Incendiary

Hi all,

I have a '91 190E 2.6. I'm interested in doing the oil changes myself. I've never actually done one before, so I wouldn't really know where to begin. Are there any sites with DIYs for this model?

Also, my engine has been burning oil like crazy... Even though I've been using conventional oil the whole time I've owned the car, do you think it'd be okay to switch to synthetic? Is there a list of approved oils somewhere?

Thanks in advance!

sph17

Suggest as heavy a heavy weight (i.e. 20W-50) oil, as your ambient temp will allow. 20W-50 would be too thick for a winter up north, but would be fine for summer, or all-year round down south.

Don't switch to a synthetic now, as it probably will burn even more as it is usually a thinner oil, and may promote oil-leaks. see below:

In the old days there was only single weight oils. As oil gets hot, it gets thinner. An oil that starts out "thick" like a 50 weight oil, as it gets hot thins out to what a 0 weight (or less) is cold.

A 5w-30 weight oil has additives that resist "thining out" as it gets hot. It starts out like a "cold" single weight 5 and as it gets hot, it acts like a "hot" 30 weight oil. All the time, as it is getting hot, it still is "thining" out or decreasing in viscosity, just not as much as a single weight oil does.

If you changed from a petrolium based oil to a synthetic oil, the superior detergents in the synthetic oil may have disloged "false oil plugs" that were keeping your gaskets from leaking. This happended to me twice before with older MBs, so I do not change TO synthetic. I have never had much luck with the "Stop Oil Leak" products that try to expand the gaskets, or try to block the leaks. You could try Castrol 5W-50, if you wanted the use about the thickest Synthetic made, or Castol 20W50 petrolium based.

Good Luck

Incendiary

Great, thanks a lot. If I use thicker oil, does that mean I need to warm up the car for longer, though? So instead of driving for 5-10 minutes slowly, I'd have to drive 10-15 min slowly?

Also, I was told the days of changing at every 3000 miles are long gone. Is that true of a '91 as well? Every 5000 or even every 7500 is okay?

sph17

I usually do not warm up my cars. I start them and drive easaly until they warm up. I don't adjust this based on oil weight.

In reference to oil change interval, you will get many different reccomendations. Some people change their oil every 3-4,000 miles, even when using Synthetic. I pesonally think this is overkill, but others will argue otherwise.

With my diesels I change every 5,000 miles. I have had three W-123, and all went over 200,000 miles without any major engine problems. They used a variety of dino oil and synthetic, mostly dino oil.

With my two W-202's I used/use synthetic and change every 7,500 miles. With my E-39 I use synthtetic and change when the idiot lights tell me its time (every 8-11,000 miles).

If I were you, with an old 190e, I would use dino oil, and change every 5-7,500 miles or every year, whichever comes first.

Good Luck.

Incendiary

By dino oil, do you mean conventional? (Sorry, I don't know anything about this stuff.)

Also, any recommendations for air filter changes? I recently found out that it needs to be changed at regular intervals as well. Same time I change the oil, ie every 5k?

Thanks again.

GDawgC220

yup, dino oil is conventional stuff.

air filter, eh? you can change it at every oil change, but may be over kill...I think every other oil change would be good. A good way to see if it does need changing is take it out of the housing, hold it up to the sunlight or a light, spread the "fins" apart...if you see light, still good, but if no light, it's clogged. Get a new one. As long as you got the housing open, vacuum that sh*t up in there always lots of sand and dead bugs in there.

Incendiary

Awesome, thanks.

Sounds like no DIY out there. Maybe there's a Bentley manual or something similar...

GDawgC220

Oh no, you can definately DIY. What you need is a "top-sider". What that does is you stick a tube down the dip-stick tube and it sucks the oil out into a canister that you pump up. Then you need a oil filter tool, which you can buy at the MB parts counter for I think around $15 or so. Then you just refill it, put in the new filter and voila. Buy your own oil and order the filter online.

sph17

as it is easy to use and change your oil. Avoids having to jack your car up and place a jack stand (for safety), take off the under-belly panel (only four screw/bolts), and take the 13mm oil pan nut off, and let the oil drain into a pan.

TopSider people praise the ease and cleanlyness. Thoes who drain from below feel better knowing any sludge in the bottom of the oil pan has a better chance of draining. Drainers from below will also poit out that you can check for small oil and fluid leaks while under the car, and know early if your head gasket has gone (if you havn't replaced it yet).

The oil fiter removal tool is also available as a generic at Auto Parts stores. I got mine at an AutoBarn and it works fine.

It is your call. If you are not mechanically inclined, then the TopSider is the way to go.