engine oil MERCEDES-BENZ SL500 2005 R230 User Guide

275 Operation
Engine compartment
SL 65 AMG1Filler cap
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 the
“Technical data” section (
page 431) and
(
page 433).
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 Center
check the automatic transmission. Oil level in the ABC system
The oil level in the ABC system does not
need to be checked. If there is visible oil
loss or if malfunction messages appear in
the display, have an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center check the ABC
system.
!Excess oil must be siphoned or drained
off. It could cause damage to the
engine and catalytic converter not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.

314 OperationMaintenance
Resetting the maintenance service indicator
In the event that the maintenance service
on your vehicle is not carried out by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center, you can
have the maintenance service indicator re-
set. The automotive maintenance facility
carrying out the maintenance service will
find the information for resetting the main-
tenance service indicator in the mainte-
nance-relevant information for your
vehicle. Such information is available ei-
ther from an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center or directly from Mercedes-Benz.
iIf the battery supplying the vehicle’s
electrical consumers is disconnected,
the days of disconnection will not be in-
cluded in the count shown by the ser-
vice indicator. To arrive at the true
service deadline, you will need to sub-
tract these days from the days shown
in the service indicator.
Do not confuse the service indicator
with the engine oil level indicator :.
!If the maintenance service indicator
was inadvertently reset, have an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center correct it.
Only reset if the proper service has
been performed. Resetting the system
without performing proper service as
called for by the maintenance service
indicator will result in engine damage
not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.


355 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Suggested solution
:
USA only:Add 1 qt. engine oil
at next refuelingCanada only:Add 1 liter
engine oil
at next refueling
The engine oil level is too low.

Add engine oil (
page 274) and check the
engine oil level (page 272).
Engine oil level
Stop, put engine off
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 274) and check the
engine oil level (page 272).
Engine oil level
Reduce
oil level
You have added too much engine
oil. There is a risk of damaging the
engine or the catalytic converter.

Have excess oil siphoned or drained off. Ob-
serve all legal requirements with respect to its
disposal.

356 Practical hintsWhat to do if …When the message
Add 1 qt engine oil
at next refueling (Canada:
1l
) appears
while the engine is running and at
operating temperature, the engine 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.
If no oil leaks are noted, continue to drive
to the nearest service station where the
engine oil should be topped to the required
level with an approved oil specified in the
Factory Approved Service Products pam-
phlet.
Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Suggested solution
:
Engine oil
Visit workshop!
It may be that there is water in the
engine oil.

Have the engine oil checked.
Engine oil level
Visit workshop
The engine oil has dropped to a crit-
ical level.

Check the engine oil level (
page 272) and
add oil as required (
page 274).

If you must add engine oil frequently, have the
engine checked for possible leaks.
The measuring system is malfunc-
tioning.

Have the measuring system checked by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
!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.

431 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
CapacitiesVehicle components and their respective
lubricants must match. Therefore use only
products tested and approved by
Mercedes Benz.Please refer to the Factory Approved Ser-
vice Products pamphlet, or inquire at your
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Model
Capacity
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Engine with oil filter
SL 500
SL 600
SL 55 AMG
SL 65 AMG
7.9 US qt (7.5 l)
8.5 US qt (8.0 l)
9.0 US qt (8.5 l)
8.5 US qt (8.0 l)
Approved engine oils
Automatic transmission
SL 500
SL 600
SL 55 AMG
SL 65 AMG
10.3 US qt (9.7 l)
8.0 US qt (7.5 l)
9.1 US qt (8.6 l)
8.0 US qt (7.5 l)
MB Automatic Transmission Fluid
Rear axle
SL 500
SL 600
SL 55 AMG
SL 65 AMG
1.5 US qt (1.4 l)
1.3 US qt (1.2 l)
1.5 US qt (1.4 l)
1.3 US qt (1.2 l)
Hypoid gear oil SAE 85 W 90
Hypoid gear oil SAE 85 W 90
Hypoid gear oil SAE 85 W 90
Hypoid gear oil SAE 75 W 140
Hydraulic system for active body control (ABC)
approx. 4.3 US qt (4.0 l)
MB Hydraulic Fluid
Power steering
approx. 1.1 US qt (1.0 l)
MB Power Steering Fluid (Pentosin
CHF 11S)
Front wheel hubs
approx. 3.0 oz (85 g) each
High temperature roller bearing grease
Brake system
1.1 US qt (1.05 l)
MB Brake Fluid (DOT 4+)

433 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 (Canada
vehicles). For a listing of approved engine
oils and oil filters, refer to the Factory Ap-
proved Service Products pamphlet, or con-
tact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Using engine oils and oil filters of specifica-
tion other than those expressly required
for the Maintenance System
(U.S. vehicles) or FSS (Canada vehicles), or
changing oil and oil filter at change inter-
vals longer than those called for by the
Maintenance System (U.S. vehicles) or
FSS (Canada vehicles) will result in engine
damage not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
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 conditioner refrigerant
R-134a (HFC) refrigerant and special PAG
lubricating oil are used in the air condition-
er system.
Never use R-12 (CFC) or mineral-based lu-
bricating oil. Otherwise damage to the
system will occur.
Brake fluid
During vehicle operation, the boiling point
of the brake fluid is continuously reduced
through the absorption of moisture from
the atmosphere. Under extremely strenu-
ous operating conditions, this moisture
content can lead to the formation of bub-
bles in the system, thus reducing the sys-
tem’s efficiency.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be re-
placed every two years, preferably in the
spring.
Only brake fluid approved by
Mercedes-Benz is recommended. Your au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center will pro-
vide you with additional information.

434 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.Premium unleaded gasoline
Fuel requirements
Only use premium unleaded fuel:

The octane number (posted at the
pu mp ) m ust b e 91 m i n. It is an a ve ra ge
of both the Research (R) octane num-
ber and the Motor (M) octane number:
(R+M) / 2). This is also known as the
ANTI-KNOCK INDEX.
Unleaded gasoline containing oxygenates
such as ethanol, IPA, IBA and TBA can be
used provided the ratio of any one of these
oxygenates to gasoline does not exceed
10%; MTBE must not exceed 15%.
The ratio of methanol to gasoline must not
exceed 3% plus additional cosolvents.Using mixtures of ethanol and methanol is
not allowed. Gasohol, which contains
10% ethanol and 90% unleaded gasoline,
can be used.
These blends must also meet all other fuel
requirements, such as resistance to spark
knock, boiling range, vapor pressure, etc.
!To maintain the engine’s durability and
performance, premium unleaded gaso-
line must be used. If premium unleaded
is not available and low octane fuel is
used, follow these precautions:

have the fuel tank only partially
filled with unleaded regular and fill
up with premium unleaded as soon
as possible


avoid full throttle driving and abrupt
acceleration


do not exceed an engine speed of
3000 rpm if the vehicle is loaded
with a light load such as two per-
sons and no luggage


do not exceed
2/3 of maximum ac-
celerator pedal position if the vehi-
cle is fully loaded or operating in
mountainous terrain

435 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among engine manufac-
turers is carbon build-up caused by gaso-
line. Mercedes-Benz recommends only the
use of quality gasoline containing additives
that prevent the build-up of carbon depos-
its.
After an extended period of using fuels
without such additives carbon deposits
can build up, especially on the intake
valves and in the combustion area, leading
to engine performance problems such as:

Warm-up hesitation


Unstable idle


Knocking/pinging


Misfire


Power lossIn areas where carbon deposits may be en-
countered due to lack of availability of gas-
olines which contain these additives,
Mercedes-Benz recommends the use of
additives approved by us for use on
Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Refer to Factory
Approved Service Products pamphlet for a
listing of approved product(s). Follow di-
rections on product label.
Do not blend other specific fuel additives
with fuel. This only results in unnecessary
cost and may be harmful to the engine op-
eration.
Damage or malfunction resulting from
poor fuel quality or from blending addition-
al fuel additives other than those tested
and approved by us for use on
Mercedes-Benz vehicles listed in the
Factory Approved Service Products pam-
phlet are not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Coolants
The engine coolant is a mixture of water
and anticorrosion / antifreeze, which pro-
vides:

corrosion protection


freeze protection


boiling protection (by increasing the
boiling point)
The cooling system was filled at the factory
with a coolant providing freeze protection
to approximately -22°F (-30°C) and corro-
sion protection.
If the antifreeze mixture is effective to
-22°F (-30°C), the boiling point of the cool-
ant in the pressurized cooling system is
reached at approximately 266°F (130°C).
The coolant solution must be used year
round to provide the necessary corrosion
protection and increase in the boil-over
protection. Refer to Maintenance Booklet
for replacement interval.

445 Index
A
ABC 220, 439
Messages in display 337
Oil level 275
Setting vehicle level 221
ABC switch 30
ABS 79, 80, 439
ABS control 80
Messages in display 338
Warning lamp 27, 325
ABS/ESP
Warning lamp 25, 324
Accelerator position, automatic
transmission 171
Accessory weight 305
Activating
Air circulation mode 187
Air conditioning (cooling) 192
Anti-theft alarm system 89
Central locking (control system) 156
Distance warning function* 217Distronic* 213
Easy-entry/exit feature 157
Electric air pump 398
ESP 84
Exterior lamps 123
Exterior rear view mirror parking
position 179
Hazard warning flasher 129
High beams 128
Ignition 36
Immobilizer 58
Parktronic* 226
Rear window defroster 189
Residual heat 190
Seat heating 117, 118
Seat ventilation* 119
Tow-away alarm 90
Windshield wipers 53
Active Body Control (ABC) switch 30
Active Body Control see ABC
Adding
Engine oil 274Adjusting
Air distribution 186
Air volume 185
Backrest tilt 40, 41
Exterior rear view mirrors 43
Head restraint height 41
Head restraint tilt 41
Interior rear view mirror 43
Lumbar support 115
Mirrors 43
Multicontour backrest* 116
Seat cushion depth 41
Seat cushion tilt 41
Seat height 41
Seat in the lumbar region 116
Seat in the shoulder region 116
Seats 39
Steering column in/out 42
Steering column up/down 42
Steering wheel 42

448 IndexCenter air vents 29
Center console
Lower part 30
Upper part 29
Centigrade
Setting temperature units 148
Central locking
Automatic 110
Central locking switch 111
Switching on/off (control
system) 156
Unlocking from inside 111
Central locking switch 29
Central unlocking switch 29
Changing
Batteries (SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*) 378
Batteries (SmartKey) 377
SmartKey setting 96
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
settings 103
Vehicle level 222Charging
Vehicle batteries 404
CHECK ENGINE
Messages in display 351
CHECK ENGINE malfunction indicator
lamp 27, 327, 328
Checking
Coolant level 276
Oil level 269, 272
Tire inflate pressure 269
Vehicle lighting 269
Child safety
Airbags 64
Automatic child seat recognition 76
Infant and child restraint systems 62
Cigarette lighter 29, 233
Cleaning
Cup holder 320
Gear selector lever 320
Hard plastic trim items 320
Headlamps 178Headliner 320
Leather upholstery 321
Plastic and rubber parts 321
Seat belts 320
Steering wheel 320
Upholstery 321
Windshield 53
Wood trims 321
Cleaning tires 281
Clock 23
Closing
Hood 271
Power window with
KEYLESS-GO* 195
Retractable hardtop (SmartKey) 201
Retractable hardtop (switch) 198
Side windows 194, 195
Sunshade 204
Trunk lid 109
Windows 193
Windows with KEYLESS-GO* 195