2003 MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 engine oil

205 Operation
Engine compartment
Oil dipstick
1Oil dipstick
2Oil filler cap
Remove the oil dipstick1.

Wipe the oil dipstick clean.

Fully insert dipstick in tube, and re-
move after three seconds.The engine oil level must be between the
lower (min) and upper (max) mark of the
dipstick.

Add engine oil if necessary.Adding engine oil

Unscrew the oil filler cap2 from the fill-
er neck. Be careful not to overfill with
oil.
Be careful not to spill any oil when adding.
Avoid environmental damage caused by oil
entering the ground or water.

Screw the oil filler cap back on the filler
neck.
More information on engine oil can be
found in the “Technical data” section
(
page 286).
iFill quantity between upper and lower
dipstick marking, the level is approxi-
mately 2.1 US qt (2.0 l).
!Excessive oil must be siphoned or
drained off. It could cause damage to
the engine and catalytic converter not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.

216 OperationMaintenanceThe Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center will
reset the service indicator following a com-
pleted service.Calling up the service indicator
Within 1 second press knob1 twice.
The FSS display will appear for ten sec-
onds.
Resetting the service indicator
In the event that the service on your vehi-
cle is not carried out by an authorized Mer-
cedes-Benz Light Truck Center, you can
reset the service indicator yourself.
Switch ignition on and immediately
press knob1 twice within one second.
The present status for days or distance
is displayed.

Within ten seconds turn the key in
steering lock to position0 (
page 33).

Press and hold knob1 while switching
the ignition on.
The present status for days or distance
is displayed once more.

Continue to hold knob1.
After approximately 10 seconds a sig-
nal sounds, and the display shows
10 000 miles (Canada: 15 000 km) for
approximately 10 seconds.

Release knob1.
iIf the service indicator was inadvertent-
ly reset, have a Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center correct it.
Only reset if the proper service has
been performed. Resetting the system
without performing the proper service
as called for by the FSS will cause the
FSS to incorrectly determine the next
service interval which will result in en-
gine damage not covered by the Mer-
cedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
If the battery is disconnected, the days
of disconnection will not be included in
the count shown by the service indica-
tor. To arrive at the true service dead-
line, you will need to subtract these
days from the days shown in the ser-
vice indicator.
Do not confuse the service indicator
with the engine oil level indicator
:
.

229 Practical hints
What to do if …
Problem
Possible cause
Suggested solution
É
-
The red brake warning lamp
lights up in addition to the yellow
ABS malfunction lamp and you
hear a warning sound.
There is a malfunction in the Electronic Brake
Proportioning (EBP) system.
The enhanced braking effect is not available.

Have the system checked immediate-
ly at an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center.
Failure to follow these instructions in-
creases the risk of accidents.
:
The yellow warning lamp blinks
after starting the engine or while
driving.
The engine oil level has sunk to the minimum
level. If the engine oil level continues to sink,
the warning lamp will light up.

Add approved oil at the next gas sta-
tion (
page 286).

If oil loss is visible on the engine, have
the malfunction corrected as soon as
possible at a Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center.
_
The red indicator lamp does not
go out after starting the engine.
The adjustable telescoping steering column
is not properly locked.

Lock the adjustable steering column
(page 37).
‡
The green front fog lamp indica-
tor lamp lights up when ignition
is turned on.
The front fog lamps are switched on.

Fog lamps (
page 105).

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+)

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.).