Mercedes-Benz 300 SDL turbo 126 D User manual

What You Should Know
at the Gas Station
See last page
Drive Sensibly - Save Fuel
Fuel consumption to a great extent
depends on driving habits and operat
ing 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 ail 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.

Owner's Manual
300 SDL turbo
Model 126 D
1987

Printed in Germ any
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.e.e.o.). Reprinting translation and copying
even of excerpts is not permitted without our prior authorization in writing.
ZKD/2.87.5/PVL

O u r company and staff congratulate you on the purchase
of your new MERCEDES-BENZ.
Your selection of our product is a demonstration 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 a small investment of
your time:
• Please read this manual carefully before putting it aside.
• Please 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 a great deal of useful
information. We urge you to read it carefully and familiar
ize 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 des
cribed. Therefore you may find explanations of equip
ment not installed in your vehicle. If you have any ques
tions about the operation of any equipment your author
ized MERCEDES-BENZ dealer will be glad to demon
strate the proper procedures.
Owner’s Service and Warranty Policy
The Owner's Service and Warranty Policy Booklet con
tains detailed information about the warranties covering
your MERCEDES-BENZ including:
• New Car Limited Warranty
• Emissions Systems 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
Although your Mercedes-Benz is built to be as trouble-
free as possible a Roadside Assistance Program is avail
able to provide emergency roadside service after normal
dealer hours and on weekends and holidays in the con
tiguous United States.
Roadside Assistance is available Monday through Friday
from 5:00 PM to 12:00 Midnight and on Saturday Sunday
and legal holidays from 8:00 AM to 12:00 Midnight. In the
event of a breakdown during these hours telephone this
toll-free number: 1-800-222-0100.
For additional information refer to the Mercedes-Benz
Roadside Assistance Program Booklet in your glove
compartment.

Change of Address or Ownershi
If you change your address be sure to send in the
“ Change of Address Notice” found in the Owner’s Ser
vice 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 litera
ture 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.
O erating Your Vehicle Outside the U.S.A. or Canada
If you plan to operate your vehicle in foreign countries
please be aware that service facilities or replacement
parts may not be readily available.
Certain Mercedes-Benz models are available for delivery
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
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 equip
ment of your vehicle.
f 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 impor
tant documents and should be kept with the vehicle.
6

Instruments and Controls, Starting the Engine
Driving Instructions, Service and Maintenance
O eration
Driving
Practical Hints
Technical Data
Fuels, Coolants, Lubricants, etc.
Consumer Information
Index

Check Regularly and
Before a Long Tri
See page 108
The First 1500 km (1000 Miles)
The more cautiously you treat your
vehicle during the break-in period the
more satisfied you will be with its per
formance 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 maximum permis
sible speed in each gear).
Avoid accelerating by kickdown. It is
not recommended to brake the vehi
cle by manually shifting to a lower
gear. We recommend to select posi
tions “ 3” or “2” only at moderate
speeds (for hill driving).
After 1500 km (1000 miles) speeds
may gradually be increased to the
permissible maximum.
8

Instruments and Controls, Starting the Engine
Driving Instructions, Service and Maintenance
Instruments and Controls
Instrument Cluster
Starting and Turning
off the Engine 14
Driving Instructions 15
MERCEDES-BENZ
Maintenance System 18
9

Instruments and Controls
For more detailed descriptions see specified pages.
1 Volume control for side air outlets (page 20)
2 Side air outlets (page 20)
3 Adjustable air outlets (page 20)
4 Parking brake release (page 54)
5 Hood lock release (page 64)
6 Parking brake pedal (page 54)
7 Combination switch (page 42)
8 Exterior lamp switch (page 41)
9 Cruise control (page 57)
10 Instrument cluster (page 12)
11 Horn control air bag (page 37)
12 Steering lock with preglow/starter switch (page 40)
13 Volume control lever for center air outlets (page 20)
14 Rear window defroster switch (page 46)
10
15 Air recirculation switch (page 20)
16 Hazard warning flasher system switch
17 Automatic antenna switch (page 52)
18 Rear passenger compartment lamp switch
(page 45)
19 Automatic climate control (page 20)
20 Radio (page 48)
21 Ashtray with lighter (pages 45 87)
22 Left front seat heater switch (page 32)
23 Right front seat heater switch (page 32)
24 Left power window switch group (page 47)
25 Adjusting switch for exterior mirror on front
passenger side (page 43)
26 Loudspeaker front to rear fader control
27 Right power window switch group (page 47)
28 Glove compartment illuminated (only with key in
steering lock positions 1 or 2)

14(15M16M17(18'
11
Instruments and Controls

Instrument Cluster
1 Coolant temperature gauge
Up to red marking: Maximum permissible
temperature for an anticorrosion/antifreeze-
blended fill protecting down to -30°C (-22°F).
See page 58
2 Fuel gauge with reserve warning lamp (yellow).
See page 59
Fuel reserve and capacity refer to page 95 and
inside back cover.
3 Oil pressure gauge (bar). See page 58
4 Turn signal indicator lamp left (green)
5 Speedometer
6 Main odometer
7 Trip odometer
8 Turn signal indicator lamp right (green)
9 Tachometer
10 Electric clock
11 Knob for clock adjustment
(press in for adjustments)
12 Preglow indicator lamp (yellow)
12
13 Supplemental restraint system (SRS) indicator
lamp (red). See page 37
14 Antilock brake system (ABS) indicator
lamp (yellow). See page 60
15 Exterior light failure indicator lamp (yellow).
See page 59
16 Low windshield and headlamp washer fluid level
indicator lamp (yellow). See page 59
17 Outside temperature indicator. See page 59
18 Low engine coolant level indicator lamp (yellow).
See page 58
19 Low engine oil level indicator lamp (yellow).
See page 58
20 Brake pad wear indicator lamp (yellow).
See page 60
21 Brake warning lamp (red). See pages 54 and 60
22 Charge indicator lamp (red). See page 58
23 High beam indicator lamp (blue)
24 Knob for instrument lamps and trip odometer
Rotate knob: To vary intensity of instrument lamps
Depress knob: To reset trip odometer

13
Instrument Cluster

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.
Cold Engine
Turn key to steering lock position 2.
Charge indicator and preglow indica
tor lamp should come on. The pre
glow process starts. When the pre
glow indicator goes out the engine is
ready for starting.
Ambient Temperature
above 0° C (+32° F):
Turn key in steering lock clockwise to
the stop. Do not depress accelerator.
Release key only when the engine is
firing regularly.
Ambient Temperature
below 0° C ( + 32° F):
Depress accelerator to the floor. Turn
key in steering lock clockwise to the
stop. Release key only when the
engine is firing regularly and back off
accelerator slowly.
Do not interrupt the starting process.
If the engine is very cold it is possible
that it will fail to start on subsequent
attempts.
Hot Engine
Turn key in steering lock clockwise to
the stop and start engine immediately
without depressing the accelerator.
Turning off
Turn the key to steering lock posi
tion 0 and remove only when the vehi
cle has stopped.
Should the engine continue to oper
ate with the key in steering lock posi
tion 0 refer to page 68.
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.
Im ortant!
Due to the installed starter non
repeat unit the key must be returned
to steering lock position 0 before a
new starting attempt is made.
Observe the oil pressure gauge
immediately after starting the engine.
In a very cold engine the oil pressure
will only rise slowly some time after
the engine has started. Do not speed
up the engine before pressure is
registered on the pressure gauge.
The battery charge indicator lamp
should go out as soon as the engine
has started.
If the preglow indicator lamp fails to
light up the preglow system is defec
tive and should be repaired at your
authorized MERCEDES-BENZ dealer
at the earliest possible date.
The engine is equipped with a block
heater to provide reliable starting at
temperatures below —18° C (0° F).
Refer to page 62.
14

Driving Instructions
Power assistance
When the engine is not running the
brake and steering systems are with
out power assistance. Under these
circumstances a much greater effort
is necessary to stop or steer the vehi
cle.
Brakes
Caution!
When driving down long and steep
grades relieve the brakes by shifting
into “3” or “2”. This helps prevent
overheating of the brakes and
reduces brake pad wear. Do not
exceed engine speed limits (see
page 56).
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 a lying the brakes or
through water dee enough to wet
brake com onents, the first braking
action may be somewhat reduced
and increased edal ressure may
be necessary. Be sure to maintain a
safe distance from vehicles in front.
The condition of the parking brake
system is checked each time the car
is in the shop for maintenance.
Between maintenance checks it is a
good practice to apply the parking
brake once or twice while driving at
approximately 50 km/h (30 mph) on a
dry straight road. Apply brake lightly
until a slight drag on the wheels is felt
Keep applying brake for about
10 seconds while pulling the release
handle out before releasing the park
ing brake completely. This practice
will keep the parking brake at maxi
mum efficiency.
Warning!
The sto lam s will not come on
when a lying the arking brake
only. Perform the rocedure in the
revious aragra h only when the
road is clear of other traffic.
Caution!
Resting your foot on the brake pedal
will cause excessive and premature
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 instru
ment cluster stays on the brake fluid
level in the reservoir is too low.
Brake pad wear or a leak in the sys
tem 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 affected
to an extent that the safety is sub
stantially impaired.

1801
Tires
Tread wear indicators (TWI) are
required by law. These indicators are
located in six places on the tread cir
cumference and become visible at a
depth of approx. 2 mm (V16 in) at
which point the tire is considered
worn and should be replaced.
The tread wear indicator appears as a
solid band across the tread.
Warning!
Do not allow your tires to wear down
too far. With less than a r. 3 mm
(Vs in) of tread, the adhesion ro er
ties on a wet road are shar ly
reduced.
De ending u on the weather and/or
road surface (conditions), the trac
tion varies widely.
Specified tire pressures must be
maintained. This applies particularly if
the tires are subjected to high loads
(e.g. high speeds heavy loads high
ambient temperatures).
Aqua laning
Depending on the depth of the water
layer on the road aquaplaning 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 a wet snow cov
ered 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 substantially
reduced. Under such weather condi
tions, drive, steer and brake with
extreme caution.
We recommend M + S radial-ply tires
for the winter season for all four
wheels to insure normal balanced
handling characteristics. On packed
snow they can reduce your stopping
distance as compared with summer
tires. Stopping distance however is
still considerably greater than when
the road is wet or dry.
16

Parking
Warning!
To reduce the risk of ersonal injury
as a result of vehicle movement,
before leaving the vehicle always:
1. Kee foot on brake edal.
2. Firmly de ress arking
brake edal.
3. Slowly release brake edal.
4. Move the selector lever
to osition “P”.
5. Turn front wheels towards the
road curb.
6. Turn the key to steering lock
osition 0 and remove.
Note:
It is advisable to set the parking brake
whenever leaving the vehicle. Also
when parking on hills always apply
the parking brake. In addition move
selector lever to position “ P” .
Winter Driving Instructions
The most important rule for slippery
or icy roads is to drive sensibly and to
avoid abrupt acceleration braking
and steering action. Do not use the
cruise control system under such
conditions.
When the vehicle is in danger of skid
ding move selector lever to position
“ N” . Try to keep the vehicle under
control by corrective steering action.
Road salts and chemicals can
adversely affect braking efficiency.
Increased pedal force may become
necessary to produce the normal
brake effect. We therefore recom
mend depressing the brake pedal
repeatedly when traveling on salt-
strewn roads at length. This can bring
road salt impaired braking efficiency
back to normal. A prerequisite is
however that this is possible without
endangering other drivers on the
road.
If the vehicle is parked after being
driven on salt treated roads the brak
ing efficiency should be tested as
soon as possible after driving is
resumed while observing the safety
rules in the previous paragraph.

MERCEDES-BENZ Maintenance System S ecial Maintenance Measures
A maintenance booklet is included
with your car listing all the mainte
nance jobs that must be carried out
after the following mileages:
Routine Maintenance
Inspection at
1300-1600 km (800-1000 miles)
Lubrication Service every
8000 km (5000 miles)
Maintenance Service every
24 000 km (15 000 miles)
Additional Work every
48 000 km (30 000 miles)
For additional details refer to the
Maintenance Booklet.
In the case of low mileage operation
the Maintenance Service must be car
ried out at least once every 2 years.
Engine Oil and Filter Change
Required every 8000 km (5000 miles)
or at least once a year (fall) when
using year-round multigrade oil; oth
erwise at least twice a year (spring
and fall).
Under severe operating conditions or
if diesel fuels with high sulphur con
tent (in excess of 0.5 °/o by weight)
are used the oil and filter should be
changed every 4000 km (2500 miles).
For engine oil recommendations see
page 94.
Severe O erating Conditions
In the case of severe operating condi
tions or heavy use mainly in city traffic
or over short distances frequent
mountain driving poor roads dusty
and muddy conditions hard and
sporty driving etc. it may be neces
sary to carry out maintenance work at
shorter than normal intervals as fol
lows:
Engine: Oil change with filter change
every 4000 km (2500 miles).
Automatic transmission: Fluid change
without filter change every 24 000 km
(15 000 miles).
Tires: Inspect
Air filter: Clean or replace element.
Brake fluid should be replaced annu
ally preferably in the spring.
It is recommended to use only brake
fluid approved by MERCEDES-BENZ.
Do not mix different types of brake
fluids.
The coolant should be checked for
sufficient protection before the start
of and during the summer and winter
seasons.
Have the coolant (water/anticorro
sion/antifreeze mixture) replaced at
least every three years (see “ Fuels
Coolants Lubricants etc.” ).
Maintenance Vouchers
Your authorized MERCEDES-BENZ
dealer will certify in the maintenance
booklet that all lubrication and
maintenance services have been car
ried out at the correct intervals.
18