2016 Ram 5500 Chassis Cab def tank

DEF is subject to freezing at the lowest temperatures. For
example, DEF may freeze at temperatures at or below
12° F (-11° C). The system has been designed to operate in
this environment.
NOTE:When working with DEF, it is important to know
that:
• Any containers or parts that come into contact with
DEF must be DEF compatible (plastic or stainless
steel). Copper, brass, aluminum, iron or non-stainless
steel should be avoided as they are subject to corrosion
by DEF.
• If DEF is spilled, it should be wiped up completely.
Adding Diesel Exhaust Fluid
The DEF gauge (located on the instrument cluster) will
display the level of DEF remaining in the tank. Refer to “Instrument Cluster” and “Instrument Cluster Descrip-
tions” in “Understanding Your Instrument Panel” for
further information.
NOTE:
Driving conditions (altitude, vehicle speed, load,
etc.) will effect the amount of DEF that is used in your
vehicle.
Another factor is that outside temperature can affect DEF
consumption. In cold conditions, 12° F (-11° C) and
below, the DEF gauge needle can stay on a fixed position
and may not move for extended periods of time. This is
a normal function of the system.
DEF Fill Procedure
NOTE: Refer to “Fluids, Lubricants, and Genuine Parts”
in “Maintaining Your Vehicle” for the correct fluid type.
1. Remove cap from DEF tank (located on drivers side of the vehicle or in fuel door).
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2. Insert DEF fill adapter/nozzle into DEF tank fillerneck. NOTE:
•
The DEF gauge may take up to five seconds to update
after adding a gallon or more of Diesel Exhaust Fluid
(DEF) to the DEF tank. If you have a fault related to the
DEF system, the gauge may not update to the new
level. See your authorized dealer for service.
• The DEF gauge may also not immediately update after
a refill if the temperature of the DEF fluid is below 12F
(-11C). The DEF line heater will possibly warm up the
DEF fluid and allow the gauge to update after a period
of run time. Under very cold conditions, it is possible
that the gauge may not reflect the new fill level for
several drives.
DEF Filler Cap And Fuel Fill 1500/2500/3500 Models
1 — Diesel Exhaust Fluid Fill Location
2 — Fuel Fill Location
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STARTING AND OPERATING 85

CAUTION!
•To avoid DEF spillage, and possible damage to the
DEF tank from overfilling, do not “top off” the DEF
tank after filling.
• DO NOT OVERFILL. DEF will freeze below 12ºF
(-11ºC). The DEF system is designed to work in
temperatures below the DEF freezing point, how-
ever, if the tank is overfilled and freezes, the
system could be damaged.
• When DEF is spilled, clean the area immediately
with water and use an absorbent material to soak
up the spills on the ground.
• 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.
(Continued)
CAUTION! (Continued)
•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, or a DEF pump nozzle automatically shuts off.
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4. Reinstall cap onto DEF tank.
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. Therefore, do not overfill the DEF
tank.Extra care should be taken when filling with portable
containers to avoid overfilling. Note the level of the DEF
gauge in your instrument cluster. On pickup applica-
tions, you may safely add a maximum of 2 gallons of DEF
from portable containers when your DEF gauge is read-
ing ½ full.
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STARTING AND OPERATING 87

1. Tachometer•Indicates the engine speed in revolutions per minute
(RPM x 1000).
2. Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC) Display •When the appropriate conditions exist, this display
shows the Electronic Vehicle Information Center
(EVIC) messages. Refer to “Electronic Vehicle Infor-
mation Center” in “Understanding Your Instrument
Panel” for further information.
3. Speedometer •Indicates vehicle speed.
4. Fuel Gauge •The pointer shows the level of fuel in the fuel tank
when the ignition switch is in the ON/RUN position.
•
The fuel pump symbol points to the side of the
vehicle where the fuel filler door is located. 5. DEF Gauge
•The DEF Gauge displays the actual level of Diesel
Exhaust Fluid in the DEF tank. Diesel Exhaust Fluid
(DEF) is required to maintain normal vehicle opera-
tion and emissions compliance. If something is
wrong with the gauge, a DEF Warning Message or
Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) will be displayed.
More information is available in the Electronic Ve-
hicle Information (EVIC) or Driver Information Dis-
play (DID) section under the heading of Diesel
Exhaust Fluid (DEF) Warning Messages.
NOTE:
• The gauge may take up to five seconds to update after
adding a gallon or more of Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF)
to the DEF tank. If you have a fault related to the DEF
system, the gauge may not update to the new level. See
your authorized dealer for service.
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UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 151

or low reading under normal driving conditions may
indicate a lubrication system malfunction. Immedi-
ate service should be obtained from an authorized
dealer.
4. Speedometer •Indicates vehicle speed.
5. Fuel Gauge •The pointer shows the level of fuel in the fuel tank
when the ignition switch is in the ON/RUN position.
•
The fuel pump symbol points to the side of the
vehicle where the fuel filler door is located.
6. Driver Information Display (DID) •When the appropriate conditions exist, this display
shows the Driver Information Display (DID) mes-
sages. Refer to “Driver Information Display” in
“Understanding Your Instrument Panel” for further
information. 7. DEF Gauge
•The DEF Gauge displays the actual level of Diesel
Exhaust Fluid in the DEF tank. Diesel Exhaust Fluid
(DEF) is required to maintain normal vehicle opera-
tion and emissions compliance. If something is
wrong with the gauge, a DEF Warning Message or
Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) will be displayed.
More information is available in the Electronic Ve-
hicle Information (EVIC) or Driver Information Dis-
play (DID) section under the heading of Diesel
Exhaust Fluid (DEF) Warning Messages.
NOTE:
• The gauge may take up to five seconds to update after
adding a gallon or more of Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF)
to the DEF tank. If you have a fault related to the DEF
system, the gauge may not update to the new level. See
your authorized dealer for service.
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UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 155

Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) Warning Messages
Your vehicle will begin displaying warning messages
when the DEF level reaches a driving range of approxi-
mately 200 miles (322 km). If the following warning
message sequence is ignored, your vehicle may be lim-
ited to a maximum speed of 5 MPH (8 km/H) unless DEF
is added.
•DEF Low Refill Soon — This message will display
when the low level is reached, during vehicle start up,
and with increased frequency during vehicle opera-
tion. It will be accompanied by a single chime. Ap-
proximately 5 gallons (19 Liters) of DEF is required to
refill the tank when this message is initially displayed.
on pickup applications, and approximately 7 gallons
(28 Liters) are required on chassis-cab applications. •
Speed Limited to 5 MPH in XXX mi Refill DEF —
This message will continuously display if the “DEF
Low Refill Soon” message is ignored, and the fre-
quency of occurance of the chime will increase unless
up to 2 gallons (7.5 Liters) of DEF is added to the tank.
• 5 MPH Max Speed on Restart, Long Idle or Refuel
Refill DEF — This message will continuously display
when the counter reaches zero, and will be accompa-
nied by a periodic chime.
• The vehicle will only be capable of a maximum speed
of 5 MPH upon the first of the following conditions to
occur:
• If the vehicle is shutoff and restarted.
• If the vehicle is idled for an extended period of time,
approximately one hour or greater.
• If the system detects that the level of fuel in the tank
has increased.
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UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 167

•Add a minimum of 2 gallons (9.5 Liters) of DEF to the
tank in order to avoid vehicle operation at a maximum
speed of 5 MPH (8 km/H).
NOTE: A minimum of 2 gallons (9.5 Liters) may be
required to restore normal vehicle operation. Although
the vehicle will start normally and can be placed in gear
after this message has been initially displayed, extreme
caution should be utilized since the vehicle will only be
capable of maneuvering at a maximum speed of 5 MPH
(8 km/H).
Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) Fault Warning
Messages
There are five different messages which are displayed if
the vehicle detects that the DEF system has been filled
with a fluid other than DEF, has experienced component
failures, or when tampering has been detected. The
vehicle may be limited to a maximum speed of 5 MPH (8 km/H) if the DEF system is not serviced within less
than 200 miles (322 km) of the fault being detected.
When the DEF system needs to be serviced the following
warnings will display:
•
Service DEF System See Dealer — This message will
display when the fault is initially detected, each time
the vehicle is started, and periodically during driving.
The message will be accompanied by a single chime.
We recommend you drive to your nearest authorized
dealer and have your vehicle serviced as soon as
possible.
• 5 MPH Max Speed in 150 mi Service DEF System See
Dealer — This message will display if the DEF system
has not been serviced after the “Service DEF System –
See Dealer” message is displayed. This message will
continuously display until the mileage counter reaches
zero, and will be accompanied by a periodic chime.
The message will continue to countdown until it
168 UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL