2003 MERCEDES-BENZ S430 4MATIC check engine

ContentsAt the gas station............................... 261
Check regularly and before a
long trip ........................................ 262
Engine compartment.......................... 263
Hood ............................................ 263
Engine oil...................................... 264
Transmission fluid level ................ 268
Active Body Control* (ABC*)
fluid level ...................................... 268
Coolant......................................... 268
Battery ......................................... 270
Windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning system* ......... 271
Tires and wheels ................................ 272
Important guidelines .................... 272
Life of tires ................................... 273
Direction of rotation ..................... 273
Checking tire inflation pressure ... 273
Rotating wheels............................ 277
Winter driving..................................... 278
Winter tires................................... 278
Block heater* ............................... 279
Snow chains ................................. 279Maintenance ...................................... 280
Clearing the service indicator....... 280
Service term exceeded ................ 280
Calling up the service indicator .... 281
Resetting the service indicator..... 281
Vehicle care ....................................... 282
Cleaning and care of vehicle ........ 282
Practical hints.................................. 289
What to do if …? ................................. 290
Lamps in instrument cluster......... 290
Lamp in center console ................ 295
Messages in the display ............... 296
Where will I find ...? ........................... 322
First aid kit ................................... 322
Vehicle jack, vehicle tool kit,
luggage bowl, spare wheel ........... 322
Unlocking/locking in an emergency .. 326
Unlocking the vehicle ................... 326
Locking the vehicle ...................... 327
Changing batteries ....................... 328
Fuel filler flap ............................... 329
Opening/closing in an emergency ..... 330
Sliding/pop-up roof ..................... 330Replacing bulbs ................................. 331
Bulbs ............................................ 331
Replacing bulbs for front lamps ... 333
Replacing bulbs for rear lamps .... 336
Replacing wiper blades ...................... 337
Removing ..................................... 337
Installing ...................................... 338
Flat tire .............................................. 339
Preparing the vehicle ................... 339
Mounting the spare wheel............ 339
Battery............................................... 344
Disconnecting the battery ............ 345
Removing the battery................... 345
Charging and reinstalling
battery ......................................... 345
Reconnecting the battery............. 345
Jump starting ..................................... 347
Towing the vehicle ............................. 349
Installing towing eye bolt ............. 351
Fuses ................................................. 353
Fuse boxes in passenger
compartment ............................... 353
Fuse boxes in engine
compartment ............................... 354
Emergency engine shut-down ...... 355

42 Getting startedDrivingProper use of seat belts

Do not twist the belt when fastening.


Adjust seat belt so that the shoulder
portion is located as close as possible
to the middle of the shoulder (it should
not touch the neck or pass under the
arm).


Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips (over hip joint) and not
across the abdomen.


Place the seat backrest in a nearly up-
right position.


Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time.


Do not fasten a seat belt around a per-
son and another object at the same
time.


Check your seat belt during travel to
ensure that it is properly positioned.


Ensure that the seat belt is always fit-
ted snugly. You should avoid wearing
bulky clothing, such as winter coats,
when traveling in the vehicle.
Starting the engine
Warning!
G
Do not pass belts over sharp edges. They
could tear.
Do not allow the belt to get caught in the
door or in the seat adjustment mechanism.
This could damage the belt.
Never attempt to make modifications to
seat belts. This could impair the effective-
ness of the belts.
Damaged seat belts or belts that were highly
stressed in an accident must be replaced by
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
Inhalation of exhaust gas is hazardous to
your health. All exhaust gas contains carbon
monoxide, and inhaling it can cause uncon-
sciousness and lead to death.
Do not run the engine in confined areas
(such as a garage) which are not properly
ventilated. If you think that exhaust gas
fumes are entering the vehicle while driving,
have the cause determined and corrected
immediately. If you must drive under these
conditions, drive with at least one window
fully open.

48 Getting startedDrivingWiping with windshield washer fluid
Push switch in the direction of arrow1
past the resistance point.
The windshield wiper operates with
washer fluid.
Problems while driving
The engine runs erratically and misfires

An ignition cable may be damaged.


The engine electronics may not be op-
erating properly.


Unburned gasoline may have entered
the catalytic converter and damaged it.

Give very little gas.

Have the problem repaired by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.The coolant temperature is over 248°F
(120°C)
The coolant is too hot and is no longer
cooling the engine.

Stop the vehicle as soon as possible
and turn off the engine. Allow engine
and coolant to cool.

Check the coolant level and add cool-
ant if necessary (
page 268).
!If leaves, snow, etc. block the wind-
shield wipers, switch off the wipers.

For safety reasons, withdraw
SmartKey from starter switch. Re-
move blockage.


Turn the windshield wipers on
again.
If windshield wipers fail to function at
all in switch positionI:


Set the combination switch to the
next highest wiper speed.


Have the windshield wipers
checked at the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

56 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Occupant safetyIn this section you will learn the most im-
portant facts about the restraint systems
of the vehicle.
The restraint systems are:

Seat belts


Emergency tensioning device


Airbags


Child seats


Child seat recognition


Lower anchors and tethers for children
(LATCH)
As independent systems their protective
effects work in conjunction with each oth-
er.The
1
indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up


for about four seconds when you turn
the key in the starter switch to
position1 or press the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button once. It then goes
out briefly, lights up again and remains
lit until you start the engine.


for about four seconds when you start
the engine by turning the key or press-
ing the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop but-
ton.The restraint systems are fully operational
if the 1 indicator lamp is not lit when the
engine is running.
A malfunction in the system has been de-
tected, if the 1 indicator lamp:


fails to go out after approximately four
seconds.


does not come on at all.


comes on after the engine was started
or while driving.
For safety reasons, we strongly recom-
mend that you visit an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center immediately to
have the system checked.
More information can be found in the
“Practical hints” section (
page 289).
iFor information on infants and children
traveling with you in the vehicle and re-
straint systems for infants and chil-
dren, see “Children in the vehicle”
(page 67).
iThe
1
indicator lamp lights up and
remains lit if the key is turned to posi-
tion 2 and left there or the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button is
pressed twice. The indicator lamp will
go out when you start the engine.

134 Controls in detailControl systemMenus, submenus and functions
Menu 1
Menu 2
Menu 3
Menu 4
Menu 5
Menu 6
Menu 7
Menu 8
Commands/submenusStandard dis-
play
AUDIO
Telephone*
NAVI
Distronic*
Trip computer
Malfunction
memory
Settings
Call up FSS
Select radio
station
Load phone
book
Activate
route guid-
ance
Call up set-
tings
Fuel consumption
statistics after
start
Call up malfunc-
tion messages
Reset to factory
settings
Check tire pres-
sure*
Operate CD
player
Search for
name in
phone book
Fuel consumption
statistics since
the last reset
Instrument clus-
ter submenu
Check engine oil
level
Call up range
Lighting sub-
menu
Digital speed-
ometer
Vehicle sub-
menuConvenience
submenu

135 Controls in detail
Control system
Standard display menu
You can select the functions in the stan-
dard display menu with button
k

or
j
.
The following functions are available:
Display digital speedometer

Press the
j
or
k
button repeat-
edly until you see the digital speedom-
eter appear in the display.
The current vehicle speed is shown in
the multifunction display.
AUDIO menu
The functions in the
AUDIO
menu operate
the audio equipment which you currently
have turned on.
If no audio equipment is currently turned
on, the message
AUDIO OFF
i s s h ow n i n t h e
display.
The following functions are available:
iThe headings used in the menus table
are designed to facilitate navigation
within the system and are not neces-
sarily identical to those shown in the
control system displays.
The first function displayed in each
menu will automatically show you
which part of the system you are in.
Function
Page
Call up FSS
281
Check tire pressure*
274
Check engine oil level
264
Call up digital speedometer
see below
Function
Page
Select radio station
136
Operate CD player
136

165 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Accelerator position
Your driving style influences the transmis-
sion’s shifting behavior:
Less throttle Earlier upshifting
More throttle Later upshifting
Kickdown
Use kickdown when you want maximum
acceleration.
Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
The transmission shifts into a lower
gear.

Ease 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
h o m e ( e m e r g e n c y o p e r a t i o n ) m o d e . I n t h i s
mode, only 2nd 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
2nd gear) orR.

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

184 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlAir conditioning
The air conditioning is operational while
the engine is running and cools the interior
air to the temperature you have set.
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 175).
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 175).
The indicator lamp on the AC
OFF
but-
ton goes out.
The air conditioning uses the refrigerant
R134a. This refrigerant is free of CFCs
which are harmful to the ozone layer.
Storage compartment ventilation
The storage compartment below the front
armrest (
page 225) has its own air vent.
Ventilation of the storage compartment
below the front armrest is possible only
when the climate control system is on. The
air volume depends on the setting of the
air distribution control, the air volume con-
trol, and the air vents in the dashboard.
The switch is located inside the storage
compartment in the front armrest
(
page 225).
Opening air vent

Push upper portion of switch.
Closing air vent

Push lower portion of switch.
iCondensation may drip out from under-
neath the vehicle. This is normal and
not an indication of a malfunction.
!If the AC
OFF
button on the automatic
climate control panel starts to blink,
the air conditioning may be losing re-
frigerant. The compressor was turned
off. The air conditioning cannot be
turned on again.
Have the air conditioning checked at
the nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.