2015 Ram ProMaster heating

STARTING PROCEDURES
Before starting your vehicle, adjust your seat, both inside
and outside mirrors, and fasten your seat belts.
The starter is allowed to crank for up to 10-second
intervals. Waiting a few minutes between such intervals
will protect the starter from overheating.
WARNING!
•Never leave children alone in a vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle.
• Allowing children to be in a vehicle unattended is
dangerous for a number of reasons. A child or
others could be seriously or fatally injured. Chil-
dren should be warned not to touch the parking
brake, brake pedal or the shift lever.
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•Do not leave the Key Fob in or near the vehicle (or
in a location accessible to children). A child could
operate power windows, other controls, or move
the vehicle.
NOTE: Engine start up in very low ambient temperature
could result in evident white smoke. This condition will
disappear as the engine warms up.
CAUTION!
If the “Generic Warning Light” remains on and a
“Service Fuel Filter” message displays, DO NOT
START engine before you drain the water from the
fuel filter housing to avoid engine damage. Please
see your authorized dealer for draining the fuel
filter/water separator and fuel filter replacement.
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STARTING AND OPERATING 37

6. Check that the oil pressure warning light has turnedoff.
7. Release the parking brake.
To start the engine if the transmission is faulty, the
“Delayed startup” procedure may be required.
NOTE: Not all Transmission Failures requires the “De-
layed startup” Procedure, it depends on the type of
failure.
(refer to Instrument Cluster Messages underAuto-
mated Manual Transmission in this section for further
information):
• Begin with the key in the OFF position.
• Press and hold the brake pedal. •
Turn the key to the START/AVV position and hold it
there for at least seven seconds with the brake de-
pressed. The engine will start, and the transmission
will operate in recovery mode (maximum gear permit-
ted = 3rd, automatic mode not available). If the engine
does not start, contact your authorized dealer.
Starting Fluids
The engine is equipped with a glow plug preheating
system. If the instructions in this manual are followed,
the engine should start in all conditions and no type of
starting fluid should be used.
WARNING!
• Do not leave children or animals inside parked
vehicles in hot weather. Interior heat build up may
cause serious injury or death.
(Continued)
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STARTING AND OPERATING 39

WARNING!(Continued)
•When leaving the vehicle, always remove the key
fob and lock your vehicle.
• Never leave children alone in a vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Allowing children to
be in a vehicle unattended is dangerous for a
number of reasons. A child or others could be
seriously or fatally injured. Children should be
warned not to touch the parking brake, brake pedal
or the gear selector/shift lever. Do not leave the key
fob in or near the vehicle (or in a location accessible
to children), A child could operate power windows,
other controls, or move the vehicle.
Extreme Cold Weather
This vehicle has three heating elements; one engine block
heater (a resistance heater installed in the water jacket of
the engine) and two transmission heaters (one resistance heater installed under the oil reservoir of the hydraulic
actuation system and one on the differential cover of the
transmission). They require a 110–115 Volt AC electrical
outlet with a grounded, three-wire extension cord. Their
use is recommended for environments that routinely fall
below -10°F (-23°C). They should be used when the
vehicle has not been running overnight or longer periods
and should be plugged in two hours prior to start. Their
use is required for cold starts with temperatures under
-17°F (-27°C).
NOTE:
The engine is designed to work at an ambient
temperature ranging from -22°F to + 122°F (-30°C to +
50C°). Rubber, pipes, timing belt cover and electronic
devices are not designed to work out of this range.
In the case of LOW temperature after Starting, the Auto-
mated Manual Transmission may not be able to engage first
gear. In this case a message Shift not allowedappears. In
this situation use the engine block heater.
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Cooling System Tips — Automated Manual
Transmission
To reduce potential for engine and transmission over-
heating in high ambient temperature conditions, take the
following actions:
•City Driving
— When stopped, shift the transmis-
sion into NEUTRAL and increase engine idle
speed.
• Highway Driving— Reduce your speed.
•Up Steep Hills— Select a lower transmission gear.
•Air Conditioning— Turn it off temporarily. Do Not Operate The Engine With Low Oil
Pressure
If the low oil pressure warning light turns on while
driving, stop the vehicle and shut down the engine as
soon as possible. A chime will sound when the light turns
on.
NOTE:
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.
CAUTION!
If oil pressure falls to less than normal readings, shut
the engine off immediately. Failure to do so could
result in immediate and severe engine damage.
44 STARTING AND OPERATING

This can occur, for example, if the driver moves the shift
lever to request a transmission gear that is not allowed
under the current operating conditions.
With the vehicle at a standstill, engine running and the
shift lever in DRIVE (D), REVERSE (R), or MANUAL
(M), the buzzer sounds and the transmission automati-
cally shifts to NEUTRAL (N) when:
•The accelerator and/or brake pedals are not operated
for at least three minutes.
• The brake pedal is pressed for longer than 10 minutes.
• The driver ’s door is opened and the accelerator and
brake are not operated for at least 1.5 seconds.
• The driver selected gear does not match the engaged
transmission gear.
• A fault has been detected in the transmission. A Blinking Warning:
•
The driver selected gear does not match the engaged
transmission gear, the gear information in the cluster
and on the bezel will blink.
When To Use TOW/HAUL Mode
When driving in hilly areas, towing a trailer, carrying a
heavy load, etc., and frequent transmission shifting oc-
curs, press the TOW/HAUL switch to activate TOW/
HAUL mode. This will improve performance and reduce
the potential for transmission overheating or failure due
to excessive shifting. When operating in TOW/HAUL
mode, the transmission shift calibration is modified to
accommodate steep grades in the smoothest possible
manner. TOW/HAUL mode is only applicable in the
DRIVE (D) position.
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STARTING AND OPERATING 53

example, holding on a hill); the clutch could be dam-
aged by overheating. Use the brake pedal instead and
operate the accelerator only when you are ready to
drive away.
• Only launch (from a stop) in second gear when you
need more control on surfaces with low traction.
• Only shift between DRIVE (D) and REVERSE (R) gears
when the vehicle has come to a stop and the brake
pedal is pressed.
• Although very inadvisable, if the vehicle is unexpect-
edly allowed to roll downhill with the gearbox in
NEUTRAL (N) the system will automatically engage
the gear best suited to vehicle speed when a gear shift
is requested to allow drive to be correctly transmitted
to the wheels. •
If necessary, with the engine off, it is possible to engage
1st, REVERSE (R) or NEUTRAL (N) with the key in
ON/RUN/MAR position and the brake pressed.
• During hill starts, accelerate immediately after releas-
ing the parking brake or brake pedal to allow the
engine to increase its rpm to a greater extent and
overcome higher gradients with more torque.
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STARTING AND OPERATING 55

MESSAGEDESCRIPTION
Automatic Unavailable Automatic (DRIVE) mode is not available due to a fault or other condition. Use MANUAL (M) mode to operate the vehicle.
Contact your authorized dealer if the message continues to appear.
Transmission
Temperature High This message appears, together with a buzzer, when the clutch overheats.
In this situation, limit stop and go driving and gear shifts or if necessary stop the vehicle and turn the engine off to allow the clutch to cool.
If the message continues to appear, contact your Authorized Dealer.
To avoid clutch malfunction, do not use the accelerator to keep the vehicle at a
standstill (for example holding on a hill); the clutch could be damaged by over-
heating. Use the brake pedal instead and operate the accelerator only when you are ready to drive away.5
STARTING AND OPERATING 57

CAUTION!(Continued)
•Do not attempt to start your engine if DEF is
accidentally added to the diesel fuel tank as it can
result in severe damage to your engine, including
but not limited to failure of the fuel pump and
injectors.
• Never add anything other than DEF to the tank –
especially any form of hydrocarbon such as diesel
fuel, fuel system additives, gasoline, or any other
petroleum-based product. Even a very small
amount of these (less than 100 parts per million or
less than 1 oz. per 78 gallons) will contaminate the
entire DEF system and will require replacement. If
owners use a container, funnel or nozzle when
refilling the tank, it should either be new or one
that is has only been used for adding DEF. MOPAR
provides an attachable nozzle with its DEF for this
purpose. 3. Stop filling the DEF tank immediately when any of the
following happen:
•DEF stops flowing from the fill bottle into the DEF tank.
• DEF splashes out the filler neck.
• DEF pump nozzle automatically shuts off.
4. Reinstall cap onto DEF filler neck.
Filling The Def Tank In Cold Climates
Since DEF will begin to freeze at 12°F (-11°C), your vehicle is
equipped with an automatic DEF heating system. This
allows the DEF injection system to operate properly at
temperatures below 12°F (-11°C). If your vehicle is not in
operation for an extended period of time with temperatures
below 12°F (-11°C), the DEF in the tank may freeze. If the
tank is overfilled and freezes, it could be damaged. There-
fore, do not overfill the DEF tank.
Extra care should be taken when filling with portable
containers to avoid overfilling.
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