2018 Ram ProMaster trailer

— Engine Temperature Warning Light
This light warns of an overheated engine
condition. If the engine coolant temperature
is too high, this indicator will illuminate and
a single chime will sound.
If the light turns on while driving, safely pull
over and stop the vehicle. If the A/C system is
on, turn it off. Also, shift the transmission
into NEUTRAL and idle the vehicle. If the
temperature reading does not return to nor-
mal, turn the engine off immediately and call
for service. Refer to “If Your Engine Over-
heats” in “In Case Of Emergency” for further
information.
— Oil Pressure Warning Light
This light indicates low engine oil pressure. If
the light turns on while driving, stop the
vehicle 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.
— Seat Belt Reminder Warning Light
When the ignition is first placed in the ON/
RUN or MAR/ON/RUN position, if the driver’s
seat belt is unbuckled, a chime will sound
and the light will turn on. When driving, if the
driver or front passenger seat belt remains
unbuckled, the Seat Belt Reminder Light will
flash or remain on continuously and a chime
will sound. Refer to “Occupant Restraints
Systems” in “Safety” for further information.
— Transmission Fault Warning Light
This light will illuminate (together with a
message in the instrument cluster display
and a buzzer) to indicate a transmission
fault. Contact your authorized dealer if the
message remains after restarting the engine.
For vehicles with a diesel engine, see "Instru-
ment Cluster Messages" in "Automated
Manual Transmission" for additional informa-
tion.
— Transmission Temperature Warning
Light — If Equipped
This light indicates high transmission fluid
temperature. This may occur with strenuous
usage such as trailer towing. If this light turns on, stop the vehicle and run the engine at idle
or slightly faster, with the transmission in
PARK or NEUTRAL, until the light turns off.
Once the light turns off, you may continue to
drive normally.
WARNING!
If you continue operating the vehicle when
the Transmission Temperature Warning
Light is illuminated you could cause the
fluid to boil over, come in contact with hot
engine or exhaust components and cause
a fire.
CAUTION!
Continuous driving with the Transmission
Temperature Warning Light illuminated
will eventually cause severe transmission
damage or transmission failure.
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL
36

STARTING AND OPERATING
STARTING THE ENGINE —
GAS ENGINE..................74
Normal Starting ................74
STARTING THE ENGINE —
DIESEL ENGINE................74
Normal Starting Procedure .........75
Extreme Cold Weather ............76
NORMAL OPERATION.............76
Stopping The Diesel Engine ........76
ENGINE BREAK-IN RECOMMENDATIONS —
GASOLINE ENGINE..............77
ENGINE BREAK-IN RECOMMENDATIONS –
DIESEL ENGINE ................77
ELECTRIC PARK BRAKE (EPB) —
DIESEL ONLY (IF EQUIPPED) ........78
Loss Of Electric Power............80
AUTOMATED MANUAL TRANSMISSION —
DIESEL ONLY..................81
Gear Ranges ..................82
Parking The Vehicle ..............84 Instrument Cluster Messages
........86
Towing The Vehicle ..............88
SPEED CONTROL...............89
To Activate...................89
To Set A Desired Speed ...........89
To Vary The Speed Setting ..........89
To Accelerate For Passing ..........90
To Resume Speed ...............91
To Deactivate ..................91
PARKSENSE REAR PARK ASSIST .....91
PARKVIEW REAR BACK-UP CAMERA . . .91
REFUELING THE VEHICLE —
GAS ENGINE ..................91
Materials Added To Fuel ..........92
REFUELING THE VEHICLE —
DIESEL ENGINE................92
Diesel Exhaust Fluid .............93
Adding Diesel Exhaust Fluid ........94
TRAILER TOWING..............95
Trailer Towing Weights (Maximum Trailer
Weight Ratings)................95
RECREATIONAL TOWING (BEHIND
MOTORHOME, ETC.) .............96
Towing This Vehicle Behind
Another Vehicle................96
Recreational Towing — Gasoline Engine
All Models ...................97
STARTING AND OPERATING
73

• Vary accelerator pedal position at highwayspeeds when carrying or towing significant
weight.
NOTE:
Light duty operation such as light trailer
towing or no load operation will extend the
time before the engine is at full efficiency.
Reduced fuel economy and power may be
seen at this time.
The engine oil installed in the engine at the
factory is a high-quality energy conserving
type lubricant. Oil changes should be consis-
tent with anticipated climate conditions un-
der which vehicle operations will occur. The
recommended viscosity and quality grades
are shown under “Fluids And Lubricants” in
the “Technical Specifications” chapter in
this manual. NON-DETERGENT OR
STRAIGHT MINERAL OILS MUST NEVER
BE USED.ELECTRIC PARK BRAKE (EPB) —
DIESEL ONLY (IF EQUIPPED)
Your vehicle is equipped with an Electric
Park Brake System (EPB) that offers simple
operation, and some additional features that
make the park brake more convenient and
useful.
The park brake is primarily intended to pre-
vent the vehicle from rolling while parked.
Before leaving the vehicle, make sure that
the park brake is applied.
You can engage the park brake in two ways;
• Manually, by applying the park brake switch.
• Automatically, by the Auto Park Brake fea- ture whenever the vehicle speed is below
1.25 mph (2 km/h) and the ignition switch
is in the STOP/OFF position.
The park brake switch is located on the in-
strument panel to the right of the instrument
cluster. To apply the parking brake manually, pull and
tilt the top of the switch away from the
instrument panel momentarily. You may hear
a mechanical sound while the parking brake
operates; this is normal operating noise.
Once the parking brake is fully engaged, the
BRAKE warning lamp in the instrument clus-
ter and an indicator on the switch will illumi-
nate. The park brake can be applied even
Electric Park Brake SwitchSTARTING AND OPERATING
78

Manual (M) (Manual Mode)
In the MANUAL (M) position the driver is
responsible for choosing the best gear ratio to
engage, depending on driving conditions.
NOTE:
Do not press the brake and accelerator pedals
at the same time. Use only one foot to operate
the brake and accelerator.
To operate in MANUAL (M) mode:
• Press and hold the brake pedal.
• Move the gear selector to the MANUAL (M)position. The current gear will be displayed
in the instrument cluster.
• To drive, release the brake pedal and press the accelerator pedal.
• Tap the gear selector towards the (+) to engage a higher gear.
• Tap the gear selector towards the (–) posi- tion to engage a lower gear.
• The accelerator pedal need not be released during gear changes in MANUAL mode. • You can shift between DRIVE (D) and
MANUAL (M) positions at any speed, with-
out taking your foot off the accelerator
pedal.
• The system will shift down through the gears automatically (to prevent engine lug-
ging) during closed-throttle decelerations.
• The transmission will automatically down- shift to first gear when coming to a stop.
After a stop, the driver should manually
upshift (+) the transmission as the vehicle
is accelerated.
• You can start out, from a stop, in first or second gear. Tap (+) (at a stop) to select
second gear. Starting out in second gear
may be helpful in snowy or icy conditions.
• The system will ignore shift commands that would cause engine lugging or overspeed.
An audible beep will sound and a "Shift not
allowed" message will appear in the instru-
ment cluster if an inappropriate gear is
requested.
NOTE:
Avoid keeping your hand on the lever when
you are not requesting a gear shift.
When To Use TOW/HAUL Mode
When driving in hilly areas, towing a trailer,
carrying a heavy load, etc., and frequent
transmission shifting occurs, press the TOW/
HAUL switch to activate TOW/HAUL mode.
This will improve performance and reduce
the potential for transmission overheating or
failure due to excessive shifting. When oper-
ating in TOW/HAUL mode, the transmission
shift calibration is modified to accommodate
steep grades in the smoothest possible man-
ner. TOW/HAUL mode is only applicable in
the DRIVE (D) position.
Parking The Vehicle
WARNING!
You or others could be injured if you leave
the vehicle unattended without fully ap-
plying the parking brake. The parking
brake should always be applied when the
driver is not in the vehicle.
To ensure proper parking performance, it is
essential to engage MANUAL (1st) gear,
DRIVE (D) or REVERSE (R) gear while your
foot is on the brake pedal. Once MANUAL
STARTING AND OPERATING
84

CAUTION!
• When DEF is spilled, clean the areaimmediately with water and use an ab-
sorbent 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 dam-
age to your engine, including but not
limited to failure of the fuel pump and
injectors.
• Never add anything other than DEF to the tank – especially any form of hydro-
carbon 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 (295 liters) will contami-
nate 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.
• DEF pump nozzle automatically shuts off.
4. Reinstall cap onto DEF filler neck.
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.
TRAILER TOWING
Trailer Towing Weights (Maximum
Trailer Weight Ratings)
NOTE:
For trailer towing information (maximum
trailer weight ratings) refer to the following
website addresses:
• ramtrucks.com/en/towing_guide/
• ramtruck.ca (Canada)
• rambodybuilder.com
95

RECREATIONAL TOWING (BEHIND MOTORHOME, ETC.)
Towing This Vehicle Behind Another Vehicle
Towing ConditionWheels OFF the Ground Gasoline Engine All Models Diesel Engine All Models
Flat Tow NONENOT ALLOWED
Trans InNEUTRAL
Dolly Tow Front
OKOK
Rear NOT ALLOWED
Trans InNEUTRAL
On Trailer ALLOKOK
NOTE:
When towing your vehicle, always follow applicable state and provincial laws. Contact state and provincial Highway Safety offices for additional
details.
NOTE:
For vehicles equipped with diesel engine and
electric park brake, see important informa-
tion under “Automated Manual Transmis-
sion”.STARTING AND OPERATING
96

Recreational Towing — Gasoline
Engine All Models
Recreational towing is allowedONLYif the
front wheels are OFFthe ground. This may be
accomplished using a tow dolly or vehicle
trailer. If using a tow dolly, follow this proce-
dure:
1. Properly secure the dolly to the tow ve- hicle, following the dolly manufacturer's
instructions.
2. Drive the front wheels onto the tow dolly.
3. Firmly apply the parking brake. Place the transmission in PARK.
4. Properly secure the front wheels to the dolly, following the dolly manufacturer's
instructions.
5. Release the parking brake.
CAUTION!
• DO NOT flat tow this vehicle. Damage to the drivetrain will result. If this vehicle
requires towing, make sure the drive
wheels are OFF the ground.
• Towing this vehicle in violation of the
above requirements can cause severe
transmission damage. Damage from im-
proper towing is not covered under the
New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
Recreational Towing —
Diesel Engine All Models
NOTE:
Automated Manual transmission (diesel) ve-
hicles can also be flat towed (all four wheels
on the ground) with the transmission in NEU-
TRAL. Ensure the transmission is in neutral
(N) (by checking that the vehicle moves when
pushed) and tow in the same way as a normal
vehicle with a manual transmission.
97

SCHEDULED SERVICING — GASOLINE
ENGINE
Your vehicle is equipped with an automatic
oil change indicator system. The oil change
indicator system will remind you that it is
time to take your vehicle in for scheduled
maintenance.
Based on engine operation conditions, the oil
change indicator message will illuminate in
the instrument cluster. This means that ser-
vice is required for your vehicle. Operating
conditions such as frequent short-trips,
trailer tow, and extremely hot or cold ambient
temperatures will influence when the “Oil
Change Required” message is displayed. Se-
vere Operating Conditions can cause the
change oil message to illuminate as early as
3,500 miles (5,600 km) since last reset.
Have your vehicle serviced as soon as pos-
sible, within the next 500 miles (805 km).
Your authorized dealer will reset the oil change
indicator message after completing the sched-
uled oil change. If a scheduled oil change is
performed by someone other than your autho-
rized dealer, the message can be reset byreferring to the steps described under “Instru-
ment Cluster Display” in “Getting To Know
Your Instrument Panel” in your Owner’s
Manual on
www.ramtrucks.com/en/owners/
manuals for further information.
NOTE:
Under no circumstances should oil change
intervals exceed 10,000 miles (16,000 km),
twelve months or 350 hours of engine run
time, whichever comes first. The 350 hours
of engine run or idle time is generally only a
concern for fleet customers.
Severe Duty All Models
Change Engine Oil at 4,000 miles
(6,500 km) or 350 hours of engine run time
if the vehicle is operated in a dusty and off
road environment or is operated predomi-
nately at idle or only very low engine RPM’s.
This type of vehicle use is considered Severe
Duty. Once A Month Or Before A Long Trip:
• Check engine oil level
• Check windshield washer fluid level
• Check the tire inflation pressures and look
for unusual wear or damage
• Check the fluid levels of the coolant reser- voir, brake master cylinder, and power
steering and fill as needed
• Check function of all interior and exterior lights
SERVICING AND MAINTENANCE
124