check engine MERCEDES-BENZ SL65AMG 2006 R230 Owner's Guide

334 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Problem
Possible cause/consequence
Suggested solution
;
(USA only)
3
(Canada only)
The red brake warning lamp
comes on while driving and
you hear a warning sound.
You are driving with the parking brake set.

Release the parking brake
(page 51).
;
(USA only)
3
(Canada only)
The red brake warning lamp
comes on when the engine is
running and you hear a warn-
ing sound.


There is a malfunction in the
electro-hydraulic brake system.


There is insufficient brake fluid in the reser-
voir.

Read and observe messages in the
display (
page 345).

Risk of accident! Carefully stop the
vehicle in a safe location or as soon as
it is safe to do so and notify an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center. Do not
add brake fluid! This will not solve the
problem.
Warning!
G
Driving with the brake warning lamp illumi-
nated can result in an accident. Have your
brake system checked immediately if the
brake warning lamp stays on. Do not add
brake fluid before checking the brake sys-
tem.
Overfilling the brake fluid reservoir can re-
sult 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.

335 Practical hints
What to do if …
Problem
Possible cause/consequence
Suggested solution
ú
(USA only)
±
(Canada only)
The yellow engine malfunction
indicator lamp comes on while
driving.
There is a malfunction in:

The fuel injection system


The ignition system


The emission control system


Systems which effect emissions
Such malfunctions may result in excessive
emissions values and may switch the engine
to its limp-home (emergency operation)
mode.

Have the vehicle checked as soon as
possible by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
An on-board diagnostic connector is
used by the service station to link the
vehicle to the shop diagnostics sys-
tem. It allows the accurate identifica-
tion of system malfunctions through
the readout of diagnostic trouble
codes. It is located in the front left
area of the footwell next to the park-
ing brake pedal.
The fuel cap is not closed tightly.

Check the fuel cap (
page 269).
If it is not closed properly:

Close the fuel cap.
If it is closed properly:

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

336 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Problem
Possible cause/consequence
Suggested solution
ú
(USA only)
±
(Canada only)
The yellow engine malfunction
indicator lamp comes on while
driving.
Your fuel tank is empty.

After refuelling, start, turn off, and re-
start the engine three or four times in
succession.
The limp-home mode is canceled. You
do not need to have your vehicle
checked.
D
The red coolant warning lamp
comes on when the engine is
running.
There is insufficient coolant in the reservoir.
If this warning lamp comes on frequently,
there is a leak in the cooling system.
If the coolant level is correct, the electric ra-
diator fan may be broken.

Immediately add coolant to prevent
engine from overheating
(page 278).

Have the cooling system checked.

If the coolant temperature is below
248 °F (120 °C), you can continue
driving to the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

Avoid high engine loads (e.g. driving
uphill) and stop-and-go driving.
D
The red coolant warning lamp
comes on while driving and you
hear a warning sound.
The coolant temperature has exceeded
248 °F (120 °C).

Stop in a safe location as soon as pos-
sible and allow the engine and coolant
to cool down.

339 Practical hints
What to do if …
Problem
Possible cause/consequence
Suggested solution
C
The yellow roll bar warning lamp
comes on or flickers when the
engine is running.
The roll bar is not operational.
For safety reasons, always have the roll
bar raised when driving with the retract-
able hardtop open.
Attempt to raise the roll bar manually
(page 75).

Have the roll bar checked by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
If the roll bar warning lamp does not come
on, does not go out after a long time, flickers
or comes on while driving as described
above, then the roll bar system is not oper-
ating properly and may not activate in an
accident. In this case, raise the roll bar man-
ually (
page 75) before continuing to drive.

355 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
P
Gear selector
lever to P
You have tried to start the engine with
the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button
with the gear selector lever not in P.

Place the gear selector lever in position P.
You have tried to turn off the engine
with the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop but-
ton with the gear selector lever not in
P.You have opened the driver’s door
while engine is running with the gear
selector lever not in P.
SRS
Restraint
system malfunction

Visit
workshop
The SRS system (
page 64) is mal-
functioning.

Drive with added caution and have the
system checked at an authorized Mer-
cedes-Benz Center immediately.

359 Practical hints
What to do if …
Symbol messagesLeft display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
#
Battery/Alternator
Stop vehicle
The battery is malfunctioning.
The electro-hydraulic brake system
requires electrical energy and
therefore has only limited opera-
tion. Considerably greater brake
pedal force is required and the stop-
ping distance is increased.

Stop the vehicle in a safe location. Adjust driv-
ing to be consistent with reduced braking re-
sponsiveness.

Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Visit
workshop!
The battery is no longer charging.
Possible causes:

alternator malfunctioning


broken poly-V-belt
Do not forget that the brake system
requires electrical energy and may
be operating with restricted capa-
bility. Considerably greater brake
pedal force is required and the stop-
ping distance is increased.

Stop the vehicle immediately in a safe loca-
tion and 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. Notify an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
If it is in order:

Drive immediately to the nearest autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center. Adjust driv-
ing to be consistent with reduced braking
responsiveness.

365 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
±
Engine
Service
There may be a malfunction in the

fuel injection system


ignition system


exhaust system


fuel system

Have the engine checked as soon as possible
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
(page 335).
B
Coolant
Check level
The coolant level is too low.

Add coolant (
page 278).

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
this message and symbol displayed
may cause serious engine damage not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty. Do not drive without suffi-
cient amount of coolant in the cooling
system. The engine will overheat, caus-
ing major engine damage.

367 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
•
Coolant
Stop, put 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 water
pump which may result in damage to the en-
gine. Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
If it is intact:

Do not continue to drive with this message
displayed. Doing so could result in serious en-
gine damage that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

Observe the coolant temperature gauge in the
instrument cluster (
page 25).

Drive immediately to the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

369 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
J
Door open
You are attempting to drive with
one or more doors open.

Close the doors.
_
Entry position
Do not drive
The steering wheel has not yet
moved into its preset driving posi-
tion.

Wait until the steering wheel has moved to its
driving positions.
The message disappears.
N
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 276) and check the
engine oil level (page 274).
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 276) and check the
engine oil level (page 274).
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.

370 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/consequence
Possible solution
N
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 274) and
add oil as required (
page 276).

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.