2016 Ram 2500 check oil

Periodic Safety Checks You Should Make Outside
The Vehicle
Tires
Examine tires for excessive tread wear and uneven wear
patterns. Check for stones, nails, glass, or other objects
lodged in the tread or sidewall. Inspect the tread for cuts
and cracks. Inspect sidewalls for cuts, cracks, and bulges.
Check the wheel bolts for tightness. Check the tires
(including spare) for proper cold inflation pressure.
Lights
Have someone observe the operation of brake lights and
exterior lights while you work the controls. Check turn
signal and high beam indicator lights on the instrument
panel.
Door Latches
Check for proper closing, latching, and locking.
Fluid Leaks
Check area under vehicle after overnight parking for fuel,
engine coolant, oil, or other fluid leaks. Also, if gasoline
fumes are detected or if fuel, power steering fluid (if
equipped), or brake fluid leaks are suspected. The cause
should be located and corrected immediately.
122 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!
A hot engine cooling system is dangerous. You or
others could be badly burned by steam or boiling
coolant. You may want to call an authorized dealer
for service if your vehicle overheats. If you decide to
look under the hood yourself, see “Maintaining Your
Vehicle”. Follow the warnings under the Cooling
System Pressure Cap paragraph.
WARNING AND INDICATOR LIGHTS
IMPORTANT:The warning / indicator lights switch on
in the instrument panel together with a dedicated mes-
sage and/or acoustic signal when applicable. These
indications are indicative and precautionary and as such
must not be considered as exhaustive and/or alternative
to the information contained in the Owner ’s Manual,
which you are advised to read carefully in all cases.
Always refer to the information in this chapter in the
event of a failure indication.
All active telltales will display first if applicable. The
system check menu may appear different based upon
equipment options and current vehicle status. Some
telltales are optional and may not appear.
4
UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 295

Oil Pressure Warning Light
Red TelltaleLight What It Means
Oil Pressure Warning Light
This light indicates low engine oil pressure. If the light turns on while driving, stop the ve-
hicle and shut off the engine as soon as possible. A chime will sound when this light turns
on.
Do not operate the vehicle until the cause is corrected. This light does not indicate how
much oil is in the engine. The engine oil level must be checked under the hood.
302 UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

Oil Pressure Warning Light
Red TelltaleLight What It Means
Oil Pressure Warning Light
This light indicates low engine oil pressure. If the light turns on while driving, stop the ve-
hicle and shut off the engine as soon as possible. A chime will sound when this light turns
on.
Do not operate the vehicle until the cause is corrected. This light does not indicate how
much oil is in the engine. The engine oil level must be checked under the hood.
4
UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 305

WARNING!(Continued)
distances. Therefore, after driving through stand-
ing water, drive slowly and lightly press on the
brake pedal several times to dry the brakes.
• Failure to follow these warnings may result in
injuries that are serious or fatal to you, your pas-
sengers, and others around you.
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 water.
(Continued)
CAUTION! (Continued)
•Do not exceed 5 mph (8 km/h) when driving
through standing water. This will minimize wave
effects.
• 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.
592 STARTING AND OPERATING

risk of forcing the vehicle off the jack, do not fully
tighten the wheel nuts until the vehicle has been
lowered.
6. Finish tightening the lug nuts. Push down on the wrench while at the end of the handle for increased
leverage. Tighten the lug nuts in a star pattern until
each nut has been tightened twice. For the correct lug
nut torque refer to “Torque Specifications” in this
section. If in doubt about the correct tightness, have
them checked with a torque wrench by you authorized
dealer or service station.
WARNING!
A loose tire or jack thrown forward in a collision or
hard stop could injure someone in the vehicle. Al-
ways stow the jack parts and the extra tire and wheel
in the places provided. 7. Install the wheel center cap and remove the wheel
blocks. Do not install chrome or aluminum wheel
center caps on the spare wheel. This may result in cap
damage.
8. Lower the jack to its fully closed position. If the bottle jack will not lower by turning the dial (thumbwheel)
by hand, it may be necessary to use the jack drive tube
in order to lower the jack. Stow the replaced tire, jack,
and tools as previously described.
9. Adjust the tire pressure when possible.
NOTE: Do not oil wheel studs. For chrome wheels, do
not substitute with chrome plated wheel nuts.
744 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

9. Adjust the tire pressure when possible.
NOTE:Do not oil wheel studs. For chrome wheels, do
not substitute with chrome plated wheel nuts.
To Stow The Flat Or Spare
NOTE: Have the flat tire repaired or replaced immedi-
ately.
WARNING!
A loose tire thrown forward in a collision or hard
stop could injure the occupants in the vehicle. Have
the deflated (flat) tire repaired or replaced immedi-
ately.
1. Turn the wheel so that the valve stem is facing the ground and toward the rear of the vehicle for conve-
nience in checking the spare tire inflation. Slide the
wheel retainer through the center of the wheel. 2. Lift the spare tire with one hand to give clearance to
tilt the retainer at the end of the cable and position it
properly across the wheel opening.
Reinstalling The Retainer
6
WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES 765

CAUTION!(Continued)
•Your vehicle has been built with improved fluids
that protect the performance and durability of your
vehicle and also allow extended maintenance inter-
vals. Do not use chemical flushes in these compo-
nents as the chemicals can damage your engine,
transmission, or air conditioning. Such damage is
not covered by the New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
If a flush is needed because of component malfunc-
tion, use only the specified fluid for the flushing
procedure.
Engine Oil
Checking Oil Level
To assure proper lubrication of your vehicle’s engine, the
engine oil must be maintained at the correct level. Check
the oil level at regular intervals, such as every fuel stop.
The best time to check the engine oil level is about five
minutes after a fully warmed up engine is shut off.
Checking the oil while the vehicle is on level ground will
improve the accuracy of the oil level readings. Always
maintain the oil level within the SAFE zone on the
dipstick. Adding one quart of oil when the reading is at
the bottom of the SAFE zone will result in a reading at the
top of the safe zone on these engines.
798 MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE