Oil and Transmission Fluid Diesel engine

[susan-y]

Was reading the owners manual and it says a quart of oil for 620 miles? And I can't find the transmission dip stick. Doesn't even reference transmission oil in the manual. Am I missing something?

Never owned a diesel before, lots to learn.

[Old_Crows]

Hi Susan! You have a View. V6 turbo diesel? Some things you should know.

The OM-642 V-6 diesel requires MB spec 229.52 approved oil. Anything else and it WILL damage the emission system. Not even one qt of non spec oil. Guaranteed $$$$$ repair. The bottle should say MB "approve" not meets. 5W30 is the correct grade.

Change the oil when the dash monitor tells you. Not before. Should be 10K miles.
Yes 10K. While you should keep an eye on consumption, my experience with two Sprinters is: 1 qt in 5K; 0 qt in 10K. When the oil monitor is reset, it will again start monitoring the miles, time and condition of the oil.

The official capacity (with filter) is 13.2 qts. HOWEVER! The actual capacity is about 12.2. Cold...the oil level should be in the lower 1/3 of the OK area above the lower red tip. HOT... it should be in the upper 1/3 and not touching the upper red bead. Why?

Oil volume expands as it gets hot. If it expands enough (with 13 qts) it will trigger alarms and if you don't remove some oil it will eventually shut down the engine until the oil cools off. It also has an alarm for 1 & 2 qts low and will shut down to protect the engine if you don't add oil. Check your MB manual.

The trans does not have a dip stick. Like many other vehicles today. To accurately refill the transmission requires a data logger to measure the oil temperature (just like other cars). It is not for shade tree mechanics or do it yourselfers.

Good idea to check your coach battery water. Especially if continuously plugged into shore power. The charger is three stage & maintaining (at least on late models) but they do need to have the water levelmchecked from time to time.

The chassis (starter) battery is under the floor to the right of the driver's seat. It is a sealed type and need not be serviced.

There are jumper connections under hood. Again, check your MB manual.

[susan-y]

CharlesinGA wrote:
There is a dipstick tube with a cap, but no dipstick, you have to buy that. It should not be left in the transmission, it is considered a tool, buy a good one, not one of the cheapie ones which come apart.

http://www.autohausaz.com/search/product.aspx?sid=yymlos55yjui4iq4elke30j1&makeid=800016@Mercedes&mo...

There is a lot of knowledge and care that is needed for MB maintenance if you want to do it right. Use only the approved spec oils and for certain the proper transmission fluid. Spec has changed since '08 and the most readily available fluids are Shell ATF134, Fuchs 4134, the genuine MB fluid, and Mopar Sprinter/Crossfire fluid. All of it is hard to find and expensive. DO NOT use an unapproved fluid in the transmission unless you want a new tranny.

I highly suggest you join the View/Navion forums on Yahoo, there are three, all separate forums, managed together, one is the general forum, one is the techie forum, and the last is the modifications forum.

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/View-Navion/info

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/View-NavionTech/info

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/ViewNavionMods/info

Charles
2007 Winnebago View 523H on a 2006 Dodge (Daimler-Chrysler aka Mercedes) Sprinter 3500 chassis (T1N). Bought Sept 2015 with 18K miles on it, Prog Ind HW30C, Prog Dymanics PD4645, Coleman Chill Grille, PML/Yourcovers.com deep alum trans pan, AutoMeter 8558 trans temp gauge, Roadmaster sway bar, Koni Red shocks (front & rear), Fantastic Ultra Breeze hood, added OEM parabolic mirrors and RH aspherical mirror, MB grill conversion.

Charles, Thanks for the maintenance info. Will take it to heart. I joined the Yahoo group and am finding it cumbersome to navigate. Will keep trying. Found the tranny fluid cap. Thanks.

[CharlesinGA]

There is a dipstick tube with a cap, but no dipstick, you have to buy that. It should not be left in the transmission, it is considered a tool, buy a good one, not one of the cheapie ones which come apart.

http://www.autohausaz.com/search/product.aspx?sid=yymlos55yjui4iq4elke30j1&makeid=800016@Mercedes&mo...

There is a lot of knowledge and care that is needed for MB maintenance if you want to do it right. Use only the approved spec oils and for certain the proper transmission fluid. Spec has changed since '08 and the most readily available fluids are Shell ATF134, Fuchs 4134, the genuine MB fluid, and Mopar Sprinter/Crossfire fluid. All of it is hard to find and expensive. DO NOT use an unapproved fluid in the transmission unless you want a new tranny.

I highly suggest you join the View/Navion forums on Yahoo, there are three, all separate forums, managed together, one is the general forum, one is the techie forum, and the last is the modifications forum.

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/View-Navion/info

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/View-NavionTech/info

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/ViewNavionMods/info

Charles
2007 Winnebago View 523H on a 2006 Dodge (Daimler-Chrysler aka Mercedes) Sprinter 3500 chassis (T1N). Bought Sept 2015 with 18K miles on it, Prog Ind HW30C, Prog Dymanics PD4645, Coleman Chill Grille, PML/Yourcovers.com deep alum trans pan, AutoMeter 8558 trans temp gauge, Roadmaster sway bar, Koni Red shocks (front & rear), Fantastic Ultra Breeze hood, added OEM parabolic mirrors and RH aspherical mirror, MB grill conversion.

[Coach-man]

No problem, as I said I used to own one myself, and I guess I found some things the "hard" way!

[susan-y]

Thanks, I opened up the floor board yesterday but didn't check the water level. Will do it today. Thanks for the info on the tranny, just put my trust in Mercedes :). I saw the oil change display (wrenches) and it said 7400 miles. Guess I need to join the 21st century. HAH Thanks for getting back to me so quick, taking first long trip with a used m/h.

[Coach-man]

I see that you have a view? That has the Mercedes Diesel, Not sure of you statement about a quart of oil every 620 miles? I had one, it has a large capacity oil pan, 15 or 16 quarts plus the filter, which is more than I have in my Cummins! New during break in, I would check engine oil at every fill up, because until everything gets seated you may use some oil. You should have a display that will tell you when to change the oil, at about 15K miles! Mercedes recommends synthetic engine oil, check their recommendations for what brand and weight to use. As far as the tranny, I believe it is a sealed unit, no dipstick to check it! Manual has recommendations to change tranny fluid and filters, follow the recommendation. Mercedes kinda thinks you should bring their vehicles to a certified dealer to get service, discourages DIY mechanics!! Now not all Mercedes dealers will work on your view, so I would track down a good dealer in advance so you can be prepared! I would not take it back to the RV dealer for chassis work, let them handle the RV stuff, and get a MB dealer to handle engine tranny stuff! OH PIA, the "start" battery is under the drivers seat, big, and requires getting the water level checked every now and then,(I would check every 60 days). Good luck!