2016 MERCEDES-BENZ G-CLASS SUV overheating

G
WARNING
If you select the LOW RANGE off-road gearon as lippery road surface, the wheels coul dlose
traction:
R if you release the accelerator peda lwhen
the vehicl eisinmotion
R if Off-road ABS intervenes when braking
If the wheels lose traction, it willnol onger be
possible to steer the vehicle. This increases
the risk of skidding and having an accident.
Never select the LOW RANGE off-road gear
when driving on slippery road surfaces.
Information on the parking brake (Y page114).
Downhill gradients Shift to
alower gearing oodt ime on long and
stee pdownhil lgradients.
Take particula rnote of this when driving alad en
vehicl eand when towing atrailer.
Thi sw illu se the braking effect of the engine, so
less braking will be required to maintai nthe
vehicl espeed. Thi srelieves the load on the
brake system and prevents the brakes from
overheating and wearing too quickly.
Heav yand light loads G
WARNING
The braking system can overheat if you leave you rfoot on the brake peda lwhile driving.
This increases the braking distance and could
even caus ethe braking system to fail .There is
ar isk of an accident.
Never use the brake peda lasafootrest. Do
not simultaneously depress both the brake
peda land the accelerator peda lwhile driving.
! Depressing the brake peda
lconstantly
results in excessive and premature wearto
the brake pads.
If heavy demands are made on the brakes ,do
not park the vehicl eimmediately. Drive on for a
short while. This allows the airflow to cool the
brakes more quickly.
If the brakes have been used only moderately,
you should occasionall ytest their effectiveness.
To do this, brake more firmly from ahigher speed while paying attention to the traffic con-
ditions .This improves the grip of the brakes.
Wet road surfaces If driving in heavy rain for
aprolonge dperiod of
time withou tbraking, there may be adelayed
reaction from the brakes when braking for the
first time. This may also occur after the vehicle
has been washed.
You have to depres sthe brake pedalm ore
firmly .Maintai nagreater distance from the
vehicle in front.
After driving on awet road or having the vehicle
washed, brake firmly whilep aying attention to
the traffic conditions. This willw arm up the
brake discs, thereby drying them more quickly
and protecting them against corrosion.
Limited braking performance on salt-
treated roads If you drive on salt-treated roads,
alayer of salt
may form on the brake discs and pads.T his can
increase the braking distance considerably.
R In order to prevent any salt build-up,a pplythe
brakes occasionally whilep aying attention to
the traffic conditions.
R Carefullyd epressthe brake pedalatt he end
of the journey and when starting the next
journey.
R Maintai namuch greater distance to the vehi-
cle in front.
New brake discs and brake pads/
linings Brake pads/linings and discs that either are new
or have been replaced achieve optimum braking
effect only after several hundred kilometres of
driving. Compensate for the reduced braking
effect by applying greater force to the brake
pedal.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends only fittingt he following brake discs and
brake pads/linings:
R brake discs that hav ebeena pproved by
Mercedes-Benz
R brake pads/linings that hav ebeena pproved
by Mercedes-Benz or that are of an equivalent
standard of quality
Other brake discs or brake pads/linings can
compromise the safety of your vehicle. 116
Drivin
gtipsDriving and parking

To avoid hazardous situations:
R make sure to check the noseweight before
each journey
R the noseweight should be as close as possible
to the maximum noseweight
R do not exceed the maximum permissible
noseweight
R the noseweight must not be lower than the
minimum permissible noseweight
Make sure that the following values are not
exceeded:
R the permissible noseweight
R the permissible trailer load
R the permissible rear axle load of the towing
vehicle
R the maximum permissible gross vehicle
weight of both the towing vehicle and the
trailer
When reversin gthe towing vehicle, make sure
there is nobody between the trailer and the vehi- cle.
The applicable permissible values, which must
not be exceeded, can be found:
R in your vehicle documents
R on the type plates for the trailer
R on the vehicle identification plate
If the values differ, the lowest value applies.
You will find the values approved by the manu-
facturer on the identification plates and for the
towing vehicle under "Technical data"
(Y page 256).
When reversin gthe towing vehicle, make sure
there is nobody between the trailer and the vehi- cle.
Couple and uncouple the trailer carefully. If youdo not couple the trailer to the towing vehicle
correctly, the trailer could become detached.
When towing atrailer, your vehicle's handling
characteristics will be different from when driv-
ing without atrailer.
The vehicle/trailer combination:
R is heavier
R is restricted in its acceleration and gradient-
climbing capability
R has an increased braking distance
R is affected more by stron gcrosswinds
R demands more sensitiv esteering
R has alarger turnin gcircle This can impair the vehicle's handling charac-
teristics. Adapt your driving style accordingly.
Maintain asafe distance. Drive carefully.
When towing atrailer, alway sadjust your speed
to the current road and weather conditions. Do
not exceed the maximum permissible speed for
your vehicle/trailer combination. Notes on to
wingatrailer
General notes When towing
atrailer, set the tyre pressure on
the rear axle of the towing vehicle for amaxi-
mum load. Further information on the tyre pres-
sure table in the fuel filler flap (Y page 109).
The height of the ball coupling changes with the load of the vehicle. If necessary, use atrailer
with aheight-adjustable drawbar.
You will find permissible trailer loads under
"Technical data" (Y page 256).
Driving tips X
Observe the information on ESP ®
trailer sta-
bilisation (Y page 55).
X On long and steep downhill gradients, select
shift range 1,2or 3(Y page 105) in good time.
X If necessary, shift the transfer case to LOW
RANGE (Ypage 124).
This will use the braking effect of the engine, so less braking will be required to maintain
the vehicle speed. This relieves the load on
the brake system and prevents the brakes
from overheating and wearing too quickly. If
you need additional braking, depress the
brake pedal repeatedly rather than continu-
ously.
The maximum permissible speed for vehicle/
trailer combinations depends on the type of
trailer. Before beginnin gthe journey, check the
trailer's documents to see what the maximum
permitted speed is. Observe the maximum per-
missible speed in the relevant country.
For certain Mercedes-Benz vehicles, the maxi-
mum permissibler ear axle load is increased
when towing atrailer. See the "Technical data"
section to find out whether this applies to your
vehicle (Y page 256). In the event of increased
rear axle load, the car/trailer combination may
not exceed amaximum speed of 100 km/h for
reasons concerning the operating permit. This 128
Towing
atrailerDriving and parking

Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Operating th eintegrated information systems
and communications equipment in the vehicle
while driving willd istract you from traffic con-
ditions. You coul dthen lose control of the
vehicle. There is arisk of an accident.
Only operate these devices if road traffic con-
ditions permit. If you are unsure about the
surrounding conditions, pullo ver toasafe
location and make entries only while the vehi-
cle is stationary.
You must observe the lega lrequirements for the
country in which you are currently driving when operating the on-board computer. G
WARNING
If the instrument cluster has failed or mal-
functioned, you may not recognise function
restrictions relevant to safety .The operating
safety of yourv ehiclemay be impaired .There
is ar isk of an accident.
Drive on carefully.H ave the vehiclechecked
at aq ualified specialist worksho pimmedi-
ately.
If the operating safety of yourv ehicleis
impaired ,park the vehicl esafel yass oon as pos-
sible. Contact aqualified specialist workshop.
! If
ab lackout lighting setting has been selec-
ted, the instrument cluster lighting is
switched off.
The instrument cluster and the display do not show any information.
The on-board computer show sonly display mes-
sage sorw arnings from certain systems on the
multifunction display.Y ou should therefore
make sure yourv ehicleiso perating safel yatall
times.
For an overview, see the instrument cluster illus-
tration (Y page26). Displays and operation
Instrument cluste
rlighting
The brightness control knob is locate donthe
botto mleftoft heinstrumen tcluster
(Y page 26).
X Turn th ebrightness control knob clockwise or
anti-clockwise.
i The ligh
tsensor on th einstrumen tcluster
automatically control sthe brightness of the
multifunction display.
In daylight, th edisplays in th einstrument
cluste rare no tlit. Re
vc ounter
! Do not drive in the overrevving range. Doing
so will damag ethe engine.
The red band in the rev counter indicates the
engine's overrevving range.
The fue lsuppl yisi nterrupted to protect the
engine when the red band is reached. Outside temperature display
You should pay specia lattention to road condi-
tion swhen temperatures are around freezing
point.
Bear in mind that the outside temperature dis-
play indicates the measured air temperature
and not the road surface temperature.
The outside temperature display is in the multi-
function display (Y page 133).
Changes in the outside temperature are dis-
played after ashort delay. Coolant temperatur
edisplay G
WARNING
If yo uopen the bonnet while the engine is
overheating or while there is afire in the
engine compartment, you coul dcome into
contact with hot gase sorother leaking ser-
vice products. There is adange rofinjury.
Allow an overheating engine to cool down
before opening the bonnet. If there is afire in Displays and operation
131On-boardcomputer and displays
Z

Engine compartment
Bonnet
Importan tsafety notes G
WARNING
An unlocked bonne tmay open up when the
vehicl eisinm otion and block yourv iew.There
is ar isk of an accident.
Never unlock the bonnet when driving. Before
every trip, ensure that the bonnet is locked. G
WARNING
When being opened and closed ,the bonnet
may suddenly fall into the closed position.
There is arisk of injury to persons in the range
of movement of the bonnet.
Open and close the bonnet only when nobody
is in the range of movement. G
WARNING
If you open the bonnet while the engine is
overheating or while there is afire in the
engine compartment, you coul dcome into
contact with hot gase sorother leaking ser-
vice products. There is adange rofinjury.
Allow an overheating engine to cool down
before opening the bonnet. If there is afire in
the engine compartment, leave the bonnet
closed and notify the fire brigade. G
WARNING
The ignitio nsystem and the fuel injection sys-
tem operate with ahigh voltage. If you touch
the live components, you coul dreceive an
electric shock. There is adange rofinjury.
Never touch components of the ignitio nsys-
tem or the fuel injection system when the
ignitio nisswitched on. G
WARNING
There are moving components in the engine
compartment. Certain components may con-
tinue to move or suddenly move again even
after the ignitio nhas been switched off, e.g.
the radiator fan. There is arisk of injury. If you have to carry out work in the engine
compartment:
R switch off the ignition
R never touch the dangerou sarea ssurround-
ing moving components, e.g. the rotation
area of the fan
R remove jewellery and watches
R keep items of clothing and hair, for exam-
ple, awayf rom moving parts.
Do not touch the diagnostics socket when the
ignition is switched on.
Openin gthe bonnet G
WARNING
Certain components in the engine compart-
ment could be very hot, e.g. the engine, the
radiator and parts of the exhaust system.
There is arisk of injury when accessing the
engine compartment.
As far as possible,a llow the engine to cool
downa nd only touch the components descri-
bed in the following. G
WARNING
When the bonnet is open, and the windscreen wipers are set in motion, you can be injured by
the wiper linkage. There is arisk of injury.
Always switch off the windscreen wipers and
the ignitio nbefore opening the bonnet.
! Make sure that the windscreen wipers are
not folde dawayfrom the windscreen. Other-
wise, you coul ddamage the windscreen wip-
ers or the bonnet. Engine compartment
211Maintenanceand care Z

The bonnet release lever is in the footwell on the
left-hand side of the vehicle when viewed in the
direction of travel.
X Make sure that the windscreen wipers are
switched off.
X Pull bonnet release lever :.
The bonnet is released. X
Lift the bonnet slightly.
X Push bonnet catch ;in the direction of the
arrow and lift the bonnet.
The bonnet is opened and held open auto-
matically by the gas-filled strut.
Closing the bonnet X
Lower the bonnet and let it fall from aheight
of approximately 20 cm.
X Check that the bonnet has engaged properly.
If the bonnet can be raiseds lightly, it is not
properl yengaged .Open it again and close it
with alittle more force. Radiator
Do not cover up the radiator. Do not use thermal mats, insect protection covers or anything sim-
ilar. Otherwise, the valuesoft he Europeanon-
board diagnostics may be affected .Some of
thes evalue sare required by la wand must
always be correct. Engine oil
Importan tsafety notes G
WARNING
Certain components in th eengine compart-
ment coul dbevery hot, e.g. the engine, the radiator and parts of the exhaust system.
There is
arisk of injury when accessing the
engine compartment.
As far as possible, allow the engine to cool
down and only touch the components descri- bed in the following. G
WARNING
There are moving components in the engine
compartment. Certain components may con-
tinue to move or suddenly move again even
after the ignitio nhas been switched off, e.g.
the radiator fan. There is arisk of injury.
If you have to carry out work in the engine
compartment:
R switch off the ignition
R never touch the dangerous area ssurround-
ing moving components, e.g. the rotation
area of the fan
R remove jewellery and watches
R keep items of clothing and hair, for exam-
ple,a wayfrom moving parts. G
WARNING
If engine oil comes into contact with hot com- ponents in the engine compartment, it may
ignite. There is arisk of fire and injury.
Make sure that engine oil does not spil lout
over the filler neck. Allow the engine to cool
downa nd thoroughly clea nthe components
that have come into contact with engine oil
before you start the engine. G
WARNING
If you open the bonnet while the engine is
overheating or while there is afire in the
engine compartment, you coul dcome into
contact with hot gase sorother leaking ser-
vice products. There is adange rofinjury.
Allow an overheating engine to cool down
before opening the bonnet. If there is afire in
the engine compartment, leave the bonnet
closed and notify the fire brigade. 212
Engine compartmentMaintenanc
eand care

The following cause engine failure or damage
to the exhaust system:
R Use of engine oils and oil filters that have
not been expressly approved for the service
system
R Replacement of engine oil and oil filter after
the replacement interval specified by the
service system has expired
R Use of engine oil additives
! Do not add too much oil. If the oil level is
above the "max" mark on the dipstick ,too
much oil has been added. This can lead to
damage to the engine or the catalytic con-
verter .Have excess oil siphoned off. H
Environmental note
When topping up the oil, take care not to spill
any. If oil enters the soil or waterways, it is
harmful to the environment. X
Turn cap :anti-clockwise and remove it.
X Top up with the amount of engine oil required.
Observe the specification sinthe on-board com-
puter when doing so or fill carefully to the max- imum mark on the oil dipstick.
The differenc ebetween the minimum mark and
the maximum mark on the oil dipstick is approx- imately 2.0 litres.
X Replace cap :on the filler neck and turn
clockwise.
Make sure that the cap locks securely into
place.
For further information on engine oil, see
(Y page 252). Other service products
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Certain components in the engin ecompart-
ment coul dbevery hot, e.g. the engine, the
radiator and parts of the exhaust system.
There is arisk of injury when accessing the
engine compartment.
As far as possible,a llow the engine to cool
downa nd only touch the components descri-
bed in the following. G
WARNING
There are moving components in the engine
compartment. Certain components may con-
tinue to move or suddenly move again even
after the ignitio nhas been switched off, e.g.
the radiator fan. There is arisk of injury.
If you have to carry out work in the engine
compartment:
R switch off the ignition
R never touch the dangerous area ssurround-
ing moving components, e.g. the rotation
area of the fan
R remove jewellery and watches
R keep items of clothing and hair, for exam-
ple,a wayfrom moving parts. G
WARNING
The cooling system is pressurised ,particu-
larl yw hen the engine is warm .Ifyou open the
cap, you coul dbescalded if hot coolant
sprays out. There is arisk of injury.
Let the engine cool downb efore you open the
cap. Wearg lovesand eye protection. Open
the cap slowly to release the pressure. G
WARNING
If you open the bonnet while the engine is
overheating or while there is afire in the
engine compartment, you coul dcome into
contact with hot gase sorother leaking ser-
vice products. There is adange rofinjury. 214
Engine compartmentMaintenanc
eand care

Allow an overheating engine to coo
ldown
before opening the bonnet. If ther eisafirein
the engine compartment, leav ethe bonnet
closed and notify the fir ebrigade.
Checkin gthe coolant level Example: checking the coolant level
X Park the vehicl eonalevel surface.
Check the coolant level onl yifthe vehicl eis
on alevel surface and the engine ha scooled
down.
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition lock
(Y page 96).
X Check the coolant temperatur edisplay in the
instrument cluster.
The coolant temperatur emustbeb elow
70 †.
X Slowl yturnc ap : half aturna nti-clockwise
and allo wexcess pressure to escape.
X Turn cap :furthe ranti-clockwise and
remove it.
If the coolant is at the level of marker bar =
in the fille rneck when cold, there is enough
coolant in coolant expansio ntank ;.
If the coolant level is approximately 1.5 cm
above marker bar =in the fille rneck when
warm, there is enoug hcoolant in coolant
expansio ntank ;.
X If necessary ,top up with coolant tha thas
been teste dand approved by Mercedes-Benz.
X Replace cap :and tur nitclockwise as fa ras
it will go.
Furthe rinformatio noncoolant (Y page 253). Topping up the windscreen washe
rsys-
tem/headlamp cleanin gsystem G
WARNING
If wind screen washer concentrate comes into
contact with hot components of the engine or
the exhaust system, it can ignite. There is a
risk of fire and injury.
Make sure the windscreen washer concen-
trate does not come into contact with the filler neck. Example: topping up the windscreen washer
system
X To open: pull cap:upwards by the tab and
open.
X Top up with the premixed washe rfluid.
X To close: press cap :onto the fille rneck
unti lite ngages.
The washe rfluid reservoi risusedf or both the
windscree nwashe rs ystem and the headlamp
cleaning system.
If the washe rfluid level drops belo wthe recom-
mended minimu mof3.5 litres ,amessage
appear sinthe multifunctio ndisplay prompting
yo utot op up the washe rfluid (Y page 154).
Furthe rinformatio nonwashe rfluid
(Y page 254). Service
ASSYST service interval display
Service messages Yo
uc an obtain up-to-dat einformation concern-
ing the servicin gofyour vehicle from aqualified
specialis tworkshop, e.g. aMercedes-Ben zSer-
vice Centre. Service
215Maintenance and care Z

i
If the engine oils listed on the table are not
available, you may top up with the following
engine oils until the next oil change:
R MB-Freigabe or MB-Approval 229.3, 229.5
or ACEA C3
It may be used only once and the topping-up
quantity must not exceed 1.0 l.
Fillin gcapaciti es Th
ef ollowing values refer to an oil change,
including the oil filter. Model Replacement
amount G3
50dPROFESSIONAL 12.5 l
Ad
diti ves !
Do not use any additives wit
hthe engine oil.
This could damage the engine. Brake fluid
G
WARNING
The brake fluid continuously absorbs mois-
ture from the air. This results in the boiling
point of the brake fluid lowering. If the boiling
point of the brake fluid is too low, vapour
pockets may form when the brakes are sub-
jected to aheavy load. This would impair brak-
ing efficiency. There is arisk of an accident.
Have the brake flui drenewe datthe prescri-
bed intervals.
Comply with the important safety notes for ser- vice products when handling brake fluid
(Y page2 50).
Only use brake flui dapproved by Mercedes-
Benz according to MB-Freigabe or MB-Approval
331.0.
Information about approved brake flui dcan be
obtained at any qualified specialist worksho por
on the Internet at
http://bevo.mercedes-benz.com.
i Have the brake flui
dregularl yreplaced at a
qualified specialist worksho pinaccordance
with the replacement interval sand the
replacement confirmed in the service report. Coolant
Im portant safety notes G
WARNING
If antifreeze come sinto contact with hot com-
ponents in the engine compartment, it may
ignite. There is arisk of fire and injury.
Let the engine cool downb efore you top up
the antifreeze .Make sure that antifreeze is
not spilled next to the filler neck. Thoroughly
clea nthe antifreeze from components before
starting the engine.
! Only add coolant that has been premixed
with the desired antifreeze protection. You
coul dotherwise damage the engine.
Further information on coolants can be found in the Mercedes-Benz Specifications for Ser-
vice Products, MB Specifications for Service
Products 310.1, e.g. on the Internet at
http://bevo.mercedes-benz.com .Orcontact
aq ualified specialist workshop.
! Always use
asuitable coolant mixture, even
in countries where high temperatures prevail.
Otherwise, the engine cooling system is not
sufficiently protected from corrosio nand
overheating.
i Have the coolant regularl
yreplaced at a
qualified specialist worksho pand the replace-
ment confirmed in the service report.
Comply with the important safety notes for ser- vice products when handling coolant
(Y page2 50).
The coolant is amixture of water and anti-
freeze/anti-corrosion additive. It is responsible
for the following:
R anti-corrosion protection
R antifreeze protection
R raising the boiling point
If antifreeze/corrosio ninhibitor is present in the
correct concentration, the boiling point of the
coolant willbea round 130 †. Service products and capacities
253Technical data Z