How to change oil in a Mercedes Benz 1998 and above



Posted: Friday, January 30, 2009

by
Europa Auto

Applies to most vehicles with 6 and 8 cylinders 1998 on.This article will show you step by step how to change the oil most Mercedes Benz vehicles 1998 onwards some exceptions would be some 4 cylinder cars. You may not be able to correctly measure oil level if you have a C class car since these do not have a dipstick from 2000-2005. These cars will need a Mercedes Benz DAS tester to accurately measure oil level.1. Make sure you have all the tools you need. You will need the following tools and materials:


A driver or ratchet with an 8mm socket for the plastic cover under the car.
A 13mm wrench or ratchet/socket for the drain plug.
A 3/8 ratchet for the oil filter housing cap assembly.
A medium extension for removing the oil filter housing cap.
An oil filter socket to remove the oil filter housing cap.
A pick or small screwdriver to remove the o-rings from the oil filter housing cap.
Depending on your car 7-9 quarts of synthetic motor oil (Mercedes Benz recommends Mobil1 0w40 which is a very good oil).
A high quality fleece oil filter make sure this is not paper. Paper filters can break apart. Use an original Mercedes Benz filter or any OEM like Mann or Hengst, they are all fleece.
Crush washer for oil drain plug
A couple of rags in case of spillage for cleanup.
Container to drain oil into.
Container to put used oil filter in.

2. Drive your car until your engine comes up to normal operating temperature. This is important because then more oil can be drained and it will drain faster.

3. Make sure the car is secure by putting it in park and the parking brake on if you are going to be using a jack.


4. Open the hood. When standing in front of your car it is located on the right side of the engine. Open the oil filler cap located on the valve cover as well.

Unscrew the oil filter housing cap using a ratchet with an extension connected to the oil filter cap tool.

Do not remove it quite yet we will do that later, this will allow oil to drain out of the old oil filter.

5. Now you will have to go underneath your car. If you are using a jack make sure your car is secured by jack stands as well.
The plastic plate(s) under the car covering the oil pan is secured by 4-10 screws depending on your car.

Remove it and put it to the side.

6. Time to drain the oil.
With your 13mm wrench or ratchet you can now remove the drain plug.Be careful the oil will be extremely hot! If you have an ML on some models the oil drain plug is in front of some suspension components. I use a piece of cardboard usually from the carton of oil. Bend it in half so it looks like a V and wedge it so the oil pours onto the cardboard and then into the drain pan. This will save a lot of cleanup later.

Make sure the container you are draining into can hold at least 10 quarts (2.5 gallons).

7. While the oil is draining we can now remove the oil filter housing cap. When removing place a rag around the filter and place it into a container to catch any excess oil. Let the oil drain for a good 10-15 minutes and then replace the drain plug, crush washer if it is bad, and the plastic cover. You can let the oil drain while doing these next steps.

8. You can now remove the oil filter. You may have to twist the filter back and forth to remove it.

9. Time to remove the old o-rings.

4 cylinder

Typical 6 and 8 cylinder.

You will need your pick (I like a 45 degree pick) or small screwdriver. Most vehicles have 4 o-rings on the oil filter housing cap assembly. These will have to be removed and replaced with the new ones that come with the new oil filter. Make sure the o-rings are correctly fitted inside their grooves and are not twisted. Make sure all the o-rings are removed and that you do not put a new o-ring on top of an old one. This can create a huge messy oil leak because it is high pressure!

10. Now it is time to put the new oil filter on the cap assembly. It will be a tight fit and a little force may be needed to get it seated all the way in the assembly.

OEM filter Mercedes part number 000 180 26 09 fits most 6 and 8 cylinder cars 98 and up.

The new oil filter will be marked with 2 lines.

The filter can be installed from either side, but one of the lines needs to be lined up with the bottom of the cap.
Filter is not all the way in.

Now it is ready to be installed.

11. The oil can be poured in now.
Pouring in oil.

If you have not replaced the drain plug do so now. Don't forget to put the plastic cover back either. Oil can be filled into the oil filter housing and/or the oil filler hole in the valve cover. 7 - 7.5 quarts is usually a safe amount to fill for 6 and 8 cylinder engines.

12. The oil filter assembly can now be installed. The oil filler cap can now also be installed.

13. Start up the car now for about 15 seconds and turn it back off. This will fill the oil filter with oil and enable you to get an accurate oil level measurement. Let the oil settle for a couple minutes.

14. Pull out the dipstick, wipe it off and put it back in the tube. Pull it out again and check the oil level. If the oil level is good start up the car and let it warm up to operating temperature. It is very important to measure oil level at hot level because synthetic oil expands much more than conventional oil. Turn the car off and measure the oil level again.
The oil level when hot should not be above the maximum line. It is better to have too little oil than too much. A good level is about 3/4 full as pictured above.

15. That it! It may be a little more work than other cars but after a few times you will get the hang of it. You can save some time by installing the oil filter o-rings while oil is being poured into the car. Depending on how you drive it is recommended you change your oil every 5000-8000 miles. Lots of stop and go, city, or towing replace your oil more often. Lots of highway driving you can change oil less frequently.

If you are in the Orlando area feel free to stop by our shop or website www.europaorlando.com. This is only a guide. If you do not have the tools or do not feel comfortable doing this type of work have a professional do it for you!!!

This Article has been viewed 2,027 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (4 total)
» left by Anonymous
 3 years 10 days ago.
hi arnt,
 
this was a well written and well illustrated article.
 
anyone needing to change their oil would have so much better directions than any manufacturer's. a perfect article. thanks for sharing, and i hope you continue writing, welcome to searchwarp,
 
best regards,
 
sue thom
» left by Nancy Daniels
 3 years 10 days ago.
65 fans.
Arnt,
 
What a well-written article which at first I thought I would skip because I hope to never have to change the oil in a Mercedes. But your pictures and your explanation are extensive and thorough. I'm glad I read it.
 
Thank you
» left by Anonymous
 2 years 239 days ago.
GREAT, I AM GOING TO CHANGE MY OWN OIL FROM NOW ON. 120.OO FOR AN OIL CHANGE IS A LITTLE TOO HIGH.
» left by Anonymous 2 years 239 days ago.
Mobile 1 at discount part store cost $6.99q (this is the factory recommended  oil), a factory oil filter fleece cost $20.50 (don,t use cheap aftermarket oil filters they sometimes come apart. if you have a v6 you would need 9 q . and you can do it yourself  for the cost of $83.41 plus tax. take the old oil in a container  to a parts store that's offer free disposal. Or if you don't want the hassle take it to Europa Auto they currently offer a $99.00 service A which includes mobile 1 oil and fleece oil filter. 
» left by hein from south africa 2 years 204 days ago.
what does the measurement on das tool display in mm?
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