2018 Ram 2500 App

Base Instrument Cluster Descriptions
1. Tachometer•Indicates the engine speed in revolutions per minute
(RPM x 1000).
2. Instrument Cluster Display •When the appropriate conditions exist, this display
shows the instrument cluster display messages. Refer
to “Instrument Cluster Display” in “Getting To Know
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 is in the ON/RUN position.
•
The fuel pump symbol points to the side of the
vehicle where the fuel door is located.
5. Temperature Gauge
•The temperature gauge shows engine coolant tem-
perature. Any reading within the normal range indi-
cates that the engine cooling system is operating
satisfactorily. •
The gauge pointer will likely indicate a higher tem-
perature when driving in hot weather, up mountain
grades, or when towing a trailer. It should not be
allowed to exceed the upper limits of the normal
operating range.
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 “Servicing And Mainte-
nance.” Follow the warnings under the Cooling System
Pressure Cap paragraph.
CAUTION!
Driving with a hot engine cooling system could dam-
age your vehicle. If the temperature gauge reads “H,”
pull over and stop the vehicle. Idle the vehicle with the
air conditioner turned off until the pointer drops back
into the normal range. If the pointer remains on the
“H,” turn the engine off immediately and call an
authorized dealer for service.
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GETTING TO KNOW YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 169

Premium Instrument Cluster Descriptions
1. Tachometer•Indicates the engine speed in revolutions per minute
(RPM x 1000).
2. Voltmeter •When the engine is running, the gauge indicates the
electrical system voltage. The pointer should stay
within the normal range if the battery is charged. If the
pointer moves to either extreme left or right and
remains there during normal driving, the electrical
system should be serviced.
NOTE: The voltmeter may show a gauge fluctuation at
various engine temperatures. This cycling operation is
caused by the post-heat cycle of the intake manifold heater
system. The number of cycles and the length of the cycling
operation is controlled by the engine control module.
Post-heat operation can run for several minutes, and then
the electrical system and voltmeter needle will stabilize.
3. Oil Pressure Gauge
•The pointer should always indicate some oil pressure
when the engine is running. A continuous high or low
reading under normal driving conditions may indicate a lubrication system malfunction. Immediate 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 is in the ON/RUN position.
•
The fuel pump symbol points to the side of the
vehicle where the fuel door is located.
6. Instrument Cluster Display
•When the appropriate conditions exist, this display
shows the instrument cluster display messages. Refer
to “Instrument Cluster Display” in “Getting To Know
Your Instrument Panel” for further information.
7. Temperature Gauge •The temperature gauge shows engine coolant tem-
perature. Any reading within the normal range indi-
cates that the engine cooling system is operating
satisfactorily.
• The gauge pointer will likely indicate a higher tem-
perature when driving in hot weather, up mountain
grades, or when towing a trailer. It should not be
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GETTING TO KNOW YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 171

The instrument cluster display screens are located in the
center portion of the cluster and consists of eight sections:
1. Main Screen — The inner ring of the display willilluminate in grey under normal conditions, yellow for
non critical warnings, red for critical warnings, and
white for on demand information.
2. Audio / Phone Information and Submenu Information — Whenever there are submenus available, the position
within the submenus is shown here.
3. Selectable Information (Compass, Outside Temp, Range to Empty, Trip A, Trip B, Average Fuel Economy, Trailer
Trip (distance only), Trailer Brake Gain, Time)
4. Telltales/Indicators
5. Gear Selector Status
6. Selectable Menu Icons
7. Air Suspension Status – If Equipped
8. 4WD Status
9. Selectable Gauge 2 (Trans Temp, Oil Temp, Oil Life, Trailer Brake, Current Fuel Economy) 10. Selectable Gauge 1 (Trans Temp, Oil Temp, Oil Life,
Trailer Brake, Current fuel economy)
The instrument cluster display area will normally display
the main menu or the screens of a selected feature of the
main menu. The main display area also displays “pop up”
messages that consist of approximately 60 possible warn-
ing or information messages. These pop up messages fall
into several categories:
• Five Second Stored Messages
When the appropriate conditions occur, this type of mes-
sage takes control of the main display area for five seconds
and then returns to the previous screen. Most of the
messages of this type are then stored (as long as the
condition that activated it remains active) and can be
reviewed from the “Messages” main menu item. As long as
there is a stored message, an “i” will be displayed in the
instrument cluster display’s compass/outside temp line.
Examples of this message type are “Right Front Turn Signal
Lamp Out” and “Low Tire Pressure.”
• Unstored Messages
This message type is displayed indefinitely or until the
condition that activated the message is cleared. Examples
176 GETTING TO KNOW YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

of this message type are “Turn Signal On” (if a turn signal
is left on) and “Lights On” (if driver leaves the vehicle).
•Unstored Messages Until RUN
These messages deal primarily with the Remote Start
feature. This message type is displayed until the ignition is
in the RUN state. Examples of this message type are
“Remote Start Aborted - Door Ajar” and “Press Brake
Pedal and Push Button to Start.”
• Five Second Unstored Messages
When the appropriate conditions occur, this type of mes-
sage takes control of the main display area for five seconds
and then returns to the previous screen. An example of this
message type is “Automatic High Beams On.”
Oil Life Reset
Your vehicle is equipped with an engine oil change indi-
cator system. The “Oil Change Required” message will
display in the instrument cluster display after a single
chime has sounded, to indicate the next scheduled oil
change interval. The engine oil change indicator system is
duty cycle based, which means the engine oil change
interval may fluctuate, dependent upon your personal
driving style. NOTE:
Use the steering wheel instrument cluster display
controls for the following procedure(s).
Vehicles Equipped With Passive Entry
1. Without pushing the brake pedal, push the ENGINE START/STOP button and place the ignition to the
ON/RUN position (do not start the engine).
2. Push and release the downarrow button to scroll
downward through the main menu to “Vehicle Info.”
3. Push and release the rightarrow button to access the
”Vehicle Info” screen, then scroll up or down to select
“Oil Life.”
4. Push and hold the rightarrow button to select “Reset”.
5. Push and release the downarrow button to select “Yes,”
then push and release the rightarrow button to select
reset of the Oil Life to 100%.
6. Push and release the uparrow button to exit the
instrument cluster display screen.
Vehicles Not Equipped With Passive Entry
1. Without pushing the brake pedal, cycle the ignition to the ON/RUN position (do not start the engine).
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GETTING TO KNOW YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 177

Setting NamesSetting Names
Abbreviated (Left Submenu Layer) Sub-Menus (Right Submenu Layer)
1 Language Select LanguageEnglish, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Dutch,
Portuguese, Arabic (If Equipped)
2 Units Units U.S.; Metric
3 ParkSense ParkSense
•Notification — Sound Only; Sound & Display
• Front Volume — Low; Medium; High
• Rear Volume — Low; Medium; High
4 Tilt Mirror in Reverse Tilt Mirror in R On; Off
5 Rain Sensing Wipers Auto Wipers On; Off
6 Hill Start Assist Hill Start Assist On; Off
7 Headlights Off Delay Lights Off Delay 0 seconds; 30 seconds; 60 seconds; 90 seconds
8 Illuminated Approach Lights w/ Unlock 0 seconds; 30 seconds; 60 seconds; 90 seconds
9 Headlights On with Wipers Lights w/ Wipers
On; Off
10 Automatic Highbeams Auto Highbeams On; Off
11 Flash Lights with Lock Lights w/ Lock
On; Off
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GETTING TO KNOW YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 183

Setting NamesSetting Names
Abbreviated (Left Submenu Layer) Sub-Menus (Right Submenu Layer)
36 Park Assist Front Chime Volume Park Assist Front
Chime Volume On; Off
37 Park Assist Rear Chime Volume Park Assist Rear Chime
Volume On; Off
Turn Menu Off — If Equipped
Push and release the
rightarrow button to exit the main
menu.
Push and release any instrument cluster display control
button to enter the instrument cluster display main menu
again.
Battery Saver On/Battery Saver Mode Message —
Electrical Load Reduction Actions — If Equipped
This vehicle is equipped with an Intelligent Battery Sensor
(IBS) to perform additional monitoring of the electrical
system and status of the vehicle battery.
In cases when the IBS detects charging system failure, or
the vehicle battery conditions are deteriorating, electrical
load reduction actions will take place to extend the driving time and distance of the vehicle. This is done by reducing
power to or turning off non-essential electrical loads.
Load reduction is only active when the engine is running.
It will display a message if there is a risk of battery
depletion to the point where the vehicle may stall due to
lack of electrical supply, or will not restart after the current
drive cycle.
When load reduction is activated, the message “Battery
Saver On” or “Battery Saver Mode” will appear in the
instrument cluster.
These messages indicate the vehicle battery has a low state
of charge and continues to lose electrical charge at a rate
that the charging system cannot sustain.
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GETTING TO KNOW YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 187

NOTE:
•The charging system is independent from load reduc-
tion. The charging system performs a diagnostic on the
charging system continuously.
• If the Battery Charge Warning Light is on it may indicate
a problem with the charging system. Refer to “Battery
Charge Warning Light” in “Getting To Know Your
Instrument Panel” for further information.
The electrical loads that may be switched off (if equipped),
and vehicle functions which can be affected by load
reduction:
• Heated Seat/Vented Seats/Heated Wheel
• Heated/Cooled Cup Holders — If Equipped
• Rear Defroster And Heated Mirrors
• HVAC System
• 115V AC Power Inverter System
• Audio and Telematics System
Loss of the battery charge may indicate one or more of the
following conditions:
• The charging system cannot deliver enough electrical
power to the vehicle system because the electrical loads are larger than the capability of charging system. The
charging system is still functioning properly.
• Turning on all possible vehicle electrical loads (e.g.
HVAC to max settings, exterior and interior lights,
overloaded power outlets +12V, 115V AC, USB ports)
during certain driving conditions (city driving, towing,
frequent stopping).
• Installing options like additional lights, upfitter electri-
cal accessories, audio systems, alarms and similar de-
vices.
• Unusual driving cycles (short trips separated by long
parking periods).
• The vehicle was parked for an extended period of time
(weeks, months).
• The battery was recently replaced and was not charged
completely.
• The battery was discharged by an electrical load left on
when the vehicle was parked.
• The battery was used for an extended period with the
engine not running to supply radio, lights, chargers,
+12V portable appliances like vacuum cleaners, game
consoles and similar devices.
188 GETTING TO KNOW YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

— Brake Warning Light
This light monitors various brake functions, including
brake fluid level and parking brake application. If the
brake light turns on it may indicate that the parking brake
is applied, that the brake fluid level is low, or that there is
a problem with the anti-lock brake system reservoir.
If the light remains on when the parking brake has been
disengaged, and the fluid level is at the full mark on the
master cylinder reservoir, it indicates a possible brake
hydraulic system malfunction or that a problem with the
Brake Booster has been detected by the Anti-Lock Brake
System (ABS) / Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system.
In this case, the light will remain on until the condition has
been corrected. If the problem is related to the brake
booster, the ABS pump will run when applying the brake,
and a brake pedal pulsation may be felt during each stop.
The dual brake system provides a reserve braking capacity
in the event of a failure to a portion of the hydraulic
system. A leak in either half of the dual brake system is
indicated by the Brake Warning Light, which will turn on
when the brake fluid level in the master cylinder has
dropped below a specified level.
The light will remain on until the cause is corrected.NOTE:
The light may flash momentarily during sharp
cornering maneuvers, which change fluid level conditions.
The vehicle should have service performed, and the brake
fluid level checked.
If brake failure is indicated, immediate repair is necessary.
WARNING!
Driving a vehicle with the red brake light on is
dangerous. Part of the brake system may have failed. It
will take longer to stop the vehicle. You could have a
collision. Have the vehicle checked immediately.
Vehicles equipped with the Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
are also equipped with Electronic Brake Force Distribution
(EBD). In the event of an EBD failure, the Brake Warning
Light will turn on along with the ABS Light. Immediate
repair to the ABS system is required.
Operation of the Brake Warning Light can be checked by
turning the ignition switch from the OFF position to the
ON/RUN position. The light should illuminate for ap-
proximately two seconds. The light should then turn off
unless the parking brake is applied or a brake fault is
detected. If the light does not illuminate, have the light
inspected by your authorized dealer.
190 GETTING TO KNOW YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL