How to Change Oil in a Mercedes Benz
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. Dont 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. Dont want to buy parts from the dealer give George over at German Parts World (GPW) a call toll free 1-800-332-3822.