Emergency Engine Start; Towing A Vehicle - Mercedes-Benz 1984 300SD Owner's Manual

The fron t tow ing eye is located on the
RH side behind a flap and the rear
tow ing eye on the RH side below the
bumper.
Only tow -start vehicle with the battery
cables connected and the key in
steering lock position " 2 " .
W arning:
When the engine is not running, both
the service brake and the steering are
w ithout powerassistance. U nderthese
circum stances, a much greater effort
is necessary to steer or stop the
vehicle.

Emergency Engine Start

(Tow-starting)
Move selector lever to position " N " .
Turn key in steering lock to position
" 2 " and have vehicle towed.
To crank the engine, shift selector
lever to " 3 " . Depress accelerator
fully. As soon as the engine has
started, release accelerator and
return selector lever to " N " immedia­
tely.
It is im portant to allow the engine to
idle fo r at least 1 minute before
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starting off because the preglowing
process starts when the key is in
steering lock position " 2 " and is not
immediately disrupted after the
engine has been tow -started. During
this tim e the preglowing process is
cut out automatically.
If the engine has not fired after a few
seconds, shift the selector lever from
" 3 " to " N " to protect the transm is­
sion from damage.
For a new starting attem pt, to w -start
the vehicle fo r some tim e again with
the selector lever in position " N " and
repeat the starting procedure.
Tow-starting and Towing the Vehicle
The same method can be used to
start the engine in em ergencies when
rolling downhill.

Towing a Vehicle

The vehicle may be tow ed with all of
the wheels on the ground and the
selector lever in position " N" fo r
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 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
tow to a nearby garage.
Front tow ing: Attach J-hooks to the
subfram e crossm em ber.
Position tow bar under the radiator
support. Attach safety chains to the
low er control arms, between the
springs and shock absorbers.
Rear tow ing: Attach T-hooks to the
tie-dow n slots. Position tow bar under
rear of trunk floor. A ttach safety chains
to the lower control arms.
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