SL350 R231 Differential.

[Bay Leaf]

Hi How much oil does my differential hold. I know it should be 75W-85 fully synthetic. Should I use a top name like Fuchs / Mobil etc or would any oil of that spec be ok.

 

[John Laidlaw]

Mercedes-Benz Betriebsstoff-Vorschriften

Die Mercedes-Benz Betriebsstoff-Vorschriften zeigen eine Übersicht der Anforderungen der im Fahrzeug benötigten Betriebsstoffe und der empfohlenen Produkte. Betriebsstoffe sind alle zum Betrieb eines Mercedes-Fahrzeugs / Aggregats erforderlichen Flüssigkeiten bzw. Schmiermittel z.B. Kraftstoff...

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Quantity should be in your owners manual (if you have one of course), think it's c 1 litre

 

[Wighty]

1.3 L if it’s anything like my 2 MB’s . Yes , Fuchs are a good price , that’s what I use , opie Oils has a number plate search facility

 

[steveq]

I doubt if the capacity will be in your handbook as the differential probably hasn't got a service schedule.

It is definitely more than 1 litre -- you'll need to buy 2 litres. I would say that it is somewhere between 1.2 and 1.3 litres.
The good news it that you can do 2 cars with 3 litres or 3 cars with 4 litres.
Be careful when filling after you've put in 1 litre. It is very messy if spilled -- much more than regular engine oil. Put your finger into the filler hole so you can 'dip' the oil to see how close it is the the filler hole.

I had to buy a hex key as the size is quite large and I didn't have one. Also, the drain and filler bolts are very tight. You'll need some kind of breaker bar to get enough leverage to loosen them. Loosen the filler bolt first -- no point in finding out that it is completely seized after you have drained the oil out !!
I also recall doing it on an MB with two exhausts and one exhaust is very close to the filler bolt and needed a universal knuckle socket extension to fit around the exhaust pipe into the filler bolt.

 

[Bay Leaf]

Thanks everyone. I didn't think of it before but I rang the main agents and they told me it holds 1.1 litre which is a bit of a sod as it comes as you know in 1 litre bottles. So rather than buy two I might see if I've got some left over from when I had my Jag. It probably won't be quite the same spec but It will only be .1 of a litre. I will get the Fuchs oil off eBay as it's a lot cheaper than the main agent's stuff with the gold particles.

 

[daveenty]

Try to buy 500ml cartons, a bit more cost effective if you can get them priced right. And it will be around 1.25L so you will need more than 1L. Personally I wouldn't mix and match but that's your call. Incidentally, I found that my local dealership was the best price for lots of lubricants.

I see you're in Stockport? I'm up the road a bit in Bury but have the 14mm key for the filler/drain plugs if you want to borrow it?

 

[Bay Leaf]

Thanks for the offer daveenty much appreciated, but I ordered one off eBay today for a fiver. I'll take your advice on the quantity though and get 2 litres of oil. The dealership price per litre was £35.28 as opposed to £12.99 for Fuchs from eBay.

 

[Wighty]

Thanks for the offer daveenty much appreciated, but I ordered one off eBay today for a fiver. I'll take your advice on the quantity though and get 2 litres of oil. The dealership price per litre was £35.28 as opposed to £12.99 for Fuchs from eBay.

Check the torque for the tightening , I think both mine were 50nm

 

[Bay Leaf]

Cheers.

 

[John Laidlaw]

I doubt if the capacity will be in your handbook as the differential probably hasn't got a service schedule.

It is definitely more than 1 litre -- you'll need to buy 2 litres. I would say that it is somewhere between 1.2 and 1.3 litres.
The good news it that you can do 2 cars with 3 litres or 3 cars with 4 litres.
Be careful when filling after you've put in 1 litre. It is very messy if spilled -- much more than regular engine oil. Put your finger into the filler hole so you can 'dip' the oil to see how close it is the the filler hole.

I had to buy a hex key as the size is quite large and I didn't have one. Also, the drain and filler bolts are very tight. You'll need some kind of breaker bar to get enough leverage to loosen them. Loosen the filler bolt first -- no point in finding out that it is completely seized after you have drained the oil out !!
I also recall doing it on an MB with two exhausts and one exhaust is very close to the filler bolt and needed a universal knuckle socket extension to fit around the exhaust pipe into the filler bolt.

Found afterwards it is 1.1 litres