vinflouen

What oil weights are you all running?
i am running mobil 1 esp 5w-30, but I am looking for something different.

SW20S

Why are you looking for something different?

I run whatever the dealer or my independent shop uses, usually 5W40. Be sure to use the right MB Spec oil, that really limits the viscosity options

ygmn

Tis all about the ambient temp and oil chart in my owners manual.

dlafever

This stuff.
https://www.liqui-moly.com/en/us/lei...0330.html#2331

It meets the Mercedes spec for our engines and I use the 5W-40 because I live in the desert where freezing temps are not a thing, but pre-heated engine oil in the morning is! Usually on startup in the summer months my engine oil temp is already 45C+

streborx

Different in what way from MB approved blends?

Tom in Austin

5W - 40 in central Texas ...

SW20S

That is what my MB independent specialist uses

Lou B

WHY ARE YOU LOOKING FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT?

badq45t

I was using dealer installed Mbile 1 which I was never a big fan of but that was what they were pouring. With factory warranty gone I switched to liquid-moly that my indy uses for all german cars, cannot say I say I have noticed any difference but this will be my choice moving forward.I would use amsoil if he carried it but too much of a PITA to get that from across town and bring with me to his shop.

Lou B

Trying to outguess M B would be a PITA for me, for sure.

My dealer chooses the article when he services my car.

as.thompson

Why not use what the manufacturer specifies in the Owners' Manual?

MB2timer

Great question.
Maybe there are ulterior motives at hand.
I would hate to think illogical thinking was the culprit.

streborx

My OM states only the MB spec 229.51, and not oil grade/viscosity. Approved oils meeting MB specs are at https://operatingfluids.mercedes-ben...ory/engine-oil

vinflouen

If you read my posts you see I am a maintenance and diy champ.
i have been using mobil 1 and the mercedes fine olive oil in 5w-30 for my last 2 S classes.
i get a small valve tappet at start, or something knocking around for a min, then goes away.
maybe i use a thinner oil?
maybe some sea foam.
which is why i want to see what other weights are being used.
i used 0w-40 in my w220 and it ate the oil so I dont want to go too thin either…

Mitch Alsup

Oil weight has to do with the oil's viscosity over temperature--and there is no doubt that one should be in the correct ball-park*. But face the facts:: the engine want a particular viscosity, say 10 centiStokes, and it want is at -40º and at 250º and there is no oil that comes ANYWHERE close. if it gets close at the cold temps it is vastly too thin at the high end, if it gets there at high temps, it is vastly too thick at the cold temps.

On the other hand, there is an anti-wear package that needs to be correct so the high pressure components of the engine wear at the slowest rate possible (ZDDP, Moly,...); there are friction modifiers so the sliding parts live long and happy lives; and there is the anti-corrosion package so the car sitting in the garage decomposes at the slowest possible rates (calcium, magnesium, ...).

(*) Mercedes oil spec overs driving on the autobahn at 150 MPH extensively, and cold starts at -40º (where C=F).
Over here, we can't drive 150 MPH for an hour, and a lot of us never experience ANY cold starts (below 40ºF).
Many years ago I did a bunch of research on oils and wear and the like. I tend to choose an oil based on HTHS rather than weight. Wear is more closely related to HTHS than either the weight/grade of the oil or of the additive package.

My Ferrari wants an oil with HTHS of 4.2; and at one time RedLine had a 5W-30 oil with such a high HTHS, only ester based oils ever achieved this high HTHS at the low 5W-30 weight/grade. PAO oils never got to HTHS = 4.0 with 0W-40 oils either.

The problem is Mercedes has no HTHS specification that is easy to find--many oils do not want you to even know the HTHS specification (Royal Purple), and Mercedes is trying to use absurdly long OCIs (to save the planet). So, the oil is formulated to last 10,000 miles, in extreme conditions, with inattendant owners. And the internet is replete with Merc engines going south by scoring the cylinders. So, for me, personally, I will not use an oil more than about 5,000 miles in my W222 V12. {{On the other hand, I use whatever the Merc shop puts in it.}} I also will not run the engine hard until it has had at least 20 minutes for the oil to reach operating temperatures.

streborx

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/

Enjoy your brain meltdown.

vinflouen

Thank you for all the info.
i get the oil up to like 190 and then i run it hard.

SW20S

One of the things I always find hilarious about BITOG is they do all of that talking about oil, and you ask them what you should use and the response you get is “whatever weight the factory says and whatever oil is cheapest” lol

blackbullit

You could try Mobil 1 ESP 0W-30 to address the startup issue. This meets 229.52 spec, like the Mobil 1 ESP 5W-30.

vinflouen

So far the double brake pump and hold at start is working fine.
no clatter

JohnLane

Using Liqui-Moly 5/40 has solved lash adjuster noises in three of my Mercedes.
I have used Mobil-1 in all three of them.
'06 E55, 221 S-65 and 222 S-65.
They would all have the familiar tick-tick of lash adjusters... cold or warm with Mobil-1 and other brand name full synthetic lubricants.
Using Liqui Moly.... Silence.
I live in the desert. Summertime oil temps quickly climb when savagery happens. Never any noise.

MBNUT1

Would fresh oil make any difference?

Mitch Alsup

Depends on what is wrong with the oil already in the car, and what is in (or NOT in) the current oil.

Adding Poly Alfa Olefins (PAO) {or Esters*} without adding the additive package makes up for missing volume.
Adding anti-wear additives will help minimize wear assuming the current oil is somehow deficient in this area.
Adding anti-corrosion additives will help minimize corrosion assuming the current oil is somehow deficient in this area.
Adding friction modifiers can help those parts with are not hydrodynamically and not shear wiping dependent. {piston rings and valve lifter cylinders.}

Given that the current oil meats Mercedes specifications and is not low, adding oil is more likely to cause something that to prevent it.

Adding simply olefins (dino oil instead of PAO) is unlikely to render an oil that still meats mercedes specifications.

MBNUT1

What I was asking was is the tapping less with fresh Mobil One than later