2003 MERCEDES-BENZ CL55AMG automatic transmission

147 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Program mode selector switch
1Program mode selector switch
S Sport For standard driving
C Comfort For comfort driving

Press the program mode selector
switch repeatedly until the letter of the
desired shift program appears in the ta-
chometer display (
page 22).
Select Cfor comfort driving:


The vehicle starts out in second
gear (both forward and reverse) for
gentler starts. This does not apply if
full throttle is applied or gear
range1 is selected.


Traction and driving stability are im-
proved on icy roads.


Upshifts occur earlier even when
you give more gas. The engine then
operates at lower rpms and the
wheels are less likely to spin.


The power transmission ratio for se-
lector lever positionR changes de-
pending on the program mode
selected (C or S).
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the starter switch, take the
KEYLESS-GO* card with you and lock the ve-
hicle. Do not leave children unattended in
the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Children could move the selector le-
ver from positionP, which could result in an
accident and / or serious personal injury.
!Never change the program mode when
the selector lever is out of positionP.
This could result in a change of driving
characteristics for which you may not
be prepared.

148 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionAccelerator position
Your driving style influences the transmis-
sion’s shifting behavior:
Less throttle Earlier upshifting
More throttle Later upshiftingKickdown
Use kickdown when you want maximum
acceleration.

Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
The transmission shifts into a lower
gear.

Ease up on the accelerator when you
have reached the desired speed.
The transmission shifts up again.Emergency operation (Limp home
mode)
If vehicle acceleration worsens or the
transmission no longer shifts, the trans-
mission is most likely operating in
Limp-Home Mode (emergency operation).
In this mode, only second gear and reverse
gear can be activated.
Stop the vehicle.

Move selector lever toP.

Turn off the engine.

Wait at least ten seconds before re-
starting.

Restart the engine.

Move selector lever to positionD (for
second gear) orR.

Have the transmission checked at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.

149 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Steering wheel gearshift control
(Speedshift) and manual shift program CL 55 AMG
The CL 55 AMG can be driven in both the
automatic and manual shift program
modes. In the manual shift program mode
you can change the gears manually on the
steering wheel or by using the selector le-
ver.
1Right button: upshift
2Left button: downshiftTo do so, you must first select the manual
shift program M on the program mode se-
lector switch.
3Program mode selector switch
S Sport For standard driving
C Comfort For comfort driving
M Manual For manual gear shiftingActivating steering wheel gearshift
control

Press the program mode selector
switch repeatedly until the
M for manual
shift program appears in the tachome-
ter display.
Automatic gear shifting is activated.
!Never change the program mode when
the selector lever is out of positionP. It
could result in a change of driving char-
acteristics for which you may not be
prepared.

150 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionUpshifting
Press the button located on the right
side of the steering wheel.
or

Briefly press the selector lever to the
right in the D+direction.
The transmission shifts to the next
higher gear.
Warm up the engine smoothly. Do not
place full load on the engine until the oper-
ating temperature has been reached. Shift
into reverse gear only when the vehicle is
stopped.Downshifting

Press the button located on the left
side of the steering wheel.
or

Briefly press the selector lever to the
right in the D-direction.
The transmission shifts to the next low-
er gear.
Warm up the engine smoothly. Do not
place full load on the engine until the oper-
ating temperature has been reached. Shift
into reverse gear only when the vehicle is
stopped.Deactivating steering wheel gearshift
control

Press the program mode selector
switch repeatedly until the
S or
C for au-
tomatic shift program appears in the
tachometer display.
Automatic gear shifting is activated.
!Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period when driving off on
slippery surface. This may cause seri-
ous damage to the drivetrain which is
not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of loss of control.
iAt each engine start, the transmission
will go into the last automatic shift pro-
gram mode selected (S or C). Program
modeM is not stored and will not be re-
called when engine is restarted.

186 Controls in detailDriving systemsDeactivating Distronic
There are several ways to deactivate the
Distronic system:
Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow3 (
page 183).
or

Step on the brake pedal.
Distronic will be deactivated. The last
speed set will be stored into memory.Distronic deactivates automatically when:


You set the parking brake.


You drive slower than 25 mph
(40 km/h).


The ESP is active (
page 73) or you
deactivate the ESP.


You move the transmission selector le-
ver into positionN.
A signal will sound. The
DISTRONIC OFF

message appears in the multifunction
display for approximately five seconds.Setting the following distance in
Distronic
You can set the specified following dis-
tance for Distronic by varying the time set-
ting between 1.0 and 2.0 seconds. Using
this time setting and the current speed of
your vehicle, Distronic calculates and sets
the required following distance to the vehi-
cle ahead. The set distance will be shown
in the multifunction display field.
The thumbwheel for making the time set-
ting is located on the lower section of the
center console.
iThe following message will appear in
the multifunction display for approxi-
mately five seconds:
DISTRONIC OFF
.
The last stored speed is deleted when
you turn off the engine.
Warning!
G
Distronic switches off and releases the
brakes when the vehicle decelerates below
the minimum speed of approx. 25 mph
(40 km/h) by operation of the system. At
that time the driver must apply the brakes in
order to reduce vehicle speed further or
bring it to a stop.
Warning!
G
It is up to the driver to exercise discretion to
select the appropriate setting given road
conditions, traffic, driver’s preferred driving
style and applicable laws and driving recom-
mendations for safe following distance.

242OperationEngine compartmentTransmission fluid level
The transmission fluid level does not need
to be checked. If you notice transmission
fluid loss or gear shifting malfunctions,
have an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
check the automatic transmission.Active Body Control (ABC) fluid level
Regular fluid level check is not required. If
you notice fluid leaks or malfunction mes-
sages in the multifunction display, have an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center check
the ABC system.
Coolant
The engine coolant is a mixture of water
and anticorrosion / antifreeze. To check
the coolant level, the vehicle must be
parked on level ground and the engine
must be cool.
Warning!
G
In order to avoid any possibly serious burns:

Use extreme caution when opening the
hood if there are any signs of steam or
coolant leaking from the cooling system,
or if the coolant temperature gauge indi-
cates that the coolant is overheated.


Do not remove pressure cap on coolant
reservoir if engine temperature is above
194°F (90°C). Allow engine to cool
down before removing cap. The coolant
reservoir contains hot fluid and is under
pressure.


Using a rag, slowly open the cap approx-
imately ½ turn to relieve excess pres-
sure. If opened immediately, scalding
hot fluid and steam will be blown out un-
der pressure.


Do not spill antifreeze on hot engine
parts. Antifreeze contains ethylene gly-
col which may burn if it comes into con-
tact with hot engine parts.

337 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
CapacitiesVehicle components and their respective
lubricants must match. Therefore use only
brands tested and recommended by us.Please refer to the Factory Approved Ser-
vice Products pamphlet, or inquire at your
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Model
Capacity
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Engine with oil filter
CL 500
CL 55 AMG
CL 600
8.5 US qt (8.0 l)
7.9 US qt (7.5 l)
9.5 US qt (9.0 l)
Recommended engine oils
Automatic transmission
CL 500
CL 55 AMG
CL 600
9.1 US qt (8.6 l)
9.1 US qt (8.6 l)
8.1 US qt (7.7 l)
MB Automatic Transmission Oil
1
1MB part no. 001 989 21 03 10Rear axle
1.7 US qt (1.6 l)
Hypoid gear oil SAE 85 W 90
Hydraulic system for ABC
approx. 4.2 US qt (4.0 l)
MB Hydraulic fluid
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
0.7 US qt (0.7 l)
MB Brake Fluid (DOT 4+)
Cooling system
CL 500
CL 55 AMG
CL 600
approx. 12.1 US qt (11.5 l)
approx. 15.3 US qt (14.5 l)
approx. 15.85 US qt (15 l)
MB 325.0 Anticorrosion / Antifreeze

349 Technical terms
ETD
(E
mergency T
ensioning D
evice)
Device which deploys in certain frontal
and rear collisions exceeding the sys-
tem's threshold to tighten the seat
belts.
->SRS
FSS
(F
lexible S
ervice S
ystem)
Service indicator in the multifunction
display that informs the driver when
the next vehicle maintenance service is
due.
Gear range
Number of gears which are available to
the automatic transmission for shifting.
The automatic gear shifting process
can be adapted to specific operating
conditions using the selector lever.GPS
(G
lobal P
ositioning S
ystem)
Satellite-based system for relaying
geographic location information to and
from vehicles equipped with special re-
ceivers. Employs CD digital maps for
navigation.
Instrument cluster
The displays and indicator/warning
lamps in the driver’s field of vision, in-
cluding the tachometer, speedometer,
engine temperature and fuel gauge.
KEYLESS-GO*
System for entering and operating the
vehicle without the use of a key.
Kickdown
Depressing the accelerator past the
point of resistance shifts the transmis-
sion down to the lowest possible gear.
This very quickly accelerates the vehi-
cle and should not be used for normal
acceleration needs.Line of fall
The direct line that an object moves
downhill when influenced by the force
of gravity alone.
Lock button
Button on the door which indicates
whether the door is locked or un-
locked. Pushing the lock button down
on an individual door from inside will
lock that door.
Memory function
Used to store three individual seat,
steering wheel and mirror positions for
each key or, if so equipped, KEY-
LESS-GO* feature.
Menu
The control system displays are ar-
ranged in menus. Each menu contains
a number of commands for particular
systems. In the Audio menu, for exam-
ple, you will find the commands
SELECT
RADIO STATION
or OPERATE CD player
.
Using commands you can directly
change the settings for your vehicle.