Mercedes-Benz 420 SEL 1988, 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 to steering lock position 2.
The charge indicator lamp should
come on.
Cold Engine
Turn key in steering lock clockwise to
the stop. Do not depress accelerator.
Release key only when the engine is
firing regularly.
At ambient temperatures below
-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 accelerator.
If the engine has not fired after ap­
prox. 4 seconds, depress accelerator
and continue cranking until the engine
is firing regularly. Release key and
back off accelerator.
At very high coolant temperatures the
engine starting time can be shortened
if the accelerator is depressed slowly
at the beginning of the starting pro­
cess.
Turning off
Turn the key in steering lock to posi­
tion 0 and only remove the key when
the vehicle has stopped.
If the coolant temperature is very high
(e.g. after hard driving on mountain
roads), do not shut off the engine
immediately, allow it to run for
1-2 minutes at increased idle speed.
Important!
Due to the installed starter non-repeat
unit, the key must be returned to
steering lock position 0 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 pressure gauge.
The charge indicator lamp should go
out as soon as the engine has started.
In areas where temperatures fre­
quently drop below -25° C (-13° F),
we recommend that a block heater
be installed. Your authorized
MERCEDES-BENZ dealer will advise
you on this subject.