bzliteyear

hi guys,
i have a 1995 E320 cabriolet w/ 80k miles and only drive about 3k/yr, mostly wknds and summer time.
do you think i should change oil once a year regardless of miles?
also, is it worth using synthetic vs. regular?
lastly, when the engine is cold, the first 3-5 minutes, there's some light clicking sounds from the engine. what could cause that?
i'm changing oil this am and will try to see what happens.
thx in advance for everyone's input.
Patrick

Kestas

I have the same car, same year, and same miles. Since it's my summer-only car it sees only 5K every year.

I use regular oil, not synthetic. Since oils have improved over the years, and the oil sump is 7 qts for this car, I've extended my oil changes from 3K to 4K or 5K.

Changing every year should be okay for your car. If you want to let it go to 18 months between changes, that would be okay too. I also have a 70s muscle car that sees fewer miles. I can easily go 3-4 years between oil changes. Others have, and proved that these extended oil change intervals are not harmful to the engine with oil testing.

Given your driving habits, I see no need for you to use synthetic oil.

bzliteyear

thx kesta for quick response.
any ideas on the clicking sound from engine during the first 3-5 minutes when i first turn on the engine - usually when the engine is cold. is that common for the w124 6 cylinders when the engine is cold?
after the temperature get to 60 degrees C, and for sure by 80 degrees, the sound is gone and the car sounds great.
thx.
Patrick

R90S

I heard a light tapping or clicking sound in a '92 300CE Sportline I testdrove several weeks ago, 158,000 miles, engine peformed well but the tapping sound and some other concerns put me off and I didn't pursue a deal.

chodder

hi, the clicking sound , does this sound like the hydrolic tappets? as you might be using oil that is to thick (viscosity) thats why when temperature is increased it goes because oil is thinning out to properly fill the hydrolic tappets! just a thought! as far as synthetic oil i would strongly recommend this as it is far better mineral oil! thanks

vili1982

What he said, I had teh same problem for first 2 min it would click then when the car warms up it's gone, I switched to mobil 1 and problem is gone. The oil you are using is just too thick..

starcar

Same here...most def hydraulic lifters!

bzliteyear

my MB svc tech(not mechanic) said good likelihood it's the belt that's a little loose when cold, and when the engine warms up it's fine. he said he could tighten it, but it's expensive and up to $1k to to it. that said, he said it does no harm to continue driving it this way...just a bit annoying when the engine is cold. for me, changing the oil using synthetic did not make the clicking sound go away when the engine's cold.
Patrick

starcar

If the clicking stops after it warms up, it's lifters, if it doesn't then it could be the belt tensioner or belt problem. Are you using 15W40 oil or?

bzliteyear

okay guys...now i'm really confused.
is it still lifters?
fyi, i do use synthic oil, but that did not make the clicking sound go away. also, the sound is in the first 3-5 minutes or so in the am when the temperature is below 80 deg C on the indicator.
also, i do not hear the clicking sound when the engine is in idle or when the car is coasting - only when i am accelerating and from about 1100 RPM to about 3000 RPM. the sound goes away when i left the throttle.
lastly, the power also appears to be less, but that could be my imagination as i try to be gentle w/ the throttle when the engine is cold.
any other thoughts guys?
Patrick

starcar

If it doesn't stop after it warms up, it's not lifters, it's something else, maybe belt tensioner assembly.

bzliteyear

so if it's the lifters, how do you fix that - sounds expensive?
btw, i'm pretty sure i used mobile 1 on it 3 months ago, but i could always try changing the oil again...i can't recall exactly, but i think it was 5-30W from costco.
is that ok for norcal temp?
Patrick

starcar

When I started using 15W40, clicking sound stopped.

Link/discussion regarding what kind of oil to use:

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...d-oil-use.html

This could be making noise as well, happened to me as well. (take a look at the thread below)

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...en-starts.html

Good luck!

bzliteyear

i just checked and i think i last changed it w/ 10W30 mobile 1(and the clicking did not go away).
could that make a difference between click or no clicking sound?
i thot it was pretty safe since it was synthtic?
Patrick

starcar

Worked for me! I went 10w30 and clicking started when I have done that, next time switched to 15w40 and noticed that clicking has gone away.

chodder

a up, there is only three things that this could be number 1 hydrolic tappets, number 2 camchain and or tensioner and three small ends as in where the piston attaches to the con rod!!! the tappets are hydrolic so is the cam chain tensioner!! is your oil pressure good????? does the car have any service history???? if so was the oil you took out in good condition (not dirty or sludgy) as if the car has other problems as in head gasket problems ie water in oil, then this could be blocking oil ways preventing those hydrolics from working!!!!! if the oil was dirty as in dark golden colour then all is ok! when i change the oil in my e220 its just slightly discoloured this is after about 5000miles!! good servicing using full synthetic oil does pay! as far as the small ends this also could be due to poor servicing, how long have you owned the car? has the problem always been there or has it just started???? cheers

bzliteyear

hey guys,
guess what?
with the warmer weather, the engine no longer makes clicking sounds in the morning. i was going to change from 10-30 oil to 10-40, but perhaps no need to for the summer. my questions is could the difference be that major as to cause the clicking sound when the engine is cold?
Patrick

w124uk

Depends, mainly on the mileage your car has done. Imagine the build-up on an engine that has done a few miles on mineral oil, the detergents and different viscosity of the synthetic oil won't help...

Using synthetic oil in a high mileage car that had been running on mineral oil for a long time can cause leaks etc. I would not do it if I were you.

bzliteyear

wow - this is something new for me to consider. my E320 cab is 1995 w/ 81k miles...i think mostly conventional oil until i bought the car 2 yrs ago at 76k miles and started using mobile 1.
should i go back to conventional - or stick w/ mobile 1(but switching to 10-40)?
Patrick

chodder

stick with mobil f1, the guy who says that it can cause leaks has been reading to many story books, perhaps in very high mileage cars but merc's are not high until 300k i'm a qualified mechanic and have been for the past 25yrs alot of peaple say this but i have never known this to happen, as far as mobil you cannot buy a better oil than that!!!!! this oil can withstand extreme temperatures any has a wide viscosity, ranging from 0-50w to 5-50w this is suitable for you car as it far exceeds mercedes specifications, alot of people do not understand what the viscosity is! this is a timing method of how much oil can be poured through a viscocity cup given a certain time!!!so 0- is very good for cold starting in extreme cold conditions as its so thin that not only does the engine turn over easyer but also gets to those hydrolic tappits quicker. the 50w means that it can withstand high temp and not break down easy in exteme high temp situations like sitting in traffic, also yes mineral oils have come a long way over the years but so have synthetic's i should know as my brother used to mix oils for a large oil company in the uk, after said and done i prefire to spend a bit extra to look after my car it's well worth it, if all of you on here are so good what does wd40 stand for? and which fluid in your car is Hydroscopic

without looking it up!!!!!!

landspeed124

I know! I know!

chodder

go on then!!!!!!!!!!!! we are waiting