Oil Related Engine Failures

[Junkman]

I had one oil related engine failure back in 1973 when my 1973 Mercedes Benz 300D Diesel engine came apart on the highway. The cam lobes had worn down to half the original hight. The engine was replaced under warranty after I provided all the engine oil change receipts to the dealership. I found out later on that Mercedes had a bad run of cams and that might have been the actual cause of the failure. They originally blamed it on the oil that was used until they saw that all the oil changes were done by Mercedes dealers. Never asked what brands or weights of oil that they used, just said change the oil. At that time, I spent a lot of time on the road and no one dealer had done more than one oil change. I have often wondered if some of the dealers even changed the oil, because there was an awful lot of sludge in the top of the engine considering that it only had 18,000 miles on it. I believe that this is why they originally denied the claim. Sure glad that I had saved those receipts. That was the only problem that I ever had with a Mercedes engine with the exception of the 87 300SDL Turbo diesel that would eat the turbo when the particle trap clogged every 60,000 miles. They kept replacing them under an extended lifetime warranty until I sold the car at 200,000 miles.

 

[Bird]

Mike, I'd almost bet that all the generators now specify both weight and API service ratings. I've also noticed that some small engines (lawnmowers and such) recommend a straight weight, usually, 30 weight, but say you can use the multiple viscosity, but it may use more oil.

 

[Soundguy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( have often wondered if some of the dealers even changed the oil, because there was an awful lot of sludge in the top of the engine )</font>

I was talking to an older mechanic the other day.. cant remember if he was BMW or Mercedes.. anyway.. he also mentioned something about seeing lots of sludge in engines brought in for service / repair.. especially the top end
( cam ), and thought it might have been due to non-detergent oils. Funny you should mention this.

Any idea if non-d oils were put in that car?

Soundguy

 

[CTyler]

Yes, I had a 82 Camero with the 2.3 V6 w/about 60k. I heard the lifters start to clatter down the highway and shut the motor off but it was to late. Didn't spin anything but all the tin on the bearings was stuck to the crank.

I pulled it home and yanked the drain plug and nothing. Stuck my pinky in there and yuk...... Hmmm....this can't be good. The oil in the pan was like a jello and had to scoop it out. Don't know what oil was but the previous owner said it was a synthetic, don't how long it was there either but it looked farily dirty.

I took the pan down to the machine shop and they thought the oil broke down but hadn't seen anything quite like this. I know the oil must have been hot cause I was running it at 5k for a while but the water temp was under 230.

 

[RalphVa]

Had a Fiat 124 break a valve spring at 80k miles. When I removed the head and inspected the cylinders, there was NO ridge at the top. I'd changed the oil every 2,000 miles on it. The valve spring break was not an oil problem.

The car body gave out in this case. I managed to sell it before it broke in two. Guy took it to California. Think it was too late to save it by then though.

Ralph

 

[Toolite]

CTyler, could that have been a 2.8L V-6 , they were notorious for sludging up and wiping out the bearings. The problem was the intake gasket would rust out, allowing coolant to leak internally. You would usually never see it leaking to the outside, a clue to this problem was continually having to add coolant to the reservoir. Sludge= oil, dirt and water!
Wayne

 

[CTyler]

Your right it was 2.8 not 2.3....Dohh!!

I don't remember adding coolant to it but it was a long time ago. Also didn't have the car long before it happened either. The previous owner could have been topping it off and never said anything.

I still remember the oil having a kinda sticky property to it.

 

[NIXON]

The only oil related engine failure I can remember was while I was in the service . It was around '76 while I was at Hurlburt field . One of the nimrods in my shop decide to try some mil spec oil used on the t-56 engines of the c-130 . I don't think there was a seal or gasket worth saving in his engine . The engine gave up the ghost pretty quick .
Can't say it was the oils fault . But, I can say I didn't have much compasion for Nimrod ! I guess it's like they say.... You get what you pay for .

 

[Larry_T]

soundgy no it was not. it was a brand that you all probadly have used. Larry

 

[frank_f15]

nope! never had a failure. i would recomend that a good quality oil be used, and the proper rating as per manufacture of engine, change regular,