2005 DODGE SPRINTER check engine

STARTING AND OPERATING 155
5
 Protect sharp edges with padding.
 Check the tire pressures after loading the vehicle.
For passenger vans:
 Do not stack loads higher than the upper edge of the backrests.
 Always place the load against the backrests of the seat benches.
 Whenever possible, transport loads behind seats that are not occupied.
 Distribute the load in such a way that the permissible axle loads are not exceeded when the
vehicle is equipped with the maximum number of
seats. Loading the luggage compartment up to the
maximum payload would cause the permissible
rear axle load to be exceeded.
BRAKES
Service Brake
WARNING!
When the engine is not running, the brake and
steering systems are without power assistance.
Under these circumstances, a much greater effort
is necessary to stop or steer the vehicle.
After driving in heavy rain for some time without
applying the brakes or through water deep
enough to wet brake components, the first
braking action may be somewhat reduced and
increased pedal pressure may be necessary. Be
sure to maintain a safe distance from vehicles in
front.
Resting your foot on the brake pedal will cause
excessive and premature wear of the brake pads.
It can also result in the brakes overheating,
thereby significantly reducing their effectiveness.
It may not be possible to stop the vehicle in
sufficient time to avoid an accident.

158 STARTING AND OPERATINGNOTE: If you find that the minimum mark on the
brake fluid reservoir is reached, have the brake system
checked for pad thickness and leaks.
Parking Brake Indicator LampWith the key in position 2 in the ignition lock and the
parking brake released, th e indicator lamp lights
up for about 2 seconds.
If the parking brake is on, the indicator lamp does
not go out before the parking brake is released.
WARNING!
Driving with the brake indicator lamp ; (3 )
illuminated can result in an accident. There may
be a malfunction in the brake system or in the
electronic brake force distribution. The braking
characteristics are affected and the vehicle could
skid if it is braked hard.
Have your brake system checked immediately if
the brake indicator lamp ; (3 ) stays on. Do
not add brake fluid before checking the brake
system. Overfilling the brake fluid reservoir can
result in spilling brake fluid on hot engine parts
and the brake fluid catching fire. There is a risk of
injury due to hot engine parts or hot steam.

164 STARTING AND OPERATINGElectronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD)The electronic brake force distribution (EBD) prevents
the rear wheels from being overbraked when there is
little load on the rear axle or if there is not much friction
between the tires and road (e.g., if the road is wet).
Acceleration Skid Control Indicator Lamp (ASR)
and Brake Assist System (BAS)
1if equipped
When the key is in position 2 in the ignition lock, the
indicator lamp k will light up in the instrument
cluster as a function check. It goes out when the engine
is running.12500 Type vehicles only
WARNING!
If the brake indicator lamp ; (- ) does not
go out or lights up again while driving, the brake
fluid level may not necessarily have dropped be-
low the minimum filling capacity but a malfunc-
tion may have occurred in the EBD. In this case
continue driving, but with even greater care.
The wheels of the rear axle could lock if the
vehicle is braked hard. This could lead to a
skidding of the vehicle. Have the malfunction
traced and repaired without delay by an
authorized Sprinter Dealer.
Adapt your speed and driving style to the
prevailing road, traffic and weather conditions.
Driving too fast increases the risk of an accident.

170 STARTING AND OPERATINGFor the indicator lamp k refer to
"Indicator Lamp
Acceleration Skid Control (ASR) and Brake Assist
System (BAS)
" .
Indicator Lamp Electronic Stability Program (ESP)
(vehicle type 2500 only)When the key is in position 2 in the ignition lock, the
ESP indicator lamp will light up in the instrument
cluster as a function check. It goes out when the engine
is running.
If the indicator lamp remains on or lights up when
the engine is running, the electronic stability program
(ESP) is malfunctioning and switched off
automatically. The engine’s power output may be then
reduced.
WARNING!
The Brake Assist system (BAS) cannot prevent the
natural laws of physics from acting on the vehicle,
nor can it increase braking efficiency beyond that
afforded by the condition of the vehicle brakes
and tires or the traction afforded.
The BAS cannot prevent accidents, including
those resulting from excessive speed in turns,
following another vehicle too closely, or
hydroplaning. Only a safe, attentive, and skillful
driver can prevent accidents.
The capabilities of an BAS equipped vehicle must
never be exploited in a reckless or dangerous
manner which could jeopardize the user’s safety
or the safety of others
.
Adapt your speed and driving style to the
prevailing road, traffic and weather conditions.
Driving too fast increases the risk of an accident.

STARTING AND OPERATING 173
5
STEERINGWhen the engine is not running, there is no power
assistance for the steering. Greater force will be
required to steer the vehicle.WHEELS AND TIRESCheck tires regularly for even tread wear, tread depth
(note legal requirements) and signs of external
damage.
Only use wheels and tires of the same size, make and
pattern.
Do not install tires that are not approved for the size
and type of wheel installed or the vehicle itself. Only
use those wheel sizes which were delivered to you by
your authorized Sprinter Dealer.
Use only wheels and tires which have been tested and
approved by the vehicle manufacturer. Break in new tires at moderate speeds for a distance of
about 65 miles (about 100 km).
CAUTION!
Power take off must not exceed 10 kW. Exceeding
the power take off may cause damage to the
auxiliary drive and/or ribbed V-belt.
WARNING!
Fitting other wheel sizes to the vehicle will change
the vehicle’s handling characteristics and may
lead to an accident resulting in severe personal in-
juries, death and property damage.
Only certain tires meeting the tire size/load/speed
rating specifications contained in the Tire
Pressure Tables at the end of this chapter are
certified to conform to FMVSS 120 for the Sprinter
vehicle at this time. Please check your side walls
of your originally equipped tires for specific
makes/sizes, and speed load ratings when you
need to replace your tires.
To prevent accident, injury or possible death, use
only the correct tires for your tire replacement.
Do not use retreaded/ remolded tires. This process
does not always permit previous damage to be
detected. Therefore vehicle safety cannot be
guaranteed if retreaded/remolded tires are fitted
.

180 STARTING AND OPERATINGFuel Filter with Water SeparatorCheck the water separator when the fuel indicator
lamp does not go out or comes on while the engine
is running. For more information on the indicator
lamp .
The interval for changing the fuel filter is reduced to
10,000 miles (about 15,000 km).
Diesel Fuels for Use at Very Low TemperaturesAt very low temperatures the fluidity of No. 2 diesel
fuel may become insufficient due to parraffin
separation. For this reason the vehicle comes equipped
with a fuel preheater. It permits a troublefree engine
operation to a temperature of approximately 14 °F (–
10 °C) when using No. 2 diesel fuel.
To avoid malfunctions, No. 2 diesel fuel of a lowered
cloud point is marketed during the cold season.
A t tem pera tures below 1 4 ° F (–1 0 °C) us e win teriz ed or
No. 1 diesel fuel only. If not available, a certain
quantity of kerosene or fuel flow improver may be
added. Mixing only to be done within the vehicle’s fuel
tank. Kerosene has to be filled in before the diesel fuel.
Engine power may drop according to the proportion of
kerosene. For this reason, keep percentage of kerosene
added to the minimum necessitated by the ambient
temperature.
WARNING!
Under no circumstances should gasoline be mixed
with diesel fuel.
Due to the high pressure and high temperature in
the injection system, there is a risk of fire and
explosion.
In addition, there is a risk of engine damage.
Always follow basic safety rules when working
with any combustible material.

MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE
7
CONTENTS

Engine Compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215


Sprinter Original Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217


Service Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Disposal of Service Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218


Emission Related Component Warranty
Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218


Regular Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Windshield Washer System Fluid Reservoir . 219
Air Filter Restriction Indicator (Optional) . . . 219
Engine Oils . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Engine Oil Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Ribbed V-Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Hydraulic Brake System, Clutch
Mechanism Fluid Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Engine Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Checking Coolant Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224


Winter Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226


Batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Disconnecting the Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Reconnecting the Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Charging the Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228


Replacing Wiper Blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Appearance Care and Corrosion Protection . 231
Power Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Automatic Car Wash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Tar Stains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Paintwork, Painted Body Components . . . . . . 233
Engine Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Vehicle Washing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Ornamental Moldings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234

218 MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLEDisposal of Service ProductsDispose of service products and of parts which come
into contact with them (e.g. filters) in an
environmentally responsible manner. Comply with
applicable bars and regulations.EMISSION RELATED COMPONENT WARRANTY
STATEMENTThe Manufacturer warrants to the original and each
subsequent owner of a Sprinter heavy-duty on
highway diesel engine that:
(1) the engine was designed, built and equipped so as
to conform at the time of sale with the applicable
regulations adopted by the Federal Environmental
Protection Agency, and
(2) the emission control system of such engine is free
from defects in materials and workmanship which
would cause it not to conform with those regulations
for a period of use of five years or 100 000 miles or
3 000 hours of engine operation, whichever occurs
first.
REGULAR CHECKSThe following checks should be performed at regular
intervals (for example once a week or each time the
vehicle is refueled):
 Windshield cleaner system – fluid reservoir.
 Air strainer, in vehicles with an air strainer element maintenance indicator (optional equipment).
 Engine oil level.
 Checking ribbed V-belt.
 Hydraulic brake system, clutch mechanism fluid level.
 Coolant level.
 Tire and spare wheel condition and pressures of the same. For more information, refer to "Wheels and
Tires".
 Vehicle lighting.