Tow Starting And Towing Of Vehicle - Mercedes-Benz 260 E 124 1987 Owner's Manual

Tow Starting and Towing of Vehicle

The rear towing eye is located on the
right-hand side below the bumper and
the front towing eye on the passenger
side behind a flap.
Flap removal: Insert finger in the flap
opening and pull out.
To install the flap, engage the flap at
the top and press in the bottom se­
curely.
Only tow-start the vehicle with the bat­
tery connected and the key in steering
lock position 2.
Warning!
When the engine is not running, the
brakes and the steering are without
power assistance. Under these cir­
cumstances, a much greater effort
is necessary to steer or stop the ve­
hicle.
Tow-starting a Vehicle
with Automatic Transmission
Shift selector lever to position " N" .
Turn key to steering lock position 2
and have vehicle towed.
After attaining a towing speed of
30 km/h (18 mph) (with cold transmis­
sion) or 50 km/h (30 mph) (with warm
transmission), shift selector lever to
position "2" to tow-start the engine.
Only touch the accelerator when the
engine is turning. As soon as the en­
gine has started, quickly return selec­
tor lever to " N" .
If the engine fails to fire within a few
seconds, return the selector lever from
" 2" to " N" as otherwise the transmis­
sion may be damaged.
For another starting attempt bring the
car to a full stop first, move selector
lever to position " N" , tow car again for
a short while and repeat the starting
procedure.
Towing a Vehicle with Automatic/
Manual Transmission
The vehicle may be towed with all
wheels on the ground and the selector
lever in position " N" (neutral with ma­
nual transmission) for 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 transmission, however,
we recommend to disconnect the drive
shaft at the rear axle drive flange on
any towing beyond a short tow to a
nearby garage.
Front Towing: Do not tow vehicle with
sling-type equipment. Towing with
sling-type equipment will damage ra­
diator and supports.
Rear Towing: Do not tow vehicle with
sling-type equipment. Towing with
sling-type equipment will damage the
spare tire well.
The vehicle must be towed with
wheel-only lift or flat bed equipment.
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