2008 MERCEDES-BENZ SL ROADSTER Owners Manual

Troubleshooting
230 Troubleshooting
Points to remember
G
Ris
kofa ccident and injury
Th eo perating safety of your vehicl ecould be compromise difservice work is carried ou timp roperly. Yo ucould lose control of the vehicle,
thereb ycausing an accident. Safety systems ma yalson ot be able to protect yo uorothers as intended.
Alway shavem aintenanc eworkc arried ou tataqualifie dspecialis tworkshop which ha sthe necessary specialis tknowledg eand tools to
carry ou tthe work required.
Mercedes-Benz recommend sthaty ou useaM ercedes-Benz Service Centre for thi spurpose.
In particular, work relevant to safety or on safety-related systems must be carried ou tataqualifie dspecialis tworkshop. Indicato
rand warning lamp sinswitche sand buttons Problem Possible cause/consequence Suggeste
dsolutions One or al
lofthe indicator lamps
in the seat ventilation* button are
flashing. There is insufficient voltage
because too many consumers are
switched on. Th
eseatv entila-
tion* ha sswitched itsel foff auto-
matically. X
Switch off consumers tha tare not required ,e.g.r eading lamps,
interior lighting ,etc.
Th es eatv entilation* will automaticall yswitch back on as soon as
there is sufficient voltag eagain. One or al
lofthe indicator lamps
in the seat heating* button are
flashing. There is insufficient voltage
because too many consumers are
switched on. Th
eseath eating*
ha ss witched itsel foff automati-
cally. X
Switch off consumers tha tare not required ,e.g.r eading lamps,
interior lighting ,etc.
Th es eath eating* will automaticall yswitch back on as soon as
there is sufficient voltag eagain. Practical advice
*optional
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Troubleshooting
231Problem Possible cause/consequence Suggeste
dsolutions Th
eA IRSCARF neck-leve lheat-
ing *functio nhasswitched itself
off prematurel yorcannot be
switched on. There is insufficient voltage
because too many consumers are
switched on. X
Switch off consumers tha tare not required ,e.g.r eading lamps,
interior lighting ,etc.
X Switch on the AIRSCARF neck-leve lheating* functio nagain. Th
eindicator lamp in the 9
button on the automatic ai rcon-
ditioning control panel flashes
when yo upress the button. The
cooling syste mcannot be
switched on. Cooling ha
sbeend eact ivated
du etoam alfunction. X
Visi taq ualified specialis tworkshop. Th
eindicator lamp in the ¯
rear-window heating button is
flashing. Th erear-window heat-
ing ha sswitched itsel foff prema-
turel yorc annot be switched on. There is insufficient voltage
because too many consumers are
switched on. X
Switch off consumers tha tare not required ,e.g.r eading lamps,
interior lighting ,etc.
Th er ear-window heating will automaticall yswitch back on as soon
as there is sufficient voltag eagain. Th
er oofiso pen. X
Clos ethe roof.
It is now possibl etoswitch on the rea rwindo wh eating. The
5 PASSENGER AIRBAG
OFF warning lamp on the centre
consol eislit. As
pecial Mercedes-Benz child
seat with automatic child seat
recognition ha sbeenf itted to the
front-passenge rseat. Th efront-
passenge rairba gh astherefore
been disabled. Practical advice
*o ptional
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Troubleshooting
232 Problem Possible cause/consequence Suggeste
dsolutions The
5 PASSENGER AIRBAG
OFF warning lamp on the centre
consol eislit. G
Ris
kofi njury
There is no child seat fitted to the
front-passenge rseat. Th eauto-
matic child seat recognition is
malfunctioning. X
Remov eelectroni cequipment fromt he front-passenge rseat, e.g.:
R Notebooks
R Mobile phones
R Cards with transponders ,e.g.s ki passe soraccesspasses
If the 5 PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF warning lamp is still lit:
X Visi taq ualified specialis tworkshop. Th
eloadi ng ai dswitch is flashing.
Yo uw illa lsoh earaw arning tone. Yo
uh avec lose dthe boot lid
befor ethe roo fhas been lowered
completely. X
Lower the roo fcompletely (Y page 154). Practical advice
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Troubleshooting
233Indicato
rand warning lamp sinthe instrument cluster Problem Possible cause/consequence Suggeste
dsolutions -
They ello wA BS warning
lamp comes on whil ethe
engine is running. G
Ris
kofa ccident
ABS ha sbeend eact ivate ddueto
am alfu nction. ESP ®
,B AS and hill
start assist* (SL 63 AMG only) are
therefore also deactivated.
Th eS BCTM
brake syste mcontin-
ue stof unctio nnormally ,but
without electroni csuppo rt. The
wheels could therefore lock if you
brake hard. X
Drive on carefully.
X Observe the additional message sinthe multi-functio ndisplay
( Y page 202).
X Switch off consumers tha tare not required ,e.g.r eading lamps,
interior lighting ,etc.
X Visi taq ualified specialis tworkshop as soon as possible. E
Ther ed distance warning
lamp* lights up whil ethe
vehicl eisinm otion. G
Ris
kofa ccident
Th ed istance to the vehicl ein
front is too short for the speed
selected. X
Increas ethe distance. E
Ther ed distance warning
lamp* lights up whil ethe
vehicl eisinm otion. You
will also hear awarning
tone. G
Ris
kofa ccident
Yo ua reapproaching avehicl ein
front at too great aspeed or Dis-
tronic* ha sdetecte das tationary
obstacle in your line of travel. X
Be prepared to brake immediately.
X Pa yc areful attent iontot he traffi csituation. Yo umayhave to brake
or take evasive action. Practical advice
*o ptional
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Troubleshooting
234 Problem Possible cause/consequence Suggeste
dsolutions v
They ello wA BS/ESP ®
warning lamp flashes
whil eyou ared riving. G
Ris
kofa ccident
ESP ®
,A BS or tractio ncontrol has
intervened becaus eatleastone
whee lhas reache dits gri plimit
and is threatening to spin or lock.
Cruise control or Distronic* is
deactivated. X
Onl ydepress the accelerator peda lasfaras necessary when pull-
ing away.
X Releas ethe accelerator peda lwhile youa redriving.
X Adapt your driving style to suit the roa dand weather conditions.
X Do not deactivate ESP ®
.
Exceptions: .(Y page 54). v
All models except SL 63
AMG:
The yellow ABS/ESP ®
warning lamp is lit while
the engin eisrunning. G
Risk of accident
ESP ®
is deactivated. ESP ®
will
not stabilise the vehicle if it starts
to skid or if awheel start stospin. X
Reactivat eESP®
.
Exceptions: .(Y page 55).
X Adapt your drivin gstyle to suit the road and weather conditions. v
SL 63 AMG:
The yellow ABS/ESP ®
warning lamp is lit while
the engin eisrunning. G
Risk of accident
ESP ®
Sport is activated. ESP ®
Sport will only stabilise the vehi-
cle to alimited degree if it starts
to skid or if awheel start stospin. X
Reactivat eESP®
. v
¯
SL 63 AMG:
The yellow ABS/ESP
®
and
ESP ®
OFF warning lamps
are lit while the engin eis
running. G
Risk of accident
ESP ®
is deactivated. ESP ®
will
not stabilise the vehicle if it starts
to skid or if awheel start stospin. X
Reactivat eESP®
.
Exceptions: (Y page 56).
X Adapt your drivin gstyle to suit the road and weather conditions. Practical advice
*optional
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Troubleshooting
235Problem Possible cause/consequence Suggeste
dsolutions v
They ello wESP®
warning
lamp is li twhile the engine
is running .Inaddition, a
message appear sinthe
multi-functio ndisplay. G
Ris
kofa ccident
ESP ®
is unavailable du etoamal-
function. ESP ®
will not stabilise
the vehicl eifitstarts to ski dorif
aw heel starts to spin. X
Observe the additional message sinthe multi-functio ndisplay
( Y page 202).
X Drive on carefully.
X Visi taq ualified specialis tworkshop. 1
Ther ed SR Swarning lamp
is li twhile the engine is
running. G
Ris
kofi njury
Th er estraint systems ar emal-
functioning .The airbags or belt
tensioners ma yeithe rbet rig-
gered unintentionall yor, in the
event of an accident, not at all. X
Visi taq ualified specialis tworkshop immediately. 3
Ther ed brake system
warning lamp comes on
whil eyou ared riving. You
will also hear awarning
tone. Yo
ua redriving with the parking
brake applied. X
Releas ethe parking brake.
Th ew arning lamp goes ou tand the warning tone ceases. 3
Ther ed brake system
warning lamp comes on
whil ethe engine is run-
ning .You will also hear a
warning tone. G
Ris
kofa ccident
There is insufficient brake flui din
the flui dreservoir.
There is amalfunctio nint he
SBC TM
brake system. X
Do not continue driving under any circumstances.
X Consult aqualified specialis tworkshop immediately.
X Observe the additional message sinthe multi-functio ndisplay
( Y page 202).
X Under no circumstances shoul dyou top up the brake fluid. This will
not rectif ythe fault. Practical advice
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Troubleshooting
236 Problem Possible cause/consequence Suggeste
dsolutions D
Ther ed coolant warning
lamp comes on whil ethe
engine is running. Th
ec oolant level is too low.
Th ec oolant is too ho tand the
engine is no longe rbeing cooled
sufficiently. X
Stop the vehicle. Pa yattentio ntotrafficconditions as yo udoso.
X Allow the engine and coolant to cool.
X Check the coolant level (Y page 180).Obser ve the warning notes.
To pupt he coolant if necessary.
X Have the coolant syste mchecked at aqualified specialis twork-
sho pift he coolant needs topping up mor eoftenthanu sual. D
Ther ed coolant warning
lamp comes on whil ethe
engine is running. If the coolant level is correct, the
airflow to the radiato
rmaybe
blocke dorthe radiato rfan may
be malfunctioning.
Th ec oolant is too ho tand the
engine is no longe rbeing cooled
sufficiently. X
Make sure tha tthe airflow to the radiato risnot blocked, e.g .by
snow, slus horice.
X If the coolant temperatur eislesst han1 20† ,you can continue
driving to the neares tqualified specialis tworkshop.
X Avoi dheavy loadsont he engine (e.g. driving in mountainou ster-
rain) and stop-and-g odriving. D
Ther ed coolant warning
lamp comes on whil ethe
engine is running .You will
also hear awarning tone. Th
ec oolant level is too low.
Th ec oolant temperatur ehas
exceeded 120 †. Th eengine is
not being coole dsufficiently and
ma ybed amaged. X
Stop the vehicle. Pa yattentio ntotrafficconditions as yo udoso.
X Allow the engine and coolant to cool.
X Check the coolant level (Y page 180).Obser ve the warning notes.
To pupt he coolant if necessary.
X Have the coolant syste mchecked at aqualified specialis twork-
sho pift he coolant needs topping up mor eoftenthanu sual. Practical advice
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Troubleshooting
237Problem Possible cause/consequence Suggeste
dsolutions D
Ther ed coolant warning
lamp comes on whil ethe
engine is running .You will
also hear awarning tone. If the coolant level is correc
tand
the airflow to the radiato risnot
blocked, the radiato rfan ma ybe
malfunctioning.
Th ec oolant temperatur ehas
exceeded 120 †. Th eengine is
not being coole dsufficiently and
ma ybed amaged. X
Do not continue driving under any circumstances.
X Consult aqualified specialis tworkshop. ±
They ello wengine diagnos-
tics warning lamp comes
on whil ethe engine is run-
ning. There ma
ybeamalfunction:
R in the fuel injectio nsystem
R in the exhaust system
R in the ignition system
Th ee mission limi tvalues maybe
exceeded and the engine ma ybe
running in emergency mode. X
Have the vehicl echecked as soon as possibl eataqualified spe-
cialist workshop. \
They ello wroll-over bar
warning lamp is lit. G
Ris
kofi njury
Th er oll-over ba risnot ready for
operation. X
Rais ethe roll-over ba r(Ypage 46).
X Visi taq ualified specialis tworkshop. Practical advice
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