2013 Ram 2500 stop start

CAUTION!
Pulling the vehicle off an obstacle, without first
clearing the object, may result in additional under-
body damage.
• Rock Cycling Your Vehicle – Rock cycling your ve-
hicle is one of the easiest, fastest and most commonly
used methods. This simply involves shifting your
vehicle from DRIVE to REVERSE, while applying
throttle after each shift. During this process, for addi-
tional traction, try turning your steering wheel quickly
back and forth no more than a ¼ turn. If you are stuck
in mud, sand, or snow try spinning your tires during
this process to clean the debris from the tread and
improve the traction. You want to create a rocking
motion with the vehicle. This helps build vehicle
momentum, which hopefully gets you out. Remember
to ease off and on the accelerator before and after the shift. If after a few rock cycles your vehicle is not free,
stop and try another method of recovery. Continuous
rock cycling will only cause unnecessary damage to
your vehicle and the environment.
CAUTION!
Damage can occur when spinning your tires at an
excessive high speed. Do not spin your tires faster
than an indicated 30 mph (48 km/h).
• Using The Tow Hooks With A Tow Strap – Tow straps
are a quick and easy way to recover your vehicle from
minor situations if you have a secondary vehicle which
is not stuck. The tow hooks on your vehicle are
designed to take the abusive force generated during
vehicle recovery. Do not use the bumper or any other
vehicle component as an attachment point. Using tow
straps requires coordination between the two drivers.
Good communication and line of sight are required for5
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a safe recovery. First connect the tow strap to the
correct attachment points on both vehicles. There
should be a least 20 to 30 feet between the vehicles to
allow for a safe recovery. If necessary join two tow
straps together usinga1½inch hard wood dowel.
This will keep the straps from becoming knotted and is
safer than using a clevis pin if the strap breaks. Next
have the tow vehicle backup, leaving two to three feet
worth of slack in the strap. Then the tow vehicle, using
light throttle, should accelerate tightening the strap
providing the pulling force needed to free the vehicle.
The vehicle being recovered should assist in the recov-
ery, at the time of the snap, by slowly spinning the tires
in the same direction as the pulling vehicle. After the
vehicle becomes free, the driver of the previously stuck
vehicle should signal they are free and should hit their
brakes stopping both vehicles. The driver of the pull-
ing vehicle should let off the throttle without using thebrakes, once signaled by the other driver. This se-
quence is important to avoid having the recovered
vehicle hit the pulling vehicle.
WARNING!
Never use tow straps with end hooks or link two
straps with a clevis pin. These heavy metal objects
could become projectiles if a strap breaks, which
could cause severe injury. Never leave more than two
or three feet of slack in the strap. More slack than this
greatly increases the risk of injury and vehicle dam-
age. Always keep everyone at least 30 feet away from
a strapping or winching situation.
•
Winching (Refer To “Winch Operation” For Additional
Information)
– Winching is most commonly used in the
following situations: there is no support vehicle avail-
able, a high controlled force is required to recover the
vehicle, there is a high risk of environmental or vehicle
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DRIVING ON SLIPPERY SURFACES
Acceleration
Rapid acceleration on snow covered, wet, or other slip-
pery surfaces may cause the driving wheels to pull
erratically to the right or left. This phenomenon occurs
when there is a difference in the surface traction under
the rear (driving) wheels.
WARNING!
Rapid acceleration on slippery surfaces is dangerous.
Unequal traction can cause sudden pulling of the rear
wheels. You could lose control of the vehicle and
possibly have a collision. Accelerate slowly and
carefully whenever there is likely to be poor traction
(ice, snow, wet mud, loose sand, etc.).
Traction
When 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
ability. To reduce this possibility, the following precau-
tions should be observed:
1. Slow down during rainstorms or when the roads areslushy.
2. Slow down if the road has standing water or puddles.
3. Replace tires when tread wear indicators first become visible.
4. Keep tires properly inflated.
5. Maintain sufficient distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you to avoid a collision in a
sudden stop.
442 STARTING AND OPERATING

CAUTION!(Continued)
•Driving through standing water may cause damage
to your vehicle’s drivetrain components. Always
inspect your vehicle’s fluids (i.e., engine oil, trans-
mission, axle, etc.) for signs of contamination (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 contami-
nated, 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.
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 stopping
distances. Therefore, after driving through stand-
ing 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 pas-
sengers, and others around you.
444 STARTING AND OPERATING

1.Motor: The winch motor is powered by the vehicle
charging system and features a thermal protection
switch that automatically stops motor function in the
power-in direction if the motor gets too hot.
2. Remote Socket: The remote socket allows the remote
control to be attached to the control pack to allow the
winch to function.
3. Winch Drum With Integral Brake: The winch drum
allows the wire rope to be stored on the winch and
transmits force to the wire rope. The winch is
equipped with an integral brake that will stop rotation
of the winch drum if the winch motor is stopped.
4. 3-Stage Planetary Gear Set:Provides balance between
speed and pulling power.
5. Wire Rope: The wire rope allows the winch to be
connected to an anchor to provide a pulling force. 6.
Clutch Lever: The clutch lever allows the winch drum
to be disconnected from the winch motor to allow the
wire rope to be pulled from the winch by hand.
7. Remote Control: The remote control provides the
interface between the winch operator and the winch.
The remote control provides the ability to power the
winch in, out, and stop the winch. To operate the
winch, the toggle switch is pressed down to power the
winch in and up to power the winch out. The winch
will stop if the switch is left in the neutral (center)
position.
CAUTION!
If not installed, the hook strap must be placed on the
hook.
Fairlead: The fairlead acts as a guide for the wire rope
and minimizes damage to the rope.
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the winch. Continue pulling until the vehicle is on
stable ground. If you are able to drive the vehicle, the
winching operation is complete.NOTE:
•Avoid overheating the winch motor. For extended
winching, stop at reasonable intervals to allow the
winch motor to cool down.
• 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
drawing into the inner wraps, binding and damag-
ing 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
Using The Remote Control
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STARTING AND OPERATING 461

NOTE: How to spool under no load:Arrange the re-
mote control lead so it cannot be caught in the winch.
Arrange the wire rope so it will not kink or tangle when
spooled. Be sure any wire rope already on the spooling
drum is wound tightly and evenly layered. Tighten and
straighten the layer if necessary. Keep the wire rope
under light tension and spool the wire rope back and
onto the winch drum in even layers. Stop frequently to
tighten and straighten the layers as necessary. Repeat this
process until the winch hook is the same distance as the
full length of the remote control from the winch. Pinch
the hook between your thumb and forefinger and attach
the hook strap. Hold the hook strap between the thumb
and forefinger to keep tension on the wire rope. Walk the
wire rope towards the fairlead, carefully spooling in the
remaining wire rope. By pulsing the remote control
switch.
18. Store the hook on the most outboard loop of the tow hook. 19. Disconnect the remote control. Disconnect the remote
control cord from the control box and store in a clean
and dry place. Winching operations are now com-
plete. Put the cap on the solenoid plug-in.
NOTE: Always store the remote control in a protected,
clean, dry area.
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WARNING!(Continued)
•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.
• Be sure the parking brake is fully disengaged
before driving; failure to do so can lead to brake
failure and a collision.
• 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 cause the vehicle to roll
and cause damage or injury.
CAUTION!
If the Brake System Warning Light remains on with
the parking brake released, a brake system malfunc-
tion is indicated. Have the brake system serviced by
an authorized dealer immediately.
BRAKE SYSTEM
If 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.
If either the front or rear hydraulic system loses normal
braking capability, the remaining system will still func-
tion with some loss of overall braking effectiveness. This
will be evident by increased pedal travel during applica-
tion, greater pedal force required to slow or stop, and
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