2003 MERCEDES-BENZ C230 COUPE Owner's Manual

257 Practical hints
What to do if …
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Possible cause
Suggested solution
B
COOLANT
CHECK LEVEL
The coolant level is too low.

Add coolant (
page 229).

If you have to add coolant frequently,
have the cooling system checked by
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter.
Warning!
G
Do not spill antifreeze on hot engine parts.
Antifreeze contains ethylene glycol which
may burn if it comes into contact with hot
engine parts. You can be seriously burned.
!Do not ignore the low engine coolant
level warning. Extended driving with
the message and symbol displayed
may cause serious engine damage not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
Do not drive without sufficient amount
of coolant in the cooling system. The
engine will overheat, causing major en-
gine damage.

258 Practical hintsWhat to do if …
During severe operating conditions and
stop-and-go city traffic, the coolant tem-
perature may rise close to 120°C.
Display
Possible cause
Suggested solution
Ï
COOLANT
STOP, ENGINE OFF!
The coolant is too hot.

Stop the vehicle and turn off the en-
gine.

Only start the engine again after the
message disappears. You could oth-
erwise damage the engine.
Warning!
G
Driving when your engine is badly overheat-
ed can cause some fluids which may have
leaked into the engine compartment to
catch fire. You could be seriously burned.
Steam from an overheated engine can cause
serious burns and can occur just by opening
the engine hood. Stay away from the engine
if you see or hear steam coming from it.
Turn off the engine, get out of the vehicle
and do not stand near the vehicle until it
cools down.
!The engine should not be operated with
the coolant temperature above 248°F
(120°C). Doing so may cause serious
engine damage which is not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

259 Practical hints
What to do if …
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Possible cause
Suggested solution
Ï
COOLANT
STOP, ENGINE OFF!
The poly-V-belt could be broken.

Stop immediately and check the
poly-V-belt.
If it is broken:

Do not continue to drive. Otherwise
the engine will overheat due to an in-
operative water pump which may re-
sult in damage to the engine. Notify
an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
If it is intact:

Do not continue to drive the vehicle
with this message displayed. Doing
so could result in serious engine
damage that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
COOLANT
VISIT WORKSHOP!
The cooling fan for the coolant is malfunc-
tioning.

Observe the coolant temperature
gauge.

Have the fan replaced as soon as
possible.

260 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display
Possible cause
Suggested solution
J
DOOR OPEN!
You are attempting to drive with one or
more doors open.

Close the doors.
ESP
ESP
NOT AVAILABLE!
The ESP is deactivated because of a mal-
function or interrupted power supply. The
ABS might not be operational.

With vehicle stationary and the en-
gine running, turn the steering wheel
completely to the left and then to the
right to synchronize the ESP.
If the ESP message does not go out:

Continue driving with added caution.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center as soon as possible.
Failure to follow these instructions in-
creases the risk of accident.
The self-diagnosis has not been complet-
ed.
The display will clear itself after driving a
short distance at more than 12 mph
(20 km/h).

261 Practical hints
What to do if …
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Possible cause
Suggested solution
ESP
ESP
NOT AVAILABLE!
The charging voltage has fallen below
10 volts and the ESP has switched off.

When the voltage is above this value
again, the ESP is operational again.

If necessary, have the generator and
battery checked.
ESP
VISIT WORKSHOP!
The ESP is deactivated because of a mal-
function.

Continue driving with added caution.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center as soon as possible.
Failure to follow these instructions in-
creases the risk of accident.
DISPLAY DEFECTIVE
VISIT WORKSHOP!
The ESP or the ESP display is malfunction-
ing.

Continue driving with added caution.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center as soon as possible.
Failure to follow these instructions in-
creases the risk of accident.

262 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display
Possible cause
Suggested solution
:
ENGINE OIL LEVEL
STOP, ENGINE OFF!
There is no oil in the engine. There is a dan-
ger of engine damage.

Carefully bring the vehicle to a halt as
soon as possible.

Turn off the engine.

Add engine oil.
ENGINE OIL LEVEL
CHECK LEVEL!
The engine oil level is too low.

Check the engine oil level
(page 227) and add oil as required.
ENGINE OIL LEVEL
REDUCE OIL LEVEL!
You have added too much engine oil. There
is a risk of damaging the engine or the cat-
alytic converter.

Have oil siphoned. Observe all legal
requirements with respect to its dis-
posal.
ENGINE OIL
VISIT WORKSHOP!
The engine oil has dropped to a critical lev-
el.

Check the engine oil level
(page 227) and add oil as required.

If you must add engine oil frequently,
have the engine checked for possible
leaks.
There is water in the oil.

Have the oil checked.
ENGINE OIL LEVEL
VISIT WORKSHOP!
The measuring system is malfunctioning.

Have the measuring system checked
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

263 Practical hints
What to do if …
When the “ENGINE OIL LEVEL – CHECK
LEVEL!” message appears while the engine
is running and at operating temperature,
the engine oil level is low.
When this occurs, the warning will first
come on intermittently and then stay on if
the oil level drops further.If no oil leaks are noted, continue to drive
to the nearest gas station where the en-
gine oil should be filled up with an ap-
proved oil (
page 227).
!The engine oil level warnings should
not be ignored. Extended driving with
the symbol displayed could result in se-
rious engine damage that is not cov-
ered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
Display
Possible cause
Suggested solution
A
RESERVE FUEL
VISIT FILLING STATION!
The fuel level has dropped below the re-
serve mark.

Refuel at the next gas station
(page 224).
Y
HOOD OPEN!
You are driving with the hood open.

Close the hood (
page 226).
I
REPLACE KEY
VISIT WORKSHOP!
No additional code available for SmartKey.

Change the batteries (
page 294).
AUTOM. LIGHT ON
REMOVE KEY!
You have forgotten to remove the key.

Remove the key from the starter
switch.
.
LAMP SENSOR
VISIT WORKSHOP!
The lamp sensor is malfunctioning. The
headlamps switch on automatically.

Set lamp operation to manual.

Switch on headlamps using the exte-
rior lamp switch.

264 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display
Possible cause
Suggested solution
.
LOW BEAM, L
CHECK LAMP!
The left low beam lamp is malfunctioning.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center as soon as possible.
LOW BEAM, R
CHECK LAMP!
The right low beam lamp is malfunctioning.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center as soon as possible.
DISPLAY DEFECTIVE
VISIT WORKSHOP!
The display for the lamps or the system is
malfunctioning.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center as soon as possible.
TURN SIGNAL, LR
CHECK LAMP!

The left rear turn signal lamp is malfunc-
tioning.

Replace the bulb as soon as possible.
TURN SIGNAL, RR
CHECK LAMP!

The right rear turn signal lamp is malfunc-
tioning.

Replace the bulb as soon as possible.
TURN SIG. IN MIRROR, L
CHECK LAMP!
The left turn signal in the side mirror is mal-
functioning. This message will only appear
if all light emitting diodes have stopped
working.

Have the LEDs replaced as soon as
possible.
TURN SIG. IN MIRROR, R
CHECK LAMP!
The right turn signal in the side mirror is
malfunctioning. This message will only ap-
pear if all light emitting diodes have
stopped working.

Have the LEDs replaced as soon as
possible.