Mercedes-Benz 1989 560 SL User manual

~ MERCEDES-BENZ
Owner's Manual
1989
560 SL

Kindly observe the following in your own best interests:
We recommend using MERCEDES-BENZ original parts as
well as conversion parts and accessories explicitly
approved by us for your vehicle model.
We have subjected these parts to aspecial test in which
their reliability, safety and their special suitability for
MERCEDES-BENZ vehicles have been determined.
We are unable to make an assessment for other pro-
ducts and therefore cannot be held responsible for them,
even if in individual cases an official approval or authori-
zation should exist.
MERCEDES-BENZ original parts as well as conversion
parts and accessories approved by us are available at
your MERCEDES-BENZ service station where you will
receive comprehensive information, also on permissible
technical modifications, and where expert installation will
be performed.
Printed in Germany
We reserve the right to modify the technical details of the
vehicle as given in the data and illustrations of this Owner's
Manual (S.8.80.). Reprinting, translation and copying, even of
excerpts, is not permitted without our prior authorization in
writing.
ZKDI7.88.8/Rung

Our company and staff congratulate you on the purchase
of your new MERCEDES-BENZ.
Your selection of our product is ademonstration of your
trust in
our company name. Further, it exemplifies your
desire to own an automobile that will be as easy as
possible to operate and provide years
of service.
Your MERCEDES-BENZ represents the efforts
of many
skilled engineers and craftsmen.
To ensure your pleasure
of ownership, we ask you to make asmall investment of
your time:
•Please read this manual carefully before putting it
aside.
sPlease consider the recommendations contained in this
manual. They are designed to acquaint you with the
operation
of your MERCEDES-BENZ.
We extend our best wishes for many miles of safe,
pleasurable driving.
Daimler-Benz Aktiengesellschaft
3

Introduction
This Owner's Manual contains agreat deal of useful
information.
We urge you to read it carefully and
familiarize yourself with the vehicle before driving.
For
your own safety and longer service life of the
vehicle, we urge you to follow the instructions and
warnings. Ignoring them could result
in damage to
the vehicle or personal injury.
Your vehicle may have some or all of the equipment
described. Therefore, you may find explanations of
equipment not installed in your vehicle. If you have
any questions about the operation of any equipment,
your authorized MERCEDES-BENZ dealer will be glad
to demonstrate the proper procedures.
Owner's Service and Warranty Policy
The Owner's Service and Warranty Policy Booklet
contains detailed information about the warranties
covering your MERCEDES-BENZ, including:
•New Car Limited Warranty
•Emission System Warranty
•Emission Performance Warranty
•California Emission Control System
Warranty (California Only)
4
Maintenance
The Maintenance Booklet describes all the necessary
maintenance work which should be performed at
regular intervals.
Always have the Maintenance Booklet with you when
you take the vehicle to your authorized MERCEDES-
BENZ dealer for service. The Service Advisor will
record each service.
Roadside Assistance
The Mercedes-Benz Roadside Assistance Program
provides factory trained technical help
in the event of
abreakdown. Calls to the toll-free Roadside Assist-
ance number:
1-800-222-0100
will be answered by Mercedes-Benz Customer
Assistance Representatives 24 hours aday, 365 days
ayear.
On-site service calls by alocal Mercedes-Benz
Roadside Assistance technician are available week-
days from 5:00
PM ti11
9midnight, weekends and legal
holidays from 8:00
AM till midnight.
For additional information refer to the Mercedes-Benz
Roadside Assistance Program brochure
in your glove
compartment.

Change of Address or Ownership
If you change your address, be sure to send in the
"Change of Address Notice" found
in the Owner's
Service and Warranty Policy Booklet.
It is in your own
interest that we can contact you should the need
arise.
If you sell your Mercedes, please leave all owner's
literature with the vehicle to make it available to the
next owner.
If you bought this vehicle used, be sure to send in
the "Notice of Purchase of Used Car" found in the
Owner's Service and Warranty Policy Booklet.
Operating Your Vehicle Outside the U.S.A. or Canada
If you plan to operate your vehicle in foreign coun-
tries, please be aware that:
•unleaded fuels for vehicles with catalytic conver-
ters may not be available; the use of leaded fuels
will damage the catalysts,
•fuel may have aconsiderably lower octane rating,
and improper fuel can cause engine damage,
•service facilities
or replacement parts may not be
readily available.
Certain Mercedes-Benz models are available for deliv-
ery
in Europe under our European Delivery Program.
For details, consult your authorized
MERCEDES-BENZ dealer
or write to:
Mercedes-Benz of North America, Inc.
European Delivery Department
One Mercedes Drive
Montvale,
NJ 07645
In Canada write to:
Mercedes-Benz Canada, Inc.
European Delivery Department
849 Eglinton Avenue East
Toronto, Ontario M4G 2L5
5

Optional equipment is also described in this manual,
including operating instructions wherever necessary.
Since they are special-order items, the descriptions
and illustrations herein may vary slightly from the actual
equipment of your vehicle.
If there are any equipment details that are not shown or
described in this Owner's Manual, your authorized
MERCEDES-BENZ dealer will be glad to inform you of
correct care and operating procedures.
The Owner's Manual and Maintenance Booklet are im-
portant documents and should be kept with the vehicle.
6

The First 1500 km (1000 Miles)
Check Regularly and
Before aLong Trip
See page 112
8
The more cautiously you treat
your
vehicle during the break-in period,
the more satisfied you will be with
its performance later on. Therefore,
drive
your vehicle during the first
1500 km (1000 miles) at moderate
vehicle and engine speeds.
During
this period, avoid heavy
loads (full throttle driving) and high
RPMs (no more than
2/3 of maxi-
mum permissible
speed in each
gear).
Avoid accelerating
by kickdown. It
is not recommended to brake the
vehicle by manually shifting to a
lower gear.
We recommend to se-
lect positions "3" or "2" only at
moderate
speeds (for hill driving).
After 1500 km (1000 miles)
speeds
may gradually be increased to the
permissible maximum.

What You Should Know
at the Gas Station
See last page
Drive Sensibly -Save Fuel
Fuel consumption, to agreat extent,
depends on driving habits and oper-
ating conditions.
To save fuel you should:
•keep tires at the recommended
inflation pressures
•remove unnecessary loads
•remove ski racks or roof-
mounted luggage racks when
not
in use
•allow engine to warm up under
low load use
•avoid frequent acceleration and
deceleration
•have all maintenance work per-
formed at regular intervals by
an
authorized MERCEDES-BENZ
dealer.
Fuel consumption is also increased
by driving
in cold weather, in stop-
and-go traffic,
on short trips and in
hilly country.

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What You Should Know at the Gas Station
•Fuel: Use premium unleaded gasoline:
Posted Octane
91 (Average of 96 RON/86 MON).
Fuel tank capacity approx. 85 I(22.5 US gal),
this includes approx.
11.5 I(3.0 US gal) reserve.
Only fill fuel tank until the filler nozzle unit
cuts out -do not overfill.
•Engine Oil: Engine oil level check, see page 74.
Quantity differential between upper and lower
dipstick marking level: 2.0 I
(2.1 US qt).
Year-round multigrade oils 10 W-40, 10 W-50,
15 W-40, 15 W-50.
For further information, refer to page 100.
• Automatic Transmission: MB Automatic transmis-
sion fluid.
For level checks and replenishment, refer to
page
75.
., Coolant: For normal replenishment, use water
(potable water quality).
For further information (e.g. anticorrosion/
antifreeze), refer to page 103.
•Bulbs: High and low beams: Halogen type NO.1
and 2, fog lamps H3, turn signal, parking and
standing lamps, front 21/5
W/32/3 cp, turn signal
lamps, rear 21 W/32 cp, tail and standing lamps,
rear
10 W, stop lamps 21 W/32 cp, license plate
lamps 5
W.
• Spark Plugs: Bosch W 9 DC, W 9 DCO, W 9 DP,
Beru 14-9 DU, 14-9 DPU,
Champion N 12 YC, N 12 YCC.
Electrode gap: 0.8 mm (0.032 in).
• Tire Pressure: Cold tires:
For driving up to
180 km/h
(110 mph).
[s~mmer ti~S~ ~
l \VInt~rtires:
Warm tires:
Pressure may rise by up to
+0.5 bar (+ 7psi).
Never release any air from awarm tire
to offset pressure increase!
1For driving above 180 km/h (110 mph)
where permitted, add 0.4 bar (6 psi).

Check Regularly and Before aLong Trip
112
1 Fuel Supply: Turn fuel filler cap
to the left and hold on to it until
possible pressure in tank has
been released, then remove the
cap.
2Tire Inflation Pressure: Check at
least every two weeks. For
details see page 79.
3 Fluid Level in Automatic Trans-
mission: See page 75.
4Coolant Level: See page 73.
5Windshield Washer System:
See page 101.
6Engine Oil Level: See page 74.
7Brake Ruid: See pages 101 and
102.
Battery: Add distilled or tap water
only, see page 84.
Vehicle Lighting: Check function
and cleanliness. For replacement of
light bulbs, see pages 80, 81 and
82.

Instruments and Controls 15 Rear window defroster switch (page 44)
For more detailed descriptions see specified pages. 16 Automatic antenna switch (page 57)
1Adjustable air outlets (page 22) 17 Front dome lamps switch (page 45)
2Slide lever for adjustable air outlets (page 22) 18 Radio (page 50)
3Parking brake release knob (page 60) 19 Air recirculation switch (page 22)
4Hood release handle (page 72) Automatic climate control (page 22)
20
5Parking brake pedal (page 60)
21
Ashtray with lighter (page 43, 91)
6Combination switch (page
41)
22 Left power window switch (page 45)
7Exterior lamp switch (page 40) 23 Left seat heater switch (page 32)
8Instruction tag (except tourist vehicle).
Use only premium unleaded gasoline 24 Hazard warning flasher switch
9Cruise control (page 62) 25 Right seat heater switch (page 32)
10 Instrument cluster (page
12)
26 Right power window switch (page 45)
11
Horn control, airbag (page 36) 27 Adjusting switch for exterior mirror on front
passenger side (page 42)
12 Steering lock with ignition/starter switch
(page 39) 28 Glove compartment, illuminated (only with key
in
steering lock positions 1or 2)
13 Adjustable air outlets (page 22) To open, slide handle sideways
14 Outside temperature indicator (page 67) 29 Loudspeaker cover, right and left
10

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Instrument Cluster
1Turn signal indicator lamp, left (green)
2Economical driving indicator. See page 68
3Coolant temperature gauge. See page 66
4Fuel gauge with reserve warning lamp (yellow).
See page 66
5Oil pressure gauge (bar). See page 65
6Reset knob for trip odometer
(depress to reset)
7Speedometer
12
8Main odometer
9Trip odometer
10 Dimmer knob for instrument lamps
(rotate to vary intensity)
11 Knob for clock adjustment
(press in and rotate for adjustments)
12 Electric clock
13 Tachometer
14 Red marking on tachometer:
Excessive engine speed
15 Turn signal indicator lamp, right (green)

I
ABS malfunction.
See page 64
SRS malfunction.
See page 36
Fluid level for windshield
washer system low.
See page 66
Exterior light failure.
See page 66
Engine malfunction.
If the lamp comes on when the engine
is running, it indicates amalfunction of
the 02-sensor on Federal version ve-
hicles, and injection system or emission
control system on the California version
vehicles.
In either case we recommend
that you have the malfunction checked
as soon as possible.
See page 68
High beam
Brake fluid low (except Canada).
Parking brake engaged.
See pages 60, 65
Brake fluid low (Canada only).
Parking brake engaged.
See pages 60, 65.
Brake pad wear.
See page 65
Warning Lamps
(should go out with the engine running unless)
Battery not being charged.
See page 65
Indicator Lamp Symbols
Function Indicator Lamp
Seat belt reminder lamp
See page 33
13

Catalytic Converter
Your MERCEDES-BENZ is equipped
with monolithic catalytic converters,
an important element in conjunction
with the
Orsensor to achieve subs-
tantial control of the pollutants in
the exhaust emissions. Keep
your
vehicle in proper operating condi-
tion by following our recommended
maintenance instructions as out-
lined in
your maintenance booklet.
14
Caution!
To prevent damage to the catalytic
converters, use only premium
unleaded gasoline in this vehicle.
Should any noticeable irregularities
in the engine operation occur, ex-
cessive unburned fuel may reach
the converter causing it to over-
heat.
Warning!
As with any vehicle, do not idle,
park or operate this vehicle
in
areas where combustible
materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact
with the hot exhaust system,
as these materials could be
ignited.

Starting and Turning off the Engine
Engage parking brake and move
the gear selector lever in either "P"
or "N" position before starting the
engine.
Turn key to steering lock position
2.
The charge indicator lamp should
come on.
Cold Engine
Turn key in steering lock clockwise
to the stop. Do not depress accel-
erator. Release key only when the
engine is firing regularly.
Hot Engine
Turn key in steering lock clockwise
to the stop. Do not depress accel-
erator. If the engine has not fired
after approx. 4seconds, depress
accelerator and continue cranking
until the engine is firing regularly.
Release key and back off accele-
rator.
At very high coolant temperatures
the engine starting time can be
shortened if the accelerator is
depressed slowly at the beginning
of the starting process.
Turning off
Turn the key to steering lock posi-
tion
O. Remove the key only when
the vehicle is stopped.
If the coolant temperature is very
high (e.g. after hard driving on
mountain roads), do not shut off the
engine immediately, allow it to run
for
1-2 minutes at increased idle
speed.
Important!
Due to the installed starter non-
repeat unit, the key must be
returned to steering lock position 0
before anew starting attempt is
made.
Observe the oil pressure gauge im-
mediately after starting the engine.
In avery cold engine the oil pres-
sure will only rise slowly, some time
after the engine has started. Do not
speed up the engine before pres-
sure is registered on the pressure
gauge.
The charge indicator lamp should
go out as soon as the engine has
started.
In areas where temperatures
frequently drop below -25°C
(-13 OF), we recommend that a
block heater be installed. Your
authorized MERCEDES-BENZ
dealer will advise you on this
subject.
15
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Driving Instructions
Power assistance
When the engine is not running, the
brake and steering systems are
without power assistance. Under
these circumstances, amuch
greater effort is necessary to stop
or steer the vehicle.
Brakes
Caution!
When driving down long and steep
grades, relieve the brakes by shift-
ing into "3", "2"
or "B". This helps
prevent overheating of the brakes
and reduces brake pad wear. Do
not exceed engine speed limits
(see page 62).
After hard braking it is advisable to
drive on for some time so the air
stream will cool down the brakes
faster.
Warning!
After driving
in heavy rain for
some time without applying the
brakes or through water deep
enough to wet brake components,
the first braking action may be
somewhat reduced and increased
pedal pressure may be neces-
sary. Be sure to maintain asafe
distance from vehicles
in front.
16
The condition of the parking brake
system is checked each time the
car is
in the shop for maintenance.
Between maintenance
checks it is
agood practice to apply the
parking brake once or twice while
driving at approximately 50
km/h
(30 mph) on adry straight road.
Apply brake lightly until aslight
drag on the wheels is felt. Keep
applying brake for about
10 sec-
onds while pulling the release
knob out before releasing the
parking brake completely. This
practice will keep the parking
brake at maximum efficiency.
Warning!
The stop lamps will not come
on when applying the parking
brake only. Perform the proce-
dure
in the previous paragraph
only when the road
is clear of
other traffic.
Caution!
Resting your foot on the brake pe-
dal will cause excessive and pre-
mature wear of the brake pads.
All
checks and maintenance work
on the brake system should be
carried out by
an authorized
MERCEDES-BENZ dealer.
If the parking brake is released and
the brake warning lamp in the ins-
trument cluster stays on, the brake
fluid level
in the reservoir is too low.
Brake pad wear or aleak in the
system may be the reason for low
brake fluid
in the reservoir.
Have the brake system inspected
at
an authorized MERCEDES-BENZ
dealer without delay.
Install only brake pads and brake
fluid recommended by MERCEDES-
BENZ.
If other than recommended brake
pads are installed, the braking pro-
perties of the vehicle can be affect-
ed to
an extent that the safety is
substantially impaired.

Tires
Tread wear indicators (TWI) are
required by law. These indicators
are located in six places on the
tread circumference and become
visible at adepth of approx. 2
mm
('/16 in), at which point the tire is
considered worn and should be
replaced.
The tread wear indicator appears
as asolid band across the tread.
Warning!
Do not allow your tires to wear
down too far. With less than
3 mm (Va in) of tread, the adhem
sion properties on a wet road
are sharply reduced.
Depending upon the weather
and/or road surface (condi-
tions), the traction varies
widely.
Specified tire pressure must be
maintained. This applies particularly
if the tires are subjected to high
loads (e.g. high speeds, heavy
loads, high ambient temperatures).
Aquaplaning
Depending on the depth of the
water layer on the road, aquaplan-
ing may occur, even at low speeds
and with new tires. Avoid track
grooves in the road and apply
brakes cautiously
in the rain.
Tire traction
The safe speed on awet, snow
covered or
icy road is always lower
than on a
dry road.
You should pay particular attention
to the condition
of the road as soon
as the prevailing temperatures fall
close to the freezing point.
Warning!
If ice has formed on the road,
tire traction will be substan-
tially reduced. Under such
weather conditions, drive, steer
and brake with extreme caum
tion.
We recommend M+Sradial-ply
tires for the winter season for all
four wheels to insure normal bal-
anced handling characteristics. On
packed snow, they can reduce
your stopping distance as
com-
pared with summer tires. Stopping
distance, however, is still conside-
rably greater than when the road is
wet or dry.
17
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