Mercedes-Benz 240 D 1980 Owner's Manual page 45

Starting
S hift selector lever to the desired
driving position only when the
engine is idling and the service
brake is applied. Do not release the
brake before m oving o ff. The ve­
hicle may otherwise start creeping
when the selector lever is in a
driving position.
Accelerator position
Partial th ro ttle = early upshift-
ing = normal acceleration
Full th ro ttle = retarded upshift-
ing = m axim um acceleration
Depressing the accelerator beyond
full th ro ttle to kickdow n position
means dow nshifting to the next
lower gear and thus m axim um
acceleration. If you ease up on the
accelerator after having attained
the desired speed, the transmission
w ill shift up again.
Gearshifting is controlled by the
vehicle speed.
Selector lever positions
The autom atic gear shifting pro­
cess can be adapted to specific
operating conditions by means of
the selector lever.
"P " Parking lock. The parking lock
is an additional safeguard
when parking the vehicle.
Engage only when the car is
stationary.
"R " Reverse gear. S h ift reverse
gear only w ith the vehicle at
halt.
" N " Neutral. No pow er is trans­
m itted from the engine to the
rear axle. W hen the brakes are
released, the vehicle can be
m oved freely (pushed, tow ed
or tow -started). Do not engage
" N " w hen driving except when
the vehicle is in danger of
skidding (e.g. on icy roads).
See page 49.
" D " Drive. All gears are available.
Position " D " affords o ptim um
driving characteristics under
all normal operating con­
ditions.
" S " Slope. U pshifting to 3rd gear
only. Suitable fo r moderate
ascents and descents. As the
transm ission shifts up to
S tartin g and Sh iftin g Gears
3rd gear only, this position per­
m its the utilization o f the
engine braking effect. W ith
the selector lever in posi­
tio n " S " and the accelerator
depressed to full throttle,
2 nd gear covers a w ider speed
range than w ith the selector
lever in position "D ".
" L " Low. U pshifting to 2nd gear
only. For driving on steep
m ountain passes, fo r trailer
operation in m ountainous
regions, fo r driving under
severe operating conditions
and as braking position on ex­
trem ely steep declines. If the
selector lever is briefly shifted
to position " S " and then re­
turned to position "L ",
nd gear is shifted sooner at
2
higher speed.
Do not exceed to p speeds in the
individual selector lever positions.
Refer to speedometer markings.
43