2003 MERCEDES-BENZ ML320 oil

257 Practical hints
Flat tire
Removing the wheel
Unscrew and remove all wheel bolts.

Remove the remaining bolts.

Grip the wheel from the sides and re-
move it.
Mounting the new wheel

Clean contact surfaces of wheel and
wheel hub.

Install spare wheel on wheel hub.

Insert wheel bolts and tighten them
slightly.

ML 55 AMG:
Inflate the spare wheel with collapsible
tire using the electric air pump
(page 259).
!Do not place wheel bolts in sand or dirt.
This could result in damage to the bolt
and wheel hub threads.
Warning!
G
ML 55 AMG:
Inflate the spare wheel with collapsible tire
only after the wheel is properly mounted.
Inflate the spare wheel tire using the electric
air pump (
page 259) before lowering the
vehicle.
!To avoid paint damage, place wheel flat
against hub and hold it there while in-
stalling first wheel bolt.
Warning!
G
Always replace wheel bolts that are dam-
aged or rusted.
Never apply oil or grease to wheel bolts.
Damaged wheel hub threads should be re-
paired immediately. Do not continue to drive
under these circumstances! Contact an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center
or call Roadside Assistance.
Incorrect mounting bolts or improperly
tightened mounting bolts can cause the
wheel to come off. This could cause an acci-
dent. Be sure to use the correct mounting
bolts.

284 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.Capacities
Vehicle components and their respective
lubricants must match.Therefore use only brand tested and rec-
ommended by us.Please refer to the Factory Approved Ser-
vice Products pamphlet, or inquire at your
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
Model
Capacity
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Engine with oil filter
ML 320, ML 350,
ML 500
8.5 US qt (8.0 l)
Recommended engine oils
ML 55 AMG
8.0 US qt (7.5 l)
Recommended engine oils
Automatic transmis-
sion
9.0 US qt (8.5 l)
MB Automatic Transmission Oil
1
1MB part no. 001 989 21 03 10Transfer case
1.6 US qt (1.5 l)
(Dexron 3 or Dexron 2E)
Rear axle
1.3 US qt (1.25 l)
(Hypoid gear oil SAE 90, 85 W 90)
Front axle
1.2 US qt (1.1 l)
(Hypoid gear oil SAE 90)
Power steering
approx. 0.65 US qt (0.6 l)
MB Power Steering Fluid
Front wheel hubs
approx. 1.5 oz (43 g) each
High temperature roller bearing grease
Brake system
0.75 US qt (0.7 l)
MB Brake Fluid (DOT 4+)

285 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Model
Capacity
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Cooling system
approx. 12.7 US qt (12.0 l)
MB Anticorrosion / Antifreeze
Fuel tank
ML 320, ML 350,
ML 500
22.0 US gal (83.0 l)
Premium unleaded gasoline:
Posted Octane 91 (Avg. of 96 RON/86 MON
ML 55 AMG
25.0 US gal (95.0 l)
Premium unleaded gasoline:
Posted Octane 91 (Avg. of 96 RON/86 MON
including a reserve of
approx. 3.2 US qt (12.0 l)
Air conditioning system
R-134a refrigerant and special PAG lubricant
oil (never R-12)
Windshield washer and
headlamp cleaning sys-
tem
8.0 US qt (7.6 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 290).

286 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants etc.Engine oils
Engine oils are specifically tested for their
suitability in our engines. Therefore, use
only engine oils recommended by
Mercedes-Benz. Information on recom-
mended brands is available in the Factory
Approved Service Products pamphlet, or at
your authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center.Engine oil additives
Do not blend oil additives with engine oil.
They may be harmful to the engine opera-
tion.
Damage or malfunctions resulting from
blending oil additives are not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.Air conditioning refrigerant
R-134a (HFC) refrigerant and special PAG
lubricating oil is used in the air condition-
ing system.Never use R-12 (CFC) or mineral-based lu-
bricating oil, otherwise damage to the
system will occur.
Brake fluid
During vehicle operation, the boiling point
of the brake fluid is continuously reduced
through the absorption of moisture from
the atmosphere. Under extremely strenu-
ous operating conditions, this moisture
content can lead to the formation of bub-
bles in the system, thus reducing the sys-
tem’s efficiency.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be re-
placed every two years, preferably in the
spring.
Only brake fluid approved by
Mercedes-Benz is recommended. Your au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center will pro-
vide you with additional information.
Premium unleaded gasoline
!To maintain the engine’s durability and
performance, premium unleaded gaso-
l i n e m u s t b e u s e d . I f p r e m i u m u n l e a d e d
is not available and low octane fuel is
used, follow these precautions:

Have the fuel tank only partially
filled with unleaded regular and fill
up with premium unleaded as soon
as possible.


Avoid full throttle driving and abrupt
acceleration.


Do not exceed an engine speed of
3000 rpm if the vehicle is loaded
with a light load such as two per-
sons and no luggage.


Do not exceed 2/3 of maximum ac-
celerator pedal position if the vehi-
cle is fully loaded or operating in
mountainous terrain.

287 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Fuel requirements
Use only premium unleaded meeting
ASTM standard D 439:

The octane number (posted at the
pump) must be 91 min. It is an average
of both the Research (R) octane num-
ber and the Motor (M) octane number:
(R+M) / 2). This is also known as the
ANTI-KNOCK INDEX.
Unleaded gasoline containing oxygenates
such as ethanol, IPA, IBA and TBA can be
used provided the ratio of any one of these
oxygenates to gasoline does not exceed
10%; MTBE not to exceed 15%.
The ratio of methanol to gasoline must not
exceed 3% plus additional cosolvents.
Using mixtures of ethanol and methanol is
not allowed. Gasohol, which contains 10%
ethanol and 90% unleaded gasoline, can be
used.
These blends must also meet all other fuel
requirements, such as resistance to spark
knock, boiling range, vapor pressure etc.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among engine manufac-
turers is carbon build-up caused by gaso-
line. Mercedes-Benz recommends only the
use of quality gasoline containing additives
that prevent the build up of carbon depos-
its.
After an extended period of using fuels
without such additives, carbon deposits
can build up especially on the intake valves
and in the combustion area, leading to en-
gine performance problems such as:

Warm-up hesitation


Unstable idle


Knocking/pinging


Misfire


Power loss
Do not blend other specific fuel additives
with fuel. This only results in unnecessary
costs and may be harmful to the engine op-
eration.Damage or malfunctions resulting from
poor fuel quality or from blending specific
fuel additives are not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
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 -35°F (-37°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).

288 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants etc.The coolant solution must be used year
round to provide the necessary corrosion
protection and increase in boil-over pro-
tection. You should have it replaced every
3years.
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
anticorrosion /antifreeze should be used
to bring it up to the proper level (have cool-
ing system checked for signs of leakage).
Please make sure that the mixture is in ac-
cordance with label instructions.
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 Light
Truck Center.
Anticorrosion/antifreeze
Your vehicle contains a number of alumi-
num parts. The use of aluminum compo-
nents in motor vehicle engines
necessitates that anticorrosion/antifreeze
coolant used in such engines be specifical-
ly formulated to protect the aluminum
parts. (Failure to use such anticorro-
sion/antifreeze coolant will result in a sig-
nificantly shortened service life.)
Therefore, the following product is strongly
recommended for use in your vehicle:
Mercedes-Benz Anticorrosion/Antifreeze
agent.
Before the start of the winter season (or
once a year in hot southern regions), you
should have the anticorrosion/antifreeze
concentration checked. The coolant is also
regularly checked each time you bring your
vehicle to your authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center for service.

294 Technical termsEngine oil viscosity
Measurement for the inner friction (vis-
cosity) of the oil at different tempera-
tures. The higher the temperature an
oil can tolerate without becoming thin,
or the lower the temperature it can tol-
erate without becoming viscous, the
better the viscosity.
ESP
(E
lectronic S
tability Pr
ogram)
Improves vehicle handling and direc-
tional stability.
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.
->SRSFSS
(F
lexible S
ervice S
ystem)
Service indicator in the speedometer
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.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.
MCS
(M
odular C
ontrol S
ystem)
Information and operating center for
vehicle sound and communications
systems, including the radio and the ra-
dio and navigation system, as well as
for other optional equipment (CD
changer, telephone, etc.).

299 Index
A
ABS 25, 71, 293
ABS control 71
LOW RANGE mode 72
Malfunction indicator lamp 225
Warning lamp 225
Accelerator position, automatic
transmission 117
Accident
In case of 49
Activating
Air circulation mode 130
Air recirculation mode 129
Anti-theft alarm system 78
Automatic climate control 125
ESP 77
Exterior headlamps 46
Hazard warning flasher 106
Headlamps 46
High beams 102
Ignition 33
Immobilizer 51, 78
Rear passenger compartment
ventilation and climate control 131
Rear window defroster 131
Rear window wiper 48Residual heat 130
Seat heater 91
Tow-away alarm 80
Warning indicators (Parktronic*) 151
Windshield wipers 48
Activating automatic central locking 89
Adding
Coolant 206
Engine oil 204, 205
Additional turn signals 247
Adjustable steering column
Indicator lamp 229
Adjusting 34
Backrest tilt 36, 37
Exterior rear view mirror 38
Head restraint height 36, 37
Head restraint tilt 36, 37
Headlamp aim 253
Instrument cluster illumination 110
Manual seat 35
Mirrors 38
Power seats 37
Seat cushion tilt 37
Seat fore and aft 35
Seat fore and aft adjustment 37
Seat height 35, 36Seats 34
Steering wheel 37
Adjusting air distribution
Automatic climate control 127
Adjusting air volume
Automatic climate control 127
Air conditioner (cooling)
Turning on 129
Air conditioning
Cooling 129
Air conditioning refrigerant 286
Air outlets
Automatic climate control 132
Air pressure see Tire inflation pressure 211
Air pump 238
Air recirculation mode 128
Activating 129
Deactivating 129
AIRBAG OFF
Warning lamp 232
Airbags 55
BabySmart
TM airbag deactivation
system 293
BabySmartTM deactivation system 65
Children 56
Front 59