15W-40 oil recommendations for older gas engine

[FCD]

It's a wonderful simple chain driven Single Ohc Inline 6, not particularly powerful, and i doubt he is doing track days in the summer with it, just a great engine for a cruiser like the W124.

My point is simply , more expensive does not always equal better outcome.

Put a good filter on it, and you're good to go.

 

[FCD]

You're putting a lot of faith in those certs. As stated already, the "dual" rating means nothing since API S-series only applies to 30 grades and below. Whether or not a 40 grade HDMO carries it is just a matter of whether they think paying the ~$5k for the license is worth it. Shell obviously doesn't care too much. Rotella doesn't even put much effort into the CK-4 license, seeing as it recently bombed D892 miserably. (>2.5x the limit) Last year's API audit (~3%) found that nearly half (48%) of the oils they tested failed to meet their claimed spec. Blindly trust the cert if you want, but I don't.

Also, why spend more money on an inferior oil? At Walmart...

1 gal/jug - Rotella T6 15W-40 = $26.13 ($6.58/qt)
5 qt/jug - Mobil 1 FS Euro 5W-40 = $27.97 ($5.59/qt)

The actual Euro oil is a dollar a quart cheaper, won't foam like a draft beer, and is a better performer all around.

You're paying

Well, fair point, ok.
I am on the other side of the pond and was not aware they would be so close in price.

M1 FS 0W40 here is currently converted to dollars about 11$ a liter/quart, at the cheapest.
M1 5W-50 is more like 12$.
Others like the M1 10W60 that we have but you don't is over 13 i think?
And that's in 5L bottles.
At my nearest parts store a single litre of M1 FS 0W40 is 20$ more or less?

M1 is just prohibitively expensive here, sadly.

Double the price more or less than that of a dual rated 15w40 HDEO.
In that case like you showed, i guess that M1 FS 5W40 would be a good idea.

 

[FCD]

With that said i am surprised Rotella has such bad foaming issues like you say especially being a more modern formula than the ones we have here.

I've used 15W40 HDEOs like the Rimula that Shell makes for the European/Asian market several times , which are also btw like i said API SL and CI-4 rated so much older formulations in both my cars which are 37 and 49 years old respectively without issues , so have friends of mine, so i am surprised.

I began using them precisely from reading here on countless posts about them being generally shear stable, the Zddp content for flat tappet cams and generally strong additive packages they tend to have and lower prices so i went right ahead and had no problems.

So yeah just my 2 cents like they say.

 

[mb32]

Yes, the vehicle in question is an 1989 W124 with the M103 inline six as pointed out. I change the oil about every 1200 km before storing since it is not a daily driver and never sees cold temperatures.

I will check with the Mercedes shops to see what they recommend since they repair and service these. I know when I checked before they would say 15W-40, but maybe things have changed since then. I have service records from Mercedes dealer and they were using 15W-40 Pennzoil in it as late as 2006/2007.

 

[Kalle.J]

M1 FS 0W40 here is currently converted to dollars about 11$ a liter/quart, at the cheapest.
M1 5W-50 is more like 12$.
Others like the M1 10W60 that we have but you don't is over 13 i think?
And that's in 5L bottles.
At my nearest parts store a single litre of M1 FS 0W40 is 20$ more or less?

15W is fine in Spain, why anyone would run that in Canada is beyond me.

And we have plenty of cheap A3/B4 in EU.
You don't need M1 in an old Mercedes.

https://ato24.de/en/ato24-engine-oil-semi-synth-10w-40.html
https://ato24.de/en/ato24-engine-oil-synth-5w-40.html

https://ato24.de/en/shell-helix-hx6-10w-40.html
https://ato24.de/en/shell-helix-hx7-5w-40.html

 

[Kalle.J]

Yes, the vehicle in question is an 1989 W124 with the M103 inline six as pointed out. I change the oil about every 1200 km before storing since it is not a daily driver and never sees cold temperatures.

I will check with the Mercedes shops to see what they recommend since they repair and service these. I know when I checked before they would say 15W-40, but maybe things have changed since then. I have service records from Mercedes dealer and they were using 15W-40 Pennzoil in it as late as 2006/2007.

Answer should be MB 229.3 like I said in post #3

Full list.
https://operatingfluids.mercedes-benz.com/sheet/229.3

 

[FCD]

15W is fine in Spain, why anyone would run that in Canada is beyond me.

And we have plenty of cheap A3/B4 in EU.
You don't need M1 in an old Mercedes.

https://ato24.de/en/ato24-engine-oil-semi-synth-10w-40.html
https://ato24.de/en/ato24-engine-oil-synth-5w-40.html

https://ato24.de/en/shell-helix-hx6-10w-40.html
https://ato24.de/en/shell-helix-hx7-5w-40.html

I know we do, he is in Canada but says he only uses it in the summer and is in southern Canada if i understood correctly.

But i like trying different oils and yes i have used plenty of different middle priced 5w40 A3/B4 HC synthetics but also Mineral HDEOs etc that jave worked fine in my oldies.

 

[FCD]

Yes, the vehicle in question is an 1989 W124 with the M103 inline six as pointed out. I change the oil about every 1200 km before storing since it is not a daily driver and never sees cold temperatures.

I will check with the Mercedes shops to see what they recommend since they repair and service these. I know when I checked before they would say 15W-40, but maybe things have changed since then. I have service records from Mercedes dealer and they were using 15W-40 Pennzoil in it as late as 2006/2007.

I doubt the Mercedes dealer will even know what the heck a W124 is or the M103 engine.
I wouldn't trust their advice too much.

They'll probably try to sell you their own Mercedes OEM oil at an exorbitant price that may not even be all that good for your engine.

And to be honest with you driving only 1200km a year, which is next to nothing, i would go for the cheapest A3/B4 rated oil you can find and change it every 2 years.

 

[FCD]

This is apparently from the owners manual of a M103 W124.

 

[martinq]

This is apparently from the owners manual of a M103 W124. View attachment 264157

I think the viscosity requirements are the least of his worries / concerns. I'm guessing an API SL would work but I'm curious about the MB specs. What would be most applicable, is it MB 229.3 as suggested?

 

[FCD]

I'm not sure but i doubt it given it's a 1989 model I don't believe even 229.1 which is an even older spec existed.

With that said 229.3 would not be a bad oil spec to look for , but to be honest , he is doing 1200km a year, that's about 720 nonsense units a year.

Any A3/B4 certified oil needs to have a TBN of at least 10, which means he could easily go 2 years or even longer on the same oil and filter.

 

[Kalle.J]

I think the viscosity requirements are the least of his worries / concerns. I'm guessing an API SL would work but I'm curious about the MB specs. What would be most applicable, is it MB 229.3 as suggested?

I don't think MB had specs back then.

LM Recommends 229.1 and 229.3

https://www.forum-liqui-moly.de/index.php/forum/motoroele/1438-welches-oel-fuer-den-m103

 

[martinq]

I don't think MB had specs back then.

LM Recommends 229.1 and 229.3

https://www.forum-liqui-moly.de/index.php/forum/motoroele/1438-welches-oel-fuer-den-m103

In that case I stand by my Walmart (Canada) recommendation of SuperTech (sometimes Super Tech) 5w40 Full Synthetic for $29/5L w free shipping... as a starter / cheap option.

 

[mb32]

I doubt the Mercedes dealer will even know what the heck a W124 is or the M103 engine.
I wouldn't trust their advice too much.

They'll probably try to sell you their own Mercedes OEM oil at an exorbitant price that may not even be all that good for your engine.

And to be honest with you driving only 1200km a year, which is next to nothing, i would go for the cheapest A3/B4 rated oil you can find and change it every 2 years.

Of course not dealership. I said shops, meaning repair shop that deals with older Mercedes.

I called a few (one that deals with mostly older German and European makes) and they said 15W-40 is what they use in all the 6-cylinder Mercedes from this era for fair weather or summer driver.

 

[Plumb Bob]

Any 5w-40 A3/B4 and call it a day.

 

[martinq]

Of course not dealership. I said shops, meaning repair shop that deals with older Mercedes.

I called a few (one that deals with mostly older German and European makes) and they said 15W-40 is what they use in all the 6-cylinder Mercedes from this era for fair weather or summer driver.

The problem with "15w40" is it doesn't tell us what kind of oil to look for. Any tech who's worth hiring will understand that.

 

[FCD]

He is from Canada so it 95% means HDEO like the Rotella he has used.
15W40 PCMOs are very uncommon in North America, here in Europe they are still quite common and easy to find.

 

[MrBurns]

Ever considered a 10W40?