Starter Motor Operation
•The starter motor will disengage if you release
the key or the engine reaches a predetermined
engine speed.
•To prevent overheating, the starter motor will
disengage after continuously operating for
15 seconds. You must release the key
from the start position to re-engage the starter.
•The starter motor will not engage if the engine
is already running.
•The starter motor will disengage if, after
two seconds, the starter pinion gear does not
engage the flywheel or there is no engine
rpm signal from the engine speed sensor.
Starting Your Engine
1. Without pushing the accelerator pedal, turn
your ignition key to START. When the
engine starts, let go of the key. The idle speed
will go down as your engine gets warm.2. If the engine does not start in 10 seconds,
push the accelerator pedal all the way down
and crank the engine for five more seconds,
unless it starts sooner.
3. If your engine still will not start, or starts but
then stops, it could be flooded with too much
gasoline.
Wait 15 seconds to let the starter motor cool
down. Do Steps 1 through 3 again.
When the engine starts, let go of the key and
the accelerator pedal.
Notice:Your engine is designed to work with
the electronics in your vehicle. If you add
electrical parts or accessories, you could
change the way the engine operates. Before
adding electrical equipment, check with your
dealer. If you do not, your engine might not
perform properly. Any resulting damage would
not be covered by your vehicle’s warranty.
If you ever need to have your vehicle towed, see
Towing Your Vehicle on page 241.
98
Starting the Diesel Engine
Your vehicle’s diesel engine starts differently than
a gasoline engine. Read the following pages to
learn how to start, restart, warm-up, and stop your
diesel engine.
The information applies to Caterpillar
®Diesel
Engine, 6.6L DURAMAX®Diesel Engine, Isuzu 6H
Diesel Engine, unless otherwise noted.
If you have a Caterpillar
®Diesel Engine, also refer
to your Caterpillar®Diesel Engine Operation &
Maintenance Manual for the starting procedure.
Automatic Transmission
Move your shift lever to PARK (P) or
NEUTRAL (N). Your engine will not start in
any other position — that is a safety feature.
To restart when you are already moving,
use NEUTRAL (N) only.
Notice:Do not try to shift to PARK (P) if your
vehicle is moving. If you do, you could
damage the transmission. Shift to PARK (P)
only when your vehicle is stopped.
Manual Transmission
Move your shift lever to NEUTRAL and hold the
clutch pedal to the floor while starting the engine.
Your vehicle will not start if the clutch pedal is not all
the way down — that is a safety feature.
Starting Your Engine
1. Turn your ignition key to RUN.
Observe the wait to start light. SeeWait to
Start Indicator on page 174. This light may not
come on if the engine is hot.
If you have a Caterpillar
®diesel engine, see
your Caterpillar®Diesel Engine Operation
& Maintenance Manual for proper wait to start
light operation.
2. As soon as the wait to start light goes off,
immediately turn the ignition key to START.
When the engine starts, let go of the key.
If your vehicle is equipped with a DURAMAX
®
6600 Diesel Engine, it has a fast warm-up
glow plug system. The wait to start light
will illuminate for a much shorter time than
most diesel engines, due to the rapid heating
of the glow plug system.
100
•If the engine coolant temperature gage needle
goes into the hot area on the gage, stop the
engine and find the cause of the overheating.
SeeEngine Coolant Temperature Gage on
page 173for more information.
•If you have air brakes, the dual-needle air
pressure gage should read at least 115 psi
(790 kPa) for both service systems before you
try to move the vehicle. When air pressure
is below 60 psi (420 kPa), the LOW AIR light
will come on and you will hear a tone
alarm. SeeBrake System Warning Light on
page 169for more information. If the pressure
does not build up or drops during warm-up,
stop the engine and find the cause before you
try to move the vehicle. Recommended air
pressure before driving is 120 psi (830 kPa).
SeeAir Pressure Gage on page 183for
more information.
•The charging system light should come on
when the ignition key is turned to RUN or
START and should go out when the engine is
running above idle. If the light does not go
out or comes back on during normal engine
operation, have the charging system checked
right away. (This light tells you if thegenerator is not charging; it does not reflect
the condition of the battery.) SeeCharging
System Light on page 167for more
information.
•The voltmeter charge indicator gage tells you
the condition of your battery’s charge. The
gage should be in the center area during
engine operation. The red area on the
left indicates an undercharge condition; the
red area on the right indicates an overcharge.
If the gage is in either red area, have the
battery and charging system checked
right away. SeeVoltmeter Gage on page 168
for more information.
Notice:Do not allow the engine to operate at
low idle for more than ve minutes. This
can cause low engine operating temperatures
which can affect engine operation and
reduce engine life. Engine idle speed should
be increased to 1200 rpm whenever extended
idle is required. Once started, the engine
should be placed under load to allow the
engine coolant temperature to reach 150°F
(66°C) before shutting off the engine.
110
Instrument Panel Overview........................ 140
Hazard Warning Flashers.......................... 142
Other Warning Devices............................. 142
Horn.......................................................... 142
Tilt Wheel.................................................. 142
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever.................. 143
Turn and Lane-Change Signals................. 144
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer.......... 144
Windshield Wipers..................................... 145
Windshield Washer.................................... 146
Cruise Control........................................... 146
Exterior Lamps.......................................... 150
Headlamps on Reminder........................... 150
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)................. 151
Marker Lamps........................................... 152
Instrument Panel Brightness...................... 152
Dome Lamps............................................. 153
Entry Lighting............................................ 154
Reading Lamps......................................... 154
Instrument Panel Switchbank..................... 154
Accessory Power Outlet(s)........................ 156
Ashtray(s) and Cigarette Lighter................ 157Climate Controls......................................... 157
Climate Control System............................. 157
Outlet Adjustment...................................... 160
Rear Heating System................................ 161
Warning Lights, Gages, and Indicators..... 161
Instrument Panel Cluster........................... 162
Speedometer and Odometer...................... 163
Trip Odometer........................................... 163
Tachometer............................................... 163
Engine Speed Limiter................................ 164
Safety Belt Reminder Light........................ 164
Safety Belt Reminder Tone....................... 164
Airbag Readiness Light............................. 165
Airbag Off Light......................................... 166
Charging System Light.............................. 167
Voltmeter Gage......................................... 168
Service Transmission Warning Light.......... 168
Range Inhibit Warning Indicator................. 169
Brake System Warning Light..................... 169
Anti-Lock Brake System Warning Light...... 172
Trailer Anti-Lock Brake System
Warning Light........................................ 172
Section 3 Instrument Panel
137
Ashtray(s) and Cigarette Lighter
Your vehicle may have an ashtray and a cigarette
lighter located in the center floor console. To
open the removable ashtray, flip open the top.
Notice:If you put papers, pins, or other
ammable items in the ashtray, hot cigarettes
or other smoking materials could ignite
them and possibly damage your vehicle. Never
put ammable items in the ashtray.
To use the cigarette lighter, push it in all the way
and let it go. When it’s ready, it will pop back
out by itself.
Notice:Holding a cigarette lighter in while it
is heating will not allow the lighter to back
away from the heating element when it is hot.
Damage from overheating may occur to the
lighter or heating element, or a fuse could be
blown. Do not hold a cigarette lighter in
while it is heating.
Climate Controls
Climate Control System
With these systems, you can control the heating,
cooling and ventilation for your vehicle.
If your vehicle does not have air conditioning, the
controls will look like this:
Turn the mode knob on the far right clockwise or
counterclockwise to direct the airflow inside of
your vehicle.
Vehicles Without Air Conditioning
157
Rear Window Defogger
The rear window defogger uses a warming grid to
remove fog or frost from the rear window.
Be sure to clear as much snow from the rear
window as possible.
Press this button which
is located near the fan
control to turn the rear
window defogger on or
off. An indicator light in
the button will come on
when the rear window
defogger is working.
The rear window defogger will only work when the
ignition is in RUN.
The rear window defogger will turn off several
minutes after the button is pressed. The defogger
can also be turned off by pressing the button
again or by turning off the engine.
Notice:Do not use anything sharp on the
inside of the rear window. If you do, you could
cut or damage the warming grid, and the repairs
would not be covered by your warranty. Do not
attach a temporary vehicle license, tape, a decal
or anything similar to the defogger grid.
Outlet Adjustment
Your vehicle has air outlets on the instrument
panel that allow you to adjust the direction
and amount of airflow inside the vehicle.
Move the lever on the outlet up or down to direct
the airflow. Increase or reduce the amount of
airflow by opening and closing the louvers. The
outlets can be moved side-to-side to direct
the airflow.
Operation Tips
•
Keep the hood and front air inlets free of ice,
snow, or any other obstruction (such as
leaves). The heater and defroster will work far
better, reducing the chance of fogging the
inside of your windows.
•Keep the air path under the front seats clear
of objects. This helps air to circulate
throughout your vehicle.
•Adding outside equipment to the front of your
vehicle, such as hood-air deflectors, may
affect the performance of the heating and air
conditioning system. Check with your
dealer before adding equipment to the outside
of your vehicle.
160
Rear Heating System
If you have a crew cab
and your vehicle has a
rear heater, the
thumbwheel for this
feature is located on
the headliner.
To increase and decrease the flow of heated air to
the rear floor vents, turn the thumbwheel to the
desired fan speed. To turn the fan off, turn
the thumbwheel all the way down.
Warning Lights, Gages, and
Indicators
This part describes the warning lights and gages
that may be on your vehicle. The pictures will
help you locate them.Warning lights and gages can signal that
something is wrong before it becomes serious
enough to cause an expensive repair or
replacement. Paying attention to your warning
lights and gages could also save you or others
from injury.
Warning lights come on when there may be or
is a problem with one of your vehicle’s functions.
As you will see in the details on the next few
pages, some warning lights come on briefly when
you start the engine just to let you know they
are working. If you are familiar with this section,
you should not be alarmed when this happens.
Gages can indicate when there may be or is a
problem with one of your vehicle’s functions. Often
gages and warning lights work together to let you
know when there is a problem with your vehicle.
When one of the warning lights comes on and
stays on when you are driving, or when one of the
gages shows there may be a problem, check
the section that tells you what to do about
it. Waiting to do repairs can be costly and even
dangerous.
161
Engine Coolant Temperature Gage
This gage shows the engine coolant temperature.
If the gage pointer moves into the red area,
your engine coolant might have overheated and
your engine may be too hot. You should pull off the
road, stop your vehicle and turn off the engine
as soon as possible.
SeeEngine Overheating on page 288. If you have
a Caterpillar
®diesel engine, also see your
Caterpillar®Operation & Maintenance Manual.
Low Coolant Warning Light
You have a low coolant
warning light. If this light
comes on, your system
is low on coolant and the
engine may overheat.
The warning light should come on briefly, as a
check, when you turn on the ignition.
When it comes on, you will also hear a warning
tone at several beats per second for 10 seconds.
SeeEngine Coolant (Gas and DURAMAX
®/Isuzu
Engines) on page 284orEngine Coolant
(Caterpillar
®Diesel Engines) on page 287and
have your vehicle serviced as soon as you can.
This light may also come on if your vehicle is
equipped with the automatic engine shutdown
system and engine shutdown has begun.
SeeEngine Alarm and Automatic Shutdownunder
Starting the Diesel Engine on page 100.
United StatesCanada
173