From: owner-diesel-benz-digest-at-digest.net (diesel-benz-digest) To: diesel-benz-digest-at-krusty-motorsports.com Subject: diesel-benz-digest V1 #177 Reply-To: diesel-benz-at-digest.net Sender: owner-diesel-benz-digest-at-digest.net Errors-To: owner-diesel-benz-digest-at-digest.net Precedence: bulk diesel-benz-digest Sunday, July 25 1999 Volume 01 : Number 177 Forum for Discussion of Diesel Mercedes Benz Automobiles John Meister Digest Coordinator Contents: Service intervals Re: Diesel Oil, new benz... Re: Oil condition new 4x4 club - PNW area weather and fuel economy You Can Start Your Online Biz Today Diesel Benz Digest Home Page: http://www.digest.net/diesel-benz/ Send submissions to diesel-benz-digest-at-digest.net Send administrative requests to diesel-benz-digest-request-at-digest.net To unsubscribe, include the word unsubscribe by itself in the body of the message, unless you are sending the request from a different address than the one that appears on the list. Include the word help in a message to stag-digest-request to get a list of other majordomo commands. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 15:26:22 +0100 From: "Declan Berridge" Subject: Service intervals My dealer has told me that my diesel A-class does not need a "running-in service", and that the ASSYST system can be relied on to predict when the first service is required (the current ASSYST reading equates to a first service at around 13,000 miles). The A-class brochure says: "As a result [of ASSYST], service intervals can be doubled doubled from the traditional 9,000 miles to 18,000 miles - or even up to 25,000 miles for a diesel." Also, the 30-year Mobilo-life warranty remains valid provided the car has been serviced by a Mercedes dealer "within the last two years". Surely it can't be in a manufacturer's interests to unnecessarily dissuade owners from having their cars serviced? Nor in the dealer's - I thought that was where they made their money... dVb http://www.dberridge.dial.pipex.com dberridge-at-dial.pipex.com '99 Mercedes A170 CDI '85 Bertone X1/9 VS '85 Fiat Uno 55S '64 Vanden Plas Princess 1100 - -----Original Message----- From: Jon Filina To: diesel-benz-digest-at-digest.net ; Richard ulrich Date: 24 July 1999 10:20 Subject: Re: >Richard was worried about the condition of his oil and asked: > >> I have a new 1999 E-300 TD . I used a little over one quart of oil in the >> first 1,000 miles. The oil on the dip stick is quite dark. Is this >"normal"? >> I have never had a diesel before, so I don't know what to expect. The >> manual says I don't need my FIRST oil change for 10,000 miles !.. >> this makes me very uneasy. > >First off, diesel's are very hard on oil. It will turn very dark within a >few hundred miles, if not sooner. That is nothing to be concerned about. >As long as the oil on the dipstick is of uniform color...usually black...and >contains no grit, it's fine. > >As far as 10,000 mi. between oil changes, I would be a bit uneasy. I >understand that the newer MB's are using synthetic oils. Their >recommendations, with regular oils, was 2500 mi. (heavy useage) to about >5000 mi. for the older (80's) engines. My experience with regular oil has >been to change it, and the filter, every 3000 miles. I have never had an >engine fail, following this regimen, for almost 600,000 mi. between 3 >different vehicles. > >John is the expert on synthetics. I used Mobil1 in my 76 VW Dasher, >gasoline engine, and was very happy with it. At that time, Mobil >recommended 20,000 mi. between oil changes. I did it every 7500. I would >feel very uneasy allowing even synthetic oil to be run in a diesel for more >than 5000 mi. Diesels create acids which cause the oil to break down more >rapidly. 10,000 mi. between oil changes just doesn't sound right to me. > >I guess the short answer to your question is don't worry about the color as >that's normal, and change the oil at 5,000 mi. But, the last half of the >answer is based on a dino oil user, Delo400 in my case. > >Jon >'81 240D 229,500 mi. running dino oil being changed every 3000 miles... > > ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 17:20:23 -0700 From: john Subject: Re: Diesel Oil, new benz... I didn't realize MB was using synthetics... that's good. In thinking about it, knowing now that it's a Synthetic... change the oil filter and keep on keepin' on. However, if you're concerned, as I would be if it were mine. I'd have the oil analyzed. Actually, after 1,000 miles on a new engine I'd swap in fresh AMSOIL Synthetic, and probably install a ByPass Filter setup. I'm curious as to how MB broke this engine in... Typically one uses Dino oil so things actually seat and wear in properly for the first 500 to 1,000 miles... I wonder if they run these things on a bench or something with dino oil first... If I were you I'd probably find out more about what MB is up to in this area. Then I'd either change the filter and have the oil analyzed, or just switch over to AMSOIL 15w40 Marine Grade Synthetic Diesel oil, install a ByPass filter. Remember, warranties don't last forever, and any damage you might do now might not show up until the car has over 100,000 miles on it... john At 04:17 AM 7/24/99 -0500, Jon Filina wrote: >Richard was worried about the condition of his oil and asked: >>> I have a new 1999 E-300 TD . I used a little over one quart of oil in the >> first 1,000 miles. The oil on the dip stick is quite dark. Is this >"normal"? >> I have never had a diesel before, so I don't know what to expect. The >> manual says I don't need my FIRST oil change for 10,000 miles !.. >> this makes me very uneasy. > >First off, diesel's are very hard on oil. It will turn very dark within a >few hundred miles, if not sooner. That is nothing to be concerned about. >As long as the oil on the dipstick is of uniform color...usually black...and >contains no grit, it's fine. > >As far as 10,000 mi. between oil changes, I would be a bit uneasy. I >understand that the newer MB's are using synthetic oils. Their >recommendations, with regular oils, was 2500 mi. (heavy useage) to about >5000 mi. for the older (80's) engines. My experience with regular oil has >been to change it, and the filter, every 3000 miles. I have never had an >engine fail, following this regimen, for almost 600,000 mi. between 3 >different vehicles. > >John is the expert on synthetics. I used Mobil1 in my 76 VW Dasher, >gasoline engine, and was very happy with it. At that time, Mobil >recommended 20,000 mi. between oil changes. I did it every 7500. I would >feel very uneasy allowing even synthetic oil to be run in a diesel for more >than 5000 mi. Diesels create acids which cause the oil to break down more >rapidly. 10,000 mi. between oil changes just doesn't sound right to me. > >I guess the short answer to your question is don't worry about the color as >that's normal, and change the oil at 5,000 mi. But, the last half of the >answer is based on a dino oil user, Delo400 in my case. > >Jon >'81 240D 229,500 mi. running dino oil being changed every 3000 miles... > > - ----------------------------------------------------- john-at-wagoneers.com http://www.wagoneers.com ...don't leave life without Jesus, please! Snohomish, WA - where Jeeps don't rust, they mold... - ----------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 17:23:59 -0700 From: john Subject: Re: Oil condition I had a source for analysis for a lab in Spokane, WA for $10. I'll see what the current price is and make them available. This is the outfit that told me I had a bad injector on my TurboDiesel and CALLED me to let me know! john At 07:24 AM 7/24/99, Michael Frank wrote: >I wouldn't worry about it, but if you want to be sure, have an oil analysis >done. I usually send my oil out twice a year. Oil analysis will tell you >whether the oil is abused in any way....it will determine whether there is >fuel or antifreeze getting into the sump, how well the oil has held up >under driving conditions, analyzes particulate impurities to determine wear >patterns, etc. If you use the same lab every time, they can compare >readings over the years and spot changes in engine performance. It's really >one of the best preventive maintenance tools available. > >The process is very simple. Before you change your oil, you get a sampling >kit from the lab. The kit itself is may be free, or you may be required to >pay for the analysis in advance. It's really nothing more than a plastic >vial and a shipping container. Take the sample when you change your oil. >Then ship it to the lab. Your results come back in a week, and consist of >a chemical analysis and an interpretive report. There are many labs which >do this, the cost is about $20. The one I 've been using is: > >Blackstone Labs >4929 South Lafayette Street >Fort Wayne, IN 46806 >219 774-2380 > >Good Luck! >Mike Frank >1979 300CD >1999 E320T > > At 04:17 AM 7/24/99 -0500, you wrote: >>Richard was worried about the condition of his oil and asked: >> >>> I have a new 1999 E-300 TD . I used a little over one quart of oil in the >>> first 1,000 miles. The oil on the dip stick is quite dark. Is this >>"normal"? > > - ----------------------------------------------------- john-at-wagoneers.com http://www.wagoneers.com ...don't leave life without Jesus, please! Snohomish, WA - where Jeeps don't rust, they mold... - ----------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 01:21:36 -0700 From: john Subject: new 4x4 club - PNW area Paul Weitlauf has been very active in 4x4 support with the forest service and DNR... he's trying to form a unique 4x4 club that will meet on line, but wheel locally. He's trying to get the paperwork in for official status. We'd be part of the PNW4wda. Paul has asked me to be club secretary... (not sure what that involves just yet... hope I can live up to the task) :) Anyway, it's open to ALL makes, so please pass this along to any 4x4 types in the PNW. We're hammering out club by-laws and names. I mentioned that we shouldn't limit it to just Washington as folks from BC, Idaho and Oregon have come by to visit or wheel. (well, folks from Boston, Texas, CA and HA have come by to wheel too... :) Paul envisions us wheeling once a month and adopting a trail... that means running it twice a year - once to open, once to clean it up... I'll be posting the proposed by laws on Wagoneers.com soon. We'd like to get this club setup in 1999. We've got to lay out some bucks to make it happen, but we're not talking large amounts of cash... something like $60... split equally... :) $25 to join the PNW4wda, another $30 to register the club. The more folks that join, the less we pay individually. There is no problem with being in more than one club. Hey, you can even help dream up a cool Club Logo... :) email paul or myself... paul's email is "Paul W." john Subject: xj: New WA 4WD club? To: xjdigest Sender: owner-xj-at-digest.net Reply-To: xj-at-digest.net I was hoping I might have got a little more interest from some of you NW XJers in the new Washington Web Wheelers club. I don't want to pull anyone away from a club they are already a member of... you can be a member of more than one ;) What do you say, Mike Cole, Dan Starc, Bill VT, others? John M & Alan C are on-board already. I've received the paperwork from the PNW4WDA to take the club into official status, but I'd like to see more than 4 or so memebers (I have one YJ guy signed up, too). === Paul W Everett, WA ICQ # 335192 "Longrun" '86 Jeep XJ Cherokee '71 Jeep CJ-5 Universal http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/5696/ Western Washington Web Wheelers http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/wwww4wd PNW4WDA Region 1 Land & Legislative Officer http://www.pnw4wda.org _________________________________________________________ "Had God not driven man from the Garden of Eden, the Sierra Club would have." _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free -at-yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com - ----------------------------------------------------- john-at-wagoneers.com http://www.wagoneers.com ...don't leave life without Jesus, please! Snohomish, WA - where Jeeps don't rust, they mold... - ----------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Jul 1999 01:41:02 -0700 From: john Subject: weather and fuel economy I'm amazed at the weather... we barely made it to 70 degrees today, and then with rain and drizzle... my daughter kept turning the heat on in the house and in the car... YET I'm reading about 90+ in Chicago, Reno and Orlando... Has anyone (who is actually experiencing summer) noticed an improvement in fuel economy in the hotter weather? ;) And when someone says it rains 9 months out of the year in Seattle... Tell them they are full of it... It's been raining for the last 11 months that I can remember... :) Someone needs to figure out how to turn the faucet off... it's supposed to be our dry season... drought, brown lawns... fire danger, etc... you know, the normal summertime drill in Seattle if it doesn't rain for more than 2 weeks... :) john - ----------------------------------------------------- john-at-wagoneers.com http://www.wagoneers.com ...don't leave life without Jesus, please! Snohomish, WA - where Jeeps don't rust, they mold... - ----------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 22:27:57 -0500 From: "Sal" Subject: You Can Start Your Online Biz Today Start your own 1-900 business or Adult Web Site Business! People are making $$$ week, after week in the 1-900 business. We'll teach you all of our incredible secrets that will take your new exciting business to a whole new level! 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