2005 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK500 CABRIOLET check engine

389 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Display symbol
Display message
Possible cause
Possible solution
K
Lock top
The soft top is not properly locked.

Lock the soft top again (
page 250).
Top being opened
The soft top is not completely open or
closed. The hydraulics are losing pres-
sure.

Open or close the soft top all the way.
Top
Visit workshop!
The soft top is malfunctioning.

Have the system checked at an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center as soon
as possible.
Start engine to
operate top
The on-board voltage is too low.

Start the engine.
Top locked
as vehicle is moving
You have attempted to open or close the
soft top while driving.

Pull over to the side of the road and re-
peat soft top operation while the vehi-
cle is stationary.
_
Steering oil
Visit workshop!
The steering gear oil level is too low. There
is a danger of steering gear damage.

Have the system checked by an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
If the level of steering gear oil in reservoir is
too low, the steering power assistance could
fail. Much greater effort will then be needed
to turn the steering wheel.
Do not add steering oil without checking the
steering system.
Do not drive the vehicle. Have the system
checked at an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center as soon as possible.

401 Practical hints
Opening/closing in an emergency
Opening/closing in an emergency
Operating roll bars manually
Releasing roll bars manually
If the roll bar system is malfunctioning, you
can release the roll bars manually.

Close the soft top (
page 248).

Open the trunk (
page 106).

Fold back the luggage cover
(page 245).

Open ski sack roller blind
(page 246).

Take hex wrench out of its storage
location in the storage well casing.1Perforation

Push hex wrench through
perforation1 in trim of rear wall in
trunk.
Warning!
G
If the yellow roll bar warning lamp in
the clock does not go out after starting the
engine, or if it comes on while driving, then
the roll bar system is not operating properly
and may not activate in an accident. In this
case, raise the roll bars manually before
continuing to drive.
For safety reasons drive only with the roll
bars raised until the malfunction is repaired.
Have your vehicle checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
iWith the roll bars released, the soft top
cannot be operated using the soft top
switch and the rear head restraints
cannot be lowered using the rear head
restraint lowering switch.
Warning!
G
Make sure no one is located in the roll bar’s
path of motion while the next steps are be-
ing carried out.
When the roll bar is manually released, the
rear head restraints and the roll bar under-
neath shoot up almost instantaneously.


403 Practical hints
Opening/closing in an emergency

Press hex wrench down firmly in direc-
tion of arrow3 and hold.

Press head restraint down in direction
of arrow4.

Pull hex wrench 2 out and take weight
off head restraint.

Repeat this procedure on roll bar for
second head restraint.
Soft top emergency operation
If the soft top cannot be automatically
closed, check the following:

Is the luggage cover engaged in place
(page 245)?


Is the ski sack roller blind closed
(page 246)?


Have the roll bars been released? If so,
lower the roll bars manually
(page 402).


Is the trunk lid closed (
page 107)?


Is there sufficient on-board voltage?
Start the engine if necessary.
These messages will also appear in the
multifunction display (
page 390).
If automatic operation still does not func-
tion properly, you can close the soft top
manually.
This procedure should be performed with
great care by two persons.
!Manually closing the soft top is a com-
plicated and technically demanding
procedure. Close the soft top manually
in emergency cases only. Otherwise,
visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center. Please read the instructions
fully before beginning operation and
only undertake it with another person
and if you feel fully capable of perform-
ing the tasks involved. Warning!
G


It is important that a second person
helps you. Otherwise, you could become
trapped or injured.


Remove any wristwatches or jewelry
such as rings or bracelets. Otherwise,
they could get caught in the vehicle
mechanism, causing personal injury to
yourself or damage to the vehicle.


Always use the grips provided and indi-
cated. Otherwise you could injure your-
self.

427 Practical hints
Battery
Battery
The battery is located in the engine
compartment on the right hand side.
1Clamps
Removing filter box:
Release clamps1.

Remove filter box.
Installing filter box:

Insert filter box properly.

Secure it with clamps1.
Warning!
G
Failure to follow these instructions can re-
sult in severe injury or death.
Observe all safety instructions and
precautions when handling automotive
batteries (
page 311).
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 battery checked regularly by
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Refer to Maintenance Booklet for
maintenance intervals or contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center for
further information.Warning!
G
Do not place metal objects on the battery as
this could result in a short circuit.
Use leak-proof battery only to avoid the risk
of acid burns in the event of an accident.

430 Practical hintsJump 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 (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 other
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.
!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.

431 Practical hints
Jump starting
The battery is located on the right side of
the engine compartment. For jump start-
ing use the terminals in front of the bat-
tery.
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.1Positive terminal of charged battery
2Positive under hood terminal in front of
discharged battery
3Negative under hood terminal in front
of discharged battery
4Negative terminal of charged battery

Connect the positive terminal1 of the
charged battery with the positive under
hood terminal 2 in front of the dis-
charged battery with the jumper cable.
Clamp cable to charged battery1
first.

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

Connect the negative terminal4 of
the charged battery with the negative
under hood terminal 3 in front of the
discharged battery with the jumper ca-
ble. Clamp cable to charged battery4
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
the negative terminals3 and4 and
then from the positive terminals2
and1.
You can now turn on the lights.

Have the battery checked at the near-
est authorized 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 311).
!Never invert the terminal connections.
!Do not tow-start the vehicle.

458 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.Coolants
The engine coolant is a mixture of water
and anticorrosion / antifreeze, which
provides:

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 -22°F (-30°C) and
corrosion protection.
If the antifreeze mixture is effective
to -22°F (-30°C), the boiling point of the
coolant in the pressurized cooling system
is reached at approx. 266°F (130°C).The coolant solution must be used
year-round to provide the necessary corro-
sion protection and increase boil-over pro-
tection. Refer to Maintenance Booklet for
replacement interval.
Coolant system design and coolant used
determine the replacement interval. The
replacement interval published in the
Maintenance Booklet is only applicable if
MB 325.0 Anticorrosion/Antifreeze solu-
tion or other Mercedes-Benz approved
products of equal specification (see Facto-
ry Approved Service Products pamphlet)
are used to renew the coolant concentra-
tion or bring it back up to the proper level.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% anti-
corrosion/antifreeze (freeze protection to
approx. -49°F [-45°C]), the engine temper-
ature will increase due to the lower heat
transfer capability of the solution. There-
fore, 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 the mixture is in accor-
dance 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,
consult an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

459 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
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 325.0 Anticorrosion/Anti-
freeze 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 an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center for service.
Anticorrosion/antifreeze quantityModel
Approx. freeze protection–35°F (–37°C)
–49°F (–45°C)
CLK 320
5.3 US qt (5.0 l)
5.9 US qt (5.5 l)
CLK 500
6.4 US qt (6.0 l)
7.0 US qt (6.6 l)
CLK 55 AMG
6.4 US qt (6.0 l)
7.0 US qt (6.6 l)