2003 MERCEDES-BENZ C320 4MATIC WAGON coolant temperature

266 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
engine.

Only start the engine again after
the message disappears. You could
otherwise 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.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 266 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

267 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display
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
inoperative water pump which may
result in damage to the engine. No-
tify 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 mal-
functioning.

Observe the coolant temperature
display.

Have the fan replaced as soon as
possible.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 267 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

278 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display
Possible cause
Suggested solution
#
UNDERVOLTAGE
ENGINE ON!
The battery has insufficient voltage and
can no longer supply the convenience
functions such as seat heater*.

Start the engine (
page 44).
UNDERVOLTAGE
SWITCH CONSUMERS OFF!
The battery is malfunctioning.

Have the battery checked at a ser-
vice station.
G
VISIT WORKSHOP!
DISPLAY DEFECTIVE
The instrument cluster display is mal-
functioning.

Continue driving with added cau-
tion.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center as soon as possible.
±
VISIT WORKSHOP!
DISPLAY DEFECTIVE
Certain electronic systems are unable to
relay information to the control system.
The following systems may have failed:

Coolant temperature display


Tachometer


Cruise control display

Have the electronic systems
checked by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center
(page 258).
W
WASHER FLUID
CHECK LEVEL!
The fluid level has dropped to about
1/3
of total reservoir capacity.
Add washer fluid (
page 240).
S203 MY03_A.book Page 278 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

328 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.Capacities
Vehicle components and their respective lubricants must match. Therefore use only
brands tested and recommended by us.
Please refer to the Factory Approved Service Products pamphlet, or inquire at
your Mercedes-Benz Center.
Model
Capacity
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Engine with oil filter
C 240
C 320
C 240 4MATIC
C 320 4MATIC
7.9 US qt (7.5 l)
7.9 US qt (7.5 l)
7.4 US qt (7.0 l)
7.4 US qt (7.0 l)
Recommended engine oils
Automatic transmission
8.5 US qt (8.0 l)
MB Automatic Transmission Oil
1
1MB part no. 001 989 21 03 10Manual transmission
1.3 US qt (1.2 l)
MB Manual Transmission Oil
2
2MB part no. 001 989 26 03 10Rear axle
1.2 US qt (1.1 l)
Hypoid gear oil SAE 85 W 90
Front axle
C 240 4MATIC
C 320 4MATIC
0.5 US qt (0.46 l)
Hypoid gear oil SAE 85 W 90
Transfer case
C 240 4MATIC
C 320 4MATIC
approx. 0.62 US qt (0.59 l)
MB Automatic Transmission Oil
1
Power steering
approx. 1.1 US qt (1.0 l)
MB Power Steering Fluid (Pentosin CHF 11S)
Front wheel hubs
approx. 2.1 oz (60 g) each
High temperature roller bearing grease
Brake system
0.5 US qt (0.5 l)
MB Brake Fluid (DOT 4+)
Cooling system
approx. 6.8 US qt (6.4 l)
MB 325.0 Anticorrosion/Antifreeze Agent
S203 MY03_A.book Page 328 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

329 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Model
Capacity
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Fuel tank
including a reserve of
16.4 US gal (62.0 l)
2.1 US gal (8.0 l)
Premium unleaded gasoline:
Posted Octane 91 (Avg. of 96 RON / 86 MON)Flexible Fuel Vehicle (MY 2003 Mercedes-Benz C 320
models, except those equipped with manual transmission or
4MATIC*):
Alternative fuel -- ethanol fuel (E85)
Air conditioner system
R-134a refrigerant and special PAG lubricant oil (never R-12)
Windshield washer and
headlamp cleaning
system:
Without headlamp
cleaning system
With headlamp cleaning
system
3.2 US qt (3 l)
6.4 US qt (6 l)
MB Windshield Washer Concentrate
1
1Use MB Windshield Washer Concentrate “S” and water for temperatures above freezing or MB Windshield Washer Concentrate “S” and commercially available pre-
mixed windshield washer solvent/antifreeze for temperatures below freezing. Follow suggested mixing ratios (
page 336).
S203 MY03_A.book Page 329 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

333 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.


Ignition is off during refill.


Immediately after refueling engine is
started and operated for at least five
minutes.
These precautions and recommendations
are supposed to prevent any difficulties
when starting and operating the engine
which otherwise may be experienced be-
fore the engine has fully adapted to the dif-
ferent fuel.
If in spite of these recommendations the
engine does not perform properly, adding
more gasoline (at least 3 gallons
[12 liters]) to the fuel may improve the en-
gine behavior.Cold weather performance
It is possible that starting times will signif-
icantly increase at temperatures below
32°F (0°C). At low temperatures the use
of a block heater (Canada only) is recom-
mended (see your authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center for further informa-
tion). Rough idling may also be experi-
enced at such temperatures before the
engine is fully warmed up.
Hot weather performance
At ambient temperatures above 95°F
(35°C) start times may increase and be ac-
companied by a rough idle following the
start.Cruising range
E85 fuel contains less energy per gallon
than gasoline. To ensure that engine per-
formance with ethanol fuel is similar to
that when using gasoline, the engine must
burn more ethanol fuel. As a result, it is to
be expected that the fuel consumption will
increase when using E85 compared to gas-
oline operation.
Maintenance
Please inform your Mercedes-Benz Center
if you use or have used E85 fuel when your
vehicle is delivered for maintenance or re-
pairs.
!E85 fuel is unsuitable for use when am-
bient temperatures fall below 14°F
(-10°C).
iUse of E85 may reduce your driving
range.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 333 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

334 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants etc.Coolants
The engine coolant is a mixture of water
and anticorrosion/antifreeze, which pro-
vides:

Corrosion protection


Freeze protection


Boiling protection (by increasing the
boiling point)
The cooling system was filled at the factory
with a coolant providing freeze protection
to approximately -22°F (-30°C) and corro-
sion protection.
If the antifreeze mixture is effective to
-22°F (-30°C), the boiling point of the cool-
ant in the pressurized cooling system is
reached at approximately 266°F (130°C).The coolant solution must be used
year-round to provide the necessary corro-
sion protection and increase boil-over pro-
tection. You should have it replaced every
15 years or 150 000 miles (250 000 km),
whichever comes first.
Coolant system design and coolant used
stipulate the replacement interval. The
above replacement interval is only applica-
ble if MB 325.0 Anticorrosion/Antifreeze
solution or other Mercedes-Benz approved
products of equal specification (see Facto-
ry Approved Service Products pamphlet)
are used to renew the coolant concentra-
tion or bring it back up to the proper level.
To provide important corrosion protection,
the solution must be at least 45% anticor-
rosion/antifreeze (equivalent to freeze
protection to approx. - 22°F [-30°C]). If
you use a solution that is more than 55%
anticorrosion/antifreeze (freeze protec-
tion to approx. - 49°F [-45°C]), the engine
temperature will increase due to the lower heat transfer capability of the solution.
Therefore, do not use more than this
amount of anticorrosion/antifreeze.
If the coolant level is low, water and
MB 325.0 anticorrosion/antifreeze should
be used to bring it up to the proper level
(have cooling system checked for signs of
leakage). Please make sure that the mix-
ture is in accordance with label instruc-
tions.
The water in the cooling system must meet
minimum requirements, which are usually
satisfied by normal drinking water. If you
are not sure about the water quality, con-
sult your authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 334 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

336 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants etc.Windshield and headlamp washer system
Both the windshield and headlamp washer
systems are supplied from the windshield
washer fluid reservoir.
The washer fluid reservoir has a capacity of
approx.

6.4 US qt (6.0 l) in vehicles with head-
lamp cleaning system*


3.2 US qt (3.0 l) in vehicles without
headlamp cleaning system

Refill the reservoir with MB Windshield
Washer Concentrate and water (or con-
centrate and commercially available
premixed windshield washer sol-
vent/antifreeze, depending on ambient
temperatures).Windshield and headlamp washer fluid
mixing ratio
For temperatures above freezing use
MB Windshield Washer Concentrate “S”
and water:


1 part “S” to 100 parts water
[40 ml “S” to 1 gallon (4 l) water].
For temperatures below freezing use
MB Windshield Washer Concentrate “S”
and commercially available premixed
windshield washer solvent/antifreeze:


1 part “S” to 100 parts solvent
[40 ml “S” to 1 gallon (4 l) solvent].
Warning!
G
Washer solvent/antifreeze is highly flamma-
ble. Do not spill washer solvent/antifreeze
on hot engine parts, because it may burn.
You can be seriously burned.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 336 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM