MERCEDES-BENZ G55AMG 2003 W463 Owner's Manual

141 Controls in detail
Transfer case
Transfer case
More information on off-road driving can
be found in the “Operation” section
(page 203).
Gear range
Switching transfer case
The switch is located in the center console.1Transfer case indicator
2Gear range indicator
Transfer case indicator1 in the multifunc-
tion display shows the gear position of the
transfer case.
Switching from HIGH to LOW
H
HIGHRoad position
L
LOWOff-road position
This position is intended for
driving off-road and step gradi-
ents.
The transmission will not up-
shift automatically to the next
higher gear range when driving
at the rpm limit.The transfer case supports the
engine’s driving force (approx.
½ speed). Output is therefore
increased.
N
NeutralNo power is transmitted from
the engine to the drive axle.
!The shift procedure can only be per-
formed when:

The engine is running.


The selector lever for the automatic
transmission is in positionN.


The vehicle speed does not exceed
25 mph (40 km/h).

142 Controls in detailTransfer case
Press upper half1 (“LOW”) of the
transfer case switch.
Once the shift is complete, gear
positionL is displayed in the transfer
case indicator.

Put gear selector in D.
Switching from LOW to HIGH

Press lower half2 (“HIGH”) of the
transfer case switch.
Once the shift is complete, gear
positionH is displayed in the transfer
case indicator.

Put gear selector in D.
Messages in the multifunction display
If a shift was not completed and the multi-
function display shows one of the following
messages:


TC SHIFT CONDITIONS NOT FULFILLEDThe shift does not occur. At least one
shift condition was not met.

Repeat the shift procedure.


TC IN NEUTRAL The shift does not occur. The transfer
case is in neutral. The gear positionN
is displayed in the transfer case
indicator1.

Repeat the shift procedure.


TC SHIFT – CANCELLEDThe shift did not take place.

Repeat the shift procedure.


TRANSFER CASE – VISIT WORKSHOP!There is a malfunction in the system.

Have the vehicle checked at your au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center as soon as possible.
More information can be found in the
“Practical hints” section (
page 266).
!The shift procedure can only be per-
formed when:

The engine is running.


The selector lever for the automatic
transmission is in positionN.


The vehicle speed does not exceed
40 mph (70 km/h).
Warning!
G
If TC is in neutral, transmission positionP
will not hold vehicle. The parking brake must
be applied to hold vehicle in place.
iIf the SmartKey is in starter switch
position0 or1, an alarm will sound if
the transfer case is in positionN and
the driver’s door is opened.
Engage transfer case to gear position
HIGH or LOW.

143 Controls in detail
Differential locks
Differential locks
Information on off-road driving is found in
the “Operation” section (
page 203).
Differential locks improve the vehicle’s
tractive power off-road. Switch differential
locks on:


for off-road driving


to turn the ABS off during off-road driv-
ing


for driving through water


when driving on deep snow and icy or
fouled surfaces!Do not engage the front axle differen-
tial lock when driving around tight cor-
ners. This restricts steering ability.
!When driving off-road, apply only mod-
erate pressure to the accelerator pedal
if the differential locks are switched on.
When running on a (single-axle) dyna-
mometer – no matter how briefly – you
must:

raise the non-driven axle
or


disconnect its drive shaft
and


engage the transfer differential lock
Otherwise the transfer case can be
damaged, which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G
Never drive on pavement with differential
locks engaged.
Steering control will be strongly affected
with the differential locks activated.
The ABS, BAS and ESP are switched off au-
tomatically when the transfer case differen-
tial lock is activated.

144 Controls in detailDifferential locksA few words about differentials and dif-ferential locks
When a vehicle negotiates a turn, wheels
on the outside of the curve must travel far-
ther and rotate faster than the inside
wheels. The differential, the operation of a
set of gears that allows the powered
wheels in a vehicle to turn at different
speeds, make this essential function possi-
ble.
The drawback is that the differential also
sends most of the engine's power to the
wheel with the least load or strain on it. For
example, if one of a vehicle's powered
wheels sits on a patch of snow and spins
because there is no traction, all of the en-
gine's power will go to that wheel because
the power will take the path of least resis-
tance. Meanwhile, the opposite wheel, sit-
ting on dry pavement where it could get
enough grip to start the vehicle moving,
sits idle because it receives no power.The Electronic Traction System (ETS) ad-
dresses this problem and provides for
good control and steering ability by auto-
matically slowing the slipping wheel and
thus increasing the power to the other
non-slipping drive wheels to get the vehicle
moving. The ESP and ETS in this vehicle
feature such intelligent limited-slip differ-
ential technology, ideally suited for
on-road and light off-road driving. Transfer
case position LOW (
page 141) also en-
hances off-road driving capabilities
(
page 203).
More extreme off-road conditions may call
for another solution, engaging a differen-
tial lock or preventing the differential from
operating altogether. As part of its stan-
dard equipment, this vehicle comes with
three differential locks: front, transfer case
(center) and rear. Each can be engaged
simply by pushing dashboard-mounted
buttons in sequential order (center, rear,
front) (
page 145). When the transfer
case (center) differential is locked, half of
the engine's power is automatically distrib-
uted to the front wheels and half to the rear wheels. When the rear differential is
locked, power going to the rear wheels is
equally distributed, so that both rear
wheels turn at the same speed and torque.
When the front differential is locked, all
four wheels now turn with equal power and
torque. Please be aware that engaging the
differential locks will significantly reduce
the steering ability of the vehicle.
For your safety and the safety of others
and to prevent damage to the vehicle, the
differential locks must not be engaged
when driving on paved roads. It is impor-
tant to understand that during
on-road/paved driving, differentials are
absolutely necessary for providing the es-
sential control and steering ability of the
vehicle. The differential locks, therefore,
must not be engaged when driving on
paved roads and should only be used to
the extent necessary to negotiate off-road
conditions which can not be handled by
the systems (automatic 4-ETS, the ESP,
manual switch position “LOW” of transfer
case) this vehicle comes equipped with.

145 Controls in detail
Differential locks
Switching differential locks on and off
The switch is located in the center console.
1Transfer case (center) differential lock
2Rear axle differential lock
3Front differential lock
4Engagement indicator lamps (yellow)
5Function indicator lamps (red)Switching differential locks on
Transfer case differential lock

Press switch1.
The yellow engagement indicator lamp
for the transfer case differential lock
lights up.
The
v
warning lamp lights up.
When the differential lock engagement
operation has been completed, the red
function indicator lamp lights up.The message
ABS NOT AVAILABLE –
DIFFERENTIAL LOCKED
appears in the
multifunction display.
The
v
and
-
warning lamps in
the instrument cluster come on.
Once the transfer case differential lock
is switched on, you can now, if needed,


switch on rear axle differential
lock2
or


switch on rear axle differential lock
and front differential lock 2 and 3.
iThe differential locks can only be
switched on in the sequence 1, 2, 3.
!To avoid damage to the transfer case
and differential locks:

Engage differential locks only at low
speed (walking speed, not more
than 5 mph)


Do not engage differential locks if
the driving wheels are spinning


Do not engage on paved roads.

146 Controls in detailDifferential locksRear axle differential lock
Press switch2.
The yellow engagement indicator lamp
lights up first, followed by the red func-
tion indicator lamp.
The rear axle differential lock is
switched on.
Front differential lock

Press switch 3.
The yellow engagement indicator lamp
lights up first, followed by the red func-
tion indicator lamp.
The front differential lock is switched
on. Switching differential locks off
There are two different methods to disen-
gage differential locks:


You can switch the differential locks off
in reverse order (3, 2, 1).


To switch off all differential locks at the
same time:
Press switch1.
The yellow engagement indicator
lamps go out first. The red function
indicator lamps go out when the
switching process has been carried
out in the differential.To activate the ESP, BAS and ABS systems,
drive again for three seconds using a con-
stant driving style.
All messages in the multifunction display
disappear. The
v
and
-
warning
lamps in the instrument cluster go out.
iIf the function lamps do not go out
when the differential locks are disen-
gaged, bring vehicle to a stop and then
continue driving. Changing the vehicle
load can help to disengage locks. Warning!
G
Always remember to disengage the differen-
tial locks when returning to drive on paved
roads, see “A few words about differentials
and differential locks” (
page 144).

147 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Good visibility
Information on the windshield wipers
(page 47) and for setting the rear view
mirrors (
page 38) is found in the “Get-
ting started” section.
Rear view mirror
Automatic antiglare rear view mirror
The reflection brightness of the inside rear
view mirror will respond automatically to
glare when

the ignition is switched on, and


incoming light from headlamps falls on
the sensor in the inside rear view mir-
ror
The rear view mirror will not react if


reverse gear is engaged


the interior lighting is turned on
Warning!
G
The automatic antiglare function does not
react if incoming light is not aimed directly
at sensors in the inside rear view mirror.
The inside rear view mirror does not react,
for example, if the cargo area is fully loaded.
Glare can endanger you and others.Warning!
G
Exercise care when using the passenger
side exterior rear view mirror. The mirror
surface is convex (outwardly curved surface
for a wider field of view). Objects in mirror
are closer than they appear. Check your in-
side rear view mirror or glance over your
shoulder before changing lanes.
Warning!
G
In the case of an accident, liquid electrolyte
may escape from the mirror housing if the
mirror glass breaks.
Electrolyte has an irritating effect. Do not al-
low the liquid to come into contact with
eyes, skin, clothing, or the respiratory sys-
tem. In case it does, immediately flush af-
fected area with water, and seek medical
help if necessary.

148 Controls in detailGood visibilityActivating exterior rear view mirror
parking position
Follow these steps to activate the mirror
parking position so that the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror will be
turned downward to the stored position.
Make sure you stored a parking posi-
tion for the passenger-side exterior
rear view mirror (
page 99).

Make sure that the
MIRROR SETTING
WHEN PARKING
function, found under
the
CONVENIENCE
submenu in the con-
trol system, is switched on
(
page 130).

Switch on ignition.

Press button3 (
page 38) for the pas-
senger-side exterior rear view mirror.

Place the gear selector lever in reverse
gear R.
The passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror will be turned downward to the
stored position.The exterior rear view mirror returns to its
previously stored driving position:


10 seconds after you put the gear se-
lector lever out of position R


immediately once you exceed a vehicle
speed of approx. 6 mph (10 km/h)


immediately when you press the button
for driver’s side mirror (
page 38)
Headlamp cleaning system
The switch is located to the left of the
steering column.
1Headlamp washer switch
Switch on ignition.

Press switch1.
The headlamps will be cleaned with a
high-pressure water jet.

149 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Sun visors
The sun visors protect you from sun glare
while driving.
1Sun visor
2Mounting

Swing sun visors 1 down to protect
against sun glare.

If sunlight enters through a side win-
dow, disengage visor 1 from inner
mounting 2 and pivot it to the side.3Mirror cover
4Mirror lamp

Make sure that the ignition is switched
on and that the sun visor is engaged in
mounting 2.

Open mirror cover3.
Mirror lamp4 switches on.
Warning!
G
Do not use the vanity mirror while driving.
Keep the mirrors in the sun visors closed
while vehicle is in motion. Reflected glare
can endanger you and others.

150 Controls in detailClimate control
Climate control