2005 MERCEDES-BENZ SL500 check engine

345 Practical hints
What to do if …
Symbol messagesLeft display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
#
Battery/Alternator
Stop vehicle
The battery is malfunctioning.
The SBC brake system requires
electrical energy and therefore has
only limited operation. Consider-
ably greater brake pedal force is re-
quired and the stopping distance is
increased.

Stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so.
Adjust driving to be consistent with reduced
braking responsiveness.

Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Visit
workshop!
The battery is no longer charging.
Possible causes:

alternator malfunctioning


broken poly-V-belt
Do not forget that the brake system
requires electrical energy and may
be operating with restricted capa-
bility. Considerably greater brake
pedal force is required and the stop-
ping distance is increased.

Stop immediately and check the poly-V-belt.
If it is broken:
Do not continue to drive. Otherwise, the
engine will overheat due to an inoperative
water pump which may result in damage
to the engine. Notify an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
If it is in order:

Drive immediately to the nearest autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center. Adjust driv-
ing to be consistent with reduced braking
responsiveness.

349 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
USA only:;Canada only:3
Brake fluid
below min. level
Visit
workshop
There is insufficient brake fluid in
the reservoir.

Risk of accident! Stop the vehicle as soon as
it is safe to do so and notify an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Do not add brake fluid! This will not solve the
problem.
!If you find that the brake fluid in the
brake fluid reservoir has fallen to the
minimum mark or below, have the
brake system checked for brake pad
thickness and leaks.
Warning
G
Driving with this message displayed can re-
sult in an accident. Have your brake system
checked immediately. Do not add brake flu-
id before checking the brake system. Over-
filling the brake fluid reservoir can result in
spilling brake fluid on hot engine parts and
the brake fluid catching fire. You can be se-
riously burned.

351 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
?
Engine
Service
There may be a malfunction in the

fuel injection system


ignition system


exhaust system


fuel system

Have the engine checked as soon as possible
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
(page 327).
B
Coolant
Check level
The coolant level is too low.

Add coolant (
page 276).

If you have to add coolant frequently, have the
cooling system checked by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
Do not spill antifreeze on hot engine parts.
Antifreeze contains ethylene glycol which
may burn if it comes into contact with hot
engine parts. You can be seriously burned.
!Do not ignore the low engine coolant
level warning. Extended driving with
this message and symbol displayed
may cause serious engine damage not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty. Do not drive without suffi-
cient amount of coolant in the cooling
system. The engine will overheat, caus-
ing major engine damage.

353 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
•
Coolant
Stop, put 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.

355 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 liter
engine oil
at next refueling
The engine oil level is too low.

Add engine oil (
page 274) and check the
engine oil level (page 272).
Engine oil level
Stop, put 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 274) and check the
engine oil level (page 272).
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.

356 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 specified in the
Factory Approved Service Products pam-
phlet.
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 272) and
add oil as required (
page 274).

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.

358 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 377).
Don’t forget
key
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.

371 Practical hints
What 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 197).
W
Washer fluid
Check level
The fluid level has dropped to about 1/3 of total reservoir capacity.

Add washer fluid (
page 278).
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.