Mercedes-Benz 380 SL 1985, Owner'S Manual

Page: 54 / 97

Safe Driving
ABS-Brake System
(Anti-Lock Brake System)
You can tell if your vehicle is
equipped with an ABS by the yel­
low indicator lamp with the letters
“ANTILOCK” in the instrument clus­
ter (see page 10).
The ABS prevents the wheels from
locking up above a speed of
approx. 3 km/h/2 mph independent
of road surface conditions. It is
necessary, however, that a speed
of approx. 8 km /h/5 mph has been
exceeded at least once after start­
up.
At the instant one of the wheels is
about to lock up, you will notice a
slight vibration in the brake pedal
and the vehicle, indicating that the
ABS is enhancing the driver’s abil­
ity to control the vehicle by pre­
venting the wheels from locking.
This also indicates that the ABS is
in the regulating mode. On slippery
road surfaces, the ABS will already
respond with a slight brake pedal
pressure. The pulsating brake pedal
can be an indication of hazardous
road conditions, and you may want
to take extra care driving.
Warning!
Always keep a safe distance from
the vehicle in front of you. Only a
save, attentive and skillful driver
can prevent accidents. The ABS
cannot prevent accidents including
those resulting from excessive
speed in turns or following a
vehicle too closely.
The ABS indicator lamp in the ins­
trument cluster comes on with the
key in steering lock position “2”
and should go out with the engine
running.
If the charging voltage falls below
10 volts, the indicator lamp comes
on and the ABS is switched off.
When the voltage is above this
value again, the indicator lamp
should go out and the ABS will be
operational.
If the ABS indicator lamp does not
go out, it indicates that the ABS
has detected a malfunction and has
switched off. In this case, the brake
system functions in the usual man­
ner, but without anti-lock assis­
tance. We recommend that you visit
an authorized MERCEDES-BENZ
dealer as soon as possible to have
the system checked.