Learning how to oil a Mercedes

[burla]

Originally Posted by PimTac
Originally Posted by badduxx
PimTac

What Burla is suggesting seems very conspiratorial. In your comment, were you talking about oil professionals debunking the idea that the 0w-40 is intentionally engineered to essentially serve as a 5w-30 to avoid some kind of regulations on the formula?





Since I am not an expert I confess I cannot answer this the way it deserves. I think burla is stuck on thicker is better when it is not these days.

NGRhodes just commented above and his comment answers the question.



Really? Did you even read my posts? LMAO. Thinner is better when talking about 0w40, oils designed to be 30 weight most of the life in the crank case. How could you say that if you read the posts in this thread? Drug Test Pim tekky

 

[PimTac]

And the name calling comes out on schedule. If you are trying to gain credibility on this site you are failing.

Time to stop. This thread has turned to mud.

 

[kschachn]

Originally Posted by badduxx
What Burla is suggesting seems very conspiratorial. In your comment, were you talking about oil professionals debunking the idea that the 0w-40 is intentionally engineered to essentially serve as a 5w-30 to avoid some kind of regulations on the formula?

Whichever 0W-40 it is you are referring to, the oil is intentionally engineered to obtain the specifications and approvals that the manufacturer or blender wish to achieve. Sometimes they don't wish to achieve any but that's a different subject.

 

[badduxx]

Originally Posted by PimTac
Originally Posted by badduxx
PimTac

What Burla is suggesting seems very conspiratorial. In your comment, were you talking about oil professionals debunking the idea that the 0w-40 is intentionally engineered to essentially serve as a 5w-30 to avoid some kind of regulations on the formula?





Since I am not an expert I confess I cannot answer this the way it deserves. I think burla is stuck on thicker is better when it is not these days.

NGRhodes just commented above and his comment answers the question.


Cool. I just thought maybe you saw someone in the know answering somewhere.

Without even knowing the science behind any of this, burla's claim of a conspiracy to defraud an oil weight seems at best a vast exaggeration based on some very weak circumstantial coincidences for a benefit that cannot be specifically enumerated.

 

[MCompact]

I wish I had never used M1 0-40 in my old X3 as it sheared so horribly; how it's made it to 220,000 miles I'll never know...

 

[barryh]

Mercedes recent 4 cylinder engines have a history of premature timing chain and sprocket wear. They might have cured it on the new engine and they might not given their priorities have clearly been biased towards reducing frictional losses rather than durability. For my 2009 M271 engine that pushes me to choose an MB229.5 5W40 oil.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted by NGRhodes
Originally Posted by burla
Mania statement was exactly correct. Here's the good news, even though it is out of grade, that is no big issue. It isn't out of spec, and that's what the OP should consider. Incredible choices the 0w40's for his application, look for the spec and look for a cSt around 13 on spec sheet, Mercedes wants that engine to have the flow around 30 weight, that is why the oil is the way it is.


Not flow, bearing protection is the reason; MB design their engines clearances for a target HTHS of 3.5 within their designed operational use (which includes long distance autobahn use). This in turn means only the thickest of xW-30 oils can apply. They also have fuel economy requirements mean only the thinnests of 40 apply. By the time you get to 229.52 the additional fuel economy requirement excludes all 40 weight oils.


This, in a nutshell. The Euro marques, at least most of them, design around an HTHS of ~3.5cP. This includes heavy 5w-30's, 0w-30's and light 5w-40's and 0w-40's.

 

[Kamele0N]

Originally Posted by barryh
Mercedes recent 4 cylinder engines have a history of premature timing chain and sprocket wear. They might have cured it on the new engine and they might not given their priorities have clearly been biased towards reducing frictional losses rather than durability. For my 2009 M271 engine that pushes me to choose an MB229.5 5W40 oil.

And dont forget to shorten your OCI...that helps too (learn from BMW 2.0 diesels)...

 

[JLTD]

Originally Posted by YZF150
I'm going to take delivery in a little while of a new MB Roadster, the SLC 300. It will have a 2.0L inline 4. What I don't know is which oil viscosity is actual or recommended for the vehicle. The owner's manual is surprisingly uninformative as to what oil to put in it, other than that it must meet the 229.5 specification. I do not know what the factory fill is. In fact, they don't even tell me what the engine model/number is, so I'm having trouble researching this.

The 229.5 spec includes many approved oils of various viscosities, but I don't know which to use. Also, if you take a look at the 224.1spec, Viscosity classes of engine oils (car engines), it, too, is ambiguous as to which one to use. As far as what these spec documents say, it could be 0W-30, 0W-40, 5W-30, 5W-40. I'm savvy enough to know that it's not the case that any would do; if I knew the factory fill, I'd simply copy that.

This is a car that will be driven in Southern California. It will rarely see freezing temps, but it's likely to go to the central valley or the desert areas where the temp might be 35-40°C.

Also, if you're familiar with Mercedes manufacturing and what might be the factory oil, can you tell me if it's a 10K mile oil? Should I go that long, or change it before then? I won't be taking it to a dealer for oil service, so I need to know what to put in it. MB doesn't make it easy. Thanks for your help.


Just take a sample with as few miles as possible; this will give you the grade and if you post it, someone here will have an idea of manufacturer. Sample again later to establish your OCI.

Easy peasy.

 

[zorobabel]

Originally Posted by Stevie
YZF150 I think that you are going to love that car. I have the previous SLK. I change my oil every 5K and if you look at my oil analysis on mine, the oil viscosity breaks down pretty badly at only 5k using the recommended M1 0W/40 Euro. I wouldn't go over 5K on that engine. On first change I would probably drain at 1 or 2K. ENJOY!!!

I wonder if M1 HM 10W-30 (A3/B4) or M1 HM 10W-40 (A3/B3) would shear less...

 

[barryh]

Originally Posted by Kamele0N
Originally Posted by barryh
Mercedes recent 4 cylinder engines have a history of premature timing chain and sprocket wear. They might have cured it on the new engine and they might not given their priorities have clearly been biased towards reducing frictional losses rather than durability. For my 2009 M271 engine that pushes me to choose an MB229.5 5W40 oil.

And dont forget to shorten your OCI...that helps too (learn from BMW 2.0 diesels)...


I've been changing the oil at 4000 miles.
Even Mercedes have backed away some from very long OCI's to 10,000 miles or at least annual changes.