Practical hints MERCEDES-BENZ E350 2006 W211 Service Manual

400 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
2
Brake wear
Visit workshop
The brake pads have reached their wear
limit.

Brake pad thickness must be visually
inspected at the intervals specified in
the Maintenance Booklet.

Have the brake pads replaced as soon
as possible.
T
Reduced braking power
Depress brake
pedal fully
The electrohydraulic brake system is in
emergency operation mode. Consider-
ably greater brake pedal force is required
and the stopping distance is increased.
The maximum speed is limited to 55 mph
(90 km / h).

Do not drive any further.

Stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe
to do so and notify an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

Prevent the vehicle from rolling away
by blocking the wheels with wheel
chocks or other sizable objects.

Call for Roadside Assistance.
(USA only);(Canada only)3
Reduced braking power
Start engine
The battery has insufficient voltage and
cannot supply sufficient power to the
electrohydraulic brake system.

Start the engine (
page 50).
The message disappears when suffi-
cient voltage is available.
!Brake pad thickness must be visually
inspected by a qualified technician at
the intervals specified in the
Maintenance Booklet.

401 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
(USA only);(Canada only)3
Reduced braking power
Visit workshop
The electrohydraulic brake system is in
emergency operation mode. Consider-
able brake pedal force is required and the
stopping distance is increased.

Continue driving with added caution.

Adjust driving to be consistent with
reduced braking responsiveness.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center as soon as possible.
Service brake
Visit workshop
There are malfunctions, but the electro-
hydraulic brake system is operating nor-
mally.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center as soon as possible.
Brake overheated
Drive on, but with
even greater care
The brake system is overheated due to an
excessive load on the brakes.

Relieve the load on the brake system.

Drive more smoothly and think ahead
to avoid unnecessary braking.

When driving down slopes, shift into a
lower gear to use the engine’s braking
power (
page 190).

Cautiously continue driving so that
the air stream will cool down the
brakes.
Release parking
brake
You are driving with the parking brake
set.

Release the parking brake
(page 53).

402 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
(USA only);(Canada only)3
Brake fluid
Visit workshop
There is insufficient brake fluid in the
reservoir.

Risk of accident! Stop the vehicle in a
safe location as soon as it is safe to do
so and notify an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center. Do not add
brake fluid! This will not solve the
problem.
Warning!
G
Driving with the message
Brake fluid
Visit workshop
displayed can result in an
accident. Have your brake system checked
immediately.
If there is a malfunction in the electrohy-
draulic brake system, we recommend that
the vehicle be transported with all wheels
off the ground using flatbed or appropriate
wheel lift/dolly equipment.
A tow bar must be used if circumstances do
not permit the use of the recommended
towing methods and the vehicle requires
towing with all four wheels on the ground.
Towing the vehicle with all four wheels on
the ground is only permissible for distances
u p t o 3 0 m i l e s ( 5 0 k m ) a n d a t a s p e e d n o t t o
exceed 30 mph (50 km / h). For more infor-
mation, refer to “Towing the vehicle”
(page 457).
If the electrohydraulic brake system enters
its emergency operation mode, the driver
must apply significantly greater brake pedal
pressure and depress the pedal much fur-
ther than normal to obtain braking effect. If
necessary, apply full pressure to the brake
pedal. Brakes may only be applied to the
front wheels. Stopping distance is in-
creased!
Do not add brake fluid before checking the
brake system. Overfilling the brake fluid res-
ervoir can result in spilling brake fluid on hot
engine parts and the brake fluid catching
fire. You can be seriously burned.!If you find that the brake fluid in the
brake fluid reservoir has fallen to the
minimum mark or below, have the
brake system checked for brake pad
thickness and leaks.

403 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
ú
(USA only)
±
(Canada only)
Engine
Service
There may be a malfunction in the:

fuel injection system


ignition system (Gasoline engine)


exhaust system


fuel system

Have the measuring system checked
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
B
Coolant
Check level
The coolant level is too low.

Add coolant (
page 325).

If you have to add coolant frequently,
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.

404 Practical hintsWhat to do if …
During severe operation conditions and
stop-and-go city traffic, the coolant tem-
perature may rise close to 248°F (120°C).
Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Ï
Coolant
Stop, engine off
The coolant is too hot.

Stop the vehicle in a safe location or
as soon as it is safe to do so.

Only start the engine again after the
message disappears. You could other-
wise damage the engine.
Warning!
G
Driving when your engine is badly overheat-
ed can cause some fluids which may have
leaked into the engine compartment to
catch fire. You could be seriously burned.
Steam from an overheated engine can cause
serious burns and can occur just by opening
the engine hood. Stay away from the engine
if you see or hear steam coming from it.
Turn off the engine, get out of the vehicle
and do not stand near the vehicle until the
engine has cooled down.
!The engine should not be operated with
the coolant temperature above 248°F
(120°C). Doing so may cause serious
damage which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

405 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Ï
Coolant
Stop, engine off
The poly-V-belt could be broken.

Stop the vehicle in a safe location or as soon
as it is safe to do so and immediately turn
off the engine.

Check the poly-V-belt.
If it is broken:

Do not continue to drive. Otherwise the en-
gine will overheat due to an inoperative wa-
ter pump which may result in damage to the
engine. Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
If it is intact:

Do not continue to drive the vehicle with
this message displayed. Doing so could re-
sult in serious engine damage that is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Warranty.

Drive immediately to the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Coolant
Visit workshop
The cooling fan for the coolant is malfunc-
tioning.

Observe the coolant temperature display.

Have the fan replaced as soon as possible.

406 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
G
Display malfunction
Visit workshop
The displays for several systems have
malfunctioned. Some systems them-
selves may also have malfunctioned.

Continue driving with added caution.
When the display is malfunctioning,
warnings and malfunction messages
might not be displayed.

Have the electronic systems checked
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
±
Display malfunction
Visit workshop
Certain electronic systems are unable to
relay information to the control system.
The following systems may have failed:

Coolant temperature display


Tachometer


Cruise control display

Have the electronic systems checked
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
J

Doors open
You are attempting to drive with one or
more doors open.

Close the doors.

407 Practical hints
What to do if …
When the message
Add 1 Qt.

(Canada:
1 Liter
) engine oil at next
refueling
(E320CDI, E500, E55AMG)
or
Check oil level at next refueling

(E 350) appears while the engine is run-
ning and at operating temperature, the en-
gine oil level has dropped to approximately
the minimum level.When this occurs, the warning will first
come on intermittently and then stay on if
the oil level drops further.
Visually check for oil leaks. If no obvious oil
leaks are noted, drive to the nearest ser-
vice station where the engine oil should be
topped to the required level with an ap-
proved oil specified in the Factory Ap-
proved Service Products pamphlet.
Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
:
USA only:Add 1 Qt. engine oil
at next refuelingCanada only:Add 1 Liter engine oil
at next refueling
E 320 CDI, E 500, E 55 AMG only:
The engine oil level is too low.

Check the engine oil level
(page 321) and add engine oil as re-
quired (
page 323).

If you must add engine oil frequently,
have the engine checked for possible
leaks.
Check oil level
at next refueling
E 350 only:
The engine oil has dropped to a critical
level.

Check the engine oil level
(page 322) and add oil as required
(page 323).

If you must add engine oil frequently,
have the engine checked for possible
leaks.!The engine oil level warnings should
not be ignored. Extended driving with
the symbol displayed could result in
serious engine damage that is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.

408 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
:
Engine oil level
Stop, engine off
E 320 CDI, E 500, E 55 AMG only:
There is no oil in the engine. There is a
danger of engine damage.

Carefully bring the vehicle to a halt as
soon as possible.

Turn off the engine.

Add engine oil (
page 323) and
check the engine oil level
(
page 321).
Engine oil level
Visit workshop
E 320 CDI, E 500, E 55 AMG only:
The engine oil has dropped to a critical
level.

Check the engine oil level
(page 322) and add oil as required
(page 323).

If you must add engine oil frequently,
have the engine checked for possible
leaks.
Change engine oil
Visit workshop
E 320 CDI, E 500, E 55 AMG only:
It may be that there is water in the engine
oil.

Have the engine oil and the cooling
system checked.

409 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display symbol
Display messages
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
:
Engine oil level
Reduce oil level
E 320 CDI, E 500, E 55 AMG only:
You have added too much engine oil.
There is a risk of damaging:

the engine


the catalytic converter

Have oil siphoned or drained off. Ob-
serve all legal requirements with re-
spect to its disposal.
Oil sensor malfunction
Visit workshop
E 320 CDI, E 500, E 55 AMG only:
The measuring system is malfunctioning.

Have the measuring system checked
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Change engine oil
Visit workshop
E 320 CDI, E 500, E 55 AMG only:
It may be that there is water in the engine
oil.

Have the engine oil and the cooling
system checked.