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I changed my mind. I don't care what happens to your cars.
Ha ha, there are about to be a few less working E55’s when these people overfill their oil and blow a few seals. You guys can believe whatever you want but if you’re going to go off the service menu, there’s a decent chance you’ll overfill. Please double check with a physical dipstick, they’re very inexpensive.
Ha ha, there are about to be a few less working E55’s when these people overfill their oil and blow a few seals. You guys can believe whatever you want but if you’re going to go off the service menu, there’s a decent chance you’ll overfill. Please double check with a physical dipstick, they’re very inexpensive.
I saw an old thread discussing which dipstick but there was a lot of misinformation. Anyone recently buy one, and where from?
I got mine off eBay, but I think Amazon has it as well. Don't have the part number off hand, but it reads in mm. It does not insert all the way into the tube, and should not be left permanently in the car. The WIS document is on this forum somewhere with a chart for the mm readings. Correct oil level is 167-169 mm. Not to be confused with the transmission dipstick which only has "high" and "low" marks. Also don't buy the wrong dipstick meant for other Mercedes models which only read max/min like a typical dipstick. I remember calling the dealer for the part number (can't remember if it was for the engine oil or trans dipstick), so you can try that, but obviously the price is many times more than one off of eBay/Amazon...
I got mine off eBay, but I think Amazon has it as well. Don't have the part number off hand, but it reads in mm. It does not insert all the way into the tube, and should not be left permanently in the car. The WIS document is on this forum somewhere with a chart for the mm readings. Correct oil level is 167-169 mm. Not to be confused with the transmission dipstick which only has "high" and "low" marks. Also don't buy the wrong dipstick meant for other Mercedes models which only read max/min like a typical dipstick. I remember calling the dealer for the part number (can't remember if it was for the engine oil or trans dipstick), so you can try that, but obviously the price is many times more than one off of eBay/Amazon...
Ha ha, there are about to be a few less working E55’s when these people overfill their oil and blow a few seals. You guys can believe whatever you want but if you’re going to go off the service menu, there’s a decent chance you’ll overfill. Please double check with a physical dipstick, they’re very inexpensive.
I haven't had any luck with the physical oil dipsticks for the engine on my CLS55. The E55 might be slightly different in that respect. At one point I tried to make my own, but decided it wasn't worth the effort. Most of the cheap dipsticks you buy have guides on them to get them down the oil suction tube (it isn't really a dipstick tube) and they looked like they could easily break off at any point, and end up in the engine pan.
So in order for me to check my oil I have to plug in my entire STAR setup, bring up the DME actual values, and check the car in "Cold Start and Warming Up Phase" --- and I get a reliable reading. Serious pain in the ***. It's one of the most irritating things about this car.
I would recommend a basic OBD reader to pull the sensor data, rather than rely on the dipstick reading. I noticed the dipstick doesn't give consistent results. It's the exact opposite of the transmission tool.
I replied once to this thread during 2011 (#8). To add to my post. Attached is how to properly check your oil through the display. Since I change my own oil, I know I install 8 qts. When I drain the oil through an oil extractor, I have marked a line on the extractor to show me the 8 qt. level. Knock on wood, my cdi uses no oil between changes. I also have the dipstick but only used it a couple of times when I purchased my cdi. And I know I posted this somewhere, but while driving with the display showing oil level, I have seen it go as low as 4.5 while either stepping on the pedal or going around a corner. It is pretty interesting to watch! I would NEVER add oil unless you are getting a warning that the oil level is low, and then I may second guess that warning unless I used a dipstick to verify.
Mike T.
Update: Purchased a cheap, $12 dipstick off amazon. Let the car sit for about 10minutes. Measures right around 170mm as it should, even though my menu shows 6.5 quarts.
Update: Purchased a cheap, $12 dipstick off amazon. Let the car sit for about 10minutes. Measures right around 170mm as it should, even though my menu shows 6.5 quarts.
Good thing you didn’t add 2 quarts. I hope this puts this thread to rest. My god.
Update: Purchased a cheap, $12 dipstick off amazon. Let the car sit for about 10minutes. Measures right around 170mm as it should, even though my menu shows 6.5 quarts.
I haven't had any luck with the physical oil dipsticks for the engine on my CLS55. The E55 might be slightly different in that respect. At one point I tried to make my own, but decided it wasn't worth the effort. Most of the cheap dipsticks you buy have guides on them to get them down the oil suction tube (it isn't really a dipstick tube) and they looked like they could easily break off at any point, and end up in the engine pan.
So in order for me to check my oil I have to plug in my entire STAR setup, bring up the DME actual values, and check the car in "Cold Start and Warming Up Phase" --- and I get a reliable reading. Serious pain in the ***. It's one of the most irritating things about this car.
I would recommend a basic OBD reader to pull the sensor data, rather than rely on the dipstick reading. I noticed the dipstick doesn't give consistent results. It's the exact opposite of the transmission tool.
I agree on this, the eBay dipsticks suck, I did a full 9 quart oil change about 100 miles ago and the eBay dipstick reads between 130-140mm, this could also be because it’s fresh oil so it slips off, but the car reads okay And I know I put in 9 quarts
I agree on this, the eBay dipsticks suck, I did a full 9 quart oil change about 100 miles ago and the eBay dipstick reads between 130-140mm, this could also be because it’s fresh oil so it slips off, but the car reads okay And I know I put in 9 quarts
There's a secondary issue also. That tube is designed to be a suction tube to remove the oil from the vehicle, and never to measure with. There is some kind of weird bend in the tube as it gets near the pan which prevents a regular metal dipstick from going straight down and getting a real reading consistently. I actually went to a junk yard and found a perfect dipstick to make a measuring tool out of , and was planning on etching it at the proper levels as indicated by STAR and the oil sensor. I could never get the thing to read properly. Everytime you put the dipstick down the tube, it would be off 3-4mm, or 10mm. Never remotely accurate.
I don't think that tube was ever intended to be used for measuring, and I would be suspect of any measurement that comes off it. Use the sensor data guys.
There's a secondary issue also. That tube is designed to be a suction tube to remove the oil from the vehicle, and never to measure with. There is some kind of weird bend in the tube as it gets near the pan which prevents a regular metal dipstick from going straight down and getting a real reading consistently. I actually went to a junk yard and found a perfect dipstick to make a measuring tool out of , and was planning on etching it at the proper levels as indicated by STAR and the oil sensor. I could never get the thing to read properly. Everytime you put the dipstick down the tube, it would be off 3-4mm, or 10mm. Never remotely accurate.
I don't think that tube was ever intended to be used for measuring, and I would be suspect of any measurement that comes off it. Use the sensor data guys.
100 percent unless you buy a oem dealer dipstick none will read accurate imo
The oil service menu is NOTORIOUSLY WRONG in all aspects. The reading value it returns is in MILLIMETERS OF THE SENSOR. The only way to properly check the reading of the car is with an OBD Reader or STAR and check the oil level sensor. Full oil is 68mm on a CLS55, but I would imagine there's no difference on the E55.
only 100mm the level on the dip-stick for the w211 E55 is 137mm cold to 168 warm.
only 100mm the level on the dip-stick for the w211 E55 is 137mm cold to 168 warm.
I've since bought a cheap engine dipstick tool that's identical to the Mercedes tool. The mm reading on the dipstick tool is not the same as the engine sensor. I keep my engine sensor at 167-169mm (reads 67-69mm on DAS). WIS has the official spreadsheet which corresponds to these numbers. The engine oil dipstick reads approximately 145mm~ at full. It varies within 5mm each time you check it (145mm, or 141mm, or 149mm), which could indicate quite a bit of variance in terms of being full. Almost +/- a half liter.
It's simply not feasible to check the car with a dipstick. I'm so glad my Italian cars have dipsticks for the sumps.
E55 may be different, but I doubt it.
Last edited by equitiesguy; Jan 18, 2021 at 04:13 AM.
I've since bought a cheap engine dipstick tool that's identical to the Mercedes tool. The mm reading on the dipstick tool is not the same as the engine sensor. I keep my engine sensor at 167-169mm (reads 67-69mm on DAS). WIS has the official spreadsheet which corresponds to these numbers. The engine oil dipstick reads approximately 145mm~ at full. It varies within 5mm each time you check it (145mm, or 141mm, or 149mm), which could indicate quite a bit of variance in terms of being full. Almost +/- a half liter.
It's simply not feasible to check the car with a dipstick. I'm so glad my Italian cars have dipsticks for the sumps.
E55 may be different, but I doubt it.
So I just checked mine with the dipstick (which I also do not trust for the exact same reasons as you except I've seen even more variance). I saw around 145mm. The cluster says 7.1 quarts (cold engine, flat surface) and also says oil level OK. So this all tracks I guess. What do we think is typical for reported quarts on a properly filled engine? I've read 7.3? Or 7.8? It seems that 7.8 might be a bit overfilled and 7.3 is probably pretty right on. Does this sound right?
I feel like mine reads 7.8 after doing an oil change with 9 quarts....have to love how something that should be so simple is a mystery wrapped in a riddle.
So I just checked mine with the dipstick (which I also do not trust for the exact same reasons as you except I've seen even more variance). I saw around 145mm. The cluster says 7.1 quarts (cold engine, flat surface) and also says oil level OK. So this all tracks I guess. What do we think is typical for reported quarts on a properly filled engine? I've read 7.3? Or 7.8? It seems that 7.8 might be a bit overfilled and 7.3 is probably pretty right on. Does this sound right?
I feel like mine reads 7.8 after doing an oil change with 9 quarts....have to love how something that should be so simple is a mystery wrapped in a riddle.
I just did an oil change and new filter of-course. Drained it completely by lowering the car off the jack stands and letting it sit until nothing more was dripping out. Added 8.5l oil. Cluster reads level OK and shows 7.5l cold sitting overnight. My sensor was replaced last year. The Amazon dipstick I have reads only 135mm. I've checked this several times and multiple days.
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