Mercedes-Benz 380 SL 1984, Owner'S Manual

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Tow-starting and Towing the Vehicle
Towing eyes are situated under­
neath the R-H front and rear end.
Use a solid towing link such as a
towbar.
Only tow-start vehicle with the bat­
tery connected and the key in
steering lock position “
2
”.
Warning:
When the engine is not running,
both the service brake and the
steering are without power assis­
tance. Under these circumstances,
a much greater effort is necessary
to steer or stop the vehicle.
Emergency Engine Start
(Tow-starting)
The engine must be cold if it is to
be started by towing or pushing the
vehicle.
Never start a hot engine by towing
or pushing the vehicle as the
catalysts might otherwise suffer
damage.
Move selector lever to position “N”.
Turn key in steering lock to position
“
2
” and have vehicle towed.
To start the engine, move selector
lever to “2”. Only touch the accele­
rator when the engine is turning.
As soon as the engine has started,
quickly return selector lever to “N” .
If the engine fails to fire within a
few seconds, return the selector
lever from “2” to “N" as otherwise
the transmission may be damaged.
For another starting attempt, tow
car again for a short while with the
selector lever in position “N” and
then repeat starting procedure.
The same procedure may be used
for starting the engine while rolling
downhill.
Towing the Vehicle
The vehicle may be towed with all
of the wheels on the ground and
the selector lever in position “N” for
distances 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 transmission, how­
ever, we recommend to disconnect
the drive shaft at the rear axle drive
flange on any towing beyond a
short tow to a nearby garage.
Towing by lifting the front wheels is
not recommended, since damage
to the underside of the vehicle may
occur.
Towing on a “dolly” with the rear
wheels lifted is preferred. Attach T-
hooks to the tie-down slots. Po­
sition a 4 ft long, 4 in x 4 in piece
of wood under the bumper, behind
the exhaust pipe. Position the
towbar at the lower edge of the
bumper.