2006 MERCEDES-BENZ ML500 Owner's Manual

464 Practical hintsBattery
Disconnecting, removing, reinstalling and reconnecting the battery
Warning!
G
Failure to follow these instructions can re-
sult in severe injury or death.
Observe all safety instructions and precau-
tions when handling automotive batteries
(page 462).
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 Light
Truck Center.
Refer to Maintenance Booklet for main-
tenance intervals or contact your au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
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.
Warning!
G
Disconnecting, removing, reinstalling and
reconnecting the battery is a complicated
and technically demanding procedure that
also requires safety precautions to avoid the
r i s k o f i n j u r y . W e s t r o n g l y r e c o m m e n d t h a t i t
be performed by a qualified technician only.
Please read the instructions fully before
beginning operation and only undertake it if
you feel fully capable of performing all of the
tasks involved as described in these instruc-
tions. Observe all safety instructions and
precautions when handling automotive bat-
teries (
page 462). Performing the tasks
involved incorrectly can cause damage to
the vehicle and impair the operating safety
o f t h e v e h i c l e , a n d / o r c a u s e s e v e r e i n j u r y t o
you or others.

465 Practical hints
Battery
Step 1 (Disconnecting)

Turn off the engine and leave the igni-
tion switched on (
page 34).

Depress parking brake firmly and set
automatic transmission to positionP.

Turn off all electrical consumers.

Read and observe safety instructions
and precautions (
page 462).

Move the front passenger seat to the
most forward position (
page 39).
Step 2 (Disconnecting)
1Battery cover

Enter the rear passenger compartment
and remove main battery cover1.Step 3 (Disconnecting)
2Perforated floor carpet

Cut the floor carpet2 along the
dotted white line (see illustration) until
you reach the perforated part. Start
cutting at the point indicated by the
arrows. Cut carpet using a sharp object
(knife etc.).

Enter the front passenger compart-
ment.

Move the front passenger seat to the
most rearward position (
page 39).
iWith a disconnected battery you will no
longer be able to turn the SmartKey in
the starter switch and pressing the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button will
have no effect.iIf your battery is discharged, the vehi-
cle must be jump started (
page 470)
using the jump start contacts in the
engine compartment, or an accessory
battery charge unit* approved by
Mercedes-Benz must be connected
using the jump start contacts in the
engine compartment (see separate
instructions for the accessory battery
charge unit*) before any of the follow-
ing steps can be performed. If the
battery cannot be jumped or charged,
please contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.


466 Practical hintsBattery2Perforated floor carpet, unfolded
Fold the floor carpet piece2 in
direction of the arrow.

Move the front passenger seat to the
most forward and upward position
again (
page 39).

Switch off the ignition (
page 34).

Remove SmartKey from starter switch.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
Make sure the vehicle’s on-board
electronics have status0 (Turn off
the engine or all electrical systems
using the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button. Open the driver’s door. With
the driver’s door open, the vehicle’s
on-board electronics have status0,
same as with the SmartKey
removed from the starter switch).

Enter the rear passenger compartment
again.Step 4 (Disconnecting)
3Air channel
4Clip

Remove clip4.

Remove air channel3 by pulling it out
in direction of arrow.


467 Practical hints
Battery
Step 5 (Disconnecting)
5Protection cover
6Battery
Unclip protection cover5 from
battery6 and remove it.Step 6 (Disconnecting)
7Positive terminal
8Negative terminal

Disconnect battery negative lead8
from negative terminal.

Remove positive terminal cover.

Disconnect the battery positive
lead7.Step 7 (Removing)
9Battery ventilation tube
aAttachment nut
bMounting

Remove the battery ventilation tube9
by pulling it out.

Remove the battery attachment
nutsa using a 6 mm T-handle hex key
(not supplied with vehicle) with a shaft
length of min. approx. 12 in (30 cm).

Remove mountingb.

468 Practical hintsBatteryStep 8 (Removing)
cBattery
Tilt the batteryc with the negative
terminal side upwards.

Take out the battery maintaining its
tilted position in the direction of the
arrow.Step 9 (Reinstalling)

Carry out step 8 in reverse order
(page 468).
Battery, shown removed for illustration9Battery ventilation tube
dVent plug

Carry out step 10 to reconnect the
battery (
page 468).

Follow steps 5 to 1 in reverse order to
completely reinstall the battery
(page 467) to (
page 465).
Step 10 (Reconnecting)

If the battery has been removed, first
carry out step 8 in reverse order
(page 468).

Open the driver’s door.

Make sure all electrical consumers are
turned off.

Make sure the SmartKey has been re-
moved from the starter switch.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
Make sure the vehicle’s on-board
electronics have status0 (Open the
driver’s door. With the driver’s door
open, the vehicle’s on-board elec-
tronics have status0, same as with
the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch).
!The battery, the battery ventilation
tube9 and the vent plugd must
always be securely installed when the
vehicle is in operation.

469 Practical hints
Battery

Connect the positive lead and fasten its
cover (
page 467).

Connect the negative lead.
Charging the battery
If the battery is discharged, the battery can
be charged using the jump-start contacts
located in the engine compartment
(page 471).

Charge the battery in accordance with
the instructions of the battery charger
manufacturer.
Batteries contain materials that can harm
the environment if disposed of improperly.
Large 12 volt storage batteries contain
lead. Recycling of batteries is the preferred
method of disposal. Many states require
sellers of batteries to accept old batteries
for recycling.
!NEVER invert the terminal connections!iThe following procedures must be car-
ried out following any interruption of
battery power (e.g. due to reconnec-
tion):

Set the clock (
page 165)
(see Modular COMAND system
operator’s manual).


Resynchronize the power windows
(page 232).


Resynchronize the power tilt/slid-
ing sunroof* (
page 237).
Warning!
G
Never charge a battery while still installed in
the vehicle unless the accessory battery
charge unit approved by Mercedes-Benz is
being used. Gases may escape during charg-
ing and cause explosions that may result in
paint damage, corrosion or personal injury.
An accessory battery charge unit specially
adapted for Mercedes-Benz vehicles and
tested and approved by Mercedes-Benz is
available, permitting the charging of the
battery in its installed position. Contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center for information and availability.
Charge battery in accordance with the
separate instructions for the accessory
battery charger.

470 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
using the jump-start contacts located
in the engine compartment.


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 the 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 Light Truck Center.
Excessive unburned fuel generated by
repeated failed starting attempts may
damage the catalytic converter.
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.

471 Practical hints
Jump starting
The jump-start contacts are located in 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.1Negative (-) terminal
2Cover of Positive (+) terminal

Open cover2 of the positive terminal
of both vehicles.

Connect positive terminal2 and the
positive terminal of the charged battery
with the jumper cable. Clamp cable to
charged battery first.

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

Connect negative terminals1 and the
negative terminal of the charged
battery with the jumper cable. Clamp
cable to charged battery first.

Start the engine of the disabled vehi-
cle.
Now you can again turn on the electrical
consumers. Do not turn on the lights under
any circumstances.

Remove the jumper cables first from
the negative terminals on each battery
and then from the positive terminals on
each battery.
Now you can turn on the lights.

Have the battery checked at the near-
est authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck 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 462).!Never invert the terminal connections!
iThe message
Undervoltage - Switch
off consumers may appear in the
instrument cluster. It will disappear as
soon as the battery is sufficiently
charged.
!Do not tow-start the vehicle.