1997 MERCEDES-BENZ ML500 oil

ContentsOperation......................................... 191
The first 1000 miles (1500 km) ......... 192
Driving instructions ............................ 193
Drive sensibly – save fuel ............. 193
Drinking and driving ..................... 193
Pedals .......................................... 193
Power assistance ......................... 193
Brakes .......................................... 194
Driving off..................................... 195
Parking ......................................... 196
Tires ............................................. 196
Hydroplaning ................................ 197
Tire traction .................................. 197
Tire speed rating .......................... 198
Winter driving instructions ........... 198
Standing water ............................. 200
Off-road driving ............................ 200
Trailer towing ............................... 206
Passenger compartment .............. 211
Driving abroad .............................. 211
Control and operation of
radio transmitters......................... 211
Catalytic converter ....................... 212
Emission control........................... 212
Coolant temperature .................... 213At the gas station .............................. 214
Refueling ...................................... 214
Check regularly and before
a long trip ..................................... 215
Engine compartment ......................... 217
Hood ............................................ 217
Engine oil ..................................... 218
Transmission fluid level ................ 222
Coolant ........................................ 222
Battery ......................................... 223
Windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning system* ......... 224
Tires and wheels ................................ 226
Important guidelines .................... 226
Life of tire..................................... 227
Direction of rotation ..................... 227
Checking tire inflation pressure ... 227
Rotating wheels ........................... 228
Winter driving .................................... 230
Winter tires .................................. 230
Block heater (Canada only) .......... 231
Snow chains ................................. 231Maintenance...................................... 232
Clearing the service indicator ...... 232
Service term exceeded ................ 233
Calling up the service indicator .... 233
Resetting the service indicator .... 233
Vehicle care....................................... 234
Cleaning and care of the vehicle .. 234
Practical hints................................. 241
What to do if … .................................. 242
Lamps in instrument cluster ........ 242
Additional indicators in the
speedometer display.................... 256
Where will I find ...? ........................... 257
First aid kit ................................... 257
Vehicle tool kit ............................. 257
Spare wheel (space-saver tire) ..... 259
Unlocking / locking in an emergency . 261
Unlocking the vehicle................... 261
Locking the vehicle ...................... 262
Changing batteries in the
remote control ............................. 262
Fuel filler flap ............................... 263
Manually unlocking the
transmission gear selector lever .. 264

Contents
Opening / closing in an emergency .... 265
Sliding / pop-up roof* ................... 265
Replacing bulbs ................................. 266
Bulbs ............................................ 266
Replacing bulbs for front lamps ... 268
Replacing bulbs for rear lamps..... 270
Adjusting headlamp aim............... 272
Replacing wiper blades ...................... 273
Removing ..................................... 273
Installing ...................................... 273
Flat tire .............................................. 274
Mounting the spare wheel............ 274
Battery ............................................... 278
Disconnecting the battery ............ 279
Removing the batteries ................ 279
Charging and reinstalling
batteries....................................... 279
Reconnecting the batteries .......... 279
Jump starting ..................................... 281
Towing the vehicle ............................. 283
Front towing eye .......................... 285
Rear towing eye ........................... 285
Stranded vehicle .......................... 286Fuses .................................................. 287
Fuse box in engine
compartment ................................ 287
Auxiliary fuse box in front
passenger footwell........................ 288
Technical data.................................. 289
Spare parts service............................. 290
Warranty coverage ............................. 291
Loss of Service and Warranty
Information Booklet ...................... 291
Identification labels ............................ 292
Layout of poly-V-belt drive .................. 293
Engine ................................................ 294
Rims and tires .................................... 295
Rims and tires ............................... 295
Spare wheel .................................. 296
Electrical system ................................ 297
Main Dimensions ................................ 298
Weights .............................................. 299Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc............ 300
Capacities ..................................... 300
Engine oils .................................... 302
Engine oil additives ....................... 302
Air conditioning refrigerant ........... 302
Brake fluid .................................... 302
Premium unleaded gasoline.......... 303
Fuel requirements......................... 303
Gasoline additives......................... 303
Coolants ....................................... 304
Anticorrosion / antifreeze.............. 305
Windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning system* ......... 307
Windshield and headlamp
washer fluid mixing ratio............... 307
Consumer information........................ 308
Uniform tire quality grading .......... 308
Temperature ................................. 309
Technical terms............................... 311Index................................................. 317

25 At a glance
Instrument cluster
Item
Page
1
Gauge for
Coolant tempera-
ture
117
Outside tempera-
ture
118
Fuel reserve
warning lamp
252
2
Knob for
Activating instru-
ment cluster
116
Adjusting intensity
of instrument lamps
116
Main odometer
117
Trip odometer
readout / reset
118
Activating Flexible
Service System
(FSS) indicator
232
Item
Page
3
Left indicator lamps
with:¿Brake Assist
System
(BAS) / Electronic
Stability Program
(ESP) malfunction
warning lamp
246
{Electronic Traction
System (4-ETS) mal-
function indicator
lamp
252
-Antilock Brake Sys-
tem (ABS) malfunc-
tion warning lamp
242
2Brake pad wear in-
dicator lamp
254
:Low engine oil level
warning lamp
253
Item
Page
/Low engine coolant
level warning lamp
249
êLow range indicator
lamp
252
?Engine malfunction
indicator lamp
248
4
Speedometer with:v4-ETS (Electronic
Traction
System)/Electronic
Stability Program
(ESP) warning lamp
251
Trip / main
odometer
117
Display for Flexible
Service System
(FSS)
232
Engine oil level indi-
cator
219

179 Controls in detail
Useful features
Remote door unlock
In case you have locked your vehicle unin-
tentionally (e.g. key inside vehicle), and no
other key is available:
Contact the Mercedes-Benz Response
Center at 1-800-756-9018 (in the USA)
or 1-888-923-8367 (in Canada).
You will be asked to provide your pass-
word which you provided when you
completed the subscriber agreement.

Then return to your vehicle and pull
outside handle of the liftgate for mini-
mum of 20 seconds until the SOS but-
ton is flashing.
The message
EMERGENCY CALL –
CALL CONNECTED appears in the MCS
display.
As an alternative, you may unlock the vehi-
cle via Internet using the ID and password
sent to you shortly after the completion of
your acquaintance call.
!If the indicator lamp continues to flash
or the system does not reset, contact
the Response Center at
1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada), or
Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance
at 1-800-FOR-MERCedes
(1-800-367-6372) in the USA or Cus-
tomer Service at 1-800-387-0100 in
Canada.iThe indicator lamp on the correspond-
ing button flashes until the call is con-
cluded. Calls can only be terminated by
a Response Center or Customer Assis-
tance Center representative, except
Roadside Assistance and Information
calls, which can also be terminated by
using the END button on the MCS unit.
iWhen a Tele Aid call has been initiated,
the MCS system audio is muted and
the selected mode (radio, tape or CD)
pauses. The optional cellular phone (if
installed) switches off. If you must use
this phone, the vehicle must be parked.
Disconnect the coiled cord and place
the call. The navigation system (if en-
gaged) will continue to run. A pop-up
window will appear in the MCS display
to indicate that a Tele Aid call is in
progress.

201 Operation
Driving instructions
Special driving features for off-road
driving
The following driving features are available
for specific kind of operation:

LOW RANGE mode (
page 125)


LOW RANGE – ABS (
page 77)


LOW RANGE – 4-ETS (
page 80)


LOW RANGE – ESP (
page 81)
Off-road driving rules
Engage the LOW RANGE mode before driv-
ing under off-road conditions
(
page 125).
Fasten items being carried as securely as
possible (
page 157).Checklist before off-road driving
Tires


Check the tread depth and maintain
specified tire pressure (see tire pres-
sure label inside the fuel filler flap).


Check tires for possible damage and
remove foreign objects.


Replace missing valve caps.
iWe recommend keeping doors, liftgate,
windows, and sliding / pop-up roof*
closed whenever driving in off-road
mode.
!Observe the following during off-road
driving:

Adjust vehicle speed to condition of
terrain. The more uneven, rutty and
steeper the terrain, the lower the
speed should be


Watch out for obstacles, such as
rocks, holes, tree stumps and ruts.


Be especially careful when driving
in unknown territory. It may be nec-
essary to get out of the vehicle and
scout the path you intend to take.


Before driving through water, deter-
mine is depth.


Do not stop vehicle while immersed
in water, and do not shut off the
engine.


In sandy soil, please drive at a
steady speed as allowed by condi-
tions. This helps overcome the vehi-
cle rolling resistance and reduces
the likelihood of the vehicle sinking
into the ground.


Do not initiate jumps with the vehi-
cle. It interrupts the forward mo-
mentum of the vehicle.


Always drive onto slopes with the
the engine running and the vehicle
in gear.

202 OperationDriving instructionsRims

Dented or bent rims can cause tire
pressure loss and damage the tire
beads. For this reason, check and, if
necessary, change rims before driving
off-road.
Vehicle tool kit


Check if the vehicle jack is functional.


In all cases take the vehicle tool kit, a
strong tow rope, a shovel and a small
plank (to put under the vehicle jack on
sandy soil) with you.
Driving in steep terrain
Slope angle1 25°
226°

Switch to LOW RANGE mode before
starting to drive up or down steep in-
clines (
page 125).


Driving on embankments, slopes and
other steep inclines should only be
done straight up or downhill, i.e. in the
line of gravity. Maximum vehicle climb-
ing ability is a 60% grade.


Do not drive along the side of a slope
(danger of vehicle rollover). If in doing
so, the vehicle begins to show a ten-
dency to roll, immediately steer into a
line of gravity (straight up or downhill).


To help avoid the vehicle rolling over,
never turn it around on steep inclines.
If the vehicle cannot complete the at-
tempted climb, back it down in reverse
gear.


Utilize the engine’s braking power
when descending a slope, observe the
engine speed (do not overview the en-
gine). Apply the service brake as need-
ed.


Check the brakes after a lengthy down-
grade drive.
Traction in steep terrain


Be easy on the accelerator and watch
for continuous wheel traction when
driving in steep terrain.
The 4-ETS helps greatly when starting
out on a steep incline when the front
wheels have then the tendency to slip
due to the weight shifting away the
front axle.iAvoid excessive engine speeds – drive
with moderate engine speeds
(max. 3000 RPM).
Select gear range2 or1 on the auto-
matic transmission (
page 121).

206 OperationDriving instructionsOff-road driving increases strain on the
vehicle.
We recommend that you inspect the vehi-
cle for possible damage after each off-road
trip. Recognizing any damage and a subse-
quent timely repair reduces the chance of
a possible breakdown or accident later on.
Proceed as follows:

Switch off the LOW RANGE mode
(page 125).


Remove excessive dirt from tires,
wheels, wheel housings, and under-
body.
For instance, after driving in mud, clean
the radiator, chassis, engine, brakes,
and wheels from extreme dirt using a
strong jet of water.


Inspect frame, oil pan, brake hoses,
etc., as well as vehicle underbody for
possible damage.


Check tires for possible damage, clean
all exterior lamps, and conduct a brake
test.


Check for brush or branches caught in
the undercarriage.
They could increase the possibility of a
fire, as well as cut fuel and / or brake
lines, puncture rubber bellows of the
axles or drive shafts.


After continued operation in mud,
sand, water or other dirty conditions
clean the brake discs, wheels, brake
pads and check and clean axle joints.
Trailer towingWarning!
G
Failure to use proper equipment and driving
technique can result in a loss of vehicle con-
trol when towing a trailer.
Improper towing or failure to follow the in-
structions contained in this guide can result
in serious injury. Follow the guidelines be-
low carefully to assure safe trailer operation.
Ask your authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center should you require an explana-
tion of information contained in this guide.

215 Operation
At the gas station

Replace the fuel cap by turning it to the
right.
You will hear when the fuel cap is tight-
ened.

Close the fuel filler flap.
Check regularly and before a long trip
Open the hood (
page 217)
1Engine oil level
2Coolant level
For normal replenishing, use water (po-
table water quality). More information
on the coolant level can be found in the
“Operation” section (
page 222).
3Brake fluid
4Windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning system*
More information on filling the reser-
voir can be found in the “Operation”
section (
page 224).
iUse only premium unleaded gasoline
with a minimum Posted Octane Rating
of 91 (average of 96 RON / 86 MON).
Information on gasoline quality can
normally be found on the fuel pump.
More information on gasoline can be
found in the Factory Approved Service
Products pamphlet.
iLeaving the engine running and the fuel
cap open can cause the yellow fuel
tank reserve warning lamp to flash and
the? lamp to illuminate.
See also “Practical hints” section
(page 248).