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STARTING AND OPERATING
CONTENTS
Starting Procedures.....................220
▫Manual Transmission..................220
▫Automatic Transmission................220
▫Normal Starting — Gasoline Engines.......221
▫Normal Starting — Diesel Engines.........223
▫Diesel Fuel-Water Separator..............225
▫Re-Priming The Diesel Fuel System........225
Engine Block Heater — If Equipped.........226
Transmission Shifting....................227▫6-Speed Manual Transmission............227
▫Automatic Transmission................230
▫Rocking The Vehicle...................236
Four-Wheel Drive Operation...............236
▫Command-TracOperating
Information/Precautions................236
▫Shift Positions........................238
▫Shifting Procedure....................239
▫Selec-TracOperating Information/Precautions —
If Equipped.........................240
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normal condition and will not cause damage to the
transmission. The torque converter will refill within 5
seconds of shifting from P (Park) into any other gear
position.
Rocking the Vehicle
If the vehicle becomes stuck in snow, sand, or mud, it can
often be moved by a rocking motion. Move the gear
selector rhythmically between “First” and R (Reverse),
while applying slight pressure to the accelerator.
The least amount of accelerator pedal pressure to main-
tain the rocking motion without spinning the wheels or
racing the engine is most effective. Racing the engine or
spinning the wheels, due to the frustration of not freeing
the vehicle, may lead to transmission overheating and
failure. Allow the engine to idle with the transmission
selector in N (Neutral) for at least one minute after every
five rocking-motion cycles. This will minimize overheat-
ing and reduce the risk of transmission failure during
prolonged efforts to free a stuck vehicle.
CAUTION!
When “rocking” a stuck vehicle by moving between
“First” and R (Reverse), do not spin the wheels faster
than 15 mph (24 km/h), or drivetrain damage may
result.
FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE OPERATION
Command-TracOperating
Information/Precautions
The Command-Tractransfer case provides 4 mode
positions-2(rear) wheel drive high range, 4-wheel drive
high range, neutral, and 4-wheel drive low range.
This transfer case is intended to be driven in the 2-wheel
drive position (2H) for normal street and highway con-
ditions such as dry hard surfaced roads.
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Standing Water
Avoid driving in standing water deeper than 20 inches,
and reduce speed appropriately to minimize wave ef-
fects. Maximum speed in 20 inches of water is less than 5
mph (8 km/h).
Maintenance
After driving through deep water, inspect your vehicle
fluids and lubricants (engine oil, transmission oil, axle,
transfer case) to assure the fluids have not been contami-
nated. Contaminated fluid (milky, foamy in appearance)
should be flushed/changed as soon as possible to pre-
vent component damage.
Driving In Snow, Mud and Sand
In heavy snow, when pulling a load, or for additional
control at slower speeds, shift the transmission to a low
gear and shift the transfer case to 4L or 4LO if necessary.
Refer to “Four-Wheel Drive Operation” in this section.Do not shift to a lower gear than necessary to maintain
headway. Over-revving the engine can spin the wheels
and traction will be lost.
Avoid abrupt downshifts on icy or slippery roads, be-
cause engine braking may cause skidding and loss of
control.
Hill Climbing
NOTE:Before attempting to climb a hill, determine the
conditions at the crest and/or on the other side.
Before climbing a steep hill,shift the transmission to a
lower gear and shift the transfer case to 4L or 4LO. Use
first gear and 4L or 4LO for very steep hills.
If you stall or begin to lose headwaywhile climbing a
steep hill, allow your vehicle to come to a stop and
immediately apply the brakes. Restart the engine and
shift to R (Reverse). Back slowly down the hill allowing
the compression braking of the engine to help regulate
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your speed. If the brakes are required to control vehicle
speed, apply them lightly and avoid locking or skidding
the tires.
WARNING!
If the engine stalls or you lose headway or cannot
make it to the top of a steep hill or grade, never
attempt to turn around. To do so may result in
tipping and rolling the vehicle. Always back care-
fully straight down a hill in R (Reverse) gear. Never
back down a hill in N (Neutral) using only the brake.
Remember, never drive diagonally across a hill-always
drive straight up or down.
If the wheels start to slip as you approach the crest of a
hill, ease off the accelerator and maintain headway byturning the front wheels slowly left and right. This may
provide a fresh “bite” into the surface and will usually
provide traction to complete the climb.
Traction Downhill
Shift the transmission into a low gear and the transfer
case to 4L or 4LO range. Let the vehicle go slowly down
the hill with all four wheels turning against engine
compression drag. This will permit you to control the
vehicle speed and direction.
When descending mountains or hills, repeated braking
can cause brake fade with loss of braking control. Avoid
repeated heavy braking by downshifting the transmis-
sion whenever possible.
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Radial-Ply Tires
WARNING!
Combining radial ply tires with other types of tires
on your vehicle will cause your vehicle to handle
poorly. The instability could cause an accident. Al-
ways use radial tires in sets of four. Never combine
them with other types of tires.
Cuts and punctures in radial tires are repairable only in
the tread area because of sidewall flexing. Consult your
dealer for radial tire repairs.
Tire Spinning
When stuck in mud, sand, snow, or ice conditions, do not
spin your vehicle’s wheels above 35 mph (55 km/h).
WARNING!
Fast spinning tires can be dangerous. Forces gener-
ated by excessive wheel speeds may cause tire dam-
age or failure. A tire could explode and injure
someone. Do not spin your vehicle’s wheels faster
than 35 mph (55 km/h) when you are stuck, and do
not let anyone near a spinning wheel no matter what
the speed.
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CAUTION!
After inspecting or adjusting the tire pressure al-
ways reinstall the valve stem cap. This will prevent
moisture and dirt from entering the valve stem,
which could damage the wheel rim sensor.
NOTE:
•The TPM system can inform the driver of a low tire
pressure condition.
•The TPM system is not intended to replace normal tire
care and maintenance, nor to provide warning of a tire
failure or condition.
•The TPM system should not be used as a tire pressure
gauge while adjusting your tire pressure.
Tire Pressure Monitoring — Premium System
The Tire Pressure Monitor System (TPM) system uses
wireless technology with wheel rim mounted electronic
sensors to monitor tire pressure levels. Sensors mounted
to each wheel as part of the valve stem transmit tire
pressure readings to the Receiver Module. The wheel
sensors monitor tire pressure, and status for all four
active road tires and the spare tire. The spare tire pressure
is monitored, but not displayed.
NOTE:It is particularly important, for you to check the
tire pressure in all of your tires regularly and to maintain
the proper pressure.
The Tire Pressure Monitoring Indicator Lamp will
illuminate in the instrument cluster, and an au-
dible chime will be activated when one or more
tire pressures is low. The Tire Pressure Monitoring Indi-
cator Lamp will flash on and off for ten seconds when a
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system fault is detected. The flash cycle will repeat every
ten minutes or until the fault condition is removed and
reset.
The Tire Pressure Monitoring System consists of the
following components:
•Receiver Module
•4/5 Wheel Sensors
•4 Wheel Sensor Trigger Modules
•Tire Pressure Monitoring System Display Messages in
the EVIC
•Amber Colored Tire Pressure Monitoring Indicator
Lamp
The system consists of tire pressure monitoring sensors
attached to each wheel through the valve stem mounting
hole, a central receiver module, Wheel Sensor Trigger
Modules mounted in three of the four wheel wells,various Tire Pressure Monitoring System Display Mes-
sages in the EVIC, and an amber colored Indicator Lamp.
A sensor shall be installed in the spare wheel if the
vehicle is equipped with a matching full size spare wheel
and tire assembly.
NOTE:For vehicles with optional wheel/tire sizes and
significantly different tire placard pressures, the placard
pressure value and the low-pressure threshold value is
re-programmable at your authorized dealer to accommo-
date the customer selected wheel/tire combinations rec-
ommended by DaimlerChrysler.
The followingwarningswill cause a text message to be
displayed, an audible chime to sound and the tire pres-
sure Indicator Lamp to illuminate. The audible chime
will occur once every ignition cycle for eachwarning
detected. The tire pressure Indicator Lamp will illumi-
nate continuously (solid) and shall remain illuminated
until the warning condition is removed/reset.
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NOTE:The Indicator Lamp will only illuminate for the
four active road tires. A low spare tire pressure will not
cause the Indicator Lamp to illuminate
When the appropriate conditions exist, the Electronic
Vehicle Information Center (EVIC) displays the following
messages.
LEFT FRONT, LEFT REAR, RIGHT FRONT,
RIGHT REAR LOW PRESSURE, SPARE LOW
PRESSURE
One or more of these messages will be displayed in the
EVIC if a low tire pressure condition exists in one or more
tires.
Inspect all tires for proper inflation pressure, once the
proper tire pressure has been set, the TPM system
warning will reset automatically when the vehicle has
been driven for at least 2 minutes at or above 15 mph (24
km/h).
CHECK TPM SYSTEM
See your authorized dealer when this message appears in
the EVIC. This message indicates that a system fault
condition has been detected.
CAUTION!
The TPM system has been optimized for the original
equipment tires and wheels. TPM system pressures
have been established for the tire size equipped on
your vehicle. Undesirable system operation or sen-
sor damage may result when using replacement
equipment that is not of the same size, type, and/or
style. After-market wheels can cause sensor damage.
Do not use tire sealant from a can, or balance beads
if your vehicle is equipped with a TPM system, as
damage to the sensors may result.
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