The price of Engine Oil

[Michel]

I wonder what the boys on the M-100 site recommend for the 6.9

 

[260ebenz]

all this talk of oil I thought I might ask what is the best oil for my 1990 260e mercedes?

2.6ltr straight six m103 engine.

cheers and happy 2010 to all,
tim.

 

[BenzBoy]

Well Tim - you are going to get slightly different answers from each of us. I would suggest Mobil 1, 15-50 (fully synthetic) or any major brand fully synthetic with a similar rating.
What do you currently use?
Regards,
Benz-Boy

 

[260ebenz]

benzboy,

thank you for the reply.

my 260e currently has for summer driving conditions hot weather valvoline 20-w-50 xld plus 5ltrs.

I have to buy to bottles of valvoline as my 260e engine has a 6.5ltr oil capacity.

in winter I use valvoline 15-w-50.

should I be using valvoline 20-w-50 for my 260e in summer and 15-w-50 in winter?

I have my 260e serviced every 5,000kms oil change, new oil and air filter.

appreciate feedback from you guys.

cheers tim.

 

[BenzBoy]

Tim - given our warm climate I see no reason to change between different grades of oil for summer and winter. As you change the oil and oil filter every 5000 ks you are doing it right anyway. You mention the air filter - are you changing that every 5000 ks too? That would not seem necessary.
You would get a better level of anti-wear if you used the Valvoline semi-synthetic such as the http://www.valvoline.com.au/files/productpdfs/2.pdf
The complete Valvoline range is at http://www.valvoline.com.au/products.php?main=1
Since you change the oil every 5000 ks using a fully synthetic may well be not necessary but it certainly would not hurt if you have the spare cash.
Whatever your decision, regular oil and filter changes as you are doing is the way to go.
Regards,
Benz-Boy

 

[TJ 450]

The M103 is a modern engine. You shouldn't need to go any higher that the 15W-50 in viscosity and that should be just fine for year round use.

With air filters, I just change them when they appear dirty.

Tim

 

[260ebenz]

benzboy and tj450 thank you for your feedback it is most appreciated.

like I said I have the oil changed in my 260e every 5,000kms I had a new air filter fitted german made air filter to my 260e in october 2009 as my mechanic adviced my air filter needed to be changed so a new air filter was fitted.

cheers guys,
tim.

 

[BAR]

All this lovely speculation.

Dug up from the ground vs synthetic: top price oil for modern engines vs older engines etc.. it's all very interesting.

One thing for sure, most of us have an engine that has done over 100Kms and there is a lot of wear and tear.

Most of these engines no longer produce 90% of the original power output as a consequnce of age.

There was a product called SLICK that claimed to 'coat' and smooth out cylinders.

I guess no matter what oil one uses, it's not a bad thought to ensure that the cylinder bores are again perfectly round and smooth.

SO as for what oil works, they all lubricate, just how much friction is there between the cylinder and piston and how much compression loss as a consequence of wear will be the best answer.

 

[Styria]

Seeking opinions on this oil. Styria

 

[BenzBoy]

Seeking opinions on this oil. Styria

Do you mean Slick?
Try this: http://www.skepdic.com/slick50.html
Regards,
Brian

 

[Styria]

No BenzBoy, by posting after finding the thread, I have basically 'book marked' the thread - I'll have more to say as soon as I get an opportunity. Regards Styria

N.B. My apologies for doing things this way - I did not want to start another thread because I knew the matter of suitable oil had been discussed at length previously. Just the other day, I bought 12 liters of the foregoing for Gleaming Beauty. I paid $59.00 for each bottle.



Would anyone have any opinions as to whether or not this is a good deal, and also if the oil is suitable. I do think that Nulon make a good product (I don't know why I say this), so I am keeping my fingers crossed. Regards Styria

 

[Tony66_au]

All this lovely speculation.

Dug up from the ground vs synthetic: top price oil for modern engines vs older engines etc.. it's all very interesting.

One thing for sure, most of us have an engine that has done over 100Kms and there is a lot of wear and tear.

Most of these engines no longer produce 90% of the original power output as a consequnce of age.

There was a product called SLICK that claimed to 'coat' and smooth out cylinders.

I guess no matter what oil one uses, it's not a bad thought to ensure that the cylinder bores are again perfectly round and smooth.

SO as for what oil works, they all lubricate, just how much friction is there between the cylinder and piston and how much compression loss as a consequence of wear will be the best answer.

A few things im going to take issue with here and the first is a common misconception highlighted in Red ........

Nope, its not the perfectly round bit but its the common belief that cylinder bores must be smooth, Who cares? Well I do.

A smooth bore wont work, a good bore is round and has cross hatching marks milled into the surface.

Why? So the scraper rings do their job.

If the scraper rings don't do their jobs then the car burns oil and lots of it.

Years ago I had a guy lob into the workshop on a Saturday afternoon with a US Import V8 that was blowing more than its fair share of oil smoke.

He was frustrated as this was his first proper engine rebuild and he had spent a lot of money making sure it was right.

So we went over what he had done, how he had done it, who did the machining, what oil and weight he ran etc etc and we initially thought he may have installed the rings incorrectly but as the conversation progressed we hit the jackpot.

The guy was complaining about the machine shop leaving all these rough scratches on the bore and my mechanic explained to him why this was and that without it the oil rings wouldn't work properly at which point he stopped dead and we both looked at each other and burst out laughing.

I asked the new client if he had honed the bore smooth but his expression answered the question well before Id finished asking it.

Sho Nuff the guy had honed the bore with whetstones till the crosshatching was virtually gone effectively oversizing the bore a bit more and creating the oiling issue he now had...........

The guy was quite embarrassed and drove the car home where he pulled the engine out and down returning the block to the machinists for a quick hone solving the oiling issue. (We reassembled the engine with his "Help" and picked up a few other issues)

The lesson?

Smooth is for Babies Bums not for Bores.

 

[BenzBoy]

No BenzBoy, by posting after finding the thread, I have basically 'book marked' the thread - I'll have more to say as soon as I get an opportunity. Regards Styria

OK -I guess I don't understand what you mean then -
Regards,
Brian

 

[Tony66_au]

And you and I are going to have words about your cynicism Brian..............

Nothing wrong with Slick50! lol

You just have to add it correctly and for the right reason.

 

[Tony66_au]

Do you mean Slick?
Try this: http://www.skepdic.com/slick50.html
Regards,
Brian

BTW...............

Slick50 hasn't had PTFE in it for years despite what the sceptics claim......

 

[Tony66_au]

Having read back through this thread from the beginning I feel the need to add a few truisms.

A lot of engine oil on the shelf has recycled old oil added to it. (Especially the nasty no name rubbish)

Oil goes "Off" and stops working properly over time, this is why most oil changes have a time as well as mileage component.

Regular oil changes using quality mineral oils are as effective as any semi synthetic oil and some of the cheaper low end Full synthetic oils.

All Synthetic oils are not created equal, cracked polymer versus other molecular level differences.

Autoparts store attendants are not always correct, truthful or knowledgeable.

And the difference in price between trade and retail when it comes to Motor oils can be HUGE!

 

[BenzBoy]

BTW...............

Slick50 hasn't had PTFE in it for years despite what the sceptics claim......

Yes but don't call it Teflon! That's because Teflon is a Dupont registered brand name for PTFE......
Nulon, Slick etc all seem to contain PTFE. I remember the Nulon claim when a car was treated with Nulon and then emptied of its oil and driven a long distance - supposedly the Nulon treatment stopped it blowing up. The problem with that claim is that if run at low revs it takes an engine quite some time before it blows. Wtiness a VW engine blow competition and see what I mean. There is usually enough oil in the engine to lubricate for some time before the bearings or pistons run dry and heat to the point of seizing....
Regards,
Brian

 

[Tony66_au]

True but Slick still hasn't had PTFE in it for years......

And VW engines are amazing things, engineering marvels on par with Mercedes Benz.

I don't think Nulon has had Teflon in it for years either, they are the big guys on the block for Zinc additives.

The whole PTFE craze was pretty much over and done with by the late 90's anyway.

Something to do with Catalytic converters not liking it terribly much and advances in engine technology.

 

[BenzBoy]

Ture enough about Slick. The material data safety sheet shows it to be petroleum based solvent. Nulon, however, contains Teflon. See - http://www.nulon.com.au/products/Engine_Treatments/Worn_Engine_Treatment/
Regards,
Brian

 

[Oversize]

In my early days as a mechanic I partially rebuilt my brothers engine (with the block still in the car), replacing the rings and giving the bore a hone. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't achieve the nice uniform cross-hatching that I'd seen in books and pictures. Sure enough, it didn't take long for the thing to start blowing smoke again and my brother sold the car. Even though it was a Holden (VC Commodore) I did try to fix it!!!

Tony you seem to know much about the subject, so can you please explain how cross-hatching is achieved? I tried with an electric drill and honing stones. It's that long ago that I can't remember if I used the thing that looks like a toilet brush (mental block for the name)... What I do remember is that I couldn't get the speed of the drill, or the speed of penetration correct... And that it drove me nuts for hours as I didn't know what I was doing wrong. Thinking about it now, I should've got the answers before I tackled the job. It definitely wasn't a case of she'll be right!!!