cooling MERCEDES-BENZ C240 4MATIC WAGON 2003 S203 Owner's Manual

50 Getting startedDrivingInterval wiping
Switching on
Press upper half1 of the switch.
Indicator lamp2 comes on.
Switching off

Press upper half1 of the switch again.
Indicator lamp2 goes out.
Simultaneous wiping and washing

Press and hold lower half3 of the
switch.
The wiper operates with washer fluid.
Problems while driving
The engine runs erratically and misfires

An ignition cable may be damaged.


The engine electronics may not be op-
erating properly.


Unburned gasoline may have entered
the catalytic converter and damaged it.

Give very little gas.

Have the problem repaired by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
The coolant temperature is over 248° F
(120° C)
The coolant is too hot and is no longer
cooling the engine.

Stop the vehicle as soon as possible
and turn off the engine. Allow engine
and coolant to cool.

Check the coolant level and add cool-
ant if necessary (
page 308).In case of accident
If the vehicle is leaking gasoline:

Do not start the engine under any cir-
cumstances.

Notify local fire and/or police authori-
ties.
If the extent of the damage cannot be de-
termined:

Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
If no damage can be determined on the


major assemblies


fuel system


engine mount

Start the engine in the usual manner.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 50 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

145 Controls in detail
Climate control
Climate control panel
The storage compartment between the
front seats can be ventilated (
page 150).
Information about “Rear passenger com-
partment adjustable air vents”
(
page 151).
Item
1
Air volume control for left center air
vent
2
Left center air vent, adjustable
3
Right center air vent, adjustable
4
Air volume control for right center
air vent
5
Air volume control for side air vent
6
Side air vent, adjustable
7
Side defroster vent, fixed
8
Climate control paneliFor draft-free ventilation, move the slid-
ers for the center air vents to the mid-
dle position.
Item
1
Air volume control
2
Left-side temperature control
3
Right-side temperature control
4
Air distribution control switch
5
Rear window defroster
6
AC cooling on/off (AC
OFF
)
7
Air distribution and air volume
(automatic)
8
Air recirculation
9
Defrosting
S203 MY03_A.book Page 145 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

146 Controls in detailClimate controlThe climate control is operational whenev-
er the engine is running. You can operate
the climate control system in either the au-
tomatic or manual mode. The system cools
or heats the interior depending on the se-
lected interior temperature and the cur-
rent outside temperature.
Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and
odors are filtered out before outside air en-
ters the passenger compartment through
the air distribution system.
The air conditioning will not engage (no
cooling) if the AC
OFF
mode is selected
(
page 150).
Setting the temperature
Use the temperature controls2 and3 to
separately adjust the air temperature on
each side of the passenger compartment.
You should raise or lower the temperature
setting in small increments, preferably
starting at 72°F (22°C).
Increasing
Turn the control slightly to the right.
The climate control system will corre-
spondingly adjust the interior air tem-
perature.
Decreasing

Turn the control slightly to the left.
The climate control system will corre-
spondingly adjust the interior air tem-
perature.
Warning!
G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling given on the following pag-
es. Otherwise the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you and
others.iIf the vehicle interior is hot, ventilate
the interior before driving off.
Keep the air intake grille in front of the
windshield free of snow and debris.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 146 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

150 Controls in detailClimate controlAir conditioning
The air conditioning is operational while
the engine is running and cools the interior
air to the temperature set by the operator.
Deactivating
It is possible to deactivate the air condi-
tioning (cooling) function of the climate
control system. The air in the vehicle will
then no longer be cooled or dehumidified.
Press buttonAC
OFF
(page 145).
The indicator lamp on the
buttonAC
OFF
lights up.Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air condition-
ing.

PressAC
OFF
again (
page 145).
The indicator lamp on the
buttonAC
OFF
goes out.
The air conditioning uses the refrigerant
R134a. This refrigerant is free of CFC’s
which are harmful to the ozone layer.
Ventilated storage compartment
The front center console storage compart-
ment has its own air vent that allows for
cooling ventilation when the automatic cli-
mate control system is activated.
1Lever
iCondensation may drip out from under-
neath the vehicle. This is normal and
not an indication of a malfunction.
!If the air conditioning cannot be turned
on again, this indicates that the air con-
ditioning is losing refrigerant. The com-
pressor has turned itself off.
Have the air conditioning checked at
the nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
iYou should keep this air vent closed
when outside temperatures are low.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 150 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

153 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
Automatic climate control panel
Item
1
Air volume control for left center air
vent
2
Left center air vent, adjustable
3
Thumbwheel for adding outside air
4
Right center air vent, adjustable
5
Air volume control for right center
air vent
6
Air volume control for side air vent
7
Side air vent, adjustable
8
Side defroster vent, fixed
9
Automatic climate control paneliFor draft-free ventilation, move the slid-
ers for the center air vents to the mid-
dle position.
Item
1
Temperature control, left, raising
2
Left-side air distribution (automatic
or manual operation)
3
Activated charcoal filter
4
Display
5
Right-side air distribution (automat-
ic or manual operation)
6
Temperature control, right, raising
7
Temperature control, right, lower-
ing
8
Rear window defroster
9
AC cooling on/off (AC
OFF
)
Residual heat/ventilation
10
Air volume control
11
Automatic climate control on/off
(complete system)
12
Air recirculation
13
Defrosting
14
Temperature control, left, lowering
S203 MY03_A.book Page 153 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

154 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control*The automatic climate control is operation-
al whenever the engine is running. You can
operate the climate control system in ei-
ther the automatic or manual mode. The
system cools or heats the interior depend-
ing on the selected interior temperature
and the current outside temperature.
Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and
odors are filtered out before outside air en-
ters the passenger compartment through
the air distribution system.
The air conditioning will not engage (no
cooling) if the economy mode AC
OFF
is se-
lected (
page 159).
Setting the temperature
Use temperature controls1 and14 for the
left side or6 and7 for the right side to
separately adjust the air temperature on
each side of the passenger compartment.
You should raise or lower the temperature
setting in small increments, preferably
starting at 72°F (22°C).Increasing

Push temperature control1 and/or6.
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.
Decreasing

Push temperature control14
and/or7.
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.
Adding outside air

Turn thumbwheel3 in dashboard
(page 153) to increase airflow of out-
side air through air vents for center, left
and right sides and rear passenger
compartment.
Warning!
G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling given on the following pag-
es. Otherwise the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you and
others.
iIf the vehicle interior is hot, ventilate
the interior before driving off.
Keep the air intake grille in front of the
windshield free of snow and debris.iWhen operating the climate control
system in automatic mode, you will
only rarely need to adjust the tempera-
ture, air volume and air distribution.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 154 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

156 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control*Maximum cooling MAXCOOL
If the left and right air distribution controls
as well as the airflow volume control are
set to
U
and there is a high need for
cooling, the display “AUTO MAXCOOL” ap-
pears.
This provides the fastest possible cooling
of the vehicle interior (when windows and
sliding/pop-up roof* are closed).
DefrostingActivating

Press button
P
(page 153).
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up.
or

Switch off air recirculation, if selected.

Press button
O
(page 153).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.

Close center air vents.

Adjust side air vents upwards.
Deactivating

Press button
P
(page 153).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. Defrosting is turned off.
Air recirculation mode
Switch to air recirculation mode to prevent
unpleasant odors from entering the vehicle
from the outside. This setting cuts off the
intake of outside air and recirculates the
air in the passenger compartment.
Activating
Press button
O
(page 153).
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up.
iThese settings should only be selected
for a short time.
Warning!
G
When the outside temperature is below
41°F (5°C), only switch to air recirculation
mode for short periods to prevent window
fogging.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 156 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

159 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
Air conditioning
The air conditioning is operational while
the engine is running and cools the interior
air to the temperature set by the operator.
Deactivating
It is possible to deactivate the air condi-
tioning (cooling) function of the automatic
climate control system. The air in the vehi-
cle will then no longer be cooled or dehu-
midified.
Press buttonAC
OFF
(page 153).
The indicator lamp on the
buttonAC
OFF
lights up.Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air condition-
ing.

PressAC
OFF
again (
page 153).
The indicator lamp on the
buttonAC
OFF
goes out.
The air conditioning uses the refrigerant
R134a. This refrigerant is free of CFCs
which are harmful to the ozone layer.
Residual heat and ventilation*
With the engine switched off, it is possible
to continue to heat or ventilate the interior
for up to 30 minutes. This feature makes
use of the residual heat produced by the
engine.
Activating
Turn the key in the starter switch to
position1 o r r e m o v e i t f r o m t h e s t a r t e r
switch.

Press button
T
(page 153).
The indicator lamp on button
T

comes on.
Deactivating

Press button
T
.
The indicator lamp on button
T

goes off.
iCondensation may drip out from under-
neath the vehicle. This is normal and
not an indication of a malfunction.
!If the air conditioning cannot be turned
on again, this indicates that the air con-
ditioning is losing refrigerant. The com-
pressor has turned itself off.
Have the air conditioning checked at
the nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 159 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

238 OperationEngine compartmentCoolant level
The engine coolant is a mixture of water
and anticorrosion/antifreeze. To check
the coolant level, the vehicle must be
parked on level ground and the engine
must be cool.
The coolant expansion tank is located on
the passenger side of the engine compart-
ment.
1Coolant expansion tank

Using a rag, turn the cap slowly approx-
imately one half turn to the left to re-
lease any excess pressure.

Continue turning the cap to the left and
remove it.
The coolant level is correct if the level

for cold coolant: reaches the black
top part of the reservoir


for warm coolant: is approx. 0.6 in
(1.5 cm) higher

Add coolant as required.

Replace and tighten cap.
More information on coolant can be found
in the “Technical data” section
(
page 334).
Warning!
G
In order to avoid any possibly serious burns:

Use extreme caution when opening the
hood if there are any signs of steam or
coolant leaking from the cooling system,
or if the coolant temperature display in-
dicates that the coolant is overheated.


Do not remove pressure cap on coolant
reservoir if engine temperature is above
194°F (90°C). Allow engine to cool
down before removing cap. The coolant
reservoir contains hot fluid and is under
pressure.


Using a rag, slowly open the cap approx-
imately ½ turn to relieve excess pres-
sure. If opened immediately, scalding
hot fluid and steam will be blown out un-
der pressure.


Do not spill antifreeze on hot engine
parts. Antifreeze contains ethylene gly-
col which may burn if it comes into con-
tact with hot engine parts.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 238 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

265 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display
Possible cause
Suggested solution
B
COOLANT
CHECK LEVEL!
The coolant level is too low.

Add coolant (
page 238).

If you have to add coolant frequent-
ly, have the cooling system
checked by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
Do not spill antifreeze on hot engine parts.
Antifreeze contains ethylene glycol which
may burn if it comes into contact with hot
engine parts. You can be seriously burned.
!Do not ignore the low engine coolant
level warning. Extended driving with
the message and symbol displayed
may cause serious engine damage not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
Do not drive without sufficient amount
of coolant in the cooling system. The
engine will overheat, causing major en-
gine damage.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 265 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM