2004 MERCEDES-BENZ SL500 check engine

305 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
•
Coolant
Stop, engine off!
The poly-V-belt could be broken.

Stop immediately and check the poly-V-belt.
If it is broken:

Do not continue to drive. Otherwise, the en-
gine will overheat due to an inoperative water
pump which may result in damage to the en-
gine. Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
If it is intact:

Do not continue to drive with this message
displayed. Doing so could result in serious en-
gine damage that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
•
Coolant
Visit
workshop!
The cooling fan for the coolant is
malfunctioning.

Observe the coolant temperature gauge.

Have the fan replaced as soon as possible.

307 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Suggested solution
:
USA only:Add 1 qt engine oil
at next refuelingCanada only:Add 1 l engine oil
at next refueling
The engine oil level is too low.

Add engine oil (
page 257) and check the
engine oil level (page 255).
Engine oil level
Stop, engine off!
There is no oil in the engine. There
is a danger of engine damage.

Carefully bring the vehicle to a halt as soon as
possible.

Turn off the engine.

Add engine oil (
page 257) and check the
engine oil level (page 255).
Engine oil level
Reduce oil level!
You have added too much engine
oil. There is a risk of damaging the
engine or the catalytic converter.

Have excess oil siphoned or drained off. Ob-
serve all legal requirements with respect to its
disposal.

308 Practical hintsWhat to do if …When the message
Add 1 qt engine oil
at next refueling (Canada:
1l
) appears
while the engine is running and at
operating temperature, the engine oil level
has dropped to approximately the
minimum level.When this occurs, the warning will first
come on intermittently and then stay on if
the oil level drops further.
If no oil leaks are noted, continue to drive
to the nearest service station where the
engine oil should be topped to the required
level with an approved oil.
Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Suggested solution
:
Engine oil
Visit workshop!
It may be that there is water in the
engine oil.

Have the engine oil checked.
Engine oil level
Visit workshop!
The engine oil has dropped to a crit-
ical level.

Check the engine oil level (
page 255) and
add oil as required (
page 257).

If you must add engine oil frequently, have the
engine checked for possible leaks.
The measuring system is malfunc-
tioning.

Have the measuring system checked by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
!The engine oil level warnings should
not be ignored. Extended driving with
the symbol displayed could result in
serious engine damage that is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.

310 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
F
Key
Check battery!
The batteries in the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* are discharged.

Change the batteries (
page 328).
Key
Do not forget!
This message appears (for a maxi-
mum of 60 seconds) if the driver’s
door is opened with the engine shut
off and no SmartKey in the starter
switch.
Message is only a reminder.

Insert SmartKey in the starter switch.

Take the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* with
you when leaving the vehicle.
KEYLESS GO
Check system
The KEYLESS-GO* system is mal-
functioning.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
KEYLESS-GO
Drive to
workshop!
The KEYLESS-GO* system is mal-
functioning.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.

322 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
Ê
Close
trunk lid!
This message will appear whenever
the trunk lid is open.

Close the trunk lid.
M
Close
trunk partition!
You are trying to open or close the
retractable hardtop even though
the luggage cover in the trunk is not
pulled out.

Pull out the luggage cover and secure it
(page 185).
W
Washer fluid
Check level!
The fluid level has dropped to about 1/3 of total reservoir capacity.

Add washer fluid (
page 261).
Warning!
G
Do not spill antifreeze on hot engine parts.
Antifreeze contains ethylene glycol which
may ignite when if it comes into contact with
hot engine parts. You could be seriously
burned.

358 Practical hintsBatteries
BatteriesYour vehicle is equipped with two
batteries:

The starter battery (located in the en-
gine compartment)


The battery for electrical consumers
(located in the trunk)
Starter battery in the engine compartment1Positive terminal
2Negative terminal
Warning!
G
Failure to follow these instructions can re-
sult in severe injury or death.
Never lean over batteries while connecting,
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 explosive. Keep
flames or sparks away from battery, avoid
improper connection of jumper cables,
smoking, etc.
!Never loosen or detach battery termi-
nal clamps while the engine is running
or the SmartKey is in the starter switch.
Otherwise the alternator and other
electronic components could be se-
verely damaged.
Have the starter battery checked regu-
larly by an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Refer to Service Booklet for mainte-
nance intervals or contact an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center for further
information.

363 Practical hints
Jump starting
Jump starting
If the starter battery is discharged, the en-
gine can be started with jumper cables and
the battery of another vehicle. Observe the
following:

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 (12 V). Jump start-
ing with a more powerful battery could
damage the vehicle’s electrical system,
which will not be covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.


Only use jumper cables with sufficient
cross section and insulated terminal
clamps.


Always make sure the jumper cables
are not on or near pulleys, fans, or oth-
er parts that move when an engine is
started or running.
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.
!Jump starting may only be performed
on the battery installed in the engine
compartment.
Avoid repeated and lengthy starting at-
tempts.
Do not attempt to start the engine us-
ing a battery quick charge unit.
If the engine does not run after several
unsuccessful starting attempts, have it
checked at the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Excessive unburned fuel generated by
repeated failed starting attempts may
damage the catalytic converter and
may present a fire risk.
Make sure the jumper cables do not
have loose or missing insulation.
Make sure the cable clamps do not
touch any other metal part while the
other end is still attached to a battery.

364 Practical hintsJump startingThe starter 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.

Remove the red cover from positive ter-
minal on both vehicles (
page 358).1Negative terminal of charged battery
2Negative terminal of discharged
battery
3Positive terminal of discharged battery
4Positive terminal of charged battery

Connect positive terminals 3 and 4
of the batteries with the jumper cables.
Clamp cable to charged battery 4
first.

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

Connect negative terminals 1 and 2
of the batteries with the jumper cables.
Clamp cable to charged battery 1
first.

Start the engine of the disabled vehi-
cle.
You can now turn on the electrical con-
sumers. Do not turn on the lights under
any circumstances.

Remove the jumper cables first from
negative terminals 1 and 2 and then
from positive terminals 3 and 4.
You can now turn on the lights.

Have the battery checked at the near-
est Mercedes-Benz 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 260).
!Never invert the terminal connections.
!Do not tow-start the vehicle.