190e 2.6 oil pressure

[chrisd87]

Hi everyone,

The oil pressure on my 190e 2.6 is concerning me a little. At hot idle the pressure on the gauge is reading a bit under 0.5bar. When the accelerator is pressed, it quickly goes up to around 2, and at 60mph+ it reads just over 2.5. The engine has about 150k under its belt, emits no nasty noises and is silky smooth.

I've read that ideally, the gauge should be at 3 in all situations other than a hot idle, where it should be at least 0.5.

My questions are essentially - is my engine knackered? If it is, how long do people reckon it'll go on for in this condition? Would people recommend using a thicker oil in it (e.g. 15w/40, 15w/50, 20w50) to try and increase the pressure? I'm not actually sure what grade of oil it has in it at the moment.

Many thanks.

 

[John Jones Jr]

Correct the gauge should read 3bar (max oil pressure is actually higher). At idle (hot) iirc should it be be reading 1, maybe 1.5bar. One simple item on M103 engine that will affect oil pressure is a old oil filter. I'd change that first as an easy & cheap form of possible problem elimination. Also, consider flushing the engine too and then adding fresh oil 10W/40 semi. Be careful with using some flushing agents as they can be harsh on gaskets & seals.

You could always drop two litres of the old oil and put two litres of diesel in for 20mins with the odd rev to 2000. Some would disagree with this method but it been used for years and more importantly won't do any harm if it's not over utilised.

 

[grober]

You should also check the oil pressure gauge sender electrical connection to make sure its making good electrical contact. After an oil and filter change -- use a good 10w40 semisynthetic- [ its what the car came from the factory with] see if there is any improvement.

 

[chrisd87]

OK thanks for that, looks like an oil and filter change is in order fairly soon.