
6 Contents 
Vehicle careCleaning and care 
of the vehicle  .............................350
Power washer .............................. 351
Tar stains  ..................................... 351
Paintwork, painted body 
components  ................................. 351
Engine cleaning ..........................352
Vehicle washing  .........................352
Ornamental moldings ................352
Headlamps, taillamps, 
turn signal lenses  ......................352
Window cleaning ........................353
Wiper blades  ...............................353
Light alloy wheels  ......................353
Instrument cluster  .....................353
Steering wheel and
gear selector lever  ......................353
Cup holder ...................................354
Seat belts  .....................................354Headliner  .................................... 354
Upholstery  .................................. 354
Hard plastic trim items ............. 354
Plastic and rubber parts  ........... 354
Technical dataSpare parts service  ....................... 356
Warranty coverage  ........................ 356
Identification labels  ...................... 357
Layout of poly-V-belt drive  ........... 358
Technical data  ................................ 359
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc. – 
capacities  ................................... 361
Engine oils ...................................... 363
Engine oil additives  ...................... 363
Air conditioner refrigerant  .......... 363
Brake fluid ...................................... 363
Premium unleaded gasoline  ........ 364
Fuel requirements  ........................ 364
Gasoline additives  ......................... 365
Coolants  .......................................... 365
Consumer information  ................. 367
IndexIndex  ................................................369
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86 Instrument cluster
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments 
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument 
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Indicator lamps in the instrument cluster
High beam, see page 134
ABS malfunction, see page 269
Brake warning lamp (except Canada), see 
page 266.
Parking brake engaged, see page 266
Brake fluid low, see page 266
ESP. Adjust driving to road condition, 
see page 270
Fasten seat belts, see page 270
SRS malfunction, see page 267Engine malfunction indicator lamp. If the 
malfunction indicator lamp comes on when 
the engine is running, it indicates a 
malfunction of the fuel management system, 
emission control system, systems which 
impact emissions, or the fuel cap is not 
closed tight. In all cases, we recommend that 
you have the malfunction checked as soon as 
possible, see page 265.
ABS
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227 Driving instructions
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments 
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument 
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Be especially careful when driving in unknown 
territory. It is good practice to get out of the vehicle and 
scout the path you intend to take.
Continuous and speedy driving in sandy soil overcomes 
the vehicle rolling resistance, and helps to prevent the 
vehicle from sinking into the ground. Switch on the 
differential locks, see page 253.
Do not initiate jumps with the vehicle. It interrupts the 
forward momentum of the vehicle.
Always drive on slopes with the engine running and the 
vehicle in gear.
Sand, dirt, mud and other material having friction 
property, can cause exceptional wear and tear as well as 
failure of the brakes.
In this case the brakes may be less effective or even fail 
when you most need them. Always clean and check the 
brakes following each off-road trip.Checklist before off-road driving
• Engine oil level: Check the engine oil level, see 
page 127 and page 304. The display “ENGINE OIL 
LEVEL – O.K.” must appear in the multifunction 
display. 
Only then is a trouble free oil supply obtained even 
on steep gradients with the vehicle.
•Tires: Check  t he tr ead de pt h an d main tain  s pec if ied  
tire pressure (see tire pressure label inside the fuel 
filler flap). Check tires for possible damage and 
remove foreign objects. The valve caps must be 
mounted.
•Rims: 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.
J_G463.book Seite 227 Mittwoch, 19. September 2001 8:06 08 

258 What you should know at the gas station
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments 
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument 
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
What you should know at the gas station
Fuel supplyOpen flap by pushing at rear (arrow). Turn fuel cap to 
the left and hold on to it until possible pressure in tank 
has been released, then remove cap. Failure to remove 
slowly could result in personal injury.
The fuel filler cap is tethered to the fuel filler neck. Do 
not drop the cap. It could damage the vehicle paint 
finish.
Manual release of fuel filler flap, see page 347.
Important!
When refueling vehicle make certain that no gasoline 
comes into contact with plastic taillamp, to prevent 
damaging the lens.
Fuel
To prevent fuel vapors from escaping into open air, fully 
insert filler nozzle unit.
Only fill fuel tank until the filler nozzle unit cuts out – 
do not top up or overfill.
Wa r n i n g !
Gasoline is highly flammable and poisonous. It 
burns violently and can cause serious injury. 
Whenever you are around gasoline, avoid inhaling 
fumes and skin contact, extinguish all smoking 
materials. Never allow sparks, flame or smoking 
materials near gasoline!
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259 What you should know at the gas station
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments 
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument 
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Leaving the engine running and the fuel cap open can 
cause the “CHECK ENGINE” lamp to illuminate.
Fuel tank capacity approximately 25.4 US gal (96.0 l).
This includes approximately 5.3 US gal (20.0 l) reserve.
Use premium unleaded gasoline: Posted Octane 
Index 91 (Average of 96 RON / 86 MON).
•Engine oil
Engine oil level check, see page 127 and page 304.
Fill quantity between upper and lower dipstick 
marking level: 2.1 US qt (2.0 l).
Recommended engine oils, see Approved Service 
Products sheet.•Coolant
For normal replenishing, use water (potable water 
quality).
For further information (e.g. anticorrosion/
antifreeze), see page 306 and 365.
• Spark plugs
Approved spark plugs, see page 360.
•Tire pressure
For tire pressure, refer to tire pressure label inside 
the fuel filler flap. See page 318 for further details.
•Air conditioner
R-134a refrigerant and special PAG lubricant, see 
page 363.
Wa r n i n g !
Overfilling of fuel tank may result in creating 
pressure in the system which could cause a gas 
discharge such as the gas spraying back out upon 
removing the filler nozzle which could cause 
personal injury.
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265 Malfunction and indicator lamps
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments 
and controlsOperation DrivingInstrument 
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index On-board diagnostic system
Check engine malfunction indicator lamp
Engine malfunction indicator lamp. If the 
“CHECK ENGINE” malfunction indicator 
lamp comes on when the engine is running, 
it indicates a malfunction of the fuel management 
system, emission control system, systems which impact 
emissions, or the fuel cap is not closed tight (check the 
fuel cap). If the “CHECK ENGINE” lamp is illuminated 
continuously and the vehicle is driving normally, you 
may still drive the vehicle, however, in all cases, we 
recommend that you have the system checked at your 
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center as soon 
as possible.
If the “CHECK ENGINE” lamp comes on continuously 
and / or the vehicle is not driving normally (e.g. 
malfunction of the fuel management system or running 
out of fuel), serious damage can occur to the emission 
system. Please contact your authorized Mercedes-Benz 
Light Truck Center immediately.The Sequential Multiport Fuel Injection (SFI) control 
module monitors emission control components that 
either provide input signals to or receive output signals 
from the control module. Malfunctions resulting from 
interruptions or failure of any of these components are 
indicated by the “CHECK ENGINE” malfunction 
indicator lamp in the instrument cluster and are 
simultaneously stored in the SFI control module.
If the “CHECK ENGINE” malfunction indicator lamp 
comes on, have the system checked at your authorized 
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center as soon as possible.
With some exceptions, the control module switches off 
the “CHECK ENGINE” malfunction indicator lamp if the 
condition, causing the lamp to come on, no longer exists 
during three consecutive cycles.
An on-board diagnostic connector is located in 
passenger compartment on the driver’s side near hood 
lock release on the upper left of footwell, allowing the 
accurate identification of system malfunctions through 
the readout of diagnostic trouble codes.
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355 Contents - Technical data
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments 
and controlsOperation DrivingInstrument 
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Technical dataSpare parts service  ........................356
Warranty coverage .........................356
Identification labels .......................357
Layout of poly-V-belt drive ............358
Technical data  ................................359
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc. – 
capacities  ................................... 361Engine oils ...................................... 363
Engine oil additives  ...................... 363
Air conditioner refrigerant  .......... 363
Brake fluid ...................................... 363
Premium unleaded gasoline  ........ 364
Fuel requirements  ........................ 364
Gasoline additives  ......................... 365
Coolants  .......................................... 365
Consumer information  ................. 367
J_G463.book Seite 355 Mittwoch, 19. September 2001 8:06 08 

361
Fuel\b, coolant\b, lubricant\b etc. - capacitie\b
Te ch n i c a l
\fata
In\btrument\b 
an\f control\b Operation Driving
In\btrument 
clu\bter \fi\bplay Practical hint\b Car care In\fex
Fuel\b, coolant\b, lubricant\b etc. – capacitie\b
Vehicle c\fm\b\fnents and their res\bective lubricants must match. Theref\fre use \fnly brands tested and rec\fmmended 
by us. Please refer t\f the Fact\fry A\b\br\fved Service Pr\fducts \bam\bhlet, \fr inquire at y\fur Mercedes-Benz Light Truck 
Center.
Fuel\b, coolant\b, lubricant\b etc. Mo\fel G 500
Capacity
Engine with \fil filter
(rec\fmmended engine \fils) 8.5 US qt (8.0 l)
Aut\fmatic transmissi\fn
(aut\fmatic transmissi\fn fluid) 9.0 US qt (8.5 l)
Transfer case
( MB part no. A 001 28 03 10 )2.96
 U S q t ( 2.8  l )
Di ffe re n tial  l \f ck c\f ntr \f l 0.47 - 0.63 US qt (0.46 - 0.6 l)
Rear axle
(Hy\b\fid gear \fil SAE 90, 85 W 90) 1
.9  U S q t ( 1 .8  l )
Fr\fnt axle
( H y\b \fi d g ear \f il  S A E 9 0, 85 W 90 ) 1
.5  U S q t ( 1.4  l )
P\fwer steering
(MB P\fwer steering fluid) a
\b \b r\f x .  1.06  U S q t ( 1.0  l )
J_G463.book Seite 361 Mittwoch, 19. September 2001 8:06 08