I switched to Mobil 1- 0w/40w FULLY SYNTHETIC! I have been using Shell Rotella- 15w/40w but the 240D goes through Rotella faster than you can say "scat". I use Rotella T in my 81 VW Rabbit Diesel with fantastic results!

I am almost positive that my oil consumption will INCREASE! I figure I am on my way to a rebuild anyway so I decided to go ahead and clean out the internals .

I was just wondering. I have seen several mentions in some previous posts that Texaco Ursa didn't seem to burn as quickly in some engines as other oils (synthetic or dino) did. The PO of my 240D used Texaco Ursa in the engine before I purchased the car (I assume he did because there was an empty Ursa gallon container in the trunk). He told me that he changed the oil religiously.

After driving the car several days (@ 400 miles) I checked the oil and it was at the low mark on the dipstick so I topped it off with Shell Rotella T 15w/40w and never even considered Ursa. Honestly, I didn't pay any attention to the gallon container in the trunk until after my first oil change with the car. This car burns at least 3/4 of a quart per tank of diesel.

In light of the fact that some have noticed significantly less oil consumption using Ursa, would it be wise to revert back to Ursa since the car has been on Ursa for several years?

I am so sorry to bring up anything related to oil

Thanks,
Oilslick- oops! I did it again!

"so I topped it off " exactly what do you mean by that ?

"Topped it off" was not the best way to put it! My mistake

I added oil until it read somewhere between the full and add marks. I will have to say that I leaned more toward full but not completely. I have never been one to fill any car engine up to the full mark. I kinda figure that low notch is there for a reason. Anything above that(not exceeding the full mark) is ok if you ask me, but nobody did.

oilslick

I use a LOT more oil if I keep it at the full mark... so I am now keeping it half way or less....and I am not the only one to report this quirk....

Ahem. As gsxr pointed out to me, they aren't full and add marks, they're max and min marks

Were you the least bit alarmed that 0W-40 seems less viscous than water? I thought I was pouring in coffee the first time I tried 0W-40. Too freaky so I switched to 15W-50.

Sixto
95 S420
91 300SE
87 300SDL
83 300SD

I'd lean toward 15W50 in a 240D -- watch your oil pressure at idle hot. I'm not convinced that 0-40 oil is thick enough for a diesel.

If your oil pressure is very low at hot idle, change to 15-W50.

Peter

__________________
1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!

Thanks for the information. I did notice that the oil was very thin looking. I really wish I had put the Ursa in it this time, just to see, ya know.

I have noticed that the oil pressure doesn't jump up there as quickly as with the Rotella. Looks like I will be doing another oil change VERY soon. I am sure glad I went ahead and got an extra filter. Now when I go to get the Ursa the oil change won't "seem" as expensive

Oilslick

If you were to go to Mercedes and request synthetic oil, this
Mobil 1 0w40 is what they would sell you. I went to a dealer and asked once, that's why I know. I'd hate to see you drain 35 worth of oil out of there, especially when I'm very confident it's fine to use. Whenever you start you car when it's hot the oil is thin just like this stuff when it's cold, so what's the harm if you keep it in there for 3k?
Thanks, Adam Bush

thanks!

There is surely nothing WRONG with using Mobil 1 0W40 in you engine. It will lubricate wonderfully. It will also be consummed much more quickly than will Mobil 1 15W50.

There is A PROBLEM with using Mobil 1 synthetics in your Mercedes engine if you follow the Mercedes instructions in your owners manual (and you have a car that's more than 5-6 years old). Mobil 1 drains VERY slowly back into the sump - AND that means that if you measure the oil level when the engine has been run recently, some of the oil is still draining from the passages. In fact, it takes nearly 8 hours for all of the oil that can drain to drain! That means that when you measure the level of the oil in the sump - unless the engine has been sitting for 8+ hours you are NOT measuring the oil IN the engine but only the oil that has managed to drain into the sump.

The oil level in the sump is largely unimportant (don't believe me - fill up the sump and disable the oil pump - the engine WILL fail). What is important is the oil circulating in the engine. The use of a dipstick to measure the oil in the sump was sufficient when conventional oil was used. Current MB engines DON'T even have dipsticks anymore! If you use the oil level on the dipstick to estimate the oil level of an engine that's recently been shut down and top up the oil level you will overfill the engine by as much as a quart!

I've tried to interpolate what the oil content actually is using the dipstick level and how long it's been since the the engine was shut down and the results have been VERY erratic. The ONLY scheme that has worked faithfully is to read the oil level first thing in the morning before the car is started first time! That level is accurate. If the oil level is taken to much over the midway point between the the two marks, oil consumption at highway speeds WILL be excessive (or at least has been on every one of the 28 Mercedes engines I've ever owned).

Finally, In TSB # 00/57A (11/95) Mercedes warns against owner frequently topping up the engine oil, points out that the optimal level is about midway and suggest adding oil ONLY when the level reaches the lower mark.

Marshall

I guess I will be waiting till morning to check my oil.

Thanks for the info Marshall Booth!

I will verify that this is correct. One oil change I put in six quarts, started the engine, shut it down and checked the oil. I added oil to the max line(one quart) and the next morning checked it again; I was a quart over. Now I just add six quarts and leave it at that.

You live and learn.

M.

__________________
He's wild and free and so close to it only Gunk will clean his fingernails!

I find that if I pour in 7 quarts at oil change, the extra oil is rapidly burned off and it soon stabilizes at the correct level. Of course, I'm not advocating this practice; the extra oil is probably frothing and is not good for the main seals.

__________________
Matt
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1995 E300 Diesel (Die Blau Frau)

I've noticed this too, if I let the oil get just below the min. mark it will stay there for a long time ...

It was between the max and min marks. I drove her all day and pushed her really hard as well. I checked the level last night, about 15 minutes after shutdown, and the level was at the min mark. I thought that surely more oil would drain into the sump if it were given 8+ hours to do so. This morning I checked the level and guess what?

IT WAS AT THE SAME LEVEL IT WAS AT 15 MINUTES AFTER IT WAS SHUT DOWN LAST NIGHT!

I never win!

Oilslick