2009 DODGE RAM 2500 DIESEL engine

sure the surface has good traction with firm and stable
soils. If possible transverse the incline at an angle
heading slightly up or down.
WARNING!
Driving across an incline increases the risk of a
rollover, which may result in severe injury.•
If You Stall Or Begin To Lose Headway– If you stall
or begin to lose headway while climbing a steep hill,
allow your vehicle to come to a stop and immediately
apply the brake. Restart the engine and shift into
REVERSE. Back slowly down the hill allowing the
compression braking of the engine and transmission to
help regulate 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, which may result in
severe injury. Always back carefully straight down a
hill in REVERSE. Never back down a hill in NEU-
TRAL using only the vehicle brakes. Never drive
diagonally across a hill, always drive straight up or
down.Driving Through WaterExtreme care should be taken crossing any type of water.
Water crossings should be avoided if possible and only
be attempted when necessary, in a safe responsible
manner. You should only drive through areas which are
designated and approved. You should tread lightly and
avoid damage to the environment. You should know
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your vehicle’s abilities and be able to recover it if
something goes wrong. You should never stop or shut a
vehicle off when crossing deep water unless you ingested
water into the engine air intake. If the engine stalls do not
attempt to restart it. Determine if it has ingested water
first. The key to any crossing is low and slow. You want
to use 1st gear in 4L (Low Range) and proceed very
slowly with a constant slow speed (3-5 mph [5–8 km/h]
maximum) and light throttle. Keep the vehicle moving;
do not try to accelerate through the crossing. After
crossing any water higher than the bottom of the axle
differentials, you should inspect all of the vehicle fluids
for signs of water ingestion.
CAUTION!
Water ingestion into the axles, transmission, transfer
case, engine or vehicle interior can occur if you drive
too fast or through too deep of water. Water can cause
permanent damage to engine, driveline or other
vehicle components and your brakes will be less
effective once wet and/or muddy•
Before You Cross Any Type Of Water– As you
approach any type of water you need to determine if
you can cross it safely and responsibly. If necessary, get
out and walk through the water or probe it with a
stick. You need to be sure of its depth, approach angle,
current and bottom condition. Be careful of murky or
muddy waters, check for hidden obstacles. Make sure
you will not be intruding on any wildlife and you can
recover the vehicle if necessary. The key to a safe
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LIMITED-SLIP DIFFERENTIAL – IF EQUIPPEDThe limited-slip differential provides additional traction
on snow, ice, mud, sand and gravel, particularly when
there is a difference between the traction characteristics
of the surface under the right and left rear wheels. During
normal driving and cornering, the limited-slip unit per-
forms similarly to a conventional differential. On slip-
pery surfaces, however, the differential delivers more of
the driving effort to the rear wheel having the better
traction.
The limited-slip differential is especially helpful during
slippery driving conditions. With both rear wheels on a
slippery surface, a slight application of the accelerator
will supply maximum traction. When starting with only
one rear wheel on an excessively slippery surface, slight
momentary application of the parking brake may be
necessary to gain maximum traction.
WARNING!
On vehicles equipped with a limited-slip differential
never run the engine with one rear wheel off the
ground since the vehicle may drive through the rear
wheel remaining on the ground. You could lose
control of the vehicle.
Care should be taken to avoid sudden accelerations when
both rear wheels are on a slippery surface. This could
cause both rear wheels to spin, and allow the vehicle to
slide sideways on the crowned surface of a road or in a
turn.DRIVING ON SLIPPERY SURFACESWhen driving on wet or slushy roads, it is possible for a
wedge of water to build up between the tire and road
surface. This is known as hydroplaning and may cause
partial or complete loss of vehicle control and stopping
304 STARTING AND OPERATING

CAUTION!
•
Always check the depth of the standing water
before driving through it. Never drive through
standing water that is deeper than the bottom of
the tire rims mounted on the vehicle.
•
Determine the condition of the road or the path
that is under water and if there are any obstacles in
the way before driving through the standing wa-
ter.
•
Do not exceed 5 mph (8 km/h) when driving
through standing water. This will minimize wave
effects.(Continued)
CAUTION! (Continued)
•
Driving through standing water may cause dam-
age to your vehicle’s drivetrain components. Al-
ways inspect your vehicle’s fluids (i.e., engine oil,
transmission/transaxle, axle, etc.) for signs of con-
tamination (i.e., fluid that is milky or foamy in
appearance) after driving through standing water.
Do not continue to operate the vehicle if any fluid
appears contaminated, as this may result in further
damage. Such damage is not covered by the New
Vehicle Limited Warranty.
•
Getting water inside your vehicle’s engine can
cause it to lock up and stall out, and cause serious
internal damage to the engine. Such damage is not
covered by the New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
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WARNING!
•
Driving through standing water limits your vehi-
cle’s traction capabilities. Do not exceed 5 mph
(8 km/h) when driving through standing water.
•
Driving through standing water limits your vehi-
cle’s braking capabilities, which increases stop-
ping distances. Therefore, after driving through
standing water, drive slowly and lightly press on
the brake pedal several times to dry the brakes.
•
Getting water inside your vehicle’s engine can
cause it to lock up and stall out, and leave you
stranded.
•
Failure to follow these warnings may result in
injuries that are serious or fatal to you, your
passengers, and others around you.
DRIVING OFF-ROAD — RAM TRUCK ONLYCare should be taken when attempting to climb steep
hills or driving diagonally across a hill or slope. If natural
obstacles force you to travel diagonally up or down a hill,
choose a mild angle and keep as little side tilt as possible.
Keep the vehicle moving and make turns slowly and
cautiously.
If you must back down a hill, back straight down using
REVERSE gear. Never back down in NEUTRAL, or
diagonally across the hill.
When driving over sand, mud, and other soft terrain,
shift to low gear and drive steadily. Apply the accelerator
slowly to avoid spinning the wheels.
DO NOT REDUCE the tire pressures for this type of
driving.
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the vehicle and never near the wire rope or snatch
block. Your situation may have other\bno people\bzones.
15. Begin winching. With the winching vehicles engine
on and light tension already on the wire rope, begin
winching slowly and steadily. Be sure that the wire rope
is winding evenly and tightly around the spooling drum. For additional assistance, the winched vehicle can be
slowly driven while being pulled by the winch. Continue
pulling until the vehicle is on stable ground. If you are
able to drive the vehicle, the winching operation is
complete.
No People Zones
Using The Remote Control
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WARNING!
Fluid level should be checked on a level surface and
with the engine off to prevent injury from moving
parts and to ensure accurate fluid level reading. Do
not overfill. Use only manufacturer’s recommended
power steering fluid.
If necessary, add fluid to restore to the proper indicated
level. With a clean cloth, wipe any spilled fluid from all
surfaces. Refer to “Fluids, Lubricants, and Genuine
Parts” in Section 7 for the correct fluid type.PARKING BRAKEThe foot-operated parking brake is positioned below the
lower left corner of the instrument panel. To release the
parking brake, pull the parking brake release handle. NOTE:
The “Brake Warning Light” will come on and
flash to indicate that the parking brake is applied. You
must be sure that the parking brake is fully applied
before leaving the vehicle.
Be sure the parking brake is firmly set when parked and
the shift lever is in the PARK position. When parking on
Parking Brake
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a hill, you should apply the parking brake before placing
the shift lever in PARK, otherwise, the load on the
transmission locking mechanism may make it difficult to
move the shift lever out of PARK.
WARNING!
•
Always fully apply the parking brake when leav-
ing your vehicle, or it may roll and cause damage
or injury. Also be certain to leave the transmission
in PARK. Failure to do so may allow the vehicle to
roll and cause damage or injury.
•
Never leave children alone in a vehicle. Leaving
unattended children in a vehicle is dangerous for a
number of reasons. A child or others could be
seriously or fatally injured. Do not leave the key in
the ignition. A child could operate power win-
dows, other controls, or move the vehicle.(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•
Be sure the parking brake is fully disengaged
before driving, failure to do so can lead to brake
problems due to excessive heating of the rear
brakes.
When parking on a hill, turn the front wheels toward the
curb on a downhill grade and away from the curb on an
uphill grade.
The parking brake should always be applied whenever
the driver is not in the vehicle.
BRAKE SYSTEMIf power assist is lost for any reason (for example,
repeated brake applications with the engine off), the
brakes will still function. However, you will experience a
substantial increase in braking effort to stop the vehicle.
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