2004 MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 page 54

279 Practical hints
Battery
Disconnecting the battery
Depress parking brake firmly or move
gear selector lever to positionP.

Turn off all electrical consumers.

Remove key from the steering lock.

Open the hood (
page 217).

Disconnect the battery negative lead.

Remove the cover from the positive ter-
minal.

Disconnect the battery positive lead.
Removing 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
With a disconnected battery

you will no longer be able to turn the key
in the steering lock


the gear selector lever will remain
locked in positionP
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.

280 Practical hintsBattery
Batteries contain materials that can harm
the environment if disposed of improperly.
Large 12-volt storage batteries contain
lead. Recycling of batteries is the preferred
method of disposal. Many states require
sellers of batteries to accept old batteries
for recycling.
iThe following procedures must be car-
ried out following any interruption of
battery power (e.g. due to reconnec-
tion):

Set the clock (
page 118).


Set the date in trip computer
(page 186).


Calibrate the compass
(page 188).


Resynchronize the ESP
(page 246).


Resynchronize side power windows
(page 146).


Resynchronize sliding / pop-up
roof*(
page 149).

282 Practical hintsJump startingThe battery is located on the right side of
the engine compartment.
Make sure the two vehicles do not
touch.

Turn off all electrical consumers.

Apply parking brake.

Shift gear selector lever to positionP.

Open the hood.

Connect positive terminals1 and4
of the batteries with the jumper cable.
Clamp cable to positive terminal4 of
charged battery first.1Positive terminal of discharged battery
2Negative terminal of discharged
battery
3Negative terminal of charged battery
4Positive terminal of charged battery

Start engine of the vehicle with the
charged battery and run at idle speed.

Connect negative terminals2 and3
of the batteries with the jumper cable.
Clamp cable to negative terminal3 of
charged battery first.

Start the engine of the disabled vehi-
cle.
Now you can turn on the electrical
consumers. Do not turn on the lights under
any circumstances.

Remove the jumper cables first from
the negative terminals2 and3 and
then from positive terminals1
and4.
You can now turn on the lights.

Have the battery checked at the
nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center.
Warning!
G
Keep flames or sparks away from battery.
Do not smoke.
Observe all safety instructions and precau-
tions when handling automotive batteries
(page 223).
!Never invert the terminal connections.
!Do not tow-start the vehicle.

283 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 81),
tow-away alarm (
page 85) and the
automatic central locking (
page 93).
!When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground, the gear selector lever
must be in positionN and the key must
be in steering lock position2.
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.

284 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 brake and steering
systems. In this case, it is important to keep
in mind that a considerably higher degree of
effort is necessary to brake and steer the ve-
hicle. Adapt your driving accordingly.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 93).
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.

285 Practical hints
Towing the vehicle
Front towing eye
The front towing eye is located on the pas-
senger side below the bumper.
1Towing eyeRear towing eye The rear towing eye is located behind the
right side cover in the bumper panel.
ML 350, ML 5001Cover
2Towing eye
To remove cover:
Pry out the cover1 using a flat blade
screwdriver (
page 257).
To reinstall cover:

Engage cover at bottom and press in
top securely.
iThe gear selector lever will remain
locked in positionP and the key will not
turn in the steering lock if the battery is
disconnected or discharged. See notes
on the battery (
page 278) or on jump
starting (
page 281).
Manual unlocking transmission gear
selector lever (
page 264).
Warning!
G
In order to avoid possible serious burns or
injury, use extreme caution when removing
the cover, because the rear exhaust pipe is
extremely hot.

301 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 350, ML 500
22.0 US gal (83.0 l)
Premium unleaded gasoline:
Posted Octane 91 (Avg. of 96 RON / 86 MON
including a reserve of
approx. 3.2 US gal (12.0 l)
Air conditioning system
R-134a refrigerant and special PAG lubricant
oil (never R-12)
Windshield washer and
headlamp cleaning
system*
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 307).

302 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants etc.Engine oils
Engine oils are specifically tested for their
suitability in our engines. Therefore, use
only engine oils approved by
Mercedes-Benz. Information on approved
engine oils 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 damage the engine.
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 Light Truck
Center will provide you with additional in-
formation.
!Always check the oil filler cap
(page 221) for important information
pertaining to the engine oil needing to
meet a specific Mercedes-Benz specifi-
cation (e.g. MB 229.5). If such informa-
tion is printed on the oil filler cap, only
use an engine oil from the list of ap-
proved engine oils in the Factory Ap-
proved Service Products pamphlet that
meets the specification indicated on
the oil filler cap.
Using engine oils of other specification
may cause the FSS to incorrectly deter-
mine the next service interval and will
result in engine damage not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.