Well I may have done this poor engine in while changing my oil and filter a few days ago.. I’ve extracted the oil more than a few times and also performed the same on my turned in diesel VW jetta. I use the Topsider blue metal can extractor, and I like it. Simple easy satisfying. I ordered the Mann fleece filters (3 of them) from silver star MB and didn’t realize till I extracted most of the oil that they sent me the filters for the gasoline ML. They overnighted me the correct ones the day after New Years though and I completed the change. Here is the problem, When I warmed up the engine to get flow through the extractor tubes proper, I didn’t let the oil get warm enough (cold Chicago area) and I noticed the oil was going slower than usual and I feared it may only get slower and possibly stop incomplete. So I did the unimaginable. Since I hadn’t extracted much at that point and it wasn’t low to begin with, I felt confident I could put everything back together and warm her up and finish. Well, if you remember, I took out the filter and after it stopped dripping I put into a small container I had sitting by which has oily sawdust in it. Soooo, I’m slowly starting to panic a little at this point thinking about little tiny ports and other things that could get clogged if anything gets into the engine. I make the best effort to clean the filter and housing and put it back in place. I start the engine let it run for maybe two minutes and then begin the process again. This time the oil is flowing fine everything is going normal except knowing I’ll have to complain about this wrong filter matter and wait with my ML stuck in the driveway till fedex arrives two days later. The oil extracted fine and I waited for delivery.
All the three days I waited, I stressed over the possibility that I may have contributed to clogging the damn engine and wanted to blame the wrong delivery but I know I’m to blame. So the filters come I go ahead and wait for the warmer weather coming the next day and I install the “correct” filter and pour a few qts of oil in and check, and a few more for the full 9qts. Whenever I change the oil in this vehicle I check the level for a few days after I change it but with this horror story going on I checked it after a short trip I had to make. Now when I put the full 9 qts in, I made sure as always to go slow and make sure I’m not overfilling and that I made sure of. But when I checked the oil after this 20 mile trip. It was just barely reaching the minimum mark! Damn! So I drive home and want to kick my *** and feel completely stuck. I drive it a short distance later. Check again and same results So now being destructo boy that I can be, I figure why don’t I put some real pressure on whatever is lodged maybe it will blast through. I never gun my vehicles, and I didn’t push her to more than 3500rpm uphill but it seemed like sufficient force. I checked the motor and it was a better reading... Until I checked it twice today and it is even just slightly lower than the earlier low reading.
It’s being starved and it all seems futile at this point. I’m wondering if anyone has any suggestions (pressure tests to determine or that moly additive cleaner???). I’m really feeling this is it. On the only positives, it runs fine Powers fine and no indicator dummy lights. Help please

So I know I may be neurotic about this but am I imagining these tiny oil ports (for lack of another name description)? I’m going out now and performing your suggestions. Dumping and replacing. TY again

I appreciate that Kaj. TY

Now for some update on this little adventure of mine. I just got through extracting all the oil and replaced the filter as suggested by Peter. It was very new oil barely 40 miles on it. So, after checking the dipstick several times during fill up, she took all 9 qts as specified. I turned it on went through the usual leak inspection and drove around for a few minutes before checking the level. I let it sit the required amount of time and checked, and at first I was really disappointed to see what looked like nothing on the stick. I reinserted and checked closer and it dawned on me that having basically performed a flush on this thing, the oil is noticeably cleaner and clearer than the instant black oil I’m so used to seeing. Now after closer inspection I see the oil reaching exactly to the midpoint of the min/max marking. I’m relieved for the moment and have to assume MB would want a middle of the dipstick reading to be its baseline full indicator, otherwise there wouldn’t be much room for overfill in cases where the oil wasn’t fully drained. I will check multiple times for this next coming week and report back. Sorry for being so wordy and panicked. Thanks for all follow up

TY Peter

Now for some update on this little adventure of mine. I just got through extracting all the oil and replaced the filter as suggested by Peter. It was very new oil barely 40 miles on it. So, after checking the dipstick several times during fill up, she took all 9 qts as specified. I turned it on went through the usual leak inspection and drove around for a few minutes before checking the level. I let it sit the required amount of time and checked, and at first I was really disappointed to see what looked like nothing on the stick. I reinserted and checked closer and it dawned on me that having basically performed a flush on this thing, the oil is noticeably cleaner and clearer than the instant black oil I’m so used to seeing. Now after closer inspection I see the oil reaching exactly to the midpoint of the min/max marking. I’m relieved for the moment and have to assume MB would want a middle of the dipstick reading to be its baseline full indicator, otherwise there wouldn’t be much room for overfill in cases where the oil wasn’t fully drained. I will check multiple times for this next coming week and report back. Sorry for being so wordy and panicked. Thanks for all follow up

I’ll cut it open and breathe through, I mean inspect it lol. It’s all interesting to say the least.

Should have ave seen my face when I looked at the stick after replacing everything, my vision is bad and I certainly wasn’t expecting such clear diesel oil lol.

Ok so I hope these pics show well. I didn’t notice anything other than what might simply be the texture of the filter now standing out because of the color contrast

Cut filter