Mercedes-Benz 380 SL User manual

Owner’s
Manual 380 SL
380 SLC

Drive Sensibly - Save Fuel
Fuel consump ion depends o a
grea ex en on driving habi s and
opera ing condi ions.
In order o save fuel you should:
• ensure ha ire pressures are
correc
• no carry unnecessary loads
• remove ski racks or roof-
moun ed luggage racks when
no in use
• no warm up your engine a idle
and wi h he vehicle a s ands ill
• avoid frequen accelera ion and
decelera ion
• avoid frequen braking
• avoid unnecessarily high speeds
• have all he main enance jobs
specified by us carried ou a
regular in ervals by a
MERCEDES-BENZ service
s a ion.
Driving in low empera ure wea her,
in s op-and-go ci y raffic and on
shor hops, and in hilly coun ry also
increases fuel consump ion.

380 SL
380 SLC
Type 107
1981

You have chosen o drive a MERCEDES-BENZ, a car in whose
cons ruc ion and produc ion we have aken grea pains because we
believe ha quali y is no a ma er of chance.
Perhaps you have already had experience wi h a MERCEDES,
maybe his is your firs car from he DAIMLER-BENZ company. In
bo h cases - for your own benefi - please read his owner’s
manual before pu ing i away. Even hough you have been driving a
car for years, some hings in his car may be new o you, and his
manual cer ainly con ains a few hin s which will help you o make
he mos of your new car.
We wish you safe and pleasan mo oring.
DAIMLER-BENZ Ak iengesellschaf
3

Contents
This Owner’s Manual also
describes optional extras as far as
an introduction on their handling
is required. As these extras need
to be ordered separately, the
equip ent of your vehicle ay
deviate fro the descriptions and
illustrations to so e extent.
The las page
Wha you should know a he
gas s a ion
4
Vehicle Operation
Ins rumen s and Con rols 8
Ins rumen Clus er ....................... 10
Keys, D oors .................................... 12
Ra Key, Mas er Key
and Supplemen ary Key 12
Ob aining Replacemen Keys . 12
Opening, Locking and
Unlocking of Doors ................. 12
Mas er Lock Sys em ................ 13
Sea s ............................................... 14
Adjus men of Driver’s Sea
and Fron Passenger Sea 14
Safe y Headres ......................... 15
Sea Hea er .............................. 15
Safe y Bel s ................................ 16
Con rols ......................................... 18
S eering L ock ............................ 18
Ligh ing Swi ch ......................... 19
Combina ion Sw i ch .................. 20
Cruise Con rol ........................... 21
Au oma ic Clima e Con rol 22
Various Equipmen
........................ 25
In erior Lamps ............................ 25
Rear View M irrors ...................... 25
Sun V isor.................................... 25
Ligh er ......................................... 26
Hea ed Rear Window ................. 26
Shelf below Rear W indow 26
Elec ric Window Lif ers 27
Roads er Top ................................ 28
Hard op ......................................... 29
Sliding R oof .................................. 30
Radio ............................................. 31
Driving
Hood ............................................. 40
Parking Brake ............................... 40
Regular Inspec ions ...................... 41
Ca aly ic Conver er Cau ions ... 42
S ar ing and Turning
off he Engine ............................... 43
S ar ing and Shif ing Gears 44
Safe Driving .................................. 46
Brake Pad Wear Indica or
Lamp ............................................ 47
Brake Fluid ............................... 47
Charge Indica or Lamp 47
Oil Pressure Gauge .................. 48
Coolan Tempera ure Gauge . 48
Emission Con rol ...................... 48
Engine Oil Consump ion ......... 48
The Firs 1500 km/1000 Miles .. 49
Driving Economically .................. 49
Gauge for Economical
Driving (ECONOMY) .................. 49
Special Opera ing Condi ions ... 49
Win er Driving ........................... 49
Hin s for Driving ....................... 50
Tire Chains ............................... 50
Traveling Abroad ...................... 50

Contents
Vehicle Care
MERCEDES-BENZ Main enance
Sys em ......................................... 52
Severe Opera ing Condi ions . 52
Engine Oil Change and Fil er
Change ...................................... 53
Au oma ic Transmission-
Fluid and Fil er Change ........... 53
Spare Par s Service ...................... 53
Cleaning and Care of he Vehicle 54
Jobs rela ed o Care ................. 55
Practical Hints
Ash rays ...................................... 58
Rear Sea Cushion ........................ 58
Firs Aid Ki .................................. 59
Luggage or Ski Racks .................. 59
Spare Wheel, Jack,
Vehicle Tool Ki ........................... 59
Wheels, Tires,
Changing Wheels .......................... 60
Wheels, Tires ........................ 60
Changing Wheels ...................... 61
Tire Infla ion Pressure ............... 62
Checking Fuels, Coolan s,
Lubrican s, e c ................................. 63
Engine Oil Level Check ........... 63
Checking Coolan Level 64
Au oma ic Transmission
Fluid Level ................................ 65
Elec rical Sys em ............................ 66
Replacing Bulbs ........................ 66
Fuses .......................................... 70
Ba ery ...................................... 70
Spark Plugs ............................... 70
Sliding Roof-Emergency
Opera ion ...................................... 71
Unlocking of he Filler Rap ......... 71
Emergency-s ar ing and Towing
he Vehicle .................................... 72
Jump S ar ing ................................. 73
Technical Data - Fuels,
Coolants, Lubricants, etc.
Iden ifica ion Pla es ........................ 76
Vehicle Da a C ards ........................ 77
Warran y Coverage ........................ 77
Technical Da a ............................... 78
Fuels, Coolan s, Lubrican s, e c. 80
Capaci ies ................................. 80
Engine Oils ................................. 82
Brake Ruid ................................. 82
Coolan s .................................... 83
Service Li era ure .......................... 84
Vehicle Operation
Driving
Vehicle Care
Practical Hints
Technical Data - Fuels,
Coolants, Lubricants, etc.
5

Vehicle Opera ion

nstruments and Controls
For ore detailed descriptions see quoted pages.
1 Swivelling side ven ila ion ou le s (page 22)
2 Con rol lever for side ven ila ion (page 22)
3 Parking brake release bu on (page 40)
4 Hood release lever (page 40)
5 Parking brake pedal (page 40)
6 Combina ion swi ch (page 20)
7 Ligh ing swi ch (page 19)
8 Ins ruc ion ag (excep ouris vehicle).
Use only unleaded gasoline
9 Cruise con rol (page 21)
10 Ins rumen clus er (page 10)
11 Horn con rol
12 S eering lock wi h igni ion/s ar er
swi ch (page 18)
13 Swivelling ou le s for cooled air (page 22)
14 380 SL: Swi ch for fron dome lamps
380 SLC: Swi ch for rear dome lamp
15 Swi ch for au oma ic an enna (page 33)
16 Swi ch for hea ed rear window (page 26)
17 380 SLC: Swi ch for elec ric sliding roof
(page 30)
18 Radio (page 31)
19 Au oma ic clima e con rol (page 22)
20 Ash ray wi h ligh er (page 26, 58)
21 Swi ch for lef fron sea hea er (page 15)
22 Swi ch for righ fron sea hea er (page 15)
23 380 SLC: Loudspeaker - fader con rol
24 Swi ch group for window lif ers (page 27)
25 Hazard warning flasher swi ch
Push swi ch = hazard warning flasher sys em
swi ched on
Push swi ch once more = hazard warning
flasher sys em swi ched off
26 Glove compar men ( o open, shif handle
sideways). Only illumina ed if s eering lock is
in posi ion “1” or “2”.
27 Loudspeaker cover, righ and lef

nstruments and Controls
9

nstrument Cluster
1 Gauge for economical driving (ECONOMY).
See page 49
2 Coolan empera ure gauge (° C)
Up o red marking: Maximum permissible
empera ure for an an ifreeze-blended fill
pro ec ing down o -30° 0,1-22° F. See page 48
3 Fuel gauge wi h reserve warning lamp (yellow)
Fuel reserve and capaci y, refer o page 81 and
las page
4 Oil pressure gauge (bar). See page 48
5 Main odome er
6 Trip odome er
7 Knob for clock adjus men
(press in for adjus men s)
8 Elec ric clock
9 Tachome er
10 Red marking on achome er:
Excessive engine revolu ions
11 Turn signal indica or lamp, righ (green)
12 02-Sensor replacemen indica or lamp (red):
When he indica or lamp comes on, he
02-Sensor mus be replaced
13 Sea bel warning lamp (red)
14 Brake pad wear indica or lamp (yellow):
Ligh s up during braking if he fron wheel brake
pads are worn down. See page 47
15 Dimmer knob for ins rumen lamps,
con inuous adjus men
16 Rese ing knob for rip odome er
(push bu on)
17 Brake warning lamp (red) comes on if
• he parking brake is engaged
• oo li le brake fluid is in he reservoir
18 High beam indica or lamp (blue)
19 Charge indica or lamp (red):
Comes on when he s eering lock key is
moved o driving posi ion “2” and mus go
ou when he engine is idling. See page 47
20 Turn signal indica or lamp, lef (green)
Note
A s op is provided on he speedome er a he
138 km/h/85 mph reading. Speeds in excess of
138 km/h/85 mph will no longer be recorded.

nstrument Cluster
11

Keys Doors
Flat Key
The fla key fi s all vehicle
locks. We recommend ha
you carry he fla key wi h
you and keep i in a safe
place so ha i is always
handy, if needed (e.g. in your wal
le ). Never leave he fla key in he
vehicle.
Master Key - square headed - fi s
all locks on he car.
Supplementary Key - rounded
head - fi s only he door locks and
he s eering lock. This key is in en
ded o be used whenever he car is
lef wi h an a endan . Be sure o
lock glove compar men and runk
wi h he mas er key.
Obtaining Replacement Keys
Replacemen keys can be ob ained
only via MERCEDES-BENZ service
s a ions. If he keys are los , assis
ance is ra her ime consuming and
expensive.
Opening the Doors
From ou side: pull handle
ou wards (1).
From inside: pull handle in door
panel (4).
Locking and Unlocking of Doors
From he ou side: urn key.
From he inside: ac ua e safe y
ca ch.
2 Unlocking
3 Locking
One canno lock:
• he driver’s door if i is open.
• any door if he door lock has
no engaged fully. In his case
open he door and shu i again.
12

Master Lock System
The mas er lock sys em enables
he fron passenger door, he fuel
ank filler flap and he runk lid o
be locked or unlocked oge her
wi h he driver’s door. When locking
or unlocking, he locking levers on
bo h doors mus move simul a
neously. If one locking lever fails o
do so, he lock of ha par icular
door is no properly engaged. The
door mus hen be opened and
closed correc ly.
Wi h he mas er lock sys em in he
locked posi ion, he fron passenger
door can be locked and unlocked
ei her wi h he locking lever or wi h
he key.
Ac ua ion of he locking lever on
he fron passenger door, however,
is no possible when he mas er
lock sys em is in he unlocked
posi ion.
The runk lid can also be unlocked
separa ely by urning mas er key
coun erclockwise o he s op. Push
he runk lock bu on in wi h i and
lif he lid. Re urn he key o i s ini
ial posi ion and wi hdraw i . To lock
he lid, close i firmly. I will hen
be locked again by he mas er lock
sys em.
A provision has been made o faci
li a e permanen locking of he
runk lid for posi ive preven ion of
access o runk by unau horized
persons.
Before leaving vehicle wi h an
a endan , lock runk wi h mas er
key (square head) by urning key
clockwise o s op ( umbler slo ver
ical), hen provide a endan wi h
round-headed supplemen ary key.
Thus, he runk lock has been ex
cluded from he opera ion of he
mas er lock sys em and canno be
opened excep wi h he square
headed mas er key.
Keys Doors
To reverse his, urn runk lock
coun erclockwise back o horizon al
posi ion of he umbler slo wi h
mas er key. Lock will hen be reen
gaged in mas er lock sys em; ha
is, i will au oma ically be locked or
unlocked depending on whe her
he driver’s door is locked or
unlocked.
The mas er lock sys em opera es
on vacuum genera ed by he
engine. A reservoir allows he
mas er lock sys em o be ac ua ed
abou five imes af er he engine is
urned off. If he sys em can hen
no longer be engaged, idle engine
for a shor period.
If no vacuum is available, doors and
runk have o be locked individually
in he normal manner. The fuel ank
filler flap, however, remains unlocked.
No e:
If he filler flap canno be opened
when he mas er lock sys em is
unlocked, refer o “Unlocking of he
Filler Rap” (page 71).
13

Sea s
Adjustment of Driver’s Seat and
Front Passenger Seat
Forward/backward adjus men :
lif handle (1), push sea backward
or forward and allow handle o
reengage.
Heigh adjus men of driver’s sea
(3 posi ions): pull ou ro ary hand
les (2) a he rear ends of he guide
rails, urn o desired posi ion and
allow o reengage.
The heigh of he fron passenger
sea can be adjus ed, if necessary,
by reloca ing he guide rails
(2 posi ions). To do so, unscrew
bo h he rear clamping screws and
14
screw in again a he respec ive
bore.
Back res il : urn handwheel (3)
back or for h.
For full reclining of backres , sea
should be moved o one of he for-
wardmos posi ions and headres
removed. For driving, re urn back
res o uprigh posi ion and push
sea back. Replace headres .
380 SL: Af er disengaging he s op
by lif ing knob (4), he back res
can be folded forwards.
380 SLC: Backres s are vacuum-
locked when he doors are closed.
One can unlock hem from he rear
sea by means of a bu on (5)
accommoda ed in he respec ive
la eral panelling of he rear passen
ger compar men . Wi h opened
doors he backres s will fold for
ward wi hou pressing he bu ons.
No e:
Prior o opera ing he vehicle, he
driver should adjus he sea heigh
for proper vision as well as fore-af
placemen and sea back angle o
insure adequa e con rol, reach,
opera ion, and comfor . The head
res should also be adjus ed for
proper heigh so ha when he
cushion is ipped comple ely for
ward, i should form a cradle
behind he sea occupan ’s head.
Bo h he inside and ou side rear
view mirrors should hen be adjus
ed for adequa e rearward vision.
Fas en sea bel s. Children under
he age of six or under he weigh
of 23 kg/50 lb should be sea ed in
he back sea wi h an approved
res rain sys em properly secured.
All sea , headres , and rear view
mirror adjus men s as well as fas
ening of sea bel s should be
accomplished before he vehicle is
pu in o mo ion.

Seats
Safety Headrest
Adjus headres o suppor he
back of he head approxima ely a
ear level.
Heigh adjus men :
Press headres sligh ly forward (1)
and rese upward or downward.
De aching headres s:
Pull headres ou o he s op. Re
lease arres er by depressing release
knob o be fel under he covering
ma erial in rear of back res and
pull up headres quickly, holding i
by he LH headres pos (viewed in
driving direc ion). Finally pull ou
headres comple ely wi h bo h
hands.
The headres locking knob of he
fron sea is loca ed below he LH
headres pos (2).
Seat Heater
The sea hea er can be swi ched
on when he s eering lock is in
posi ion “1” or “2".
An indica or lamp in he swi ch
comes on when he sea hea er is
swi ched on.
To save ba ery power, posi ion 2
should no be swi ched on any lon
ger han absolu ely necessary if he
engine is swi ched off.
$ 9348
Pushbu on cen er posi ion = sea
hea er swi ched off
Pushbu on posi ion 1 = con inuous
opera ion
Pushbu on posi ion 2 = quick
hea ing
15

Seats
>
380 SL
Safety Belts
Warning Sys em:
The indica or is illumina ed for
4-8 seconds af er urning he
s eering lock key o posi ion “2”.
If he safe y bel of he driver’s sea
is no fas ened a warning buzzer
sounds simul aneously.
Fas ening:
• Pull bel wi h la ch pla e (1) over
shoulder and lap. The bel mus
no be wis ed.
• Press la ch pla e (1) in o buckle
(2) and allow o engage audibly.
• The bel mus be igh and mus
be checked for igh ness imme
dia ely af er fas ening and
regularly during he rip. If
required, igh en lap bel by
pulling up on he upper bel
sec ion.
On he coupe, he swivelling
fi ing which is moun ed on he
lower anchoring poin o
facili a e en ering he vehicle
mus poin forward.
16

Unfas ening:
• Depress red bu on (3) in buckle.
• Re urn la ch pla e (1) o ini ial
posi ion.
380 SLC: On en ering or leaving
he rear passenger compar men ,
he safe y bel mus be disengaged
from guide (4).
Opera ion:
The safe y bel iner ia reel s ops
he bel from unwinding fur her in
case of vehicle decelera ion in any
direc ion or if he bel is pulled ou
quickly.
Func ional es :
The locking func ion of he iner ia
reel can be es ed by braking, driv
ing around a bend or by pulling he
bel ou quickly.
Lap bel in rear passenger com
par men :
Pull bel wi h la ch pla e (1) across
he lap, press ongue in lock (2)
and allow o engage audibly. The
bel mus no be wis ed bu mus
be igh .
Seats
To shor en he bel , pull bel end
wi h he la ch pla e engaged. To
leng hen he bel , urn he la ch
pla e so ha i is a a li le more
han 90° o he bel and pull before
fas ening he bel .
To disengage he bel , push red
bu on (3) in he lock.
No e:
No safe y bel can be used for
more han one person. Bel s are
no in ended for children.
Af er an acciden , inspec he
safe y bel s and replace hem, if
required. The bel anchors in he
vehicle should also be checked.
Renew damaged bel webbing.
Bel webbing mus no be rou ed
via sharp edges.
No modifica ions which may affec
he efficiency of he bel s mus be
made.
For cleaning and care of bel web
bing, refer o page 55.
17

Controls
Steering Lock
0 S eering is locked when he key
is wi hdrawn and he s eering
lock is engaged. The key can be
wi hdrawn only in zero posi ion.
No e:
Do no remove key from s eer
ing lock while he vehicle is in
mo ion as his will cause he
engagemen of he s eering lock
hus rendering he vehicle in
operable.
18
1 S eering is unlocked.
(If necessary, move s eering
wheel sligh ly o urn he key
clockwise o posi ion “1”.)
2 Driving posi ion.
S ar ing:
Con inue urning key clockwise o
he s op. The s ar er is engaged
when he key is pressed agains
he s op. The s ar er nonrepea uni
requires he key o be re urned o
posi ion “0” prior o a new s ar ing
a emp .
For s ar ing and urning off he
engine, refer o page 43.
No es:
The following i ems can be opera
ed wi h he key in s eering lock
posi ion “1”.
Wiper, windshield washer, head
lamp flasher, ligh er, glove compar 
men lamp, radio, elec ric sea hea
er.
The power supply o he s anding
lamps is disrup ed if he key in he
s eering lock is in posi ion “2”.
A warning buzzer sounds when he
key has been lef in s eering lock
posi ions “1” or “0” and he driver’s
door is opened.