2013 Ram 1500 transmission

WARNING!
Always wear your seat belt and firmly tie down
cargo. Unsecured cargo can become projectiles in an
off-road situation.
When To Use Low Range
When driving off-road, shift into 4L (Low Range) for
additional traction or to improve handling and control on
slippery or difficult terrain. Due to the lower gearing, low
range will allow the engine to operate in a higher power
range. This will allow you to idle over obstacles and
down hills, with improved control and less effort. Also,
use 4L (Low Range) in rain, ice, snow, mud, sand, to get
heavy loads rolling, improve traction, or whenever 4H
(High Range) traction will not do the job.
Driving In Snow, Mud And Sand
There is a drastic reduction in traction when driving in
snow, mud or sand. The vehicle will be less responsive to
steering, acceleration and braking inputs. Therefore you
should accelerate slowly, leave greater stopping distances
and avoid abrupt vehicle maneuvers. You want to keep a
slow constant steady pace. The key is to maintain the
vehicle’s momentum.
•Snow – In heavy snow or for additional control and
traction at slower speeds, shift the transmission to a
low gear and shift the transfer case to 4L (Low Range)
if necessary. 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. If you start to
slow to a stop, try turning your steering wheel no more
than a ¼ turn quickly back and forth, while still
applying throttle. This will allow the tires to get a fresh
bite and help maintain your momentum.
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WARNING!
Never attempt to climb a hill at an angle or turn
around on a steep grade. Driving across an incline
increases the risk of a roll over, which may result in
severe injury or death.
• Driving Down Hill – Before driving down a steep hill
you need to determine if it is too steep for a safe
descent. What is the surface traction? Is the grade too
steep to maintain a slow controlled descent? Are there
obstacles? Is it a straight descent? Is there plenty of
distance at the base of the hill to regain control if the
vehicle descends too fast? If you feel confident in your
ability to proceed then make sure you are in 4L (Low
Range) with the transmission in first gear (manually
select first gear on automatic transmissions) and pro-
ceed with caution. Allow engine braking to control the descent and apply your brakes if necessary, but do not
allow the tires to lock.
WARNING!
Do not descend a steep grade in NEUTRAL. Use
vehicle brakes in conjunction with engine braking.
Descending a grade too fast could cause you to lose
control and be seriously injured or killed.
• Driving Across An Incline – If at all possible avoid
driving across an incline. If it is necessary, know your
vehicle’s abilities. Driving across an incline places
more weight on the down hill wheels, which increases
the possibilities of a down hill slide or rollover. Make
sure the surface has good traction with firm and stable
soils. If possible transverse the incline at an angle
heading slightly up or down.
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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 Water
Extreme 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
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avoid damage to the environment. You should know
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 first 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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NOTE: How to choose an anchor point:A secure anchor
is critical to winching operations. An anchor must be
strong enough to hold while winching. Natural anchors
include trees, stumps and rocks. Hook the cable as low as
possible. If no natural anchors are available when recov-
ering another vehicle, your vehicle becomes the anchor
point. In this case, be sure to put the transmission in
NEUTRAL, apply the hand brake and block its wheels to
prevent your vehicle from moving. Ideally, you’ll want
an anchor point that will enable you to pull straight in the
direction the vehicle will move. This allows the wire rope
to wind tightly and evenly onto the spooling drum. An
anchor point as far away as possible will provide the
winch with its greatest pulling power.
7. Attach the Clevis/D-shackle and Tree Trunk Protector. Attach the shackle to the two ends of the strap or chain
and through the hook loop, being careful not to over
tighten (tighten and back-off 1/2 turn). 8. Lock the clutch. Lock the winch drum by rotating the
clutch lever on the winch to engage.
NOTE: Always ensure the clutch is fully engaged or
disengaged.
Clevis/D-Shackles
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•What to look for under load: The wire rope must
always spool onto the drum as indicated by the drum
rotation decal on the winch. As you power-in, make
sure the wire rope winds evenly and tightly on the
drum. This prevents the outer wire wraps from draw-
ing into the inner wraps, binding and damaging the
wire rope. Avoid shock loads by using the control
switch intermittently to take up wire rope slack. Shock
loads can momentarily far exceed the winch and wire
rope ratings. During side pulls the wire rope tends to
stack up at one end of the drum. This stack can become
large enough to cause serious damage to the winch. So,
line up pulls as straight ahead as possible and stop
winching if the wire rope comes close to the tie rods or
mounting plate. To fix an uneven stack, spool out that
section of the rope and reposition it to the opposite end
of the drum, which will free up space for continued
winching. 15. Secure vehicle. Once recovery of the vehicle is com-
plete, be sure to secure the vehicle’s brakes and shift
the transmission to PARK. Release tension in the wire
rope.
16. Disconnect the wire rope, and disconnect from the anchor.
17. Rewind the wire rope. The person handling the wire rope should walk the rope in and not let it slide
through the hand, control the winch at all times.
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FUEL SAVER TECHNOLOGY 5.7L ENGINE ONLY
– IF EQUIPPED
This feature offers improved fuel economy by shutting
off four of the engine’s eight cylinders during light load
and cruise conditions. The system is automatic with no
driver inputs or additional driving skills required.
NOTE:This system may take some time to return to full
functionality after a battery disconnect.
PARKING BRAKE
Before leaving the vehicle, make sure that the parking
brake is fully applied. Also, be certain to leave the
transmission in PARK.
The foot operated parking brake is located below the
lower left corner of the instrument panel. To apply the
park brake, firmly push the park brake pedal fully. To
release the parking brake, pull the parking brake release
handle. When the parking brake is applied with the ignition
switch ON, the “Brake Warning Light” in the instrument
cluster will illuminate.Parking Brake Release
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NOTE:
•When the parking brake is applied and the transmis-
sion is placed in gear, the “Brake Warning Light” will
flash. If vehicle speed is detected, a chime will sound
to alert the driver. Fully release the parking brake
before attempting to move the vehicle.
• This light only shows that the parking brake is ap-
plied. It does not show the degree of brake application.
When parking on a hill, it is important to turn the front
wheels toward the curb on a downhill grade and away
from the curb on an uphill grade. 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. The
parking brake should always be applied whenever the
driver is not in the vehicle.WARNING!
• Never use the PARK position as a substitute for the
parking brake. Always apply the parking brake
fully when parked to guard against vehicle move-
ment and possible injury or damage.
• Never leave children alone in a vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked 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 fob in or near the vehicle (or
in a location accessible to children, and do not
leave a vehicle equipped with Keyless Enter-N-Go
in the ACC or ON/RUN mode). A child could
operate power windows, other controls, or move
the vehicle.
(Continued)
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