2018 Ram 2500 warning

NOTE:
Always stow the spare tire with the valve stem
facing the ground. It is recommended that
you stow the flat or spare to avoid tangling the
loose cable.NOTE:
The winch mechanism is designed for use
with the extension tube only. Use of an air
wrench or other power tools is not recom-
mended and can damage the winch.
Preparations For Jacking
1. Park the vehicle on a firm, level surface.
Avoid ice or slippery areas.
WARNING!
Do not attempt to change a tire on the side
of the vehicle close to moving traffic, pull
far enough off the road to avoid being hit
when operating the jack or changing the
wheel.
2. Place the gear selector into PARK. On four-wheel drive vehicles, shift the trans-
fer case to the 4L position.
3. Turn on the Hazard Warning flasher.
4. Apply the parking brake.
5. Turn the ignition OFF. 6. Block both the front and rear of the wheel
diagonally opposite the jacking position.
For example, if the right front wheel is
being changed, block the left rear wheel.
NOTE:
Passengers should not remain in the vehicle
when the vehicle is being jacked.
Lug Wrench/Spare Tire
1 — Lug Wrench 2 — Spare Tire
Wheel Blocked
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
210

Jacking Instructions
1. Remove the spare wheel, jack, and toolsfrom storage.
2. Using the lug wrench, loosen, but do not remove, the lug nuts by turning them
counterclockwise one turn while the
wheel is still on the ground. 3. Placement of the jack is critical:
NOTE:
Keep the jack and tools aligned while raising
the vehicle
1500 Series Trucks (4x2 And 4x4)
• When changing a front wheel, place the
scissors jack under the rear portion of the
lower control arm as shown below.
NOTE:
Access the front jacking location from behind
the front tire, and rear jacking location from
behind the rear tire. • Operate the jack using the extension with
the jack hook and the lug wrench. The
extension tubes may be used but is not
required.
Warning Label
Front 4x2 Jacking Location
Front 4x4 Jacking Location
211

To Stow The Flat Or Spare
NOTE:
RAM 1500 vehicles equipped with alumi-
num wheels cannot be stored under the ve-
hicle because the wheel retainer will not fit
through the wheel pilot hole. Secure the flat
tire in the bed of the truck. Have the flat tire
repaired or replaced immediately.
1. Turn the wheel so that the valve stem isdown. Slide the wheel retainer through
the center of the wheel and position it
properly across the wheel opening.
2. For convenience in checking the spare tire inflation, stow with the valve stem toward
the rear of the vehicle.
3. Attach the lug wrench to the extension tubes with the curved angle facing away
from the vehicle. Rotate the lug wrench
handle clockwise until the wheel is drawn
into place against the underside of the
vehicle. Continue to rotate until you feel
the winch mechanism slip, or click three
or four times. It cannot be overtightened.
Push against the tire several times to be
sure it is firmly in place.
WARNING!
• Do not attempt to change a tire on theside of the vehicle close to moving traf-
fic. Pull far enough off the road to avoid
the danger of being hit when operating
the jack or changing the wheel.
• Being under a jacked-up vehicle is dan-
gerous. The vehicle could slip off the
jack and fall on you. You could be
crushed. Never put any part of your body
under a vehicle that is on a jack.
• Never start or run the engine while the
vehicle is on a jack. If you need to get
under a raised vehicle, take it to your
authorized dealer where it can be raised
on a lift.
• The jack is designed to be used as a tool
for changing tires only. The jack should
not be used to lift the vehicle for service
purposes. The vehicle should be jacked
on a firm level surface only. Avoid ice or
slippery areas.
• Do not attempt to change a tire on the
side of the vehicle close to moving traf-
fic, pull far enough off the road to avoid
WARNING!
the danger of being hit when operating
the jack or changing the wheel.
• Carefully follow these tire changing
warnings to help prevent personal injury
or damage to your vehicle:• Always park on a firm, level surface
as far from the edge of the roadway
as possible before raising the ve-
hicle.
• Turn on the Hazard Warning flash-
ers.
• Block the wheel diagonally opposite
the wheel to be raised.
• Set the parking brake firmly and set
an automatic transmission in
PARK; a manual transmission in
REVERSE.
• Do not let anyone sit in the vehicle
when it is on a jack.
• Do not get under the vehicle when it
is on a jack.
• Only use the jack in the positions
indicated and for lifting this vehicle
during a tire change.
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
214

WARNING!
• If working on or near a roadway, beextremely careful of motor traffic.
• To assure that spare tires, flat or
inflated, are securely stowed,
spares must be stowed with the
valve stem facing the ground.
• Raising the vehicle higher than nec-
essary can make the vehicle less
stable. It could slip off the jack and
hurt someone near it. Raise the ve-
hicle only enough to remove the
tire.
• To avoid the risk of forcing the ve-
hicle off the jack, do not fully
tighten the wheel bolts until the
vehicle has been lowered. Failure to
follow this warning may result in
personal injury.
• To avoid possible personal injury,
handle the wheel covers with care to
avoid contact with any sharp edges.
WARNING!
• A loose tire or jack thrown forward ina collision or hard stop could en-
danger the occupants of the ve-
hicle. Always stow the jack parts
and the spare tire in the places
provided.
• 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 immediately.
CAUTION!
• Do not attempt to raise the vehicle byjacking on locations other than those
indicated in the Jacking Instructions for
this vehicle.
• Before raising the wheel off the ground,
make sure that the jack will not damage
surrounding truck parts and adjust the
jack position as required.
• Use a back and forth motion to remove
the hub cap. Do not use a twisting mo-
CAUTION!
tion when removing the hub cap, dam-
age to the hub cap; finish may occur.
• The rear hubcaps on the dual rear wheel
has two pry off notches. Make sure that
the hook of the jack handle driver is
located squarely in the cap notch before
attempting to pull off.
Reinstalling The Jack And Tools
1500 Series Trucks
1. Tighten the jack all the way down by turning the jack turn-screw clockwise un-
til the jack is snug.
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the end of the lug wrench to pull the caps off.
The wheel skin can now be removed.
CAUTION!
• Use a pulling motion to remove the hubcap. Do not use a twisting motion when
removing the hub cap, damage to the
hub cap; finish may occur.
• The rear hub caps on the dual rear wheel
has two pull off notches. Make sure that
the hook of the jack handle driver is
located squarely in the cap notch before
attempting to pull off.
You must use the flat end of the lug wrench to
pull off the wheel skins. Locate the hub cap
pull notches (2 notches on each cap). Insert
the flat tip completely and using a back and
forth motion, loosen the wheel skin. Repeat
this procedure around the tire until the skin
pops off.
Replace the wheel skins first using a rubber
mallet. When replacing the hub caps, tilt the
cap retainer over the lug nut bolt circle and strike the high side down with a rubber mal-
let. Be sure that the hub caps and wheel
skins are firmly seated around the wheel.JUMP STARTING
If your vehicle has a discharged battery, it can
be jump started using a set of jumper cables
and a battery in another vehicle, or by using a
portable battery booster pack. Jump starting
can be dangerous if done improperly, so
please follow the procedures in this section
carefully.
WARNING!
Do not attempt jump starting if the battery
is frozen. It could rupture or explode and
cause personal injury.
CAUTION!
Do not use a portable battery booster pack
or any other booster source with a system
voltage greater than 12 Volts or damage to
the battery, starter motor, alternator or
electrical system may occur.NOTE:
When using a portable battery booster pack,
follow the manufacturer's operating instruc-
tions and precautions.
Preparations For Jump Start
The battery in your vehicle is located in the
front of the engine compartment, behind the
left headlight assembly.
Positive Jumping Location
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
218

NOTE:
The positive battery post may be covered with
a protective cap if equipped. Lift up on the
cap to gain access to the positive battery
post. Do not jump off fuses. Only jump di-
rectly off positive post which has a positive
(+)symbol on or around the post.
WARNING!
• Take care to avoid the radiator cooling
fan whenever the hood is raised. It can
start anytime the ignition switch is ON.
You can be injured by moving fan blades.
• Remove any metal jewelry such as rings,
watch bands and bracelets that could
make an inadvertent electrical contact.
You could be seriously injured.
• Batteries contain sulfuric acid that can
burn your skin or eyes and generate
hydrogen gas which is flammable and
explosive. Keep open flames or sparks
away from the battery.
1. Apply the parking brake, shift the auto- matic transmission into PARK and turn
the ignition to LOCK. 2. Turn off the heater, radio, and all unnec-
essary electrical accessories.
3. If using another vehicle to jump start the battery, park the vehicle within the jumper
cables reach, apply the parking brake and
make sure the ignition is OFF.
WARNING!
Do not allow vehicles to touch each other
as this could establish a ground connec-
tion and personal injury could result.
Jump Starting Procedure
WARNING!
Failure to follow this jump starting proce-
dure could result in personal injury or
property damage due to battery explosion.
CAUTION!
Failure to follow these procedures could
result in damage to the charging system of
the booster vehicle or the discharged ve-
hicle.
Connecting The Jumper Cables
1. Connect the positive (+)end of the jumper
cable to the positive (+)post of the dis-
charged vehicle.
NOTE:
Do not jump off fuses. Only jump directly off
positive post.
2. Connect the opposite end of the positive (+) jumper cable to the positive (+)post of
the booster battery.
3. Connect the negative (-)end of the jumper
cable to the negative (-)post of the
booster battery.
4. Connect the opposite end of the negative (-)jumper cable to a good engine ground
(exposed metal part of the discharged
vehicle’s engine) away from the battery
and the fuel injection system.
WARNING!
Do not connect the jumper cable to the
negative (-) post of the discharged battery.
The resulting electrical spark could cause
the battery to explode and could result in
219

WARNING!
personal injury. Only use the specific
ground point, do not use any other exposed
metal parts.
5. Start the engine in the vehicle that has the booster battery, let the engine idle a
few minutes, and then start the engine in
the vehicle with the discharged battery.
CAUTION!
Do not connect jumper cable to any of the
fuses on the positive battery terminal. The
resulting electrical current will blow the
fuse.
6. Once the engine is started, remove the jumper cables in the reverse sequence:
Disconnecting The Jumper Cables
1. Disconnect the negative (-)end of the
jumper cable from the engine ground of
the vehicle with the discharged battery. 2. Disconnect the opposite end of the nega-
tive (-)jumper cable from the negative (-)
post of the booster battery.
3. Disconnect the positive (+)end of the
jumper cable from the positive (+)post of
the booster battery.
4. Disconnect the opposite end of the posi- tive (+)jumper cable from the positive (+)
post of the vehicle with the discharged
battery.
If frequent jump starting is required to start
your vehicle you should have the battery and
charging system inspected at an authorized
dealer.
CAUTION!
Accessories plugged into the vehicle
power outlets draw power from the vehi-
cle’s battery, even when not in use (i.e.,
cellular devices, etc.). Eventually, if
plugged in long enough without engine
operation, the vehicle’s battery will dis-
charge sufficiently to degrade battery life
and/or prevent the engine from starting.
IF YOUR ENGINE OVERHEATS
In any of the following situations, you can
reduce the potential for overheating by taking
the appropriate action.
• On the highways — slow down.
• In city traffic — while stopped, place the transmission in NEUTRAL, but do not in-
crease the engine idle speed while prevent-
ing vehicle motion with the brakes.
NOTE:
There are steps that you can take to slow
down an impending overheat condition:
• If your air conditioner (A/C) is on, turn it off. The A/C system adds heat to the engine
cooling system and turning the A/C off can
help remove this heat.
• You can also turn the temperature control to maximum heat, the mode control to floor
and the blower control to high. This allows
the heater core to act as a supplement to
the radiator and aids in removing heat from
the engine cooling system.
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
220

WARNING!
You or others can be badly burned by hot
engine coolant (antifreeze) or steam from
your radiator. If you see or hear steam
coming from under the hood, do not open
the hood until the radiator has had time to
cool. Never try to open a cooling system
pressure cap when the radiator or coolant
bottle is hot.
CAUTION!
Driving with a hot cooling system could
damage your vehicle. If the temperature
gauge reads HOT (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 HOT (H), and you hear
continuous chimes, turn the engine off
immediately and call for service.
GEAR SELECTOR OVERRIDE —
6-SPEED TRANSMISSION
If a malfunction occurs and the gear selector
cannot be moved out of the PARK position,
you can use one of the following procedures
to temporarily move the gear selector.
Column Gear Selector — If
Equipped
1. Turn the engine OFF.
2. Firmly apply the parking brake.
3. Tilt the steering wheel to the full upposition.
4. Press and maintain firm pressure on the brake pedal.
5. Insert a screwdriver or similar tool into the access port (ringed circle) on the bottom
of the steering column, and push and hold
the override release lever up. 6. Move the gear selector to the NEUTRAL
position.
7. The vehicle may then be started in NEUTRAL.
Shift Lock Manual Override Access Port
221