2007 DODGE CARAVAN cooling

SAFETY TIPS
Exhaust Gas
WARNING!
Exhaust gases can injure or kill. They contain carbon
monoxide (CO) which is colorless and odorless.
Breathing it can make you unconscious and can
eventually poison you. To avoid breathing (CO)
follow the safety tips below.
Do not run the engine in a closed garage or in confined
areas any longer than needed to move your vehicle in or
out of the area.
If it is necessary to sit in a parked vehicle with the engine
running, adjust your heating or cooling controls to force
outside air into the vehicle. Set the blower at high speed.
WARNING!
If you are required to drive with the deck lid /
liftgate open, make sure that all windows are closed,
and the climate control blower switch is set at high
speed. DO NOT use the recirculation mode.
Safety Checks You Should Make Inside The
Vehicle
Seat Belts
Inspect the belt system periodically, checking for cuts,
frays and loose parts. Damaged parts must be replaced
immediately. Do not disassemble or modify the system.
Front seat belt assemblies must be replaced after a
collision. Rear seat belt assemblies must be replaced after
a collision if they have been damaged (bent retractor, torn
webbing, etc. If there is any question regarding belt or
retractor condition, replace the belt.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 89
2

15. Vehicle Theft Alarm Light — If Equipped This light will flash for approximately 15 sec-
onds when the vehicle theft alarm is arming.
16. Temperature Gauge
The temperature gauge shows engine coolant tempera-
ture. Any reading within the normal range indicates that
the engine cooling system is operating satisfactorily.
The gauge pointer will likely indicate a higher tempera-
ture when driving in hot weather, up mountain grades,
or when towing a trailer. It should not be allowed to
exceed the upper limits of the normal operating range.CAUTION!
Driving with a hot engine cooling system could
damage your vehicle. If temperature gauge reads
“H“, pull over and stop the vehicle. Idle the vehicle
with the air conditioner turned off until the pointer
drops back into the normal range. If the pointer
remains on the “H”, and you hear continuous
chimes, turn the engine off immediately, and call for
service.
216 UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

WARNING!
A hot engine cooling system is dangerous. You or
others could be badly burned by steam or boiling
coolant. You may want to call a service center if your
vehicle overheats. If you decide to look under the
hood yourself, see Section 7 of this manual. Follow
the warnings under the Cooling System Pressure
Cap paragraph.
17. Washer Fluid LightThis light turns on when the washer fluid level
falls below approximately 1/4 filled. The light will
remain on until fluid is added.
18. Transmission Range Indicator
This display indicator shows the automatic transaxle gear
selection. NOTE:
You must apply the brakes before shifting from
Park.
19. Oil Pressure Warning Light This light shows low engine oil pressure. The light
should turn on momentarily when the engine is
started. If the light turns on while driving, stop the
vehicle and shut off the engine as soon as possible. A
chime will sound for 4 minutes when this light turns on.
Do not operate the vehicle until the cause is corrected.
This light does not show how much oil is in the engine.
The engine oil level must be checked under the hood.
20. High Beam Light This light shows that the headlights are on high
beam. Pull the turn signal lever towards the
steering wheel to switch the headlights from high or low
beam.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 217
4

Defrost Mode
Air comes from the windshield and side window demist
outlets. Use this setting when necessary to defrost your
windshield and side windows.
NOTE: While operating in either Auto HIorAuto
LO , the system will not automatically sense the presence of fog, mist, or ice on the windshield.
Defrostmode
must be manually selected to clear the windshield and
side glass.
The snowflake or a/c button allows the opera-
tor to manually activate or deactivate the air
conditioning system. When the snowflake symbol
in the ATC display is on, cool, dehumidified air flows
through the air outlets. If economy mode is desired, press
the snowflake button to turn off the snowflake icon in the
ATC display and deactivate the air conditioning system.
Note: While operating in auto hiorauto lo, the air
conditioning system is always activated. If fog, or mist
appears on the windshield or side glass, select defrost
mode and increase blower speed.
Recirculation Control
When outside air contains smoke, odors, high
humidity, or if rapid cooling is desired, you
may wish to recirculate interior air by pressing
Defrost Outlets
UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 295
4

Rear Mode Control
The Rear Mode Control, located in
the headliner near the center of
the vehicle can be used to select
between Auto, Headliner, Bi-
Level and Floor modes.
Auto Mode
The rear system automatically maintains the correct
mode and comfort level desired by the rear seat occu-
pants.
Floor Mode Air comes from the floor outlets. Bi-Level Mode
Air comes from both the headliner outlets and the
floor outlets.
NOTE: In many temperature positions, the bi-level
mode is designed to provide cooler air out of the head-
liner outlets and warmer air from the floor outlets.
Headliner Mode Air comes from the outlets in the headliner. Each of
these outlets can be individually adjusted to direct
the flow of air. Moving the air vane knob on the outlets to
one side will shut off the air flow.
Summer Operation
The engine cooling system in air conditioned vehicles
must be protected with a high-quality antifreeze coolant
to provide proper corrosion protection and to protect
against engine overheating. A 50% solution of ethylene
UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 299
4

glycol antifreeze coolant in water is recommended. Refer
to section 7, Maintenance Procedures, of this manual for
proper coolant selection.
Winter Operation
To insure the best possible heater and defroster perfor-
mance, make sure the engine cooling system is function-
ing properly and the proper amount, type, and concen-
tration of coolant is used. Refer to section 7, Maintenance
Procedures, of this manual for proper coolant selection.
Use of the air Recirculation mode during winter months
is not recommended because it may cause window
fogging.
Vacation Storage
Anytime you store your vehicle, or keep it out of service
(i.e. vacation) for two weeks or more, run the air condi-
tioning system at idle for about five minutes in the fresh
air and high blower setting. This will insure adequate system lubrication to minimize the possibility of com-
pressor damage when the system is started again.
Window Fogging
Vehicle windows tend to fog on the inside in mild rainy
or humid weather. To clear the windows, select
defrost
or mix mode and increase the front blower speed. Do
not use the Recirculation mode without A/C for long
periods as fogging may occur.
Outside Air Intake
Make sure the air intake, located directly in front of the
windshield, is free of obstructions such as leaves. Leaves
collected in the air intake may reduce airflow and if they
enter the plenum they could plug the water drains. In
winter months make sure the air intake is clear of ice,
slush and snow.
300 UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

Towing Tips — Electronic Speed Control (If
Equipped)

Don’t use in hilly terrain or with heavy loads.
When using the speed control, if you experience speed
drops greater than 10 mph (16 km/h), disengage until
you can get back to cruising speed.
Use speed control in flat terrain and with light loads to
maximize fuel efficiency.
Towing Tips — Cooling System
To reduce potential for engine and transmission over-
heating, take the following actions:
City Driving
When stopped for short periods of time, put transmission
in neutral but do not increase engine idle speed.
Highway Driving
Reduce speed.
Air Conditioning
Turn off temporarily.
refer to Cooling System Operating information in the
Maintenance section of this manual for more informa-
tion.
RECREATIONAL TOWING (BEHIND
MOTORHOME, ETC.)
TOWING THIS VEHICLE BEHIND ANOTHER
VEHICLE (Flat towing with all four wheels on the
ground)
Recreational towing for this vehicle is not recommended.
NOTE: If the vehicle requires towing make sure all four
wheels are off the ground.
382 STARTING AND OPERATING

IF YOUR ENGINE OVERHEATS
In any of the following situations, you can reduce the
potential for overheating by taking the appropriate ac-
tion.
•On the highways — Slow down.
•In city traffic — While stopped, put transmission in
neutral, but do not increase engine idle speed.
NOTE: There are steps that you can take to slow down
an impending overheat condition. If your air conditioner
is on, turn it off. The air conditioning system adds heat to
the engine cooling system and turning off the A/C
removes this heat. You can also turn the Temperature
control to maximum heat, the Mode control to floor, and
the fan control to High. This allows the heater core to act
as a supplement to the radiator and aids in removing heat
from the engine cooling system.
CAUTION!
Driving with a hot cooling system could damage
your vehicle. If temperature gauge reads “H”, pull
over and stop the vehicle. Idle the vehicle with the
air conditioner turned off until the pointer drops
back into the normal range. If the pointer remains on
the “H”, turn the engine off immediately, and call for
service.
WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES 385
6