Tow -Starting And Towing The Vehicle - Mercedes-Benz 300 D 1984 Owner's Manual

T o w -sta rtin g and Towing the Vehicle
Towing eyes are situated underneath
the front and rear end on the RH side.
Use a solid tow ing link such as a
towbar.
Only tow -sta rt vehicle with the battery
connected and the key in steering
lock position " 2" .
Warning:
When the engine is not running, both
the service brake and the steering are
w ithout power assistance. Under
these 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.
A fte r attaining a road speed of
30 km /h/2 0 mph (with cold transm is­
sion) or 50 km /h/35 mph (with warm
transm ission), move selector lever to
position " S " to start the engine.
Depress accelerator fully. As soon as
the engine has started, release acce­
lerator and return selector lever to
" N " immediately.
It is im portant to allow the engine to
idle fo r at least 1 minute before
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 time the preglowing process is
cut out automatically.
If the engine has not fired after a few
seconds, shift the selector lever from
" S " to " N " to prote ct the transm is­
sion from damage.
For a new starting attem pt, tow -start
the vehicle fo r some time again with
the selector lever in position " N" and
repeat the starting procedure.
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 mend to disconnect
the drive shaft at the rear axle drive
flange on any towing beyond a short
tow to a nearby garage.
For tow ing w ith fro n t wheels lifted,
attach T-hooks to the tie-dow n slots
in the frame. Position a 4 ft long, 4
in x 4 in piece of wood under the
radiator support. Position tow bar in
fro n t of the 4 x 4 . Attach safety chains
to the lower control arms, inboard of
springs.
Towing with the rear wheels lifted is
preferred. A ttach T-hooks to the
tie-dow n slots. Position a 4 ft long, 4
in x 4 in piece of wood with spacer
blocks under the frame extensions.
Position the tow bar against the
bumper. A ttach safety chains.