It is well known that the maintenance costs for European vehicles is expensive. So it makes sense that when there is an opportunity to perform maintenance on your vehicle yourself that you take it. In the case of a motor oil change for a Mercedes Sprinter NCV3, the process is fairly straightforward and does not require expensive specialized tools. Below is the procedure for changing the motor oil on a 2016 Sprinter with the 6 cylinder diesel engine.
Required Tools:
Oil Change Supplies:
13 quarts oil - low ash Mercedes Benz recommended oil for Sprinter diesel engines, Spec. 229.52, 229.51, 229.31 which is safe for your diesel particulate filter (DPF).
The Procedure:
- Warm up the engine a bit so that the oil will drain better
- Place the oil drain pan beneath the engine oil pan
- Remove the drain plug with the 14mm socket or wrench
- Allow 15 minutes for the old oil to drain
- While the oil is draining, loosen the oil filter housing and remove the oil filter assembly. Have a shop towel handy to catch any oil drips.
- Remove the old oil filter from the housing
- Remove the old small gasket (note which groove the gasket is in)
- Remove the old large gasket (note which groove the gasket is in)
- Wipe the old oil from the housing
- Install the large gasket, ensuring to get it in the proper groove
- Install the small gasket, ensuring to get it in the proper groove
- Slide the new filter into place on the housing, be sure to get it all the way into the housing
- Insert the housing back into place, it may take some pressure to get it to the point where the threads begin to engage.
- Tighten the housing
- Replace the crush washer on the oil pan drain plug
- Re-install the drain plug
- Add 13 quarts into the oil filler neck
- Check the oil level, add more oil until the level reaches the center of the indicator field on the dipstick.
- Replace the oil filler cap
- Check for leaks underneath the engine
- Check for leaks around the threads of the oil filter housing
There is a fair amount of debate online about the most beneficial and cost effective oil change interval. Mercedes recommends 20,000 miles. There are many variables that go into the proper answer to this like driving conditions. The only definitive way to check is to get a sample of your oil tested. I've decided to go with a 10,000 mile interval.
Another thing to note if you are new to diesel engines, as I am, is that the motor oil will turn black pretty soon after the oil change. In gasoline engines, you can generally use the oil color as a factor for deciding when to change it, this is not true for diesels.