Tow-Starting And Towing The Vehicle - Mercedes-Benz 300 TD-TURBO DIESEL 1984 Owner's Manual

Towing eyes are situated underneath
the fron t and rear end on the RH side.
Use a solid tow ing link such as a
towbar.
Only tow -start 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.
To crank the engine, shift selector
lever to " S " . Depress accelerator
fully. As soon as the engine has
started, release accelerator and
return selector lever to " N" im­
mediately.
It is im portant to allow the engine to
idle for at least 1 minute before
starting o ff 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 protect the transm is­
sion from damage.
For a new starting attem pt, tow -start
the vehicle fo r some tim e 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.

Tow-starting and Towing the Vehicle

Towing a Vehicle
The vehicle may be tow ed with all of
the w heels 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 m end to disconnect
the drive shaft at the rear axle drive
flange on any towing beyond a short
to w to a nearby garage.
For tow ing w ith fro n t wheels lifted,
attach T-hooks to the tie-dow n slots
in frame. Position a 4 fo o t long,
4 inch x 4 inch piece of wood under
the radiator support. Position tow bar
in fron t of the 4 x 4 . A ttach safety
chains to the lower control arms,
inboard of the springs.
Towing with rear wheels lifted is
preferred. A ttach grab hooks to the
fram e brackets in fron t of the rear
wheels. Position the tow bar under the
bumper. Attach safety chains to the
low er control arms.