel up. From the logging I did on this last oil change it went 4600 miles before the first message (2300 mi/qt) then 1200 mi/qt after the Pennzoil (first time) then 750 mi/qt after the second topoff. I'll be keeping some AFL in the truck from now on.

kajtek1

2300 mi/qt is nothing.
One of the members with gasoline engine was having long issue with oil consumption and dealer notify him that MB allows like 1.5l per 1000 km. His story ended in finding hard to see leak after all.
My previous MB diesels always used oil. Not that I had to add more often than twice between the changes, but I also change oil starting 1 cm above MIN mark, so I can add refreshing detergents later on.
Understand that "rated" is very long way from "approved" but small addition of different oil should not play significant role.
I think engine flush is overkill and you will be left with some cleaners left to be mixed with new oil.
Than borescopes sell for like $10 so if you are really concern -stick one into drain hole. Sludge also would stuck on valvetrain and some engines will show it via fill hole.

rosenhauer

I did the oil change and decided to change the Air Filters also as I read that dirty air filters can cause excessive oil use by creating vacuum that can pull oil from the CCV breather line. They were dirty but not horrible. I also replaced the turbo inlet seal. I was also wondering if I need to look at draining the inter-cooler. It looks like the way the lines go to it it will act like a giant catch can. Has anyone else done this? I assume there is no factory drain so I'll have to either remove it (looks like a lot of work) or drill/plug it.

kajtek1

Even if you flush intercooler it won't be long till it gets soaked with oil again. That is the way it is design.

rosenhauer

Just made an unexpected 930 mile trip and now at 1200 miles from oil change had the check oil level message again and it's down 2 quarts. This trip was 90% highway driving and we got 27+ MPG (from car computer 24MPG from fuel logs) which is on par with what I was getting before I started noticing the high oil consumption. I had just washed the undercarriage a few days before the trip and it's still clean of oil, I haven't pulled the panels back off for a close inspection but no drips in the garage where we parked it last night and I didn't see anything where we parked it on the trip. So I'm still assuming it's consuming it not leaking it (so not oil cooler leak).

I'm considering doing a temp "elephant hose" into a jug and see how much oil I collect. That may let me know if it's still a CCV issue (I already replaced the CCV separator/hose assembly about 5K miles ago) or if it's maybe a turbo seal and it's going straight into the exhaust. According to my TorqueApp logs on the 930 mile trip it did 6 regens of the AdBlue system. That seems too often. I thought it was normal every 500+ miles. If it is a CCV issue would a compression test be next or is there another way to test the CCV separator apart from replacing again?

dave2001auto

BTW Pennzoil Platinum Euro L 5w30 is mb approved 229.51 oil. Oil from the intercooler can be shunted from its low point back to the oil separator by a thin tube using the pressure difference. From a Vw board?

dave2001auto

If the turbo is leaking that much oil directly into the dpf, it should be overheating and possible killing the o2 sensor.? After my turbo was replace I lost 2 l of oil on the highway. From okay level to check oil level in 100 miles.

kajtek1

Add Blue is not making regenerations. It adds fluid to the exhaust base on the flow rate and probably other parameters.
I have smaller tank on Ford Truck, that usually last for 3000 miles of freeway driving, but mountain driving seems to suck it big time.
Per my observation on E250 the DPF regeneration starts about every fill up or 600 miles, but that around the city.