Pagoda SL Group
W113 Pagoda SL Group => Drive train, fuel, suspension, steering & brakes => Topic started by: mrocchitelli on April 29, 2014, 22:22:47
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Hello Everyone,
I am the proud owner of a beautiful 250 SL, after almost a year work we will put the car back in the road.
However the oil pressure of the engine is not so high and I wanted to ask what is the best possible lubricant oil that I could use to improve this situation.
Traditional, semi-synthetic or fully synthetic? 20/40 or 10/50 ??
Please give me your precious advise on this.
Thanks
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Olio extra vergine di oliva ;D
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First of all welcome to the group. Not sure about the best oil for your engine, but I would think a thicker oil might be better? But to start off with, make sure your gauge is giving you an accurate reading, ie it's not the gauge that is the problem.and perhaps it's as simple as replacing the oil pump, rather than more involved engine work..
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If the pressure gauge is not pegged right at the top after he engine is warmed up when you are driving, I'd consider some investigation of that issue as Cees says, rather than trying to change to a thicker oil - say 20w-50 - as if there is a problem with oil pressure it needs sorting.
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Welcome to the group.
Low oil pressure is an INDICATOR of a problem - not the actual problem,
I think you need to investigate what problems you have with the engine.
I would start with the basics....
As Cees says check the gauge first...
Is the oil and the oil filter new ?
when were they last changed ?
What oil is in now ?
Is the correct filter fitted?
Is it fitted correctly?
There are many choices for the oil, and MUCH has been discussed on this site.
I, and quite a few others (in Northern Europe) use a
non synthetic 20/50, such as Valvoline Racing 20/50.
Good luck,
and look for the cause of the problem.
Paul
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The gauge has been checked and it works. My mechanic is now in the process of replacing the oil pump, which as everyone seems to agree is the easyest fix before opening up the engine.
I will go with the non-synthetic 20/50 then?
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20W 50 is good. Get one that has a high zinc content if you can find it. Some diesel oils meet the requirement. If money isn't a key concern, you could look at the Shell oil for classic cars (horribly over-priced in my humble opinion). Halfords in the UK does a good classic car 20W 50 for about £20 for 5 litres. I'm a big fan of that.
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Benvenuto!
A common mistake is to put modern thinner oil than what the engine was designed for. The result is a low oil pressure reading. These engines were commonly using 15w40 in the winter, and 20w50 in the summer in hotter places like southern Europe. With these oils, with a warm engine, 1kg or 15psi at idle is acceptable. The needle must then go to max reading as soon as you give it some throttle. If you don't have that, you then need to investigate. Your oil pump may not be the problem. Usually worn rod bearings will result in lower oil pressure. Check for metal particles in your oil, at the bottom of the oil pan or in your oil filter which would be an indicator. You need to diagnose your problem precisely as changing parts until the problem is solved can sometimes end up into being a very expensive method, especially given the price of MB parts.
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During oil pan removal, you can closely inspect the pan for any debris. Copper flakes could be a sign of bearing problems. If you find a lot of metal you may want to re-consider installing the new oil pump. Circulating metal particles through it will ruin it. I know they are very expensive these days.