Oil consumption question
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 253
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Viking War Ship
Oil consumption question
Hey all. I've got what I would consider an oil consumption issue with my W211 E55. I've read the posts about 1qt per 1000 miles being normal. That's pretty much where I'm at now with mine. The car has 53K miles on the clock and it's a bit annoying. My stupid Chevy truck doesn't even leak as much oil as the Merc burns. 
I just think it's dumb that over the course of 5000K miles, I would have put in 8.5 quarts to begin with and added another 5 quarts along the way. Just doesn't seem quite right.
I get the puff of smoke when I first start up and it smells like burning oil when I pull up and shut the car off to park it. I don't notice any smoke while driving unless I've got my foot to the floor and then that's a different smoking going on.
My question, for those that have gotten this "fixed", where is the common problem? Do the dealers pinpoint a common part of the engine that is prone to oil leaks? I'm guessing valve seals would be the puffing at start-up issue...but do the rings not seal well on these cars or what else could be letting oil into the combustion chamber? Or is it all in my valve seals?
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!
I just think it's dumb that over the course of 5000K miles, I would have put in 8.5 quarts to begin with and added another 5 quarts along the way. Just doesn't seem quite right.I get the puff of smoke when I first start up and it smells like burning oil when I pull up and shut the car off to park it. I don't notice any smoke while driving unless I've got my foot to the floor and then that's a different smoking going on.
My question, for those that have gotten this "fixed", where is the common problem? Do the dealers pinpoint a common part of the engine that is prone to oil leaks? I'm guessing valve seals would be the puffing at start-up issue...but do the rings not seal well on these cars or what else could be letting oil into the combustion chamber? Or is it all in my valve seals?
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Nov 2007
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From: San Diego
E55
A number of things can cause oil consumption. Bad valve seals, loose valve guides, worn oil control rings, and or scared cylinder walls. I have even heard of clogged pcv causing this as well. According to MB they say the amount of oil your motor consumes is within spec.
If you want to start diagnosing yourself. You could start with a compression test. That will indicate if one or more cylinder(s) is losing compression. If all the numbers look consistent. You can move on to a leak down test. Make sure you leave one spark plug in while performing tests. Have you tried switching to a thicker weight oil? Other then that you can take the car to a dealer and have them do a oil consumption test. Hopefully someone else can chime in.
BTW What color is the smoke?
If you want to start diagnosing yourself. You could start with a compression test. That will indicate if one or more cylinder(s) is losing compression. If all the numbers look consistent. You can move on to a leak down test. Make sure you leave one spark plug in while performing tests. Have you tried switching to a thicker weight oil? Other then that you can take the car to a dealer and have them do a oil consumption test. Hopefully someone else can chime in.
BTW What color is the smoke?
Last edited by Max.H; Oct 20, 2009 at 02:13 AM.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 253
Likes: 2
Viking War Ship
I ordered valve seals in anticipation that this was at least one of the consumption issues going on...and because they were cheap enough that it really can't hurt to replace them.
I've got a compression and leak-down tester at home so I'll start with some of those diagnosis. Any idea what the stock compression range should be?
The smoke coming out is blue...it's definitely oil. I get the puff at start and then nothing. The smell also leads me to think it's burning a bit while running, but not enough to create smoke after start-up...just enough to make a funky smell.
I'm running 10w-40 in there now I think. Not really that much thicker, but it is thicker than the 0w-40 specified. I was hoping that would help as well but it doesn't seem to make a difference.
Thanks for the help!
I've got a compression and leak-down tester at home so I'll start with some of those diagnosis. Any idea what the stock compression range should be?
The smoke coming out is blue...it's definitely oil. I get the puff at start and then nothing. The smell also leads me to think it's burning a bit while running, but not enough to create smoke after start-up...just enough to make a funky smell.
I'm running 10w-40 in there now I think. Not really that much thicker, but it is thicker than the 0w-40 specified. I was hoping that would help as well but it doesn't seem to make a difference.
Thanks for the help!
