Oil labelling explained

Dale Minton

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Hi

It's a bit of an old tech thing and it can help with some older engines, but there are other fuel additives that can do a better job in new cars.

There doesn't seem to be a lot in the way of proper technical advice with 2 stroke in diesel, but this study is useful.

http://www.fuelexpert.co.za/2-stroke-oil-in-diesel-technical-study.php

Cheers

Tim

Thanks Tim, appreciated. I posted this to our other forum friends who on another thread were discussing the pros and cons of it's use. I hope they will find it helpful.

Dale.
 

Jimbo1959

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There is so much information delivered here that I'm starting to get confused, so, if Tim, (oilman) could clarify please!!!

I have an '09 E 350 CDi Sport Coupe which I am assured has a DPF fitted. From my reading on here and the owners manual I should use either 5W/30 or 0W/40 which meets 229.31 or 229.51.

Have I worked it out properly Tim?

One final question sir, Does it really matter which brand I purchase as long as the particular specification is met?

The reason I ask is that, at work, they use mainly Coma oils although, I can also get Mobil 1 if necessary.
 

John Laidlaw

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There is so much information delivered here that I'm starting to get confused, so, if Tim, (oilman) could clarify please!!!

I have an '09 E 350 CDi Sport Coupe which I am assured has a DPF fitted. From my reading on here and the owners manual I should use either 5W/30 or 0W/40 which meets 229.31 or 229.51.

Have I worked it out properly Tim?

One final question sir, Does it really matter which brand I purchase as long as the particular specification is met?

The reason I ask is that, at work, they use mainly Coma oils although, I can also get Mobil 1 if necessary.
In case Tim doesn’t pick up on this Jim, you need the Low ash oil 229.51 for your car and provided the oil meets this MB specification and is approved to that then it doesn’t matter which brand, Comma, Mobil, Shell, Fuchs or whatever.
Until recently MB were very competitive strangely but I’m informed less so now. That said I’d still try MB Grangemouth or of course the sponsor on here , Opie oils.
 

Jimbo1959

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In case Tim doesn’t pick up on this Jim, you need the Low ash oil 229.51 for your car and provided the oil meets this MB specification and is approved to that then it doesn’t matter which brand, Comma, Mobil, Shell, Fuchs or whatever.
Until recently MB were very competitive strangely but I’m informed less so now. That said I’d still try MB Grangemouth or of course the sponsor on here , Opie oils.

Thanks John, Being a total novice on MB I thought it'd be a good idea to ask, and confirm, rather than just dive in head first and possibly make a mistake. With a car of this value it's better to be safe rather than sorry.
 

John Laidlaw

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Thanks John, Being a total novice on MB I thought it'd be a good idea to ask, and confirm, rather than just dive in head first and possibly make a mistake. With a car of this value it's better to be safe rather than sorry.
Not a problem , wise to be safe. Lovely cars deserve this strategy!
 
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Wighty

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There is so much information delivered here that I'm starting to get confused, so, if Tim, (oilman) could clarify please!!!

I have an '09 E 350 CDi Sport Coupe which I am assured has a DPF fitted. From my reading on here and the owners manual I should use either 5W/30 or 0W/40 which meets 229.31 or 229.51.

Have I worked it out properly Tim?

One final question sir, Does it really matter which brand I purchase as long as the particular specification is met?

The reason I ask is that, at work, they use mainly Coma oils although, I can also get Mobil 1 if necessary.
If your car has a dpf , the inside of the exhaust tip is clean , if it doesn't it's black and sooty . Yes you do need 229.51 as said above . If you search 229.51 oil on eBay you can get 20 Liters of MB Branded oil for £60 delivered from a lot of the Merc dealers .
 

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Looks like all 20L containers of 229.51 5w/30 MB oil have now disappeared from eBay :( (at least in the £60 region ) ...there are some ripoff ones for £200 .
 

EXMERCTECH

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Mr Oilman.

There's a thread going round about using motorcycle oil 20/60
In the Mercedes with the 642 engine with DPF
Basically saying IIRC the recommend oil is too thin.

I'll try and find the original post.
What's you view on Motorcycle oil in a diesel with DPF.

Thanks
Phill.
(Ex Dolomite Sprint V8 Owner.)
 
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Hi Phill

Not a good idea. Bike oils are not formulated for DPFs and a 20w-60 is completely the wrong grade, offering very little cold start protection and is also very thick when hot, reducing protection and efficiency as well as putting more strain on the components.

Okay, a 20w-60 is not going to burn off much, so might not affect the DPF much, but using such a thick oil is not going to help the oil.

Cheers

Tim
 

thebiglad

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Hi Tim, I wonder if you could advise me as well please. I'm about to take delivery of a 2007 CLS 320 cdi with 123,000 mls on the clock and full MB history.

When I get it home I'll be going through it from front to back, so I need to know - if you can help me please - the specs of the following liquids:

1. Engine oil

2. Auto 7-speed oil

3. Std Diff (not LSD) oil

4. (Don't know if you get involved in coolants) Coolant spec.

If you're fed up of people asking these sort of silly questions, just tell me to f-off - and I will ;););););)
 
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Hi

You need an engine oil that meets the Mercedes 229.3, 229.31, 229.5 or 229.51 specification if it doesn't have a DPF. If it does have a DPF, go for a 229.31 or 229.51 oil.

https://www.opieoils.co.uk/c-716-mercedes-engine-oil.aspx

If it doesn't burn much oil, any of the oils that meet those specs are fine, but if it does burn oil, go for one of the 5w-40s.

This is ideal for the gearbox.

https://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-68895-fuchs-titan-atf-4134-mercedes-mb-23614.aspx

And this for the diff.

https://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-982-fuchs-titan-sintopoid-fe-sae-75w-85-fully-synthetic-gear-oil.aspx

This coolant is ideal.

https://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-60204-...-longlife-antifreeze-coolant-concentrate.aspx

Cheers

Tim
 

AnthonyUK

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...Shell, Mobil, Castrol and Fuchs are probably the most popular ones for Mercedes. 0w-30 or 5w-30 are generally the grades to go for, although if it burns oil, one of the 0w-40s or 5w-40s is a sensible choice.

Cheers

Tim

If it burns oil isn't it going to burn more using a 'thinner' oil e.g. 0w-40?
Although I guess we don't really see much difference between 0w and 5w in UK.
 
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A 0w oil is only thinner than a 5w when cold, so when the oil is up to temp and it would be burning off, a 0w-30 and a 5w-30 will be the same viscosity. A 0w-40 or 5w-40 will be thicker than a 0w-30 or 5w-30 when at operating temperature.

Cheers

Tim
 

AnthonyUK

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A 0w oil is only thinner than a 5w when cold, so when the oil is up to temp and it would be burning off, a 0w-30 and a 5w-30 will be the same viscosity. A 0w-40 or 5w-40 will be thicker than a 0w-30 or 5w-30 when at operating temperature.

Cheers

Tim

Thanks Tim.
I read something about the thinner oil making its way past valve seals and worn piston rings but I guess that would be minimal.
 

thebiglad

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Hi Tim, sorry to bother you again, but the purchase of the CLS didn't go through so I've bought a CLK, details listed below:

SLK 270 cdi

VIN: WDB2093162F162228

120,000 mls

So what spec and quantity do I need for engine (don't know if it has a DPF), autobox and diff, please?

Many thanks

Dave
 

Wighty

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Hi Tim, sorry to bother you again, but the purchase of the CLS didn't go through so I've bought a CLK, details listed below:

SLK 270 cdi

VIN: WDB2093162F162228

120,000 mls

So what spec and quantity do I need for engine (don't know if it has a DPF), autobox and diff, please?

Many thanks

Dave
Same 229.51 oil 5w30 is dpf friendly (if the exhaust pipe is sooty you have no dpf)
ATF 236.14 . Fuchs atf4134 for the gearbox
Diff is Fuchs Titan sintopoid 75/85 FE
 

thebiglad

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Than
Same 229.51 oil 5w30 is dpf friendly (if the exhaust pipe is sooty you have no dpf)
ATF 236.14 . Fuchs atf4134 for the gearbox
Diff is Fuchs Titan sintopoid 75/85 FE
Thanks again Wighty - just wanting to get everything in stock for when she gets home the week-end of the 8th.
 

wrenchmoto2

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What’s written on your oil bottle and what does it mean.

This post may seem like going back to basics but I am constantly surprised by the amount of people who do not know or understand what is written on a bottle of oil and therefore no idea of what they are buying/using.

To be blunt about the subject, if a bottle of oil does not contain the following basic information then DO NOT buy it look for something that does!

1) The purpose for which it is intended (i.e. Motor oil, Gear oil etc)

2) The viscosity (i.e. 10w-40, 5w-30 etc for Motor oils and 80w-90, 75w-90 etc for Gear oils)

3) The specifications that it meets (should contain both API and ACEA ratings)

4) The OEM Approvals that it carries and the codes (i.e. MB229.3, VW503.00, BMW LL01 etc)

Ignore the marketing blurb on the label it is in many cases meaningless and I will explain later what statements you should treat this with some scepticism

So, what does the above information mean and why is it important?

THE BASICS

All oils are intended for an application and in general are not interchangeable. You would not for example put an Automatic Transmission Oil or a Gear Oil in your engine! It is important to know what the oils intended purpose is.

VISCOSITY

Most oils on the shelves today are “Multigrades”, which simply means that the oil falls into 2 viscosity grades (i.e. 10w-40 etc)

Multigrades were first developed some 50 years ago to avoid the old routine of using a thinner oil in winter and a thicker oil in summer.

In a 10w-40 for example the 10w bit (W = winter, not weight or watt or anything else for that matter) simply means that the oil must have a certain maximum viscosity/flow at low temperature. The lower the “W” number the better the oils cold temperature/cold start performance.

The 40 in a 10w-40 simply means that the oil must fall within certain viscosity limits at 100 degC. This is a fixed limit and all oils that end in 40 must achieve these limits. Once again the lower the number the thinner the oil, a 30 oil is thinner than a 40 oil at 100 degC etc. Your handbook will specify whether a 30, 40 or 50 etc is required.

SPECIFICATIONS

Specifications are important as these indicate the performance of the oil and whether they have met or passed the latest tests or whether the formulation is effectively obsolete or out of date.
There are two specifications that you should look for on any oil bottle and these are API (American Petroleum Institute) and ACEA (Association des Constructeurs Europeens d’Automobiles) all good oils should contain both of these and an understanding of what they mean is important.

API

This is the more basic as it is split (for passenger cars) into two catagories. S = Petrol and C = Diesel, most oils carry both petrol (S) and diesel (C) specifications.

The following table shows how up to date the specifications the oil are:

PETROL

SG - Introduced 1989 has much more active dispersant to combat black sludge.

SH - Introduced 1993 has same engine tests as SG, but includes phosphorus limit 0.12%, together with control of foam, volatility and shear stability.

SJ - Introduced 1996 has the same engine tests as SG/SH, but phosphorus limit 0.10% together with variation on volatility limits

SL - Introduced 2001, all new engine tests reflective of modern engine designs meeting current emissions standards

SM - Introduced November 2004, improved oxidation resistance, deposit protection and wear protection, also better low temperature performance over the life of the oil compared to previous categories.

Note:

All specifications prior to SL are now obsolete and although suitable for some older vehicles are more than 10 years old and do not provide the same level of performance or protection as the more up to date SL and SM specifications.

DIESEL

CD - Introduced 1955, international standard for turbo diesel engine oils for many years, uses single cylinder test engine only

CE - Introduced 1984, improved control of oil consumption, oil thickening, piston deposits and wear, uses additional multi cylinder test engines

CF4 - Introduced 1990, further improvements in control of oil consumption and piston deposits, uses low emission test engine

CF - Introduced 1994, modernised version of CD, reverts to single cylinder low emission test engine. Intended for certain indirect injection engines

CF2 - Introduced 1994, defines effective control of cylinder deposits and ring face scuffing, intended for 2 stroke diesel engines

CG4 - Introduced 1994, development of CF4 giving improved control of piston deposits, wear, oxidation stability and soot entrainment. Uses low sulphur diesel fuel in engine tests

CH4 - Introduced 1998, development of CG4, giving further improvements in control of soot related wear and piston deposits, uses more comprehensive engine test program to include low and high sulphur fuels

CI4 Introduced 2002, developed to meet 2004 emission standards, may be used where EGR ( exhaust gas recirculation ) systems are fitted and with fuel containing up to 0.5 % sulphur. May be used where API CD, CE, CF4, CG4 and CH4 oils are specified.

Note:

All specifications prior to CH4 are now obsolete and although suitable for some older vehicles are more than 10 years old and do not provide the same level of performance or protection as the more up to date CH4 & CI4 specifications.

If you want a better more up to date oil specification then look for SL, SM, CH4, CI4

ACEA

This is the European equivalent of API (US) and is more specific in what the performance of the oil actually is. A = Petrol, B = Diesel and C = Catalyst compatible or low SAPS (Sulphated Ash, Phosphorus and Sulphur).

Unlike API the ACEA specs are split into performance/application catagories as follows:

A1 Fuel economy petrol
A2 Standard performance level (now obsolete)
A3 High performance and/or extended drain
A4 Reserved for future use in certain direct injection engines
A5 Combines A1 fuel economy with A3 performance

B1 Fuel economy diesel
B2 Standard performance level (now obsolete)
B3 High performance and/or extended drain
B4 For direct injection car diesel engines
B5 Combines B1 fuel economy with B3/B4 performance

C1-04 Petrol and Light duty Diesel engines, based on A5/B5-04 low SAPS, two way catalyst compatible.
C2-04 Petrol and light duty Diesel engines, based on A5/B5-04 mid SAPS, two way catalyst compatible.
C3-04 Petrol and light duty Diesel engines, based on A5/B5-04 mid SAPS, two way catalyst compatible, Higher performance levels due to higher HTHS.

Note: SAPS = Sulphated Ash, Phosphorous and Sulphur.

Put simply, A3/B3, A5/B5 and C3 oils are the better quality, stay in grade performance oils.

APPROVALS

Many oils mention various OEM’s on the bottle, the most common in the UK being VW, MB or BMW but do not be misled into thinking that you are buying a top oil because of this.

Oil Companies send their oils to OEM’s for approval however some older specs are easily achieved and can be done so with the cheapest of mineral oils. Newer specifications are always more up to date and better quality/performance than the older ones.

Some of the older OEM specifications are listed here and depending on the performance level of your car are best ignored if you are looking for a quality high performance oil:

VW – 500.00, 501.00 and 505.00

Later specs like 503, 504, 506 and 507 are better performing more up to date oils

MB – 229.1

Later specs like 229.3 and 229.5 are better performing more up to date oils.

BMW – LL98

Later specs like LL01 and LL04 are better performing more up to date oils.


FINALLY

Above is the most accurate guidance I can give without going into too much depth however there is one final piece of advice regarding the labelling.

Certain statements are made that are meaningless and just marketing blurb, here are a few to avoid!

Recommended for use where……………
May be used where the following specifications apply……………
Approved by………………………..(but with no qualification)
Recommended/Approved by (some famous person, these endorsements are paid for)
Racing/Track formula (but with no supporting evidence)

Also be wary of statements like “synthetic blend” if you are looking for a fully synthetic oil as this will merely be a semi-synthetic.

Like everything in life, you get what you pay for and the cheaper the oil the cheaper the ingredients and lower the performance levels.

If you want further advice then please feel free to ask here or contact us through our website at www.opieoils.co.uk.

Cheers
Simon
That's really helpful.
 

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