Mercedes-Benz 300 TD-TURBO DIESEL 1985, Owner'S Manual

Page: 79 / 97

Tow-starting and Towing the Vehicle
Towing eyes are situated underneath
the fro n t and rear end on the RH side.
Use a solid tow ing link such as a
towbar.
Only to w -sta rt vehicle with the battery
connected and the key in steering
lock position “ 2 ” .
Warning!
When the engine is not running, both
the service brake and the steering are
w ith o u t power assistance. Under
these circum stances, a much greater
effort is necessary to ste e r or stop
the vehicle.
Emergency Engine Start
(Tow-starting)
Shift selector lever to position “ N” .
Turn key in steering lock to position
“ 2 ” and have vehicle towed.
A fte r attaining a tow ing speed of
30 km /h /1 8 mph (with cold transm is­
sion) or 50 km /h /3 0 mph (with warm
transm ission), shift se le cto r lever to
position “ S” to to w -sta rt the engine.
D epress accelerator fully. As soon as
the engine has started, release
accelerator and return se le cto r lever
to “ N” immediately.
It is im portant to allow the engine to
idle fo r at least 1 minute before
starting o ff because the preglowing
process starts when the key is in
steering lock position “ 2 ” and is not
im m ediately disrupted after the
engine has been tow -started. During
this tim e the preglowing process is
cu t out automatically.
If the engine has not fired after a few
seconds, shift the se le cto r lever from
“ S” to “ N” to p ro te ct the transm is­
sion from damage.
For a new starting attem pt, to w -sta rt
the vehicle fo r some time again with
the selector lever in position “ N” and
repeat the starting procedure.
The same m ethod can be used to
start the engine in em ergencies when
rolling downhill.
Towing a Vehicle
The vehicle may be tow ed w ith all of
the wheels on the ground and the
se le cto r lever in position “ N” for
d istances up to 120 km / 75 miles and
at a speed not to exceed 50 km /h /
30 mph.
To positively avoid a possibility of
damage to the transm ission, how ­
ever, we recom m end to disconnect
the drive shaft at the rear axle drive
flange on any tow ing beyond a short
to w to a nearby garage.
For tow ing w ith fro n t w heels lifted,
attach T-hooks to the tie-dow n slots
in frame. Position a 4 fo o t long,
4 inch x 4 inch piece of w ood under
the radiator support. Position tow bar
in fro n t of the 4 x 4 . A ttach safety
chains to the lower control arms,
inboard of the springs.
Towing with rear w heels lifted is
preferred. A ttach grab hooks to the
frame brackets in fro n t of the rear
wheels. Position the tow bar under the
bum per. A ttach safety chains to the
low er control arms.