Four-door rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan · 4.2-liter M119 DOHC V8

1997 Mercedes-Benz S 420 Automatic

The preserved factory North American owner's-manual index lists the S 420 for model year 1997; the Mercedes-Benz archive establishes its W140 model identity.

Exact 1997 S-Class reference photograph; exact configuration not verified ·

Photo: “1997 Mercedes S 320 Auto (18693442744).jpg” by Kieran White from Manchester, England / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0. Cropped to 16:9.

Factory configuration

What this model is

Trim: S 420
Body style: Four-door rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan
Engine: 4.2-liter M119 DOHC V8
Transmission: 5-speed automatic

Configuration-specific ownership

Maintenance for this exact configuration

These items are filtered to the engine, transmission, trim, and model-year applicability recorded for this configuration. Broad Amazon category searches are suppressed here; shopping links appear only beside catalog-backed part numbers.

Service topics: 2
Factory intervals: 2
Fitment-scoped: 2
Exact references: 1

Before orderingIdentify your engine, options and build date.Part numbers and sizes can change within one model year. Shopping links appear only for catalog-backed references; still verify the listing against your vehicle before ordering.

Lubrication service
Sourced interval available
Applies to: 1997 · United States · Mercedes-Benz explicitly applies this revision to model 140 beginning with model year 1994; pre-1994 W140 requirements are not claimed.
Published interval: 7,500 mi / 12,000 km / 12 months · Under normal operating conditions; at least once a year.
Source: Mercedes-Benz — W140 maintenance intervals (MY1994 revision, preserved by Operation CHARM) · normal operating-condition intervals — lubrication service · checked 2026-08-05
Maintenance service
Applies to: 1997 · United States · Mercedes-Benz explicitly applies this revision to model 140 beginning with model year 1994; pre-1994 W140 requirements are not claimed.
Published interval: 15,000 mi / 24,000 km / 24 months · Under normal operating conditions.
Source: Mercedes-Benz — W140 maintenance intervals (MY1994 revision, preserved by Operation CHARM) · normal operating-condition intervals — maintenance service · checked 2026-08-05
Engine air filter
Exact reference available
Applies to: 1997 · United States · Mercedes-Benz explicitly applies this revision to model 140 beginning with model year 1994; pre-1994 W140 requirements are not claimed.
Published interval: 60,000 mi / 96,000 km / 48 months · Additional maintenance work at a maintenance service; whichever comes first.
Source: Mercedes-Benz — W140 maintenance intervals (MY1994 revision, preserved by Operation CHARM) · additional maintenance jobs at maintenance service — replace air-filter element · checked 2026-08-05
S 420 — 4.2-liter M119 DOHC V8
K&N 33-2678
Applies to: 1997 · 4.2-liter M119 DOHC V8 · S 420 · Exact 1997 S 420 engine application. Confirm VIN and build date before ordering.
Source: K&N Engineering — 2017 European Automotive Catalog, S-Class application tables (archived copy) · W140 S-Class table — S 420, 1997 — 33-2678 (two required) · checked 2026-09-01
Verified ordering references
- Service replacementK&N 33-2678
  Qty. 2 · Reusable engine air-filter element · catalog-listed
  K&N lists two elements for this application; confirm VIN and build date before ordering.
  Catalog: K&N Engineering — 2017 European Automotive Catalog, S-Class application tables (archived copy) · W140 S-Class table — S 420, 1997 — 33-2678 (two required) · checked 2026-09-01
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Sources

Other 1997 configurations

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