Need Help with Oil Change!

[97C28O]

Well it's almost time for oil changing on my 1997 C280. I have read the tutorial on how to change the oil. My questions are:

1. Which Mobil 1 oil to use?
2. Can the filter/canister, be bought from a local auto store?

Thanks.

[jnenad16]

you should use the oil weight thats recommneded in your manual. since you live in the bay area, Id go with either 5w-30 or 0w-40 mobil one. as for the filter, I know napa has just about every cartrige type filter for mercedes.

nenad

[mbLova]

They Just changed the weight of the oil that was recommended by Mercedes( id say about 2 months ago) Search the forum a bit and you should find your answer.

[97C28O]

Originally posted by mbLova
They Just changed the weight of the oil that was recommended by Mercedes( id say about 2 months ago) Search the forum a bit and you should find your answer.

I did and the noted weights were 0W-40 and 5W-30. Which one is best? ( I do not know what the numbers mean..) My current mileage is about to hit 58,600.

[Proven Guilty]

i would stick with 0W-40 till you get over 100k miles.

the number before the W is the "weight" or viscosity of the oil. for example, water would be comparable to 0 and syrup would be comparable to gear oil (80W-90)

i run 0W-40 in my C230Kompressor, and it runs great, seems to rev quicker (than with 10 or 15W like i used to run in my american cars) and it also saves on gas mileage ever so slightly. if you're in an extremely hot climate, its' better to use 5W or 10W since heat makes it thin out, but the synthetic oils are so good these days they don't seem to be as suceptable to climate like the old dyno oils were in terms of thicker oil for harder starts in cold climates or thinner oil in hot climates.

[Espresso]

I know it may not have to due with your particular year car, BUT.
Mercedes has changed their oil to a 5W-40 IIRC. They no longer recommend the 0W oil.
Also, if you do not drive your car alot, you may want to stay away from Mobil1. Because this is why MB changed their viscosity ratings. Apparently sludge build up is very common IF you do not drive your car for long distances or a long period of time.
I am having this problem of sludge with mine right now(the P.O. drove long distances I do not, but he knew it was sludging a bit when he sold it..as did I). I have hellious piston slap at startup now because of this(reason I made the V8 thread a while back). I verified it was sludging when I removed my valve covers.
I am approaching 146,000Km on my car. It has always been serviced by MB using Mobil1.
I switched to Shell Helix this go 'round. It meets/exceeds 229.1 requirements & is $5.40/qt vs $9/qt.
I have used it in the past & love it ALOT more than Mobil1.

Also from the last oil change with Mobil1 I only put 4000Km's on the car & the oil came out like Hursey's Syrup & sure enough a good amount of sludge in the oil filter housing. So I know it's gettign much worse & I can feel the performance suffering a bit. I am going to open my oil pan either this weekend or next & see just how bad it is.
Here is what I found in my filter housing(this is what a $140 oil change gets me..oh joy)

Edit.... friggin photobucket. I'll try & get it up in a minute.
Also if ya want I can try & get a good shot of my filter

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/Black05PT/DSCF4178.jpg

[1995c280]

AMG vehicles are still using 0W40. MB only switch to 5W40 on non-AMG vehicles from 98-up

Jason

[97C28O]

Hmm... I don't drive the car much, mostly weekends and sometimes weekdays. would 0W-40 or 5W-30 be better?

[Espresso]

Originally posted by 1995c280
AMG vehicles are still using 0W40. MB only switch to 5W40 on non-AMG vehicles from 98-up

Jason
That may be true for the USA vehicles, but I know in part it isnt for most worldwide vehicles. All parts of the world are different & as so require different grades of oil( I am sure you knwo this, just stating for those who may not).

For instance I called AMG with my concerns about my engine & THEY were the ones that told me to use the Shell Helix Plus 15W-50. The temps here are almost always into the 90's w/ 100% humidity & the oil breaks down crazy fast. The Helix Plus meets MB's requirements on 229.1 even though it is only a semi syn. I may be able to get away with using a 5W-40, but they recommended the 15W-50 because of the piston slap & blow-by. It may help extend the engine life, it may not(I also have killer blow-by, like stated so extended life right now, is just a joke). But going back to Mobil1 is definitly out of the question.
As for anyone wondering, if you look in you owners manual(or just call your dealer & ask) it will tell you which sheet for your oil type. For my 2000 it is 229.1.
So all you have to do is go to google.com & type in( for my example)
"Mercedes-Benz Sheet 229.1" & it will give you TONS of info about what WILL work, what WONT work, ect..

I am NOT a firm believer that just because a syn bottle of oil is $8-9/qt that it is the best on the market.

You need to see what VIS & brand works in your car & then narrow the type down by driving style, ect...
For instance Helix Ultra is full syn & "used exclusively by Ferrari". Well I for one do not own a Ferrari, nor do I drive in extreme cold weather, nor am I worried about oil affecting my gas mileage, So the Ultra is overkill & i'd be wasting my cash. Even though I have plenty, I do not like to part with it if I do not have to.

I should also add. With all the lawsuits facing MB because of the use of Mobil1. You(meaning everyone in general) may want to start looking at the other brands of oils. Like I stated earlier, as long as they meet requirements there is no reason not to be able to use them. For everyone that just throws Mobil1 in everythign they own. You are just wasting your cash. They are not the end-all-be-all motor oil. If your car is doing great with it & know for a fact you do no thave sludge build up( ever taken your valve covers off? No...then you dont) then by all means use it. But if you in the least bit suspect some build up. Either do it yourself or have a knowledgable mechanic take off your covers & inspect things for ya.

[xvvvz]

>> Because this is why MB changed their viscosity ratings. Apparently sludge build up is very common IF you do not drive your car for long distances or a long period of time. {snip}
I am having this problem of sludge with mine right now{snip} I have hellious piston slap at startup now because of this(reason I made the V8 thread a while back). I verified it was sludging when I removed my valve covers.<<

Espresso - can you please expand on this? Is this a major problem like it has been for some Toyotas? Any online references we can read to get more educated (I read the autosafety article on the fee settlement but it didn't focus so much on the actual engine issues)? I did a search here on 202 for sludge/sludging/gell/gelling and didn't find anything of substance.

If a car has always used synthetic after the first oil change and always had oil changes based on the FSS service indicator, should it be fairly well protected?

Does anyone use an engine cleaner/flushing fluid?

[97C28O]

is this slugging felt when your driving? not sure if this relates to oil but sometimes when i drive and i go to a stop sign i let go of the gas and the car feels like its braking. you can feel like it jerking while slowing down. it also has this sort of whining noise when slowing. i did not apply the brakes, all i did was let go of the gas pedal. Anyone experienced this before? is it normal.

[Espresso]

I'll try & awnser all the questions. If I miss one or ya'll need clearer info just let me know( I just woke up but may not have alot of time to post today). You can just about always reach me on MSN messenger though.

xvvvz. Ya you could say it is like the Toyota's. When I was at the toyota dealership I did about 7 sludgers a month, mostly cars with under 20K miles. For Chrysler I did almost exclusively sludgers at a rate of about 20 month, or 1 a day. With the exception that most had over 60K miles & alot were just out of warranty But this is all relitive to area( Southwest Fl).
If it was not a big problem. Then NB would not have extended the warranty's of 98-01 vehicles to 10 years-150K miles...JUST for oil sludging.
Here is a list of approved oils for MB.
http://www.whnet.com/4x4/oil.html

I will try & get some more info & post it up. Especially about the MB change of vis for their oil's. It's gotta be out there somewhere.

My car was serviced regularly & with Mobil1. As were many, many others here. Even to the dismay of having to pay over $130 per oil change every 4 months/6000Km..with this supposidly "best oil on the market". That doesnt last for shit( I have some pics of the service dept with most cars being there for "oil related problems")

Cleaner/flush is good IF you are going to rip into your eninge. BUT if you rip into your engine, you wont need the flush...get it ;)

A flush could & will knock alot of the sludge loose. It could cause catastrophic engine damage, by the way of blocked oil passages in the bearings, head, ect..

For the most part, sludging can be determined by over consumption of oil If you have to add oil to the engine. Yet, it doesnt burn any & not leaking any you have a problem. Also by a sluggish engine, not revving like it should, flickering oil light & in some cases poor performance( from the heat & weight of the extra oil) I have had cars to where I beat the living hell out of them & NEVER have to top off oil between changes. With this C28. I have had to ADD 2 qts in 4000Km. But about 1/2 qt was due to leakage. So I KNEW I had a problem. About the same time, the piston slap started, as did the blow-by. I still have yet to take it to full throttle & fear doing so. But I now, have NO off line performance.I cant even spin the tires. Maybe it will get better once I clean out the engine, but probably not. BUT, on the ther hand once the car is moving it has great performance. It's just the inital response of getting the car moving, as the problem.

It is fairly easy to clean a sludger. Rip off the head & timing gear, oil pan. Run the heads through a solvent machine(mot really a machine, but a tub w/ a hose & a brush). I would actually clean the engines internals with a pressure washer, then dry with brake-kleen. Spray some oil back over the engine turn it over by hand, reassemble & have it out the door. Most never came back, once we figured out which oil to use.

[Espresso]

97C280,
Yes, it very well could be,like i stated previously. BUT, for the most part can go unnoticed as it happens over time. You just cant go into a shop & ask them to test drive it to see if it has sludge problems.
As for your problems. That is classic of some sludging symptoms. BUT wiht MB's track record of bad/problematic transmissions, that is also a symptom. I also have what you are describing. But it has been there since day one & there si absolutely nothign wrong with the trans. I have the occasionaly VERY harsh 2-1 downshift. Bu tthat is based on load, speed, ect..
I have noticed that people with big Audio systems/golf clubs/groceries, ect..(anything of weight) in their Benz's have complained about this problem. So I did an expreiment to where I took out my subs & enclosure & guess what...The harse Downshift went away..suprise suprise.
I brouht this up to MB & they said that YES, having the constant extra weight in the rear of the car can & will result in the trans shifting harder, because of the electronics controlling it. Not damaging by far, but annoying as hell.

[mbLova]

I am about to do an oil change, Any updates?