Hello everyone. I just purchased a very clean 1990 mercedes 300e with a hundred thousand miles on it. The car runs fantastic. It holds a little over 7 quarts of oil. My question is what weight should I use in the winter? I'm located in upstate N.Y. It drops as low as 0 here. The manual calls for anything from 10w30 to 20w50. The car will see a lot of ten mile runs, half of that highway. Thanks for the help.
mercedes 300e help
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Upstate NY? I would use a synthetic 10W-XX if you follow the manual. A conventional 10W-XX might be a bit viscous on a super cold morning.
I think this engine would do great on Amsoil ACD 10W-30, or ATM 10W-30. If you think (via a UOA) that it needs a 10W-40, AMO may be worth a try. Click here to read about these oils: Amsoil Motor Oil Line-up
I think this engine would do great on Amsoil ACD 10W-30, or ATM 10W-30. If you think (via a UOA) that it needs a 10W-40, AMO may be worth a try. Click here to read about these oils: Amsoil Motor Oil Line-up
Mobil1 High Mileage 10W-30 might be a good candidate for winter in upstate...
Kestas
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You need a copy of this:
Mercedes Approved Service Products
Also jump on board the following forum for other help:
Mercedesshop.com
Mercedes Approved Service Products
Also jump on board the following forum for other help:
Mercedesshop.com
I have a 1995 Mercedes E320, very similar car to yours, but yours probably has the M103 engine, whereas mine has the M104. No matter, my experience is that lots of old Benzes down South get 15w-40 HDEO. In the winter with really bitter cold temperatures that you will see, I'd step down to 10w-30. 300e is a rock solid car.
Thanks for the replys everyone. The engine is a 3.0 straight six. The original window sticker was in the glove box. The price for this car new in 1990 was fortyfive thousand. I recently stopped by my local mercedes dealer and the new 300 series starts around thirtytwo thousand. I was shocked, to say the least. Maybe I'll go with a heavy 10w30 for the cold months. I checked out the mb approved list, I'm not so sure if this would apply for this model year. Jett Rink, how many miles on your E320?
Skip synthetics except Mobil 1 5w-40 or Shell Rotella Synth 5w-40. 5w-30 winter/ 10w-40 summer with Castrol GTX Hi-Miles or MaxLife would be a very good selection. 15w-40 in summer is fine if you have consumption issues.
I think Motorcraft 5w30 would be a good oil for this application. It's a semi-synthetic that does everything a 10w30 does, and is good to below zero temps. Plus, it costs less than $2.50/qt.
If I was going to use a synthetic in your car, I'd probably use GC or Maxlife synthetic 5w30.
If I was going to use a synthetic in your car, I'd probably use GC or Maxlife synthetic 5w30.
I'm trying to figure out way AMSOIL 10W-30 was recommended over AMSOIL 5W-40 for the New York winter. I'm also wondering why AMSOIL 5W-40 couldn't be used year round in this Mercedes.
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I'm trying to figure out way AMSOIL 10W-30 was recommended over AMSOIL 5W-40 for the New York winter. I'm also wondering why AMSOIL 5W-40 couldn't be used year round in this Mercedes.
Simple:
1) "The manual calls for anything from 10w30 to 20w50."
2) 5W-40 AFL is a low SAPS oil. It'll work OK, but ACD will work much, much better.
(AFL), (ACD), (SAPS)
Quote:
(AFL), (ACD), (SAPS)
AFL = Amsoil Euro Oil 5W-40. Great oil for new low emission engines, needing a 40 with low SAPS.
SAPS = Low SAPS lubricants contain a reduced proportion of Sulfated Ash, Phosphorus and Sulfur.
ACD = Amsoil 10W-30/SAE 30 HIGH Zinc, high P, high TBN Dual rated HDEO.
any oil will be fine, that engine is just bullet proof
It's true, MB has brought prices down (partly by cutting quality to a degree), but are you comparing the 300E of 1990 to the current E-class (E350, I think it is)? The price you mention for the new MB suggests you're looking at the C-Class, the compact model.
The 300E was the *mid-level* car of that time, not the compact -- that was the 190E/190D.
I have a little over 115,000 miles on the car. I have owned it since it had about 70,000 miles.
As for oil, if you look at the the link Kestas gave you concerning Mercedes Benz suggested oils, you are going to see that they suggest xw-40 oils for anything above really cold temperatures. Your owner's manual will likely have the same type graphs, matching oil selection to temperatures. This thicker oil suggestion is contrary to the current trend to thinner oils. You will just have to make your own call between xw-40 and xw-30. Me, I use 15w-40 and the engine doesn't consume any noticeable amount of oil over 5,000 miles.
I don't know for sure, but I bet you have an old school Mercedes standard oil pressure gauge on the left side of your instrument panel. If so, when you step on the accelerator it ought to register all the way at 3 bars. At idle when the oil is hot, you don't want it to get below 1 bar. If it is behaving this way, then you probably don't have any oil problems.
Benzadmiral is correct. 300e was their midsize model (like the E class today), 190e was their smaller car (like the C class today). Benzes from the W124 era are the last of the "overengineered" Benzes. I have seen several 300e cars with over 250,000 miles on them. We don't have the rust issues down here from road salt the way you have to contend with, so I can't comment on that part. But they are solid cars and parts aren't hard to get, so you can drive it a long time if you so desire.
Thanks everyone for replying. Benzadmiral, your most likely right, it was the e350. looks near the same as an upgraded 300. Jett Rink, yes I have the standard oil pressure gauge. It reads just over one at idle, and pins at three at low rpm. I saved the ebay number of the car if you guys want to take a look at it (if it's still in the ebay system) item number 190134348792. Give me you thoughts.
Mercedes most likely speced 10W-40 for all climate use.
In my old Benzes, I always used 10W-40 winters and 20W-50 summers, although a straight 30 is also acceptable for summer, and might be a better choice. Stick with dino, as I think you'll see higher consumption on syn, or at least I always did.
In my old Benzes, I always used 10W-40 winters and 20W-50 summers, although a straight 30 is also acceptable for summer, and might be a better choice. Stick with dino, as I think you'll see higher consumption on syn, or at least I always did.
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