2005 MERCEDES-BENZ S500 steering

372 Practical hintsWhat to do if …?Tire inflation pressure monitor
messagesDisplay
Possible cause
Possible solution
H
TIRE PRES.
CAUTION, TIRE PRES.
One or more tires are deflating.

Carefully bring the vehicle to a halt, avoid-
ing abrupt steering and braking maneu-
vers. Observe the traffic situation around
you.

Change the damaged wheel
(page 398).

Have the damaged wheel repaired or re-
placed at an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
TIRE PRES.
CHECK TIRES!
The pressure has fallen significantly in
one or more tires.
TIRE PRESSURE
PLEASE CORRECT
The pressure is too low in one or more
tires.

Check and correct tire inflation pressure
as required (
page 307).
Warning!
G
Do not drive with a flat tire. A flat tire affects
the ability to steer or brake the vehicle.
You may lose control of the vehicle. Contin-
ued driving with a flat tire will cause exces-
sive heat build-up and possibly a fire.

398 Practical hintsFlat tirePreparing the vehicle
Park the vehicle as far as possible from
moving traffic on a hard surface.

Turn on the hazard warning flashers.

Turn the steering wheel so that the
front wheels are in a straight ahead
position.

Set the parking brake.

Move the gear selector lever toP.
Vehicles with SmartKey:

Turn off the engine (
page 57).

Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.Vehicles with SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*:

Turn off the engine by pressing the
KEYLESS-GO* button on the gear se-
lector lever once (
page 57).

Open the driver’s door (this puts the
starter switch in position0, same as
with the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch). The driver’s door then
can be closed again.

Have any passenger exit the vehicle at
a safe distance from the roadway.
Mounting the spare wheel
iOpen the door only when conditions
are safe to do so.
Warning!
G
Never operate the vehicle with more than
one spare wheel mounted.
The spare wheel rim is for temporary use
only. Use for over a total of 12 000 miles
(20 000 km) (aggregate of all uses) may
cause wheel rim failure leading to an acci-
dent and possible injuries.
The spare wheel should only be used tempo-
rarily and replaced with a regular road wheel
as quickly as possible.
S55AMG and Sport Package* only:
The spare wheel is for temporary use only.
When driving with spare wheel mounted, en-
sure proper tire inflation pressure and do
not exceed vehicle speed of 50 mph
(80 km/h).

409 Practical hints
Towing the vehicle
!
To be certain to avoid a possibility of
damage to the drive train, however, we
recommend the drive shaft be discon-
nected at the rear axle drive flange (ve-
hicles with 4MATIC: disconnected at
the front and rear axle drive flanges) for
any towing beyond a short tow to a
nearby garage.Warning!
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
as that will be necessary to adequately con-
trol the towed vehicle.
Prior to towing the vehicle with all wheels on
the ground, make sure the SmartKey is in
starter switch position2.
If the SmartKey is left in starter switch
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, re-
move SmartKey from starter switch and re-
insert.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.iThe gear selector lever will remain
locked in positionP and the SmartKey
will not turn in the starter switch if the
battery is disconnected or discharged.
See information on the battery
(page 403) or on jump starting
(page 406).
iTo signal turns while being towed with
the hazard warning flasher in use, turn
SmartKey in starter switch to
position2 and activate the combina-
tion switch for the left or right turn sig-
nal in the usual manner – only the
selected turn signal will operate.
Upon canceling the turn signal, the haz-
ard warning flasher will operate again.

419 Technical data
Layout of poly-V-belt drive
Layout of poly-V-belt drive
S 430/S 500 (all models)
1Automatic belt tensioner
2ABC tandem pump (pump for
power-steering assistance and ABC
chassis)
3Air conditioning compressor
4Crankshaft
5Coolant pump
6Generator (alternator)
7Idler pulley
S55AMGThe S 55 AMG has two poly-V-belts (belt one
shown in purple/belt two shown in black). 1Idler pulley
2Automatic belt tensioner
3ABC tandem pump (pump for
power-steering assistance and ABC
chassis)
4Air conditioning compressor
5Crankshaft
6Coolant pump
7Generator (alternator)
8Idler pulley
9Automatic belt tensioner
aSupercharger
S600
1Automatic belt tensioner
2ABC tandem pump (pump for
power-steering assistance and ABC
chassis)
3Air conditioning compressor
4Crankshaft
5Coolant pump
6Generator (alternator)
7Idler pulley
8Idler pulley
9Idler pulley

429 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
CapacitiesVehicle components and their respective
lubricants must match. Therefore use only
brands tested and approved by us.Please refer to the Factory Approved Ser-
vice Products pamphlet, or inquire at your
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Model
Capacity
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Engine with oil filter
S 430
S 500
S 55 AMG
S 600
8.5 US qt. (8.0 l)
8.5 US qt. (8.0 l)
7.9 US qt. (7.5 l)
9.5 US qt. (9.0 l)
Approved engine oils
Automatic transmission
S 600
9.1 US qt. (8.6 l)
8.1 US qt. (7.7 l)
MB Automatic Transmission Fluid
Rear axle
S55AMG
S 600
1.7 US qt. (1.6 l)
2.1 US qt. (2.0 l)
2.1 US qt. (2.0 l)
Hypoid gear oil SAE 85 W 90
Front axle
S 430 4MATIC
S 500 4MATIC
0.63 US qt. (0.6 l)
Hypoid gear oil SAE 85 W 90
Transfer case
S 430 4MATIC
S 500 4MATIC
0.62 US qt. (0.585 l)
MB Transfer Case Oil
Hydraulic system for ADS or ABC
4.2 US qt. (4.0 l)
MB Hydraulic Fluids
Power steering
approx. 1.1 US qt. (1.0 l)
MB Power Steering Fluid (Pentosin
CHF 11S)

438 Technical termsCAN system
(C
ontroller A
rea N
etwork)
Data bus network serving to control ve-
hicle functions such as door locking or
windshield wiping.
Cockpit
All instruments, switches, buttons and
indicator/warning lamps in the passen-
ger compartment needed for vehicle
operation and monitoring.
COMAND
(C
ockpit M
anagement and D
ata Sys-
tem)
Information and operating center for
vehicle sound and communications
systems, including the radio and navi-
gation system, as well as other optional
equipment (CD changer, telephone,
etc.).Control system
The control system is used to call up
vehicle information and to change
component settings. Information and
messages appear in the multifunction
display. The driver uses the buttons on
the multifunction steering wheel to
navigate through the system and to ad-
just settings.
Cruise control
Driving convenience system that auto-
matically maintains the vehicle speed
set by the driver.Distronic*
A driving convenience cruise control
system which helps the driver maintain
a pre-selected speed:


If there is no vehicle directly ahead,
the system operates in the same
way as conventional ->cruise con-
trol.


If a slower moving vehicle is ahead,
Distronic will reduce your vehicle
speed to the extent permitted by re-
duced throttle and up to 20% brak-
ing power to maintain the preset
minimum following distance.

440 Technical termsLine of fall
The direct line that an object moves
downhill when influenced by the force
of gravity alone.
Lock button
Button on the door which indicates
whether the door is locked or un-
locked. Pushing the lock button down
on an individual door from inside will
lock that door.
Maintenance System (U.S. vehicles)
Maintenance service indicator in the
multifunction display that informs the
driver when the next vehicle mainte-
nance service is due. The Maintenance
System in your vehicle tracks distance
driven and the time elapsed since your
last maintenance service, and calls for
the next maintenance service accord-
ingly.
Memory function
Used to store three individual seat,
steering wheel and exterior mirror posi-
tions for each SmartKey or SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO*.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
ANTI-KNOCK INDEX.
Multifunction display
Display field in the speedometer used
to present information provided by the
control system.
Multifunction steering wheel
Steering wheel with buttons for operat-
ing the control system.Overspeed range
Engine speeds within the red marking
of the tachometer dial. Avoid this en-
gine sp ee d ra nge , a s i t m ay re sul t in s e-
rious engine damage that is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
Parktronic system (Parking assist)*
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.

441 Technical terms
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/axles
Program mode selector switch
Used to switch the automatic transmis-
sion between standard operationS and
comfort operationC.
S 55 AMG with steering wheel gearshift
control and manual shift program: in
addition toS andC (see above), you
can useM for manual operation.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 systems
Seat belts, belt tensioners, air bags
and child restraint systems. As inde-
pendent systems, their protective func-
tions complement one another.
RON
(R
esearch O
ctane N
umber)
The Research Octane Number for gaso-
line as determined by a standardized
method. It is an indication of a gaso-
line's ability to resist undesired detona-
tion (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.Shift lock
When the vehicle is parked, this lock
prevents the transmission selector le-
ver from being inadvertently moved out
of positionP without the SmartKey
turned and the brake pedal depressed.
SRS
(S
upplemental R
estraint S
ystem)
Seat belts, emergency tensioning de-
vice and air bags. Though independent
systems, they are closely interfaced to
provide effective occupant protection.