Mercedes-Benz 380 SL 1984, Owner'S Manual

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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 in steering lock to position
“2”. The charge indicator lamp
must come on.
Cold Engine
Turn key in steering lock clockwise
to the stop. Do not depress accele­
rator. Release key only when the
engine is firing regularly.
At ambient temperatures of less
than -18° C/0° F, depress
accelerator three times prior to
starting.
Hot Engine
Turn key in steering lock clockwise
to the stop. Do not depress accele­
rator. If the engine has not fired
after approx. 4 seconds, depress
accelerator and continue cranking
until the engine is firing regularly.
Release key and back off accelera­
tor.
Turning off
Turn the key in the steering lock to
position “
0
” and only remove the
key when the vehicle is at standstill.
If the coolant temperature is very
high (e.g. after hard driving on
mountain roads), do not shut off
the engine immediately but allow it
to run on for
1 -2
minutes at
increased idle speed.
Hints
Due to the installed starter non­
repeat unit, the key in the steering
lock must be returned to “
0
”
position 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 pres­
sure gauge.
The charge indicator lamp must go
out as soon as the engine has
started.
Should too much fuel have entered
the engine due to several un­
successful starting attempts and
the engine will no longer fire,
depress the accelerator while
starting. In this way the mixture
becomes combustible again. Back
off the accelerator only when the
engine is firing regularly.
In areas where temperatures fre­
quently drop below -25° C/-13° F,
we recommend that a block heater
is installed. Every MERCEDES-
BENZ service station will advise
you on this subject.