proper oil amount

[timmyj51]

Had mechanic change the oil and put 6 quarts in my '95 C220.
Checked oil level back home and its a little
above maximum, a little up on the red dipstick tab. According
to the owners manual this car should take 6.6 quarts, but
according to the dipstick reading, even 6 quarts is too much.
Anyone else experience this (maybe its nothing to worry
about but owners manual says overfilling can damage your
engine)?

[taimyshukah]

Try checking the level with ur engine running. I remember it would be lower while the car was on (probably because the oil was running through the engine).

[Woody]

Originally posted by taimyshukah
Try checking the level with ur engine running. I remember it would be lower while the car was on (probably because the oil was running through the engine).

You must be thinking of trans fluid. You should never check the engine oil level when the car is running.

Have the car reach operating tempature. Turn off the car & let sit for 5 minutes and then check the oil level.

[timmyj51]

I let the car sit for over an hour before checking the oil. Dipstick still shows oil
level above maximum with 6 quarts.

[NEA-4311]

For the M111 engines, its 5.7 ltrs.

[jnenad16]

that figure is for a dry fill. when changing oil you never drain it completely, you always have about 1/2 - 1 quart left in the engine.

nenad

[timmyj51]

Probably explains it. Next time I have the oil changed I'll
only have five quarts put in and top it off if it
comes up low.

[maybatch2000]

I recently went to valvoline( stupid mistake) and they put 6.6 quarts as well. I felt it was too much oil in the engine. The dipstick showed oil over the max point. Previously, I have only used 5.5 quarts. I am having some head gasket problems now. Not sure if the overfill is related to this problem

[OzC36]

You should consider immediate action to remove oil down to the Max recommended level or suffer the consequences. The mechanic should know better than to overfill your oil. If if he made a mistake should have rectified the level before releasing the car back to you.


http://www.cartalk.com/content/advice/oilchanges.html

A word of caution: Be careful not to overfill your car's crankcase with oil. If you put in too much oil, the engine's crankshaft can actually come in contact with the oil. And because the crankshaft is turning at several thousand revolutions per minute, it can quickly whip your oil into a froth — like the steamed milk that sits on the top of a cappuccino. Why is that bad? Well, the oil pump can't pump froth very well, and as a result, it can't get oil to the parts of the engine that need lubrication. The result ... a hefty boat payment to your mechanic.


http://groups.google.com/group/alt.auto.mercedes/browse_thread/thread/9543d63b4712602b/57df78ff3d7a4f2c?lnk=st&q=mercedes+engine+oil+overfill&rnum=2&hl=en#57df78ff3d7a4f2c


Newer MBs have an instrument cluster alert which warns the driver if the engine oil get overfilled; the owner's manual states that the engine should be immediately stopped and the excess oil drained off to eliminate dangerous foaming.

Pull out some of the fluid though the dipstick shaft with a small marine hand pump (a hand-held rubber squeeze pump with a tube that goes into the dipstick shaft), about $10 at most boat shops.

Hope this helps.
Bill Stern

[timmyj51]

Surprised Mercedes doesn't mention in the owners manual
that 6.6 quarts is only for the initial fill, not for regular maintenance oil changes
(like they do for transmission fluid changes). Wonder how
much engine damage this may have caused unsuspecting
drivers over the years.