Mercedes-Benz 300 SE 1989 User manual

Owner's Manual
300 SE
300 SEL

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 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.

Owner's Manual
300 SE
300 SEL
Model 126
1989

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 a special 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 products
and therefore cannot be held responsible for them, even if
in individual cases an official approval or authorization
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 per
formed.
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.e.e.o.). Reprinting translation and copying
even of excerpts is not permitted w ithout our prior authorization in writing
2KD/8.88.8/PVL

Our 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 A ktiengesellschaft
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
• 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 pro
vides factory trained technical help in the event of a
breakdown. Calls to the toll-free Roadside Assistance
number:
1-800-222 0100
will be answered by Mercedes-Benz Customer Assist
ance Representatives 24 hours a day 365 days a year.
On-site service calls by a local Mercedes-Benz Roadside
Assistance technician are available weekdays from 5:00
PM till midnight 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 or
console storage 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 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.
Operating Your Vehicle Outside the U.S.A. or Canada
If you plan to operate your vehicle in foreign countries
please be aware that:
• unleaded fuels for vehicles with catalytic converters
may not be available; the use of leaded fuels will dam
age the catalysts
• fuel may have a considerably 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 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
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 equip
ment 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 impor
tant documents and should be kept with the vehicle.
6

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

Check Regularly and
Before a Long Trip
See page 112
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 RPM
(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 10
Instrument Cluster 12
Indicator Lamp Symbols 13
Catalytic Converter 14
Starting and Turning
off the Engine 15
Driving Instructions 16
MERCEDES-BENZ
Maintenance System 19
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Instruments and Controls
For more detailed descriptions see specified pages.
1 Volume control for side air outlets (page 22)
2 Side air outlets (page 22)
3 Adjustable air outlets (page 22)
4 Parking brake release (page 60)
5 Hood lock release (page 70)
6 Parking brake pedal (page 60)
7 Combination switch (page 45)
8 Exterior lamp switch (page 44)
9 Cruise control (page 63)
10 Instrument cluster (page 12)
11 Horn control airbag (page 39)
12 Steering lock with ignition/starter switch (page 43)
13 Air volume control lever for center and side air out
lets (page 22)
14 Rear window defroster switch (page 49)
10
15 Air recirculation switch (page 22)
16 Hazard warning flasher switch
17 Automatic antenna switch (page 58)
18 Rear passenger compartment lamp switch
(page 48)
19 Automatic climate control (page 22)
20 Radio (page 51)
21 Ashtray with lighter (pages 48 91)
22 Left front seat heater switch (page 34)
23 Switch for rear window sun shade
24 Right front seat heater switch (page 34)
25 Left power window switch group (page 50)
26 Adjusting switch for exterior mirror on front
passenger side (page 46)
27 Loudspeaker front to rear fader control
28 Right power window switch group (page 50)
29 Glove compartment (illuminated in steering lock
positions 1 or 2) is not installed in vehicles equipped
with a front passenger airbag

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Instruments and Contrnic

I D £ 3 brake a ^ O -h 3S ° F (® ) NGIN
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Instrument Cluster
1 Knob for instrument lamps and trip odometer
Rotate knob: To vary intensity of instrument lamps
Depress knob: To reset trip odometer
2 Economical driving indicator. See page 68
3 Coolant temperature gauge. See page 64
4 Fuel gauge with reserve warning lamp (yellow).
See page 65
5 Oil pressure gauge (bar). See page 64
6 Turn signal indicator lamp left (green)
7 Speedometer
8 Main odometer
9 Trip odometer
10 Outside temperature indicator. See page 65
11 Turn signal indicator lamp right (green)
12 Electric clock
13 Tachometer
14 Red marking on tachometer:
Excessive engine speed
15 Knob for clock adjustment
(press in and rotate for adjustments)
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Indicator Lamp Symbols
Function Indicator Lamp
High beam
Warning Lamps
(should go out with the engine running unless)
Battery not being charged.
See page 64
Brake fluid low (except Canada).
Parking brake engaged.
See pages 60 66
Brake fluid low (Canada only).
Parking brake engaged.
See pages 60 66
Brake pad wear.
See page 66
Engine oil level low.
See page 64
BRAKE
(D)
ID
Coolant level low.
See page 64
Fluid level for windshield and
headlamp washer system low.
See page 65
Exterior light failure.
See page 65
ABS malfunction.
See page 66
SRS malfunction.
See page 39
Engine malfunction.
If the lamp comes on when the engine is
running it indicates a malfunction of the
0 2-sensor on Federal version vehicles
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 67

Catalytic Converter
Your MERCEDES-BENZ is equipped
with monolithic catalytic converters
an important element in conjunction
with the 0 2-sensor to achieve sub
stantial control of the pollutants in the
exhaust emissions. Keep your vehicle
in proper operating condition by fol
lowing our recommended mainte
nance instructions as outlined in your
maintenance booklet.
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 exces
sive unburned fuel may reach the
converter causing it to overheat.
Warning!
As with any vehicle, do not idle,
park or operate this vehicle in
areas where combustible materi
als such as grass, hay or leaves
can come into contact with the
hot exhaust system, as these
materials could be ignited.
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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 accelerator.
Release key only when the engine is
firing regularly.
Hot Engine
Turn key in steering lock clockwise to
the stop. Do not depress accelerator.
If the engine has not fired after
approx. 4 seconds depress accelera
tor and continue cranking until the
engine is firing regularly. Release key
and back off accelerator.
At very high coolant temperatures the
engine starting time can be shortened
if the accelerator is depressed slowly
at the beginning of the starting pro
cess.
Turning off
Turn the key to steering lock posi
tion 0. Remove the key only when the
vehicle has 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 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 charge indicator lamp should go
out as soon as the engine has started.
In areas where temperatures fre
quently drop below — 25 ° C (— 13 ° F)
we recommend that a block heater be
installed. Your authorized
MERCEDES-BENZ dealer will advise
you on this subject.
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Catalytic Converter
Startina

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
vehicle.
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 62).
After hard braking it is advisable to
drive on for some time so the air
stream will cool down the brakes
faster.
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 stop lamps will not come on
when applying the parking brake
only. Perform the procedure in
the previous paragraph 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.
Warning!
After driving in heavy rain for
some time without applying the
brakes or through water deep
enough to wet brake compo
nents, the first braking action
may be somewhat reduced and
increased pedal pressure may be
necessary. Be sure to maintain a
safe distance from vehicles in
front.
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i s 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 3 mm
(Vs in) of tread, the adhesion pro
perties on a wet road are sharply
reduced.
Depending upon the weather
and/or road surface (conditions),
the traction 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).
Aquaplaning
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.
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.
Warning!
If ice has formed on the road, tire
traction will be substantially
reduced. Under such weather
conditions, drive, steer and brake
with extreme caution.
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Drivina Instruction";

Parking
Warning!
To reduce the risk of personal
injury as a result of vehicle move
ment, before turning off the
engine and leaving the vehicle
always:
1. Keep foot on brake pedal.
2. Firmly depress parking
brake pedal.
3. Move the selector lever
to position “P”.
4. Slowly release brake pedal.
5. Turn front wheels towards the
road curb.
6. Turn the key to steering lock
position 0 and remove.
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.
Note:
It is advisable to set the parking brake
whenever leaving the vehicle. In addi
tion move selector lever to position
“ P” .
Also when parking on hills always
apply the parking brake.
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