2003 MERCEDES-BENZ CL500 air conditioning

Contents
Instrument cluster ............................. 114
Instrument cluster illumination .... 114
Coolant temperature gauge ......... 115
Trip odometer .............................. 115
Tachometer .................................. 115
Outside temperature indicator ..... 116
Control system .................................. 117
Multifunction display .................... 117
Multifunction steering wheel ........ 118
Menus .......................................... 120
Standard display menu ................ 122
AUDIO menu ................................ 122
CD changer operating mode ........ 123
TEL menu* ................................... 125
NAVI menu ................................... 127
Distronic* menu........................... 128
Trip computer menu..................... 129
Malfunction memory menu .......... 130
Settings menu .............................. 131Automatic transmission...................... 143
One-touch gearshifting ................. 144
Gear ranges .................................. 145
Gear selector lever position .......... 146
Program mode selector switch ..... 147
Accelerator position...................... 148
Emergency operation
(Limp home mode) ........................ 148
Steering wheel gearshift control
(Speedshift) and manual
shift program CL 55 AMG ............. 149
Good visibility ..................................... 151
Rear view mirror ........................... 151
Windshield wipers ......................... 154
Headlamp cleaning system ........... 154
Sun visors ..................................... 155
Rear window sunshade ................. 156Automatic climate control .................. 157
Setting the temperature ............... 160
Adjusting air distribution .............. 161
Adjusting air volume ..................... 162
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL ........ 162
Defrosting ..................................... 162
Air recirculation mode .................. 163
Charcoal filter ............................... 164
Rear window defroster.................. 165
Deactivating the climate
control system .............................. 166
Air conditioning ............................ 166
Residual heat and ventilation ........ 167
Ventilated storage compartment
under armrest ............................... 167
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents ...................... 168

ContentsFuses ................................................. 322
Fuse boxes in passenger
compartment................................ 322
Fuse boxes in engine
compartment................................ 324
Emergency engine shut-down ...... 324Technical data.................................. 325
Spare parts service ............................ 326
Warranty coverage ............................. 327
Loss of Service and Warranty
Information Booklet...................... 327
Identification labels............................ 328
Layout of poly-V-belt drive ................. 329
CL 500 ......................................... 329
CL 55 AMG ................................... 329
CL 600 ......................................... 329Engine................................................ 330
Rims and Tires ................................... 331
Same size tires ............................. 332
Mixed size tires ............................ 333
Spare wheel ................................. 333
Electrical system ............................... 334
Main Dimensions ............................... 335
Weights.............................................. 336
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc. .......... 337
Capacities .................................... 337
Engine oils.................................... 339
Engine oil additives ...................... 339
Air conditioning refrigerant .......... 339
Brake fluid .................................... 340
Premium unleaded gasoline ......... 340
Fuel requirements ........................ 340
Gasoline additives ........................ 341
Coolants....................................... 342
Windshield and headlamp
washer system ............................. 344Consumer information ....................... 345
Uniform tire quality grading ......... 345
Technical terms............................... 347Index................................................. 353

159 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Automatic climate control panel
The automatic climate control is operation-
al whenever the engine is running. You can
operate the climate control system in ei-
ther the automatic or manual mode. The
system cools or heats the interior depend-
ing on the selected interior temperature
and the current outside temperature.
Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and
odors are filtered out before outside air en-
ters the passenger compartment through
the air distribution system.
The air conditioning will not engage (no
cooling) if the AC
OFF
mode is selected
(
page 166).
Item
1
Windshield defroster
2
Rear window defroster
3
Display
4
Residual engine heat utilization
5
Automatic climate control on / off
6
Air distribution, right
7
AC cooling on / off
8
Temperature control, right
9
Air volume (automatic, manual)
10
Temperature control, left
11
Air recirculation
12
Air distribution, left
13
Activated charcoal filter
Warning!
G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling given on the following pag-
es. Otherwise the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you and
others.

161 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Turning on cooler air
Turn thumbwheel4 in the direction of
the blue marking.
Cooler air will enter from the center air
vent.
Adjusting air distribution
Use the air distribution controls12 and6
(page 159) to separately adjust the air
distribution on each side of the passenger
compartment. The following symbols are
found on the controls:Adjusting manually

Press button
U
.
The button emerges and the
h
,
V
, j
and
k
symbols become
visible.

Turn the marking on the regulator to
the desired symbol.
The air will be directed to the vents cor-
responding to this symbol.
Adjusting automatically

Press button
U
until it clicks in.
The
h
, V
, j
and
k
sym-
bols are no longer visible. The air distri-
bution is adjusted automatically.Windows fogged on the inside

Press button AC
OFF
t o s w i t c h o n t h e a i r
conditioning (
page 159).
The indicator lamp in the button goes
out.

Press button
,
to switch off the air
recirculation (
page 159).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.

Adjust left and right air vents1 and6
upwards (
page 157).

Set blower to the maximum speed.

Increase temperature setting.

Open the side air vents9 and direct
them onto the side windows
(page 157).
Symbol
Function
h
Directs air through the cen-
ter air vents
j
Directs air to the windows
V
Directs air into the entire
vehicle interior
k
Directs air to the footwells

164 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlDeactivating
Press button
,
(page 159).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
The air recirculation mode is deactivated
automatically:


after five minutes if the outside temper-
ature is below approximately 41°F
(5 °C)


after five minutes if the air conditioning
is turned off


after 30 minutes if the outside temper-
ature is above approximately 41°F
(5 °C)At outside temperatures above 79°F
(26 °C) the system will not automatically
switch back to outside air. A quantity of
outside air is added after approximately
30 minutes.
Charcoal filter
An activated charcoal filter markedly re-
duces bad odors and removes pollutants
from air entering the passenger compart-
ment.
Activating
Press button
e
(page 159).
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up.
Deactivating

Press button
e
(page 159).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
iIf you keep button
,
pressed, the
side windows and the sliding / pop-up
roof will be returned to their previous
position.
iIf you keep button
e
pressed, the
side windows and the sliding / pop-up
roof will be closed.
Warning!
G
Never operate the side windows and the
sliding/pop-up roof if there is the possibility
of anyone being harmed by the closing pro-
cedure.
In the event that the procedure causes po-
tential danger, the procedure can be imme-
diately halted by releasing the
e
button
or by pressing the respective window
switch. The closing of the sliding/pop-up
roof can be immediately halted by releasing
the
e
button or by moving the slid-
ing/pop-up roof switch in the overhead con-
trol panel in any direction.

166 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlDeactivating the climate control sys-tem
Deactivating
It is possible to completely deactivate the
automatic climate control system. 
Press button
M
(page 159).
The display shows “0”
Reactivating
There are several ways to reactivate the
automatic climate control system:

Press one of the following buttons, M
, P
, U
, a temperature con-
trol switch (
page 159) or air volume
switch 9 on the climate control panel.
Air conditioning
The air conditioning is operational while
the engine is running and cools the interior
air to the temperature set by the operator.
Deactivating
It is possible to deactivate the air condi-
tioning (cooling) function of the automatic
climate control system. The air in the vehi-
cle will then no longer be cooled or dehu-
midified.
Press buttonAC
OFF
(page 159).
The indicator lamp on the
buttonAC
OFF
lights up.Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air condition-
ing.

PressAC
OFF
again (
page 159).
The indicator lamp on the
buttonAC
OFF
goes out.
The air conditioning uses the refrigerant
R134a. This refrigerant is free of CFCs
which are harmful to the ozone layer.
iCondensation may drip out from under-
neath the vehicle. This is normal and
not an indication of a malfunction.
!If theAC
OFF
button on the automatic
climate control panel starts to blink,
this indicates that the air conditioning
is losing refrigerant. The compressor
has turned itself off. The air condition-
ing cannot be turned on again.
Have the air conditioning checked at
the nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

167 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Residual heat and ventilation
With the engine switched off, it is possible
to continue to heat or ventilate the interior
for up to 30 minutes. This feature makes
use of the residual heat produced by the
engine.
Activating
Turn the key in the starter switch to
position1 o r r e m o v e i t f r o m t h e s t a r t e r
switch.

Press button
T
(page 159).
The indicator lamp on button
T

comes on.Deactivating

Press button
T
(page 159).
The indicator lamp on button
T

goes off.
The residual heat is automatically turned
off:


when the ignition is switched on


after about 30 minutes


if the battery voltage dropsVentilated storage compartment under
armrest
The storage compartment under the arm-
rest (
page 200) can be ventilated when
the automatic air conditioning is switched
on. The switch is located inside the storage
compartment in the front. The air tempera-
ture is about the same as that of the center
air vents.
The air volume is dependent on the setting
of:


Air distribution control


Air volume control


Air vents in the dashboard
The air temperature is about the same as
that of the dashboard air vents. It cannot
be regulated separately.
iHow long the system will provide heat-
ing depends on the coolant tempera-
ture and the temperature set by the
operator. The blower will run at speed
setting1 regardless of the air distribu-
tion control setting.

329 Technical data
Layout of poly-V-belt drive
Layout of poly-V-belt drive
CL 500
1Automatic belt tensioner
2Power steering pump
3Air conditioning compressor
4Crankshaft
5Coolant pump
6Generator (alternator)
7Idler pulley
CL 55 AMGThe CL 55 AMG has two poly-V-belts (belt
one shown in purple/belt two shown in
black).1Idler pulley
2Automatic belt tensioner
3Power steering pump
4Air conditioning compressor
5Crankshaft
6Coolant pump
7Generator (alternator)
8Idler pulley
9Automatic belt tensioner
10Super charger
CL 600
1Automatic belt tensioner
2Power steering pump
3Air conditioning compressor
4Crankshaft
5Coolant pump
6Generator (alternator)
7Idler pulley
8Idler pulley
9Idler pulley