2016 Ram 1500 Start

CAUTION!
•Towing with the rear wheels on the ground will
cause severe transmission damage. Damage from
improper towing is not covered under the New
Vehicle Limited Warranty.
•Do not disconnect the driveshaft because fluid may
leak from the transmission, causing damage to
internal parts.
Recreational Towing — Four-Wheel Drive Models
NOTE:Both the manual shift and electronic shift transfer
cases must be shifted into NEUTRAL (N) for recreational
towing. Automatic transmissions must be shifted into
PARK for recreational towing. Manual transmissions
must be placed in gear (NOT in NEUTRAL) for recre-
ational towing. Refer to the following for the proper
transfer case NEUTRAL (N) shifting procedure for your
vehicle.
CAUTION!
•DO NOT dolly tow any 4WD vehicle. Towing with
only one set of wheels on the ground (front or rear)
will cause severe transmission and/or transfer case
damage. Tow with all four wheels either ON the
ground, or OFF the ground (using a vehicle trailer).
(Continued)
716 STARTING AND OPERATING

CAUTION!(Continued)
•Tow only in the forward direction. Towing this
vehicle backwards can cause severe damage to the
transfer case.
•Automatic transmissions must be placed in PARK
for recreational towing.
•Manual transmissions must be placed in gear (not
in Neutral) for recreational towing.
•Before recreational towing, perform the procedure
outlined under “Shifting Into NEUTRAL (N)” to be
certain that the transfer case is fully in NEUTRAL
(N). Otherwise, internal damage will result.
•Towing this vehicle in violation of the above re-
quirements can cause severe transmission and/or
transfer case damage. Damage from improper tow-
ing is not covered under the New Vehicle Limited
Warranty.
(Continued)
CAUTION!(Continued)
•Do not disconnect the rear driveshaft because fluid
will leak from the transfer case, causing damage to
internal parts.
•Do not use a bumper-mounted clamp-on tow bar
on your vehicle. The bumper face bar will be
damaged.
Shifting Into NEUTRAL (N)
Use the following procedure to prepare your vehicle for
recreational towing.
WARNING!
You or others could be injured or killed if you leave
the vehicle unattended with the transfer case in the
NEUTRAL (N) position without first fully engaging
(Continued)
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STARTING AND OPERATING 717

WARNING!(Continued)
the parking brake. The transfer case NEUTRAL (N)
position disengages both the front and rear drive
shaft from the powertrain, and will allow the vehicle
to roll, even if the automatic transmission is in PARK
(or manual transmission is in gear). The parking
brake should always be applied when the driver is
not in the vehicle.
CAUTION!
It is necessary to follow these steps to be certain that
the transfer case is fully in NEUTRAL (N) before
recreational towing to prevent damage to internal
parts.
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop, with the engine
running. Firmly apply the parking brake.2. Shift the transmission to NEUTRAL.
NOTE:If vehicle is equipped with air suspension, ensure
the vehicle is set to Normal Ride Height.
3. Press and hold the brake pedal.
4. Depress the clutch pedal on a manual transmission.
5. With manual shift transfer case, shift the transfer case
lever into NEUTRAL (N).
•With electronic shift transfer case, push and hold the
transfer case NEUTRAL (N) button. Some models
have a small, recessed “N” button (at the center of
the transfer case switches) that must be pushed using
a ballpoint pen or similar object. Other models have
a rectangular NEUTRAL switch, below the rotary
transfer case control knob. The NEUTRAL (N) indi-
cator light will blink while the shift is in progress.
The light will stop blinking (stay on solid) when the
718 STARTING AND OPERATING

shift to NEUTRAL (N) is complete. After the shift is
completed and the NEUTRAL (N) light stays on,
release the NEUTRAL (N) button.
6. Release the parking brake.
7. Shift the transmission into REVERSE.
8. Release the brake pedal (and clutch pedal on manual
transmissions) for five seconds and ensure that there is
no vehicle movement.
9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 with automatic transmission in
DRIVE or manual transmission in first gear.
10. Shift the transmission to NEUTRAL. Firmly apply
the parking brake. Turn OFF the engine. For vehicles
with Keyless Enter-N-Go, push and hold the EN-
GINE START/STOP button until the engine shuts off.11. Shift the transmission into PARK or place manual
transmission in gear (NOT in Neutral). On 8-speed
transmissions the shifter will automatically select
PARK when the engine is turned off.
12. Turn the ignition switch to the OFF position, then
cycle the Key or the Keyless Enter-N-Go button to the
RUN position and back to the OFF position. Remove
the Key Fob from the ignition switch.
13. Attach the vehicle to the tow vehicle using a suitable
tow bar.
14. Release the parking brake.
NOTE:With electronic shift transfer case:
•Steps 2 through 4 are requirements that must be met
before pushing the NEUTRAL (N) button, and must
continue to be met until the shift has been completed.
If any of these requirements are not met before push-
ing the NEUTRAL (N) button or are no longer met
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STARTING AND OPERATING 719

during the shift, the NEUTRAL (N) indicator light will
flash continuously until all requirements are met or
until the NEUTRAL (N) button is released.
•The ignition switch must be in the ON/RUN position
for a shift to take place and for the position indicator
lights to be operable. If the ignition switch is not in the
ON/RUN position, the shift will not take place and no
position indicator lights will be on or flashing.
•A flashing NEUTRAL (N) position indicator light
indicates that shift requirements have not been met.
•If the vehicle is equipped with air suspension, the
engine should be started and left running for a mini-
mum of 60 seconds (with all the doors closed) at least
once every 24 hours. This process allows the air
suspension to adjust the vehicle’s ride height to com-
pensate for temperature effects.Shifting Out Of NEUTRAL (N)
Use the following procedure to prepare your vehicle for
normal usage:
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop, leaving it con-
nected to the tow vehicle.
2. Firmly apply the parking brake.
3. Press and hold the brake pedal.
4. Start the engine. Shift the transmission into NEU-
TRAL. Depress the clutch pedal on a manual trans-
mission.
•With manual shift transfer case, shift the transfer
case lever to the desired position.
•With electronic shift transfer case with rotary selector
switch, push and hold the transfer case NEUTRAL
(N) button until the NEUTRAL (N) indicator light
turns off. After the NEUTRAL (N) indicator light
turns off, release the NEUTRAL (N) button. After the
720 STARTING AND OPERATING

NEUTRAL (N) button has been released, the transfer
case will shift to the position indicated by the selec-
tor switch.
•With electronic shift transfer case with push-button
selector switch, push and hold the switch for the
desired transfer case position, until the NEUTRAL
(N) indicator light turns off and the desired position
indicator light turns on.
NOTE:When shifting out of transfer case NEUTRAL (N),
turning the engine OFF is not required, but may be
helpful to avoid gear clash. With the 8-speed automatic
transmission, the engine must remain running, since
turning the engine OFF will shift the transmission to
PARK (and the transmission must be in NEUTRAL for
the transfer case to shift out of NEUTRAL).5. Turn the engine OFF. Shift automatic transmission into
PARK. On 8-speed transmissions the shifter will auto-
matically select PARK when the engine is turned off.
6. Release the brake pedal (and clutch pedal on a manual
transmission).
7. Disconnect vehicle from the tow vehicle.
8. Start the engine.
9. Press and hold the brake pedal.
10. Release the parking brake.
11. Shift the transmission into gear, release the brake
pedal (and clutch pedal on manual transmissions),
and check that the vehicle operates normally.
5
STARTING AND OPERATING 721

NOTE:With electronic shift transfer case:
•Steps 3 and 4 are requirements that must be met before
pushing the button to shift out of NEUTRAL (N), and
must continue to be met until the shift has been
completed. If any of these requirements are not met
before pushing the button or are no longer met during
the shift, the NEUTRAL (N) indicator light will flash
continuously until all requirements are met or until the
button is released.
•The ignition switch must be in the ON/RUN position
for a shift to take place and for the position indicator
lights to be operable. If the ignition switch is not in the
ON/RUN position, the shift will not take place and no
position indicator lights will be on or flashing.
•A flashing NEUTRAL (N) position indicator light
indicates that shift requirements have not been met.
722 STARTING AND OPERATING

WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES
CONTENTS
HAZARD WARNING FLASHERS...........725
IF YOUR ENGINE OVERHEATS............725
WHEEL AND TIRE TORQUE
SPECIFICATIONS......................726
▫Torque Specifications..................726
JACKING AND TIRE CHANGING..........729
▫Jacking And Tire Changing 1500 Series
Trucks.............................729
▫Jacking And Tire Changing 2500 And 3500 Series
Trucks.............................749HOISTING...........................769
JUMP-STARTING PROCEDURES...........770
▫Preparations For Jump-Start..............770
▫Jump-Starting Procedure................772
FREEING A STUCK VEHICLE.............775
EMERGENCY TOW HOOKS — IF EQUIPPED . .776
SHIFT LEVER OVERRIDE — 6-SPEED
TRANSMISSION.......................777
▫Column Shifter — If Equipped............777
▫Center Console Shifter — If Equipped.......778
6