Jump Starting - Mercedes-Benz 560 SL 1986 Owner's Manual

Jump Starting

If the battery is discharged the en­
gine can be started with jumper
cables and the (12 V) battery of
another vehicle.
Proceed as follows:
1. Position the vehicle with the
charged battery so that the jum­
per cables will reach, but never
let the vehicles touch. Make
sure the jumper cables do not
have loose or missing insulation.
2. On both vehicles:
• Turn off engine and all lights
and accessories, except ha­
zard flashers or work lights.
• Apply parking brake and
shift selector lever to posi­
tion "P".
• Be sure the vent caps are
tight and level. Place a damp
cloth over the vent caps,
making certain it is clear of
all moving parts.
3. Clamp one end of the first
jumper cable to the positive (+)
terminal on the discharged bat­
tery and the other end to the
positive (+) terminal on the
charged battery. Make sure the
cable clamps do not touch any
other metal parts.
4. Clamp one end of the second
jumper cable to the grounded
negative (— ) terminal of the
charged battery and the final
connection to a grounded heavy
metal bracket in the engine
compartment or on the engine
of the disabled vehicle. Make
sure the cables are not on or
near pulleys, fans, or other parts
that will move when the engine
is started.
5. Start engine of the vehicle with
the charged battery and run at
high idle. Then start engine of
the disabled vehicle in the usual
manner.
6. After the engine has started,
remove jumper cables by re­
versing the above installation
sequence exactly, starting with
the jumper cable connected to
a heavy metal bracket in the
disabled vehicle's engine com­
partment. When removing each
clamp, make sure that it does
not touch any other metal while
the other end is still attached.
Important!
A discharged battery can freeze at
approx. — 10° C (+14° F). In all cases
it must be thawed out before jum­
per cables are used.
Jumper cable specifications:
• Minimum cable cross-section of
25 mm2 or approx. 2 AWG
• Maximum length of 3500 mm
(11.5 ft).
Warning!
Never lean over batteries while
jump starting, you might get
burned.
Battery fluid contains sulfuric
acid. Do not allow this fluid to
come in contact with eyes, skin,
or clothing. In case it does, imme
diately flush affected area with
water, and seek medical help.
A battery will also produce hydro­
gen gas, which is flammable and
explosive. Keep flames or sparks
away from battery, i.e. improper
connection of jumper cables,
cigarette smoking, etc..
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