M176 Engine Oil Capacity
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Joined: Oct 2019
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From: Colorado
G550
M176 Engine Oil Capacity
I changed my 2019 G550's engine oil for the third time about 3 months/1300 miles ago at 10,000 miles (earlier changes were at 1K and 5K). The owner's manual specifies 10 qts with the filter change, and this time I used Castrol Full Synthetic 5W-30 Euro Formula that's MB-229.5 approved. The first 2 changes were Mobil-1 0W-40 Euro Formula (also MB229.5).
I fully drained the sump and the filter cannister with the oil fill cap removed to ensure no vacuum blocks prevented full drainage, and captured about 9.5 qts in waste containers, plus the saturated filter and a bit of spillage. I added two 5 gallon jugs of Castrol and a new OE Hengst filter.
Thereafter, I began to experience excess oil level messages telling me to remove oil, and the instrument panel oil level indicator showed 4 orange bars, also telling me to reduce oil level. The pop-up messages did not appear every time I've since driven the truck, but the oil level overfill indication has been consistent. Lacking a dipstick, all I had to rely on was that I had fully drained the sump and filter, and that I had added exactly 10 qts of new oil. Then 2 days ago, the reduce oil level message appeared not only on the instrument cluster, but on the navigation screen also. Clearly the truck wasn't happy.
Anyone who has changed his/her own oil knows that using the sump's drain plug to remove a quart of oil isn't a great idea. So I removed the oil filter cannister drain plug and used a 1 quart plastic measuring cup to catch the outflow. The first cup or so came out quickly, while the last 3 cups took about 45 minutes. I extracted exactly 4 cups (1 quart) with no spillage, and a negligible amount on my fingers and the plug.
I reinstalled the drain plug and skid plate and went for a drive. The oil measuring system took 7 miles at 65 mph and 2 miles at 40 mph before registering the oil level, which showed 3 green blocks and the message Engine Oil Level OK. This indication remained for the remainder of my drive. (Hopefully, had I drained the sump entirely, an Add Oil indication wouldn't have taken 9 miles to appear.)
So now I'm entirely confused about the M176's oil capacity, and conclude one of the following must be true:
1. The owner's manual is wrong - the correct oil capacity is only 9 qts., not 10 qts.
2. The electronic oil level measuring system is functional but it's mis-calibrated.
3. Even with removal of the sump drain plug and oil filter cannister, a quart of oil remains somewhere in the motor.
4. There is some oil level measuring dependency on oil weight - 9 qts. of 5W-30 = 10 qts. 0W-40
5. MB has discovered a way to grow oil inside its engine.
My next oil change in a couple months will be back to Mobil-1 0W-40, and I'll start off with 9 qts. and see what the oil level indicator registers. I would like to hear the experiences of others, either DIY'ers or any incidents related to dealer service overfills.
I've been fine with dipstick measurements my entire life. A smartphone-like app that I have to scroll through several screens to access while driving just so I can be amused by a colorful oil barrel graphic is a dumb idea IMO.
I fully drained the sump and the filter cannister with the oil fill cap removed to ensure no vacuum blocks prevented full drainage, and captured about 9.5 qts in waste containers, plus the saturated filter and a bit of spillage. I added two 5 gallon jugs of Castrol and a new OE Hengst filter.
Thereafter, I began to experience excess oil level messages telling me to remove oil, and the instrument panel oil level indicator showed 4 orange bars, also telling me to reduce oil level. The pop-up messages did not appear every time I've since driven the truck, but the oil level overfill indication has been consistent. Lacking a dipstick, all I had to rely on was that I had fully drained the sump and filter, and that I had added exactly 10 qts of new oil. Then 2 days ago, the reduce oil level message appeared not only on the instrument cluster, but on the navigation screen also. Clearly the truck wasn't happy.
Anyone who has changed his/her own oil knows that using the sump's drain plug to remove a quart of oil isn't a great idea. So I removed the oil filter cannister drain plug and used a 1 quart plastic measuring cup to catch the outflow. The first cup or so came out quickly, while the last 3 cups took about 45 minutes. I extracted exactly 4 cups (1 quart) with no spillage, and a negligible amount on my fingers and the plug.
I reinstalled the drain plug and skid plate and went for a drive. The oil measuring system took 7 miles at 65 mph and 2 miles at 40 mph before registering the oil level, which showed 3 green blocks and the message Engine Oil Level OK. This indication remained for the remainder of my drive. (Hopefully, had I drained the sump entirely, an Add Oil indication wouldn't have taken 9 miles to appear.)
So now I'm entirely confused about the M176's oil capacity, and conclude one of the following must be true:
1. The owner's manual is wrong - the correct oil capacity is only 9 qts., not 10 qts.
2. The electronic oil level measuring system is functional but it's mis-calibrated.
3. Even with removal of the sump drain plug and oil filter cannister, a quart of oil remains somewhere in the motor.
4. There is some oil level measuring dependency on oil weight - 9 qts. of 5W-30 = 10 qts. 0W-40
5. MB has discovered a way to grow oil inside its engine.
My next oil change in a couple months will be back to Mobil-1 0W-40, and I'll start off with 9 qts. and see what the oil level indicator registers. I would like to hear the experiences of others, either DIY'ers or any incidents related to dealer service overfills.
I've been fine with dipstick measurements my entire life. A smartphone-like app that I have to scroll through several screens to access while driving just so I can be amused by a colorful oil barrel graphic is a dumb idea IMO.
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Joined: May 2021
Posts: 88
Likes: 26
2020 G550
I changed my 2019 G550's engine oil for the third time about 3 months/1300 miles ago at 10,000 miles (earlier changes were at 1K and 5K). The owner's manual specifies 10 qts with the filter change, and this time I used Castrol Full Synthetic 5W-30 Euro Formula that's MB-229.5 approved. The first 2 changes were Mobil-1 0W-40 Euro Formula (also MB229.5).
I fully drained the sump and the filter cannister with the oil fill cap removed to ensure no vacuum blocks prevented full drainage, and captured about 9.5 qts in waste containers, plus the saturated filter and a bit of spillage. I added two 5 gallon jugs of Castrol and a new OE Hengst filter.
Thereafter, I began to experience excess oil level messages telling me to remove oil, and the instrument panel oil level indicator showed 4 orange bars, also telling me to reduce oil level. The pop-up messages did not appear every time I've since driven the truck, but the oil level overfill indication has been consistent. Lacking a dipstick, all I had to rely on was that I had fully drained the sump and filter, and that I had added exactly 10 qts of new oil. Then 2 days ago, the reduce oil level message appeared not only on the instrument cluster, but on the navigation screen also. Clearly the truck wasn't happy.
Anyone who has changed his/her own oil knows that using the sump's drain plug to remove a quart of oil isn't a great idea. So I removed the oil filter cannister drain plug and used a 1 quart plastic measuring cup to catch the outflow. The first cup or so came out quickly, while the last 3 cups took about 45 minutes. I extracted exactly 4 cups (1 quart) with no spillage, and a negligible amount on my fingers and the plug.
I reinstalled the drain plug and skid plate and went for a drive. The oil measuring system took 7 miles at 65 mph and 2 miles at 40 mph before registering the oil level, which showed 3 green blocks and the message Engine Oil Level OK. This indication remained for the remainder of my drive. (Hopefully, had I drained the sump entirely, an Add Oil indication wouldn't have taken 9 miles to appear.)
So now I'm entirely confused about the M176's oil capacity, and conclude one of the following must be true:
1. The owner's manual is wrong - the correct oil capacity is only 9 qts., not 10 qts.
2. The electronic oil level measuring system is functional but it's mis-calibrated.
3. Even with removal of the sump drain plug and oil filter cannister, a quart of oil remains somewhere in the motor.
4. There is some oil level measuring dependency on oil weight - 9 qts. of 5W-30 = 10 qts. 0W-40
5. MB has discovered a way to grow oil inside its engine.
My next oil change in a couple months will be back to Mobil-1 0W-40, and I'll start off with 9 qts. and see what the oil level indicator registers. I would like to hear the experiences of others, either DIY'ers or any incidents related to dealer service overfills.
I've been fine with dipstick measurements my entire life. A smartphone-like app that I have to scroll through several screens to access while driving just so I can be amused by a colorful oil barrel graphic is a dumb idea IMO.
I fully drained the sump and the filter cannister with the oil fill cap removed to ensure no vacuum blocks prevented full drainage, and captured about 9.5 qts in waste containers, plus the saturated filter and a bit of spillage. I added two 5 gallon jugs of Castrol and a new OE Hengst filter.
Thereafter, I began to experience excess oil level messages telling me to remove oil, and the instrument panel oil level indicator showed 4 orange bars, also telling me to reduce oil level. The pop-up messages did not appear every time I've since driven the truck, but the oil level overfill indication has been consistent. Lacking a dipstick, all I had to rely on was that I had fully drained the sump and filter, and that I had added exactly 10 qts of new oil. Then 2 days ago, the reduce oil level message appeared not only on the instrument cluster, but on the navigation screen also. Clearly the truck wasn't happy.
Anyone who has changed his/her own oil knows that using the sump's drain plug to remove a quart of oil isn't a great idea. So I removed the oil filter cannister drain plug and used a 1 quart plastic measuring cup to catch the outflow. The first cup or so came out quickly, while the last 3 cups took about 45 minutes. I extracted exactly 4 cups (1 quart) with no spillage, and a negligible amount on my fingers and the plug.
I reinstalled the drain plug and skid plate and went for a drive. The oil measuring system took 7 miles at 65 mph and 2 miles at 40 mph before registering the oil level, which showed 3 green blocks and the message Engine Oil Level OK. This indication remained for the remainder of my drive. (Hopefully, had I drained the sump entirely, an Add Oil indication wouldn't have taken 9 miles to appear.)
So now I'm entirely confused about the M176's oil capacity, and conclude one of the following must be true:
1. The owner's manual is wrong - the correct oil capacity is only 9 qts., not 10 qts.
2. The electronic oil level measuring system is functional but it's mis-calibrated.
3. Even with removal of the sump drain plug and oil filter cannister, a quart of oil remains somewhere in the motor.
4. There is some oil level measuring dependency on oil weight - 9 qts. of 5W-30 = 10 qts. 0W-40
5. MB has discovered a way to grow oil inside its engine.
My next oil change in a couple months will be back to Mobil-1 0W-40, and I'll start off with 9 qts. and see what the oil level indicator registers. I would like to hear the experiences of others, either DIY'ers or any incidents related to dealer service overfills.
I've been fine with dipstick measurements my entire life. A smartphone-like app that I have to scroll through several screens to access while driving just so I can be amused by a colorful oil barrel graphic is a dumb idea IMO.
I've changed mine once so far and I guess I didn't look in the manual to see the oil capacity. I had googled it and it shows up as 9.5QT for the capacity. So maybe the manual is wrong again?? But without a dipstick, I put in 9QT, drove around till it could measure, then went back home to top off.
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 5,152
Likes: 1,766
From: Colorado
G550
I've changed mine once so far and I guess I didn't look in the manual to see the oil capacity. I had googled it and it shows up as 9.5QT for the capacity. So maybe the manual is wrong again?? But without a dipstick, I put in 9QT, drove around till it could measure, then went back home to top off.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 1,184
Likes: 891
From: Arizona
Bentley Continental GT; AMG GT
The manual tells you what the capacity of the system is,10 qts, but you'll never get 10 qts out with a drain on a car with an oil cooler. The half qt sits in the cooler and lines and will not drain. So, if you try to add 10 qts according to the capacity of the system you'll be overfilled.
This happens on a lot of different cars with oil coolers that sit up front with a radiator and feed/return lines. On some cars like my AMG GT the system fill is 9 qts, but you cannot drain more than 7.5 qts following the change instructions to the letter. And, many (including some dealer techs) who don't follow the entire process can only get 6.5 qts on a drain and overfill the system every time.
This happens on a lot of different cars with oil coolers that sit up front with a radiator and feed/return lines. On some cars like my AMG GT the system fill is 9 qts, but you cannot drain more than 7.5 qts following the change instructions to the letter. And, many (including some dealer techs) who don't follow the entire process can only get 6.5 qts on a drain and overfill the system every time.
Thread Starter
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 5,152
Likes: 1,766
From: Colorado
G550
The manual tells you what the capacity of the system is,10 qts, but you'll never get 10 qts out with a drain on a car with an oil cooler. The half qt sits in the cooler and lines and will not drain. So, if you try to add 10 qts according to the capacity of the system you'll be overfilled.
This happens on a lot of different cars with oil coolers that sit up front with a radiator and feed/return lines. On some cars like my AMG GT the system fill is 9 qts, but you cannot drain more than 7.5 qts following the change instructions to the letter. And, many (including some dealer techs) who don't follow the entire process can only get 6.5 qts on a drain and overfill the system every time.
This happens on a lot of different cars with oil coolers that sit up front with a radiator and feed/return lines. On some cars like my AMG GT the system fill is 9 qts, but you cannot drain more than 7.5 qts following the change instructions to the letter. And, many (including some dealer techs) who don't follow the entire process can only get 6.5 qts on a drain and overfill the system every time.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 1,184
Likes: 891
From: Arizona
Bentley Continental GT; AMG GT
Yes on the G550
https://www.mbpartsworld.com/v-2019-...ine-oil-cooler
And yes on the 177/178
My GT is the dry sump (with an oil cooler) and the 177 is a 9(L) factory fill with an oil cooler.
https://www.mbpartsworld.com/v-2019-...ine-oil-cooler
And yes on the 177/178
My GT is the dry sump (with an oil cooler) and the 177 is a 9(L) factory fill with an oil cooler.
