Mercedes-Benz 300 SD 1978, Owner'S Manual

Page: 44 / 79

Safe Driving
Driving Economically
The First 1,000 Miles (1,500 km)
Emission Control
Certain system s of the engine a n d /o r
adjustm ents serve to keep the toxic
com ponents of the exhaust gases
w ithin perm issible lim its required by
law. (Nevertheless, we urgently advise
you not to let the engine run in a
closed garage.) These system s, of
course, will function p ro p e rly only
when m aintained strictly a c c o rd ­
ing to factory specifications. Any
adjustm ents on the engine should,
therefore, be carried out only by
qualified MERCEDES-BENZ
technicians. The a d justm ents of the
engine should not be altered in any
way. M oreover, the specified service
and m aintenance jo b s m ust be
carried out regularly a ccording to
MERCEDES-BENZ servicing
requirem ents. For detailes refer to
Emission C ontrol and M aintenance
Manual.
Fuel Consumption
Fuel co n su m p tio n depends to a great
extent on driving habits and o perating
conditions. For econom ical driving
you should
• avoid fre q u e n t and quick
acceleration
• avoid fre q u e n t slow dow ns
• avoid high speeds
D riving in low te m p e ra tu re w eather, in
sto p -a n d -g o city tra ffic and on short
hops, and in hilly co u n try as well
increases fuel co nsum ption.
Engine Oil Consumption
Engine oil co n su m p tio n can only be
d ete rm in ed a fte r a certain m ileage
has been covered. D uring the break-
in period, higher oil co n su m p tio n may
be noticed and is norm al.
Frequent high engine speed
operation w ill also cause increased oil
consum ption.
The m ore cautiously you treat your
engine durin g the break-in period, the
m ore satisfied you will be with its
p e rfo rm a n ce later on. Therefore,
drive your vehicle du rin g the first
1,000 m iles (1,500 km ) at m oderate
vehicle and engine speeds.
D uring this period, avoid heavy loads
(full th ro ttle d rivin g ) and high RPMs
(no m ore than z/ 3 of m axim um
pe rm issib le speed in each gear) and
do not force the engine to labor at low
engine speed.
A void accelerating by kickdow n. It is
not re com m ended to brake vehicle by
means of m anually shifting to a lower
gear. We re com m end to select
positions “ S” or “ L” only at m oderate
speeds (for hill driving).
A fter 1,000 m iles (1,500 km ) speeds
may g ra d u a lly be increased to the
p e rm issib le m axim um .