Failure to inspect and if necessary replace the safety belt
assembly under the above conditions could result in severe
personal injuries in the event of a collision.
Refer toInteriorin theCleaningchapter.
Safety belt warning light and indicator chime
The safety belt warning light illuminates in the instrument cluster and a
chime sounds to remind the occupants to fasten their safety belts.
Conditions of operation
If... Then...
The driver’s safety belt is not
buckled before the ignition
switch is turned to the ON
position...The safety belt warning light
illuminates 1-2 minutes and the
warning chime sounds 4-8 seconds.
The driver’s safety belt is
buckled while the indicator
light is illuminated and the
warning chime is sounding...The safety belt warning light and
warning chime turn off.
The driver’s safety belt is
buckled before the ignition
switch is turned to the ON
position...The safety belt warning light and
indicator chime remain off.
BeltMinder
The BeltMinder feature is a supplemental warning to the safety belt
warning function. This feature provides additional reminders to the
driver that the driver’s safety belt is unbuckled by intermittently
sounding a chime and illuminating the safety belt warning lamp in the
instrument cluster.
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If... Then...
The driver’s safety belt is not
buckled before the vehicle has
reached at least 3 mph (5
km/h) and 1-2 minutes have
elapsed since the ignition
switch has been turned to
ON...The BeltMinder feature is activated -
the safety belt warning light
illuminates and the warning chime
sounds for 6 seconds every 30
seconds, repeating for approximately
5 minutes or until safety belt is
buckled.
The driver’s safety belt is
buckled while the safety belt
indicator light is illuminated
and the safety belt warning
chime is sounding...The BeltMinder feature will not
activate.
The driver’s safety belt is
buckled before the ignition
switch is turned to the ON
position...The BeltMinder feature will not
activate.
The following are reasons most often given for not wearing safety belts:
(All statistics based on U.S. data)
Reasons given... Consider...
“Crashes are rare events”36700 crashes occur every day.The
more we drive, the more we are
exposed to “rare” events, even for
good drivers.1in4ofuswillbe
seriously injured in a crash during
our lifetime.
“I’m not going far”3of4fatal crashes occur within25
miles of home.
“Belts are uncomfortable” We design our safety belts to enhance
comfort. If you are uncomfortable -
try different positions for the safety
belt upper anchorage and seatback
which should be as upright as
possible; this can improve comfort.
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Reasons given... Consider...
“I was in a hurry”Prime time for an accident.
BeltMinder reminds us to take a few
seconds to buckle up.
“Seat belts don’t work”Safety belts,when used properly,
reduce risk of deathto front seat
occupants by45% in cars,and by
60% in light trucks.
“Traffic is light”Nearly 1 of 2 deaths occur in
single-vehicle crashes,many when
no other vehicles are around.
“Belts wrinkle my clothes” Possibly, but a serious crash can do
much more than wrinkle your clothes,
particularly if you are unbelted.
“The people I’m with don’t
wear belts”Set the example, teen deaths occur 4
times more often in vehicles with
TWO or MORE people. Children and
younger brothers/sisters imitate
behavior they see.
“I have an air bag” Air bags offer greater protection when
used with safety belts. Frontal air
bags are not designed to inflate in
rear and side crashes or rollovers.
“I’d rather be thrown clear” Not a good idea.Peoplewho are
ejected are 40 times more likely
to DIE.Safety belts help prevent
ejection, WE CAN’T “PICK OUR
CRASH”.
Do not sit on tope of a buckled safety belt or insert a latchplate
into the buckle to avoid the BeltMinderchime. To do so may
adversely affect the performance of the vehicle’s air bag system
One-time disable
Any time the safety belt is buckled and then unbuckled during an
ignition ON cycle, BeltMinder will be disabled for that ignition cycle only.
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Deactivating/Activating the BeltMinder feature
Read Steps1-9thoroughly before proceeding with the
deactivation/activation programming procedure.
The BeltMinder feature can be deactivated/activated by performing the
following procedure:
Before following the procedure, make sure that:
•The parking brake is set.
•The gearshift is in P (Park) (automatic transmission) or the neutral
position (manual transmission).
•The ignition switch is in the OFF position.
•All vehicle doors are closed.
•The driver’s safety belt is unbuckled.
•The headlamp control is in the
position.
While the design allows you to deactivate your BeltMinder,this
system is designed to improve your chances of being safely
belted and surviving an accident. We recommend you leave the
BeltMindersystem activated for yourself and others who may use the
vehicle. To reduce the risk of injury, do not deactivate/activate the
BeltMinderfeature while driving the vehicle.
BeltMinder activation and deactivation procedure
1. Turn the ignition switch to the RUN (or ON) position. (DO NOT
START THE ENGINE.)
2. Wait until the safety belt warning light turns off. (Approximately 1–2
minutes.)
•Steps 3–5 must be completed within 60 seconds or the procedure will
have to be repeated.
3. Buckle then unbuckle the safety belt three times, ending with the
safety belt unbuckled. This can be done before or during BeltMinder
warning activation.
4. Turn on the parklamps/headlamps, turn off the parklamps/headlamps.
5. Buckle then unbuckle the safety belt three times, ending with the
safety belt unbuckled.
•After step 5 the safety belt warning light will be turned on for three
seconds.
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6. Within seven seconds of the safety belt warning light turning off,
buckle then unbuckle the safety belt.
•This will disable BeltMinder if it is currently enabled, or enable
BeltMinder if it is currently disabled.
7. Confirmation of disabling BeltMinder is provided by the safety belt
warning light flashing four times per second for three seconds.
8. Confirmation of enabling BeltMinder is provided by:
•The safety belt warning light flashing four times per second for three
seconds.
•Followed by three seconds with the safety belt warning light off.
•Once again, the safety belt warning light will flash four times per
second for three seconds.
9. After receiving confirmation, the deactivation/activation procedure is
complete.
SAFETY RESTRAINTS FOR CHILDREN
Important child restraint precautions
You are required by law to use safety restraints for children in the U.S.
and Canada. If small children (generally children who are four years old
or younger and who weigh 40 lb. [18 kg] or less) ride in your vehicle, you
must put them in safety seats made especially for children. Many states
require that children use approved booster seats until they are eight
years old. Check your local and state or provincial laws for specific
requirements regarding the safety of children in your vehicle. When
possible, always place children under age 12 in the rear seat of your
vehicle. Accident statistics suggest that children are safer when properly
restrained in the rear seating positions than in the front seating position.
Never let a passenger hold a child on his or her lap while the
vehicle is moving. The passenger cannot protect the child from
injury in a collision.
Always follow the instructions and warnings that come with any infant or
child restraint you might use.
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STARTING
Positions of the ignition
1. ACCESSORY, allows the electrical
accessories such as the radio to
operate while the engine is not
running.
2. LOCK, locks the steering wheel,
automatic transmission gearshift
lever and allows key removal. For
vehicles equipped with a manual
transmission, you must depress the
ignition release lever to release the
key.
3. OFF, shuts off the engine and all accessories without locking the
steering wheel. This position also allows the automatic transmission shift
lever to be moved from the P (Park) position without the brake pedal
being depressed.
4. ON, all electrical circuits operational. Warning lights illuminated. Key
position when driving.
5. START, cranks the engine. Release the key as soon as the engine
starts.
Starting the engine
Operation of a diesel engine near flammable vapors in the air
may cause the engine speed to increase uncontrollably and over
speed. If this situation occurs, mechanical damage, fire, explosion,
personal injury or death could result.Turning off the ignition key
will not slow or stop the engine due to uncontrollable fueling of the
engine through flammable vapors being drawn into the engine air
inlet.Operation of components such as starter, alternator, electric
motors, etc. and static electricity could also ignite flammable vapors.
Do not operate the truck in the possible presence of flammable vapors
unless both a complete hazard analysis is performed and necessary
additional safety processes and/or equipment such as vapor testing, air
intake shutoff devices, ventilation, etc. are utilized. The operator is
responsible for using those processes and/or equipment to ensure that
the diesel engine and all other components on the truck can be
operated safely under the specific conditions and hazards that may be
encountered.
3
1
2
5
4
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Note:When starting the engine, do not press the accelerator as engine
damage may result.
1. Ensure headlamps and all accessories are turned off, the parking
brake is applied and the transmission is in the neutral position (or P
[Park] for Allison 2200 transmissions).
2. Turn the key to ON, but do not start the engine. In cooler weather,
the air intake heater may activate the WAIT TO START light in the
instrument cluster.
If the WAIT TO START light
illuminates,do notcrank the engine
until the light goes off.
If equipped with an air intake heater, DO NOT use ether or any
other starting fluids. The use of starting fluids (ether) in an
engine equipped with an air intake heater could cause an explosion
and result in property damage and/or personal injury.
3. When the WAIT TO START light turns off, turn the key to START;
when the engine starts, release the key.
If the engine does not start after 30 seconds of cranking, allow two
minutes for the starter to cool before trying again. Excessive cranking
may damage the starter.
After the engine starts:
•On some engines, the WAIT TO
START light should illuminate
after the engine starts. Allow the
engine to idle about three
minutes or until the engine
coolant temperature gauge begins to rise. Maintain idle speed until the
WAIT TO START light cycles off to indicate the air intake heater has
shut off (approximately six minutes). Operating the engine at higher
speeds will reduce the effectiveness of the air inlet heater.
WAIT
TO
START
WAIT
TO
START
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Starting a turbocharged engine with the vehicle on a steep grade
When starting a diesel engine when the loaded vehicle is on a grade, the
engine RPM will start to fall slightly when the clutch is engaged; do not
disengage the clutch and try to increase engine RPM as this may damage
driveline components. The engine will recover as the vehicle begins
moving.
Engine shutdown
Allow the engine to idle for three to five minutes before shutting it
down. The larger the engine, the greater the need for this idling period.
However, do not let the engine idle for more than 10 minutes.
Restarting after running out of fuel
The fuel system may need to be purged of air, refer toRunning out of
fuelin theMaintenance and Specificationschapter.
GENERAL OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
•Avoid extended and unnecessary idling.
•Start the vehicle in motion by using the highest gear speed in the
transmission that will let the engine easily start the load without
slipping the clutch.
•Accelerate smoothly and evenly; rapid acceleration increases fuel
consumption without increasing engine performance.
•When approaching a hill, depress the accelerator smoothly to start the
incline at full power, then shift down as needed to maintain vehicle
speed.
•When going down a hill, or long steep grades, prevent over-speeding
of the engine. The engine governor has no control over engine speed
when it is being pushed by a loaded vehicle.
•Always shift to a lower gear at high altitudes to prevent engine
smoking.
•Operate in a gear that will permit an engine speed not in excess of the
maximum governed speed or high-idle RPM (no load).
•Normally, choose the same gear to descend the hill that you would use
to ascend the hill.
All vehicles have blind spots. To reduce the risk of severe injury
or property damage, never move your vehicle to the side or rear
or change lanes without being sure your way is clear on both sides and
to your rear.
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