2003 MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 Power

262 Practical hintsBatteryRemoving the batteries
Remove the screw securing the bat-
tery.

Remove the battery support and brack-
et. Take out the battery.
Charging and reinstalling batteries
Charge battery in accordance with the
instructions of the battery charger
manufacturer.

Reinstall the charged battery. Follow
the previously described steps in re-
verse order.
Reconnecting the batteries
Turn off all electrical consumers.

Connect the positive lead and fasten its
cover.

Connect the negative lead.
Warning!
G
Never charge a battery while still installed in
the vehicle. Gases may escape during charg-
ing and cause explosions that may result in
paint damage, corrosion or personal injury.
!Never invert the terminal connections!!The battery, its filler caps and the vent
tube must always be securely installed
when the vehicle is in operation.
iThe following procedures must be car-
ried out following any interruption of
battery power (e.g. due to reconnec-
tion):

Set the clock (
page 112).


Set the date in trip computer
(page 172).


Calibrate the compass
(page 174).


Resynchronize the ESP
(page 225).


Resynchronize side windows
(page 136).


Resynchronize sliding/pop-up
roof*(
page 138).

264 Practical hintsJump starting
Jump starting
If the battery is discharged, the engine can
be started with jumper cables and the bat-
tery of another vehicle. Observe the follow-
ing:

Jump starting should only be performed
when the engine and catalytic convert-
er are cold.


Do not start the engine if the battery is
frozen. Let the battery thaw out first.


Only jump start from batteries with the
same voltage rating (12V). Jump start-
ing with a more powerful battery could
damage the vehicle's electrical system,
which will not be covered by the Mer-
cedes-Benz Limited Warranty.


Use only jumper cables with sufficient-
cross-section, insulated terminal
clamps and polarity reversal protec-
tion.
Warning!
G
Failure to follow these directions will cause
damage to the electronic components, and
can lead to a battery explosion and severe
injury or death.
Never lean over batteries while connecting
or jump starting, you might get injured.
Battery fluid contains sulfuric acid. Do not
allow this fluid to come in contact with eyes,
skin or clothing. In case it does, immediately
flush affected area with water, and seek
medical help if necessary.
A battery will also produce hydrogen gas,
which is flammable and very explosive. Keep
flames or sparks away from battery, avoid
improper connection of jumper cables,
smoking etc.
Attempting to jump start a frozen battery
can result in it exploding, causing personal
injury.
Read all instructions before proceeding.
iJumper cables with polarity reversal
protection are available at any autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.

267 Practical hints
Towing the vehicle
Towing the vehicle
Mercedes-Benz recommends that the vehi-
cle be transported with all wheels off the
ground using flatbed or appropriate wheel
lift/dolly equipment. This method is pref-
erable to other types of towing.When circumstances do not permit the
recommended towing methods, the vehi-
cle may be towed with all wheels on the
ground only so far as necessary to have the
vehicle moved to a safe location where the
recommended towing methods can be em-
ployed.
!Use flatbed or wheel lift/dolly equip-
ment, with key in steering lock turned
to position0.
Do not tow with sling-type equipment.
Towing with sling-type equipment over
bumpy roads will damage radiator and
supports.
To prevent damage during transport,
do not tie down vehicle by its chassis or
suspension parts. Use the towing eyes.
Switch off the ESP (
page 76),
tow-away alarm (
page 80) and the
automatic central locking (
page 89).
!When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground, the selector lever must
be in position N and the key m us t be in
steering lock position 2.
When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground, the vehicle may be
towed only for distances up to 30 miles
(50 km) and at a speed not to exceed
30 mph (50 km/h).
If the vehicle is towed with the front
axle raised (observe instructions re-
garding flexible drive shaft), the engine
must be shut off (key in steering lock
position1). Otherwise, the 4-ETS may
become engaged which may cause loss
of towing control.
!To be certain to avoid additional dam-
age to the vehicle powertrain, however
you should observe the following:

With damage to the front axle

raise front axle


remove flexible drive shaft be-
tween rear axle and transfer
case


With damage to the rear axle

raise rear axle


tow vehicle with wheel lift or
dolly placed under front wheels


With damage to the transfer case

remove flexible drive shaft to
the drive axles
Always install new self-locking nuts
when reinstalling flexible drive shaft.

268 Practical hintsTowing the vehicleWarning!
G
If circumstances require towing the vehicle
with all wheels on the ground, always tow
with a tow bar if:

the engine will not run


there is a malfunction in the power sup-
ply or in the vehicle’s electrical system
Prior to towing the vehicle with all wheels on
the ground, make certain that the key is in
steering lock position2.
If the key is left in steering lock position0
for an extended period of time, it can no
longer be turned in the switch. In this case,
the steering is locked. To unlock, remove
key from steering lock and reinsert.
Warning!
G
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the braking and steer-
ing systems. In this case, it is important to
keep in mind that a considerably higher de-
gree of effort is necessary to brake and
steer the vehicle. Adapt your driving accord-
ingly.iTo signal turns while being towed with
hazard warning flasher in use, turn key
in steering lock to position2 and acti-
vate combination switch for left or right
turn signal in usual manner – only the
selected turn signal will operate.
Upon canceling the turn signal, the haz-
ard warning flasher will operate again.iThe vehicle cannot be started via
tow-start.
!When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground, note the following:
With the automatic central locking acti-
vated and the key in steering lock
position2, the vehicle doors lock if the
left front wheel is turning at vehicle
speeds of approx. 9 mph (15 km/h) or
more.
To prevent the vehicle doors from lock-
ing, deactivate the automatic central
locking (
page 89).
Towing of the vehicle should only be
done using the towing eye. Never at-
tach tow cable, tow rope or tow rod to
vehicle chassis, frame or suspension
parts.

277 Technical data
Layout of poly-V-belt drive
Layout of poly-V-belt drive
1Automatic belt tensioner
2Power steering pump
3Air conditioning compressor
4Crankshaft
5Coolant pump
6Generator/Alternator
7Idler pully

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+)

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).

295 Technical terms
Memory function*
Used to store three individual seat,
steering wheel and mirror positions.
MON
(M
otor O
ctane N
umber)
The Motor Octane Number for gasoline
as determined by a standardized meth-
od. It is an indication of a gasoline's
ability to resist undesired detonation
(knocking). The average of both the
MON (Motor Octane Number) and
->RON (Research Octane Number) is
posted at the pump, also known as AN-
TI-KNOCK INDEX.
Multifunction display
A display field in the instrument cluster
used to present information provided
by the control system.
Parktronic*
System which uses visual and acoustic
signals to assist the driver during park-
ing maneuvers.Poly-V-belt drive
Drives engine-components (alternator,
AC compressor, etc.) from the engine.
Power train
Collective term designating all compo-
nents used to generate and transmit
motive power to the drive axles, includ-
ing


engine


clutch/torque converter


transmission


transfer case


drive shaft


differential


axle shafts/axlesRemote Vehicle Diagnostics
Transmission of vehicle data and cur-
rent location to the Mercedes-Benz
Customer Assistance Center for sub-
scribers to Tele Aid service.
REST
(Residual engine heat utilization)
Feature that uses the engine heat
stored in the coolant to heat the vehi-
cle interior for a short time after the en-
gine has been turned off.
Restraint system
Seat belts, belt tensioner, airbags and
child seat restraint systems. As inde-
pendent systems, their protective func-
tions complement one another.