genome

just wondering how many of you out there change your own oil.

i have a 99 e430 and from what i gather the oil change seems a lot simpler than any of my past cars. everything is done topside, with the aid of a simple siphon/pump unit.

has anyone encountered any problems changing their own oil?
and to those who have, do you need to change the o rings everytime?

lastly, to those who change their own oil, where do you purchase your parts, from the dealer or some thrid party. thanks.

darkLCD

I pick up the oil filter from MB dealer which comes with 4 o-ring gaskets. You should definitely change out the o-rings when you replace the oil filter. Oil, I use Castrol Syntec 5w-50. Oil extractor, I use a TopSider. Here's a link to a good webpage detailing the process of changing your oil along with informative pictures:

http://www.mercedesshop.com/diy_oil_change2.htm

**One recommendation tho, use your hands to remove the oil filter cover. Other MBtechs use their hands as well. If you have to resort to a ratchet, be careful. I heard of Jiffy Lube breaking the oil filter cover on a customer's W210 and sending the customer to MB Parts dept to pick up a new part...hehehe.

tj99e320

Because my dealer supposedly did a complete fluid service in my recently purchased '99 E320, I decided to check the levels and found the oil to be way over the max according to the dip stick.

I read all the threads I could find regarding E320 oil change. I even called my local boat stores for the Topsider oil extractor. None had it in stock, so I decided to get down and dirty:

1. Using a hydraulic floor jack, I lifted the car just high
enough to get a jack stand underneath.
2. Using a #10 socket, I removed the 4 bolts holding
the plastic cover under the oil pan.
3. Using a #13 socket, I removed the drain plug.

Anyway, if you took "auto shop" in high school and still don't mind getting a little oil on yourself, it's not rocket science.

I ended up draining a half a quart of oil to get the dip stick reading to Max. This keeps me wondering if oil change services actually harm cars by overfilling them. I don't know for sure, but doesn't it cause overpressure? It begs the question: which would you go by, the dipstick or the specified amount in the manual even if it does not jive with the dipstick?

I loosened the oil filter just to see if I could and I was able to by using one of my Nissans' filter wrench.

Anyway, it can be done the old fashion way.

TJ

genome

thanks for your replies. i've tried an oil change with using a topsider and wrench, and it was easy, much easier than i thought.

6.3

What oil is recomended for a 98 e430. Synthetic? What grade?
I am not sure if there was a synthetic oil used before on my car since I recently got it. The service book has 2 oil changes but I can not decipher if it was a synthetic or not.

Lightman

get the new mobil 1 with supersyn, 10w-30. It's really had some great oil analysis results.

mharmes

Lightman, Is subject analysis available on line? I'm letting my '98 E320's internal maintenance sensors dictate service intervals, but 12k to 13k miles between oil changes just seem like a lot of miles .... even for Mobile 1.

Lightman

that is a long time for mobil 1, and I'd sample your oil and send it off for analysis if you plan on going that long. Most likely it won't hold up much past 7500, but some oils specifically designed for extended drain intervals, like amsoils series 2000 ow-30 or mobil's delvac 1 5w-40 can go much longer. In any case, whichever oil you go with, be sure to get it tested if you plan on going that long!

haspelbein

I've been changing the oil of my '96 E320 ever since I got it about 2.5 years ago. So far, I have used Mobil 1 10w30.

Because I ended up moving to California, I decided to use a 50/50 blend of Mobil 1 10w30 and Mobil 1 15w50 instead, mostly because of the hot weather. I would have opted for Mobil 1 0w40, but it doesn't seem to be available for retail in my area.

Does anybody have similar concerns ?

Thx,
Haspelbein

vsvo

Mobil 1 0W-40 is available at Autozone if you have one nearby. You can also check for your nearest Mobil distributor: Mobil Distributor Directory

I bought 2 cases (6 1-qt bottles per) of 0W-40 from my local distributor for $51.70 plus tax.

haspelbein

VSVO,

thanks for the reference. There are no Autozones where I live. But one of the distributers is about 25 miles from my home.

Haspelbein

E320

haspelbien,
Did you know that there's a TSB that you should only put 7 quarts of oil on M104 engine(96 e320)?

mharmes

Hey E320, is there a web site for subject MB technical bulletins?

vsvo

You can search for TSB's here: Alldata Recalls and TSB . It only lists the titles, to get full content of the bulletin you have to subscribe to the service.

haspelbein

I haven't seen the TSB, but my German enthusiast manual for the E320 specifies 7 quarts to begin with.

In reality, I maybe get 6.5 to 6.75 quarts in and out of the engine. I usually put in around six quarts, start the engine, let it sit overnight and then adjust to the dipstick reading.