2012 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class engine coolant

Problem Possible
causes/co nsequences andM Solutions
?
The
redcoolant
warning lampcomes on
while theengine is
running. The
coolant levelistoo low.
If the coolant leveliscorrec t,the airflow tothe engine radiator
may beblocked orthe electric engineradiator fanmay be
malfunction ing.
The coolant istoo hotand theengine isno longer beingcooled
sufficiently.
X Observe theadditional displaymessages inthe multifunct ion
display .
X Pull over andstop thevehicle safelyandswitch offthe engine,
payi ngatten tiontoroad andtraffic condition s.
X Allow theengine andcoolant tocool.
X Check thecoolant levelandadd coolant (Ypage 315). Observe
the warning notes.
X Ifyou need toadd coolant moreoften thanusual,have the
engine coolant systemchecked.
X Make surethattheairsupply tothe engine radiator isnot
blocked, e.g.bysnow, slushorice.
X At coolant temperatures under248‡(120 †),drive tothe next
qualified specialist workshop.
X Avo idsubjec tingthe engin etoheavy loads, e.g.driving in
mountainous terrain,andstop- and-go traffic. ?
The
redcoolant
warning lampcomes on
while theengine is
runnin g.Awarning tone
also sounds. The
coolant temperat urehas exceeded 248‡(120 †).The
airflow tothe engine radiator maybeblocked orthe coolant level
may betoo low.
The engine isnot being cooled sufficient lyand may bedamaged.
X Observe theadditional displaymessages inthe multifunct ion
display .
X Pull over andstop thevehicle safelyandswitch offthe engine,
paying attentiontoroad andtraffic conditions.
X Allow theengine andcoolant tocool.
X Check thecoolant levelandadd coolant (Ypage 315). Observe
the warning notes.
X Ifyou need toadd coolant moreoften thanusual ,have the
en gin eco olan tsyst em checke d.
X Mak esur eth at theair supp lyto theen gin eradi ator isno t
bloc ked, e.g. by snow, slushor ice .
X At coolan ttemperatures under248‡(120 †),drive tothe next
qualified specialist workshop.
X Avo idsubjec tingthe engin etoheavy loads, e.g.driving in
mountainous terrain,andstop- and-go traffic. 278
War
ning andindicator lampsin the instru mentclusterOn-board computer and displays

G
WARNING Driving
whenyourengi ne isove rheatedcan causesom efluids which mayhave leaked intothe
engin ecom partmen ttocatch fire.Youcould beseriously burned.
Steam fromanoverheated enginecancause serious burnswhich canoccur justbyopening the
engine hood.Stayaway fromtheengine ifyou seeorhear steam coming fromit.
Stop thevehicle inasafe location awayfromother traffic.Turn offthe engine, getout ofthe
vehicle anddonot stand nearthevehicle untiltheengine hascooled down.
! Ifthe coolant temperature exceeds248‡(120 †)donot cont inue driving. Theengine will
otherwise bedamaged. Driving
systems Problem Possible
causes/cons equencesandM Solutions
·
The
reddistance
warning lamplights up
while thevehicle isin
motion .A warning tone
also sounds. G
Risk
ofaccident The
warning isissued ifyou approach astation aryvehicle ora
vehicle drivingaheadofyou attoo high aspeed.
X Be prepared tobrake immediately.
X Pay careful attentiontothe traffic situation. Youmay have to
brake ortake evasive action.
More informat ionabout DISTRONIC PLUS(Ypage 169)and
PRE-S AFE®
Brake (Ypage 65). War
ning andindicator lampsin the instru mentcluster
279On-board computer and displays Z

Useful
information
i This
Operat or'sManual describesall
models andallstan dard andoption al
equipment ofyour vehicle available atthe
time ofpublication ofthe Operat or's
Manual. Country-specificdiffer encesare
possible. Pleasenotethat your vehicle may
not beequipped withallfeature s
descr ibed. Thisalso applies tosafet y-
related systemsand func tions. i
Please
readtheinfor mation onqualified
specialist workshops(Ypage 25). Engine
compartment Hood
Opening thehood G
WARN
ING Do
not pull therelease leverwhile thevehicle
is in mot ion. Othe rwise, thehood could be
forc edopen bypassing airflow.
This could cause thehood tocome looseand
inj ure you and/o rothe rs. G
WA
RNING Do
not open the hoodwh en the engineis
ove rheated.Yo ucou ldbe serio uslyinju red.
Ob serve the coolant temp eraturedisp layto
de term inewheth erthe enginemaybe
ove rheated.Ifyo use efla mes orsmo ke
comi ngfromthe enginecomp artment, move
aw ay fromt hevehicle. Waituntiltheengine
has cooled. Ifnecessary, callthefire
department. G
WARNING There
isarisk ofinjury ifthe hood isopen,
even ifthe engine isnot running.
Some engine componen tscan become very
hot.
To avoid therisk ofburns, onlytouch those
componen tsdescribed inthe Operator's
Manual andobserve therelevant safetynotes. G
WARNING To
help prevent personal injury,stayclear of
moving partswhen thehood isopen andthe
engine isrunning.
The radiator fanmay continue torun for
approximately 30seconds ormay even
restart aftertheengine hasbeen turned off.
Stay clear offan blades. G
WARNING Vehicles
withgasoline engine:
The engine isequipp edwith atransist orized
ignition system. Because ofthe high voltage
it is dangerous totouch anycomponen ts
(ignition coils,spark plugsocket s,diagnostic
socket )of the ignition system
R with theengine running
R while startin gthe engine
R when theignition isswitched onand the
engine isturned manually G
WARNING Vehicles
withdiesel engine:
The engine isequipp edwith ahigh-voltage
electronic controlunit forthe inject ion
system. Because ofthe high voltage itis
dangerous totouch anycomponen tsof the
inject ionsystem (injectors,electrical wires)
R with theengine running
R while startin gthe engine
R when theignition isswitched on
X Make surethatthewindshield wipersare
switched off. G
WARNING The
windshield wipersandwiper linkage
could beset inmotion.
When thehood isopen, youorothers could
be injured bythe wiper linkage.
Make surethatthewindshield wipersare
switched off.Remove theSmartKey ormake
sure thatnoignition position hasbeen
selected withKEYLES S-GO.Allindicator
lamps mustbeoff inthe instrumen tcluster. 312
Engi
necompar tmentMaintenance and care

Furth
erinfor mationonengi neoil
(Y page 388). Che
cking and adding otherserv ice
pr odu cts
Checkin gth ecoolant level On
lyche ckthecoo lant level when theveh icle
is on alevel surface and theeng inehas cooled
down .
X Turn theSm artKey toposit ion
2 (Y page 139)intheign itio nlock .
On veh icleswith KEYLE SS-GO ,pres sth e
St art /S topbutt ontwic e(Ypage 139).
X Check thecoolant temperaturegauge in
the multifun ction display.
The coolant temperaturemustbebelow
158 ‡(70 †). G
WARN
ING In
order toavoid anypoten tiallyserious burns:
R use extreme caution whenopenin gthe
hood ifther eare any signs ofsteam or
coolant leakingfromthecoolin gsystem ,or
if the coolant temperaturedisplay indicates
that thecoolant isoverheat ed.
R do not remov ethe pressure caponthe
coolant reservoirifthe coolant temperature
is above 158‡(70 †). Allow theengine to
cool downbefore removin gthe cap. The
coolant reservoircon tains hotfluid andis
under pressure.
R using arag, slowly turnthecap
approximat ely1
/ 2 turn
torelieve excess
pressure. Ifopened immediately, scalding
hot fluid andsteam willbeblown outunder
pressure.
R do not spill antifreeze onhot engine parts.
An tifr eeze contains ethylene glycolwhich
may burn ifit comes intocontact with hot
engine parts. X
Slowly turncap:half aturn count er-
clock wiseandallow excesspressure to
escape.
X Turn cap:furth ercount er-clockwise and
remove it.
If the coolant isat the level ofmarker bar
= inthe filler neck when cold,there is
enough coolant incoolant expansion
tank ;.
If the coolant isapproximat ely0.6 in
(1.5 cm)above marker bar=inthe filler
neck when warm, thereisenough coolant
in coolant expansion tank;.
X Ifneces sary,addcoolant thathasbeen
test edand approved byMercedes- Benz.
X Replace cap:and turn itclock wiseasfar
as itwill go.
For furth erinfor mation oncoolant ,see
(Y page 389).
Windshield washersystemand
headla mpcleaning system The
washer fluidreservo iris used forboth the
windshield washersystemandtheheadlamp
cleanin gsystem. i
Vehicle
compon entsand their servic e
product smust match.You should,
theref ore,only useproduct sthat have been
test edand approved byMercedes- Benz.
Inf ormation ontest edand approved
product scan beobtained atany authorized
Mercedes- BenzCenter oron the Internet at
htt p://ww w.mbu sa.com (USAonly). Engine
compartment
315Maintenance and care Z

Cap
acities
Miss ingvalues werenota vail ablea ttime ofgoin gto prin t. Model Capa
city Fuel,
coolant ,
lubr icant s,etc. Engine
oiland
filt er 4MA
TIC 8.
5US qt(8.0l) Appr
oved engine
oils 7.
4US qt(7.0l) Cooling
system All
models MB
325 .0or
MB 326 .0
ant icor rosio n/
ant ifre eze Ta
nk capa city All
models Gasoline
engines :
prem ium-g rade
unleaded gasoline
(at least 91octane,
average value
betwe en96 RON/
86 MON)
Dies eleng ines :
ULTRA -LOW
SUL FUR HIGH WAY
DI ES EL FUE L(ULS D,
maxim umsulfur
con tent15 ppm) Reser
ve All
models DEF
tank 4MA
TIC 7.
3US gal (27.5l) DE
Fin acc ordan ce
with ISO22241 Wind
shield /
head lamp
cleaning
syst em All
models MB
winds hield
washer
con centrate 33
(Y page 390)
Mixin grat iofor
washer fluid
(Y page 390) 33
Mixe dwith water orprem ixedwasher fluidwithantifre eze prot ection. 384
Serv
iceprodu ctsand capacit iesTechnical data

ML 350 BlueTEC
ML 350 4MATIC
ML 350 BlueTEC

as
ares ult ofagin g,soot andfuel depos its.It
is the refore stron gly recomm endedthat you
carr yout regular oilchan gesusing an
approv edeng ineoilwith theappropr iateSAE
class ification . Refr
igera ntoftheair -cond itioning
syst em
The air-c ondit ioningsyst emisfilled with
R134 aref riger antand aspec ialPAG
lubrican t.
! Neve ruse refriger antR12 (CFC) or
min eral lubrican ts.O the rwise, youcou ld
da ma gethe air-co nditioning syste m. Brake
fluid G
WA
RNI NG Ove
raperiod oftime, thebrake fluidabsorbs
moist urefrom theair;this lowers itsboiling
point .
If the boiling pointofthe brake fluidistoo low,
vapor pocketsmay form inthe brake system
when thebrakes areapplied hard(e.g.when
driving downhill). Thiswould impair braking
effic iency.
You should havethebrake fluidrenewed at
regular intervals. Thebrake fluidchang e
int ervals canbefound inthe Serv iceBook let.
Only usebrake fluidapproved byMercedes -
Ben z.Inf ormat ionabout approved brake
fluids canbeobtained fromanyauthoriz edMercedes
-Benz Center oron the Internet at
htt p:// bevo.m ercedes- benz.com . Coolant
Impor tantsafet ynotes The
coolant isamixt ureofwater and
antif reeze/ corrosion inhibito r.Itperfor ms
the following tasks:
R corr osion protection
R antif reeze protection
R raising theboiling point
The engin ecooling systemisfilled atthe
fact orywith coolant thatcontains an
antif reeze/ corrosion inhibito rthat ensures
protect iondown toapproximately -35‡
(-37 †).
! Only addcoolant thathasbeen premixed
with thedesired antifreez eprotect ion.
Otherwise, theengine couldbedamaged.
Further information oncoolants andon
filling canbefound inthe Mercedes-Ben z
Specifications forService Products, MB
Approval 310.1,e.g. onthe Internet at
http: //bevo.m ercedes-benz .com.You can
also consult anauthorized Mercedes-B enz
Center.
! Always useasuitable coolantmixture,
even incount rieswhere hightemperat ures
prevail.
Otherwise, theengine cooling systemisnot
sufficient lyprotec tedfrom corrosion and
overheating.
If the coolant hasantifr eezeprotec tiondown
to -35 ‡(-37 †),theboiling pointofthe
coolant underoperating conditionsis
approximately 266‡(130 †).
Your vehicle hasarange ofaluminum
compon ents.Aluminum componentsinthe
engine makeitnecessary touse antifr eeze/
corrosion inhibitorcoolantthathasbeen
specifically formulatedtoprotec tthe
alumi numparts. Usingotherantifreez e/ Service
products andcapacities
389Technical data Z

corro
sioninhi bitors withou tthese
characterist icsaffects theservice life.
The coolant mustbeused throughout theyear
in order tomaintain thenecessary corrosion
protect ionand toprovide protectionfrom
overheating. Inthe Service Booklet, youcan
find information onthe intervals forrenewal.
The renewal intervalisdetermined bythe
coolant typeandtheengine cooling system
design. Therenewal intervalinthe Service
Booklet isonly valid ifthe coolant isrenewed
or filled upwith Mercedes-Ben zapproved
product s.Therefo re,only useMB325 .0or
326 .0antic orrosion /antifreez eor anot her
Mercede s-Benz approved productofthe
same specific ation.
Inf ormat iononother product swith thesame
specific ationsthatareapproved by
Mercede s-Benz can beobtaine dat an
authoriz edMercede s-Benz Cente roro nthe
Int ernet athttp: //bevo.m ercedes-benz .com.
The coolant ischeck edatevery maintenanc e
interval atan authorized Mercedes-Ben z
Center.
The antifreez e/corrosion inhibitor
conc entration inthe engine cooling system
should:
R be atleast 50%.Thiswillprotect theengine
cooling systemagainst freezing downto
approximately -35‡(-37 †).
R not exceed 55%(antifreeze protectionto
-49 ‡[-45 †]);othe rwise, heatwillnot
dissipate aseffec tively.
If the coolan tlevel istoo low, MB325 .0or
326 .0ant icorr osion /antifreez eshould be
added. Havetheengin ecoolin gsystem
chec kedforpossible leaks. Wind
shield/h eadlampcleaning
syst em G
WARN
ING Washer
solvent/ant ifreez eis highly
flammable. Donot spill washer solvent/
ant ifreez eon hot engin eparts,bec ause itmay ign
ite and burn .You could beseriously
burned.
Use MBSummerF itwindshield washer
conc entrateattemperatures abovefreezin g:
X Mix 1part MBSummerF itwith 100parts
water.
Use MBWinterF itwindshield washer
conc entrateattemperatures belowfreezin g:
X At temperatures downto14 ‡(Ò10 †):
mix 1part MB WinterF itwit h2p artswate r.
X At temper aturesdown toÒ4 ‡ (Ò20 †):
mix 1part MBWinterF itwit h1 part wate r.
X At temper aturesdown toÒ20 .2‡
(Ò 29 †): mix2part sMB WinterF itwit h1
part wate r.
! OnlySum merFitand WinterF itcan be
mix ed. Other wise, theje ts could become
bloc ked. Veh
icle data Pleas
eno te that for thespec ifiedveh icle
dat a:
R theheig htsspec ifiedmay varyas ares ult
of:
- tires
- load
- co nd ition ofthesuspe nsion
- opt ionalequipm ent All
mod els Veh
icle lengt h 18
9.1in (48 04mm ) Veh
icle widt h
inclu dingext erior
mir rors 84
.3in(21 41mm ) Veh
icle heigh t 70
.7in(17 96mm ) Wh
eelba se 11
4.8in (29 15mm ) Fron
ttr ack 64
.7in(16 42mm ) Rea
rtr ack 65
.2in(16 57mm ) 390
Veh
icle dataTechnical data