engine coolant MERCEDES-BENZ R63AMG 2007 R171 User Guide

362 Operation
At the gas station
Low outside temperatures
(diesel engine)
To prevent malfunctions, diesel fuel with
improved cold flow characteristics is of-
fered in the winter months. Check with
your fuel retailer.Check regularly and before a long trip
Open the hood (page 364).
1Coolant level
2Brake fluid
3Windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning system*Engine oil level
For more information on engine oil, see
“Engine oil” (page 366).
Coolant
For normal replenishing, use water (pota-
ble water quality). For more information,
see “Coolant level” (
page 370) and
“Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.”
(
page 538).
Brake fluid
!Do not fill the tank with gasoline. Do not
blend diesel fuel with gasoline or kerosine. The
fuel system and engine will otherwise be dam-
aged, which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
!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 immediately. Contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center
immediately. Do not add brake fluid as this will
not solve the problem. For more information, see
“Brake fluid” (
page 541).

364 Operation
Engine compartment
Hood
Opening
Warning!G
Do not pull the release lever while the vehi-
cle is in motion. Otherwise the hood could
be forced open by passing air flow.
This could cause the hood to come loose
and injure you and/or others.
Warning!G
If you see flames or smoke coming from the
engine compartment, or if the coolant tem-
perature gauge indicates that the engine is
overheated, do not open the hood. Move
away from the vehicle and do not open the
hood until the engine has cooled.
If necessary, call the fire department.
Warning!G
You could be injured when the hood is open
– even when the engine is turned off.
Parts of the engine can become very hot. To
prevent burns, only touch owner serviceable
components described in the Operator's
Manual and comply with all relevant safety
precautions.
Warning!G
To help prevent personal injury, stay clear of
moving parts when the hood is open and the
engine is running.
The radiator fan may continue to run for
approximately 30 seconds or may even re-
start after the engine has been turned off.
Stay clear of fan blades.
Warning!G
Vehicles with gasoline engine:
The engine is equipped with a transistor-
ized ignition system. Because of the high
voltage it is dangerous to touch any compo-
nents (ignition coils, spark plug sockets,
diagnostic socket) of the ignition system

with the engine running

while starting the engine

if ignition is “on” and the engine is
turned manually

370 Operation
Engine compartment
Unscrew filler cap1 from filler neck.
Add engine oil as required. Be careful
not to overfill with oil.
Be careful not to spill any oil when adding.
Avoid environmental damage caused by oil
entering the ground or water.
Screw filler cap1 back on filler neck.
For more information on engine oil, see
“Technical data” section (
page 538) and
(
page 540).
Transmission fluid level
The transmission fluid level does not need
to be checked. If you notice transmission
fluid loss or gear shifting malfunctions,
have an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center check the automatic trans-
mission.Coolant 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.
!Excess oil must be siphoned or drained off.
It could cause damage to the engine or
emission control system not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.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 gauge indi-
cates that the coolant is overheated.

Do not remove pressure cap on coolant
reservoir if coolant temperature is
above 158°F (70°C). Allow engine to
cool down before removing cap. The
coolant reservoir contains hot fluid and
is under pressure.

371 Operation
Engine compartment
The coolant expansion tank is located on
the passenger side of the engine compart-
ment.
1Cap
2Coolant expansion tank
3Indicator wall
4Coolant levelUsing a rag, turn cap 1 slowly approx-
imately one half turn counterclockwise
to release any excess pressure.
Continue turning cap 1 counterclock-
wise and remove it.
Coolant level 4 is correct if the level:

for cold coolant: reaches the top of
indicator wall 3 visible through the
filling opening

for warm coolant: is approximately
0.6 in (1.5 cm) higher
Add coolant as required.
Replace and tighten cap 1.
For more information on coolant, see
“Coolants” (
page 543).

Using a rag, slowly open the cap approx-
imately 1/2turn 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.

455 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display symbolDisplay messagePossible cause/consequencePossible solution
•Coolant level
Stop car, switch engine
offThe coolant is too hot.
Among other possible causes
(the cooling fan could be
malfunctioning), the poly-V-belt
could be broken.Stop the vehicle in a safe location or
as soon as it is safe to do so.
Turn off the engine.
Apply the parking brake (page 66).
Check the poly-V-belt.
If it is broken:
Do not continue to drive. Otherwise
the engine will overheat due to an
inoperative water pump which may
result in damage to the engine.
Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
If it is intact:
Wait for the message to disappear
before restarting the engine.
Doing otherwise could result in seri-
ous engine damage that is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
(Continued on next page)

456 Practical hints
What 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 symbolDisplay messagePossible cause/consequencePossible solution
Observe the coolant temperature in the
multifunction display (
page 166).
If the temperature rises again:
Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center
immediately.
Warning!G
Driving when your engine is overheated 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.

457 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display symbolDisplay messagePossible cause/consequencePossible solution
B Top up coolant
See Oper. ManualThe coolant level is too low.Add coolant (page 370).
If you have to add coolant frequently,
have the cooling system checked by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
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 could 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 engine damage.

523 Technical data
Parts service
Warranty coverage
Identification labels
Layout of poly-V-belt drive
Engine
Rims and tires
Electrical system
Main Dimensions
Weights
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.

538 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Capacities
Vehicle components and their respective
lubricants must match. Therefore use only
products tested and approved by
Mercedes Benz.
Please refer to the Factory Approved
Service Products pamphlet, or inquire at
your Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
Warning!G
Comply with all valid regulations with re-
spect to handling, storing and disposing of
service fluids. Otherwise you could endan-
ger persons or the environment.
Keep service fluids out of the reach of chil-
dren.
If a service fluid is swallowed, contact a phy-
sician immediately.
ModelCapacityFuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Engine with oil filterR320CDI
R350
R500
R63AMG9.5 US qt (9.0 l)
8.5 US qt (8.0 l)
9.0 US qt (8.5 l)
10.1 US qt (9.6 l)Approved engine oils
Automatic transmission9.5 US qt (9.0 l)MB Automatic Transmission Fluid
Transfer case0.53 US qt (0.5 l)MB Automatic Transmission Fluid
Rear axle1.2 US qt (1.1 l)Hypoid gear oil
Front axle1.2 US qt (1.1 l)Hypoid gear oil

540 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Engine oils
Engine oils are specifically tested for their
suitability in our engines and durability for
our service intervals. Therefore, only use
approved engine oils and oil filters re-
quired for vehicles with Maintenance
System (U.S. vehicles) or FSS PLUS
(Canada vehicles). For a listing of approved
engine oils and oil filters, refer to the Fac-
tory Approved Service Products pamphlet,
or contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center.Engine oil additives
Do not blend oil additives with engine oil.
They may damage the engine.
Damage or malfunctions resulting from
blending oil additives are not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Air conditioning refrigerant
R-134a (HFC) refrigerant and special PAG
lubricating oil are used in the air condition-
ing system.
Never use R-12 (CFC) or mineral-based lu-
bricating oil. Otherwise damage to the
system will occur.
!Using engine oils and oil filters of
specification other than those expressly re-
quired for the Maintenance System
(U.S. vehicles) or FSS PLUS (Canada vehicles),
or changing of oil and oil filter at change intervals
longer than those called for by the Maintenance
System (U.S. vehicles) or FSS PLUS (Canada
vehicles) will result in engine or emission control
system damage not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Please follow Maintenance System
(U.S. vehicles) or FSS PLUS (Canada vehicles)
recommendations for scheduled oil changes.
Failure to do so could result in engine or
emission control system damage not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.