STARTING AND OPERATING 429
Off-Road Driving Tips
Care should be taken when attempting to climb steep hills or
driving diagonally across a hill or slope. If natural obstacles
force you to travel diagonally up or down a hill, choose a
mild angle and keep as little side tilt as possible. Keep the
vehicle moving and make turns slowly and cautiously.
If you must back down a hill, back straight down using
REVERSE gear. Never back down in NEUTRAL or diago-
nally across the hill. When driving over sand, mud, and other soft terrain, shift to
low gear and drive steadily. Apply the accelerator slowly to
avoid spinning the wheels.
Do not reduce the tire pressures for this type of driving.
After Driving Off-Road
Off-road operation puts more stress on your vehicle than
does most on-road driving. After going off-road, it is always
a good idea to check for damage. That way you can get any
problems taken care of right away and have your vehicle
ready when you need it.
• Completely inspect the underbody of your vehicle. Check
tires, body structure, steering, suspension, and exhaust
system for damage.
• Inspect the radiator for mud and debris and clean as required.
• Check threaded fasteners for looseness, particularly on the chassis, drivetrain components, steering, and suspension.
Retighten them, if required, and torque to the values spec -
ified in the Service Manual.
• Check for accumulations of plants or brush. These things could be a fire hazard. They might hide damage to fuel
lines, brake hoses, axle pinion seals, and propeller shafts.
• Driving through standing water may cause damage to
your vehicle’s drivetrain components. Always inspect
your vehicle’s fluids (i.e., engine oil, transmission, 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 contaminated, 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. CAUTION!
(Continued)
5
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IN CASE OF EMERGENCY 467
6. Remove the lug nuts and pull the wheel off. Install thespare wheel and lug nuts with the cone shaped end of the
lug nuts toward the wheel. Hand tighten the lug nuts
with vehicle lifted. To avoid the risk of forcing the vehicle
off the jack, do not fully tighten the lug nuts until the
vehicle has been lowered.
7. Lower vehicle to ground, 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.
NOTE:
For the correct lug nut torque refer to “Technical Specifica -
tions” in “Torque Specifications.” If in doubt about the
correct tightness, have them checked with a torque wrench
by an authorized dealer or service station. 8. If your vehicle is equipped with a wheel center cap, install
the 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.
9. Lower the jack to its fully closed position. Stow the replaced tire, and secure the jack and tools in the proper
location.
10. Adjust the tire pressure when possible.
WARNING!
Raising the vehicle higher than necessary can make the
vehicle less stable. It could slip off the jack and hurt
someone near it. Raise the vehicle only enough to
remove the tire.WARNING!
A loose tire or jack thrown forward in a collision or hard
stop, could endanger the occupants of the vehicle.
Always stow the jack parts and the spare tire in the
places provided.
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SERVICING AND MAINTENANCE 513
(Continued)
Automatic Transmission
Selection Of Lubricant
It is important to use the proper transmission fluid to ensure
optimum transmission performance and life. Use only the
manufacturer’s specified transmission fluid. Refer to “Fluids
And Lubricants” in “Technical Specifications”. It is
important to maintain the transmission fluid at the correct
level using the recommended fluid. No chemical flushes
should be used in any transmission; only the approved lubri-
cant should be used.
WARNING!
• Use only manufacturer's recommended brake fluid. Refer to “Fluids And Lubricants” in “Technical Speci -
fications” for further information. Using the wrong
type of brake fluid can severely damage your brake
system and/or impair its performance. The proper type
of brake fluid for your vehicle is also identified on the
original factory installed hydraulic master cylinder
reservoir.
• To avoid contamination from foreign matter or mois -
ture, use only new brake fluid or fluid that has been in
a tightly closed container. Keep the master cylinder
reservoir cap secured at all times. Brake fluid in a open
container absorbs moisture from the air resulting in a
lower boiling point. This may cause it to boil unexpect -
edly during hard or prolonged braking, resulting in
sudden brake failure. This could result in a collision.
• Overfilling the brake fluid reservoir can result in spilling brake fluid on hot engine parts, causing the
brake fluid to catch fire. Brake fluid can also damage
painted and vinyl surfaces, care should be taken to
avoid its contact with these surfaces.
• Do not allow petroleum based fluid to contaminate thebrake fluid. Brake seal components could be damaged,
causing partial or complete brake failure. This could
result in a collision.
CAUTION!
Using a transmission fluid other than the manufacturer’s
recommended fluid may cause deterioration in
transmission shift quality and/or torque converter
shudder. Refer to “Fluids And Lubricants” in “Technical
Specifications” for fluid specifications.
WARNING! (Continued)
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546
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
IDENTIFICATION DATA
Vehicle Identification Number
The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is found on the left
front corner of the instrument panel, visible through the
windshield. This number also appears on the vehicle frame
etched on right hand center rail, as well as the Automobile
Information Disclosure Label affixed to a window on your
vehicle, the vehicle registration and title.Vehicle Identification Number
NOTE:
It is illegal to remove or alter the VIN.
BRAKE SYSTEM
If power assist is lost for any reason (for example, repeated
brake applications with the engine off), the brakes will still
function. However, you will experience a substantial
increase in braking effort to stop the vehicle.
If either the front or rear hydraulic system loses normal
braking capability, the remaining system will still function
with some loss of overall braking effectiveness. This will be
evident by increased pedal travel during application, greater
pedal force required to slow or stop, and activation of the
“Brake Warning Light” and the “ABS Warning Light” (if
equipped) during brake use.
WHEEL AND TIRE TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS
Proper lug nut/bolt torque is very important to ensure that
the wheel is properly mounted to the vehicle. Any time a
wheel has been removed and reinstalled on the vehicle, the
lug nuts/bolts should be torqued using a properly calibrated
torque wrench using a high quality six sided (hex) deep wall
socket.
2020_DT_1500_OM_US.book Page 546
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS 547
Torque Specifications
**Use only your authorized dealer recommended lug nuts/
bolts and clean or remove any dirt or oil before tightening.
NOTE:
Do not oil wheel studs. For chrome wheels, do not substitute
with chrome plated wheel nuts.
Inspect the wheel mounting surface prior to mounting the
tire and remove any corrosion or loose particles.Wheel Mounting Surface
Lug Nut/Bolt
Torque Lug Nut/Bolt
Type **Lug Nut/
Bolt Size Lug Nut/Bolt
Socket Size
130 Ft-Lbs (176 N·m) Cone M14 x 1.50 22 mm
8
2020_DT_1500_OM_US.book Page 547
548 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Tighten the lug nuts/bolts in a star pattern until each nut/
bolt has been tightened twice. Ensure that the socket is fully
engaged on the lug nut/bolt (do not insert it halfway).
After 25 miles (40 km), check the lug nut/bolt torque to be
sure that all the lug nuts/bolts are properly seated against
the wheel.Four, Five, And Six Lug Nuts/Bolts Torque Pattern
FUEL REQUIREMENTS
3.6L Engine
Do not use E-85 flex fuel or ethanol blends greater than 15%
in this engine. These engines are designed to meet all emissions
regulations and provide optimum fuel economy and
performance when using high quality unleaded
“Regular” gasoline having a posted octane number of 87 as
specified by the (R+M)/2 method. The use of higher octane
“Premium” gasoline is not required, as it will not provide
any benefit over “Regular” gasoline in these engines.
WARNING!
To avoid the risk of forcing the vehicle off the jack, do
not tighten the lug nuts/bolts fully until the vehicle has
been lowered. Failure to follow this warning may result
in personal injury.
2020_DT_1500_OM_US.book Page 548
669
Inflation Pressure ................................................................ 526
Life Of Tires ......................................................................... 529
Load Capacity .............................................................. 521, 522
Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) ....................... 185, 227
Quality Grading .................................................................. 538
Radial .................................................................................... 527Replacement......................................................................... 530
Rotation ................................................................................ 537
Safety............................................................................. 516, 525
Sizes....................................................................................... 517Snow Tires ............................................................................ 532
Spare Tires ............................................................ 532, 533, 534
Spinning................................................................................ 528
Trailer Towing ..................................................................... 415
Tread Wear Indicators ........................................................ 529
Wheel Nut Torque .............................................................. 546
To Open Hood ......................................................................... 105
Tongue Weight/Trailer Weight ............................................ 413
Tonneau Cover ................................................................ 150, 540
Tonneau Cover Cleaning ....................................................... 540
Towing.............................................................................. 407, 478 Disabled Vehicle.................................................................. 478
Guide..................................................................................... 413
Recreational.......................................................................... 422
Weight................................................................................... 413
Towing Behind A Motorhome .............................................. 422 Traction .....................................................................................427
Traction Control ......................................................................210
Traction Control Switch .........................................................210
Trailer Sway Control (TSC) ................................................... 210
Trailer Towing .........................................................................407 Cooling System Tips ........................................................... 421Hitches ..................................................................................411
Minimum Requirements ....................................................413
Mirrors ....................................................................................64
Tips ........................................................................................420Trailer And Tongue Weight...............................................413
Wiring ...................................................................................419
Trailer Towing Guide .............................................................413
Trailer Weight ..........................................................................413
Transfer Case ...........................................................................515 Electronically Shifted ..................................................311, 314
Fluid ...................................................................................... 556
Transmission ............................................................................304 Automatic .....................................................................304, 513
Fluid ...................................................................................... 556
Maintenance .........................................................................513
Shifting ..................................................................................302
Transporting Pets .................................................................... 285
Tread Wear Indicators ............................................................ 529
Turn Signals ....................................................... 71, 193, 438, 441
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