How to Change the Oil in a 2002 C230 Mercedes Benz


1. Park your Mercedes C230 on a flat, level surface. Put the vehicle shift lever into 'Park' if it's an automatic transmission or into first gear if it's a manual transmission, and be sure to set the emergency brake. Remove the keys from the ignition to prevent anyone from attempting to start the vehicle while you are performing the oil change.
2. Place a set of wheel chocks behind the rear wheels of the vehicle to prevent it from rolling while the front is jacked into the air.
3. Place the hydraulic jack under any sturdy cross-frame member under the vehicle, centered. Slowly raise the hydraulic jack until the jack touches the flat surface of the solid frame member, watching carefully to ensure it doesn't snag on any lines or hoses in the process. Then jack up the vehicle until the front tires are approximately 4 to 6 inches off of the ground. Place jack stands under the frame, one on each side of the vehicle, and set the heights of them until as close as possible to the frame member. Slowly lower the jack slightly until the vehicle comes to rest on the jack stands, allowing the jack itself to hold some of the weight as well.
4. Crawl under the vehicle and locate the oil pan, which is directly under the engine. The oil pan on the C230 is a rectangular-shaped reservoir that extends approximately 6 inches from the other engine components under the vehicle and has a drain plug which must be removed. Place an oil drain pan under the drain plug to catch the old oil as it pours from the oil pan, and then use a correctly-sized socket to remove the drain plug completely. Allow the oil to drain until the flow stops completely, then replace the drain plug and tighten clockwise until slightly tighter than hand-tight. Don't overtighten, or you may damage the oil pan threads.
5. Jack the vehicle up about an inch or two and then remove the jack stands from under the vehicle. Get out from under the vehicle and then slowly release the jack, allowing the vehicle to come back to rest on the flat surface of the ground, then pull the jack and the oil drain collection pan out from under the vehicle.
6. Locate the oil filter assembly. This assembly is on the driver's side of the engine compartment, near the rear of the valve cover close to the firewall. It is cylindrical in shape and protrudes from the engine slightly. Unscrew the filter in a counter-clockwise direction and then pull the entire filter assembly out of the engine block. Remove the paper filter cartridge and install the new one onto the assembly spindle, then insert back into the vehicle and screw down tightly, slightly more than hand tight, in a clockwise direction.
7. Remove the oil fill cap on the top of the valve cover and pour in 5 quarts of oil. Get into the vehicle and turn the ignition switch to 'Accessory' and then observe the oil level on the C230's operation display. If necessary, add one more quart. A total of six quarts should bring the level to 'Full' on this particular vehicle. Replace the oil fill cap and close the engine compartment hood. Remove the wheel chocks from behind the vehicle.
8. Start the vehicle and allow it to idle for about one or two minutes to permit the oil to circulate through the new filter before applying any pressure to the accelerator or otherwise operating the vehicle.