2005 MERCEDES-BENZ SL500 technical data

433 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Engine oils
Engine oils are specifically tested for their
suitability in our engines and durability for
our service intervals. Therefore, only use
approved engine oils and oil filters re-
quired for vehicles with Maintenance
System (U.S. vehicles) or FSS (Canada
vehicles). For a listing of approved engine
oils and oil filters, refer to the Factory Ap-
proved Service Products pamphlet, or con-
tact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Using engine oils and oil filters of specifica-
tion other than those expressly required
for the Maintenance System
(U.S. vehicles) or FSS (Canada vehicles), or
changing oil and oil filter at change inter-
vals longer than those called for by the
Maintenance System (U.S. vehicles) or
FSS (Canada vehicles) will result in engine
damage not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
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 conditioner refrigerant
R-134a (HFC) refrigerant and special PAG
lubricating oil are used in the air condition-
er 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 Center will pro-
vide you with additional information.

434 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.Premium unleaded gasoline
Fuel requirements
Only use premium unleaded fuel:

The octane number (posted at the
pu mp ) m ust b e 91 m i n. It is an a ve ra ge
of both the Research (R) octane num-
ber and the Motor (M) octane number:
(R+M) / 2). This is also known as the
ANTI-KNOCK INDEX.
Unleaded gasoline containing oxygenates
such as ethanol, IPA, IBA and TBA can be
used provided the ratio of any one of these
oxygenates to gasoline does not exceed
10%; MTBE must not exceed 15%.
The ratio of methanol to gasoline must not
exceed 3% plus additional cosolvents.Using mixtures of ethanol and methanol is
not allowed. Gasohol, which contains
10% ethanol and 90% unleaded gasoline,
can be used.
These blends must also meet all other fuel
requirements, such as resistance to spark
knock, boiling range, vapor pressure, etc.
!To maintain the engine’s durability and
performance, premium unleaded gaso-
line must be used. If premium unleaded
is not available and low octane fuel is
used, follow these precautions:

have the fuel tank only partially
filled with unleaded regular and fill
up with premium unleaded as soon
as possible


avoid full throttle driving and abrupt
acceleration


do not exceed an engine speed of
3000 rpm if the vehicle is loaded
with a light load such as two per-
sons and no luggage


do not exceed
2/3 of maximum ac-
celerator pedal position if the vehi-
cle is fully loaded or operating in
mountainous terrain

435 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among engine manufac-
turers is carbon build-up caused by gaso-
line. Mercedes-Benz recommends only the
use of quality gasoline containing additives
that prevent the build-up of carbon depos-
its.
After an extended period of using fuels
without such additives carbon deposits
can build up, especially on the intake
valves and in the combustion area, leading
to engine performance problems such as:

Warm-up hesitation


Unstable idle


Knocking/pinging


Misfire


Power lossIn areas where carbon deposits may be en-
countered due to lack of availability of gas-
olines which contain these additives,
Mercedes-Benz recommends the use of
additives approved by us for use on
Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Refer to Factory
Approved Service Products pamphlet for a
listing of approved product(s). Follow di-
rections on product label.
Do not blend other specific fuel additives
with fuel. This only results in unnecessary
cost and may be harmful to the engine op-
eration.
Damage or malfunction resulting from
poor fuel quality or from blending addition-
al fuel additives other than those tested
and approved by us for use on
Mercedes-Benz vehicles listed in the
Factory Approved Service Products pam-
phlet are not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Coolants
The engine coolant is a mixture of water
and anticorrosion / antifreeze, which pro-
vides:

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 corro-
sion protection.
If the antifreeze mixture is effective to
-22°F (-30°C), the boiling point of the cool-
ant in the pressurized cooling system is
reached at approximately 266°F (130°C).
The coolant solution must be used year
round to provide the necessary corrosion
protection and increase in the boil-over
protection. Refer to Maintenance Booklet
for replacement interval.

436 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.Coolant system design and coolant used
stipulate the replacement interval. The re-
placement 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
Factory Approved Service Products pam-
phlet) are used to renew the coolant con-
centration 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%
anticorrosion/antifreeze (freeze protec-
tion to approx. - 49°F [-45°C]), the engine
temperature will increase due to the lower
heat transfer capability of the solution.
Therefore, do not use more than this
amount of anticorrosion/antifreeze.If the coolant level is low, water and
MB 325.0 Anticorrosion /Antifreeze
should be used to bring it up to the proper
level (have cooling system checked for
signs of leakage). Please make sure the
mixture is in accordance with label instruc-
tions.
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, con-
sult an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

437 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)
SL 500
6.1 US qt (5.8 l)
6.8 US qt (6.4 l)
SL 600 (main cooling system)
6.9 US qt (6.5 l)
7.5 US qt (7.1 l)
SL 600 (low temperature cooling system)
1.2 US qt (1.1 l)
1.3 US qt (1.2 l)
SL 55 AMG
7.3 US qt (6.9 l)
7.9 US qt (7.5 l)
SL 65 AMG (main cooling system)
8.2 US qt (7.75 l)
9.0 US qt (8.5 l)
SL 65 AMG (low temperature cooling system)
1.5 US qt (1.45 l)
1.7 US qt (1.6 l)

438 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.Windshield and headlamp washer system
Both the windshield and headlamp washer
systems are supplied from the windshield
washer fluid reservoir.
The windshield and headlamp washer fluid
reservoir has a capacity of approx.
7.4 US qt (7 l).
Refill the reservoir with MB Windshield
Washer Concentrate and water (or con-
centrate and commercially available
premixed windshield washer
solvent / antifreeze, depending on am-
bient temperatures).Windshield and headlamp washer fluid
mixing ratio
For temperatures above freezing point, use
MB Windshield Washer Concentrate “S”
and water:


1 part “S” to 100 parts water
(1.34 fl oz [40 ml] “S” to 1 gal [4.0 l]
water)
For temperatures below freezing point, use
MB Windshield Washer Concentrate “S”
and commercially available premixed
windshield washer solvent / antifreeze:


1 part “S” to 100 parts solvent
(1.34 fl oz [40 ml] “S” to 1 gal [4.0 l]
solvent).
Warning!
G
Washer solvent/antifreeze is highly flamma-
ble. Do not spill washer solvent/antifreeze
on hot engine parts because it may ignite
and burn. You could be seriously burned.

440 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 depending on vehi-
cle settings and/or ambient condi-
tions.
Cockpit
All instruments, switches, buttons and
indicator/warning lamps in the passen-
ger compartment needed for vehicle
operation and monitoring.
Collapsible tire
An especially compact spare tire that
must be inflated with a provided air
pump before using. It should only be
used to bring the vehicle to the nearest
service station.COMAND
(Co
ckpit Man
agement and
D
ata System)
Information and operating center for
vehicle sound and communications
systems, including the radio, CD
changer and navigation system, as well
as other optional equipment (e.g. tele-
phone).
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 for auto-
matically maintaining 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 control.


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.
DTR
(->Distr
onic*)
Engine number
The number set by the manufacturer
and placed on the cylinder block to
uniquely identify each engine pro-
duced.

464 IndexSwitching on
Front fog lamps 127
Rear fog lamp 127
Switching on headlamps 51
Symbol
Distance warning function* 142, 212
Synchronizing
ESP 341
Power windows 195
Synchronizing time with head unit 149
T
Tachometer 27, 132
Tail lamps 381, 385
Technical data
Electrical system 428
Main dimensions 429
Rims and tires 422
Weights 430
Windshield and headlamp washer
system 438Tele Aid 237
Emergency calls 239
Information 242
Initiating an emergency call
manually 240
Messages in display 364
Roadside Assistance 240
SOS button 31, 240
Tele Aid system 237
Tele Aid System 444
Telephone* 28, 236
Answering a call 162
Dialing 162
Ending a call 163
Hands-free microphone 31
Loading phone book* 163
Messages in display 364
Operating 161
Redialing 163
Telephones and two-way radios 264Temperature
Outside temperature indicator 133
Sensor 31
Setting interior temperature 185
Setting units in display 148
Tires 289
Tightening torque 399, 444
Time
Settings (control system) 149
Time display mode
Setting 151
TIN 307
Tire
Vehicle maximum load on 307
Tire and Loading Information 283
Tire and loading terminology 305
Tire care and maintenance 280
Tire Identification Number see TIN
Tire inflation pressure 390
Checking 269, 288, 290
Setting units 156