Mercedes-Benz 260 E 124 1988 Owner's Manual page 90

Jump Starting
if the battery is discharged the engine
can be started with jum per 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 jum ­
per cables do not have loose or
missing insulation.
2. On both vehicles:
• Turn off engine and all lights and
accessories, except hazard
flashers or work lights.
• Apply parking brake and shift
selector lever to position " P"
(neutral with manual trans­
mission).
• Be sure the battery vent caps
are tight. Place a damp cloth
over the vent caps, making cer­
tain it is clear of all moving parts.
3. Clamp one end of the first jumper
cable to the positive (+ ) terminal
on the discharged battery and the
other end to the positive (+ ) term i­
nal on the charged battery. Make
sure the cable clamps do not touch
any other metal parts.
88
4. Clamp one end of the second
jum per cable to the grounded
negative ( - ) terminal of the
charged battery and the final con­
nection 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 dis­
abled vehicle in the usual manner.
. After the engine has started, re­
6
move jum per cables by reversing
the above installation sequence ex­
actly, starting with the jumper cable
connected to a heavy metal brack­
et in the disabled vehicle's engine
compartment. 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. - 1 0 ° C (+ 14°F). In that case
it must be thawed out before jumper
cables are used.
Jumper cable specifications:
• Minimum cable cross-section of
25 mm or approx. 2 AWG
2
• 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, immediately 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 jum per cables, smok­
ing, etc..