oil DODGE CARAVAN 2009 User Guide

•Right Rear Turn Signal Light Out
•Park Assist Disabled
•Service Park Assist System
•Personal Settings Not Available — Vehicle Not in Park
Oil Change Required
Your vehicle is equipped with an engine oil change
indicator system. TheOil Change Requiredmessage will
flash in the EVIC display for approximately 10 seconds,
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.
Unless reset, this message will continue to display each
time you turn the ignition switch to the ON/RUN
position. To turn off the message temporarily, press andrelease the Menu button. To reset the oil change indicator
system (after performing the scheduled maintenance)
perform the following steps.
1. Turn the ignition switch to the ON position (do not
start the engine).
2. Fully depress the accelerator pedal, slowly, three times
within 10 seconds.
3. Turn the ignition switch to the OFF/LOCK position.
NOTE:If the indicator message illuminates when you
start the engine, the oil change indicator system did not
reset. If necessary, repeat these steps.
Trip Functions
Press and release the MENU button until one of the
following Trip Functions displays in the EVIC.
Press the STEP button to scroll through all the Trip
Computer functions.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 255
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▫MMT In Gasoline.................... 381
▫Materials Added To Fuel............... 381
▫Fuel System Cautions.................. 382
▫Carbon Monoxide Warnings............. 382
Flexible Fuel — 3.3L Engines Only.......... 383
▫E-85 General Information............... 383
▫Ethanol Fuel (E-85)................... 384
▫Fuel Requirements.................... 385
▫Starting........................... 385
▫Selection Of Engine Oil For Flexible Fuel
Vehicles (FFV) E-85 And Gasoline Vehicles . . . 386
▫Cruising Range...................... 386▫Replacement Parts.................... 386
▫Maintenance........................ 387
Adding Fuel......................... 387
▫Fuel Filler Cap (Gas Cap)............... 387
▫Loose Fuel Filler Cap Message........... 388
Vehicle Loading....................... 389
▫Vehicle Certification Label.............. 389
Trailer Towing........................ 393
▫Common Towing Definitions............ 393
▫Towing Tips........................ 405
Recreational Towing
(Behind Motorhome, Etc.)................. 407
STARTING AND OPERATING 323
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CAUTION! (Continued)
•Driving through standing water may cause dam-
age to your vehicle’s drivetrain components. Al-
ways inspect your vehicle’s fluids (i.e., engine oil,
transmission/transaxle, axle, etc.) for signs of con-
tamination (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.
WARNING!
•Driving through standing water limits your vehi-
cle’s traction capabilities. Do not exceed 5 mph
(8 km/h) when driving through standing water.
•Driving through standing water limits your vehi-
cle’s braking capabilities, which increases stop-
ping distances. Therefore, after driving through
standing water, drive slowly and lightly press on
the brake pedal several times to dry the brakes.
•Getting water inside your vehicle’s engine can
cause it to lock up and stall out, and leave you
stranded.
•Failure to follow these warnings may result in
injuries that are serious or fatal to you, your
passengers, and others around you.
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WARNING!
The tires and the spare tire should be replaced after
six years, regardless of the remaining tread. Failure to
follow this warning can result in sudden tire failure.
You could lose control and have an accident resulting
in serious injury or death.
Keep dismounted tires in a cool, dry place with as little
exposure to light as possible. Protect tires from contact
with oil, grease and gasoline.
Replacement Tires
The tires on your new vehicle provide a balance of many
characteristics. They should be inspected regularly forwear and correct cold tire inflation pressure. The manu-
facturer strongly recommends that you use tires equiva-
lent to the originals in size, quality and performance
when replacement is needed. Please see “Tread Wear
Indicators” and “Tire and Loading Information” placard
for the size designation of your tire. The service descrip-
tion and load identification will be found on the original-
equipment tire. Failure to use equivalent replacement
tires may adversely affect the safety, handling, and ride of
your vehicle. We recommend that you contact your
original-equipment manufacturer, or an authorized tire
dealer, with any questions you may have on tire specifi-
cations or capability.
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To fix a Non-FFV vehicle inadvertently fueled once with
E-85 perform the following:
•drain the fuel tank (see your authorized dealer)
•change the engine oil and oil filter
•disconnect and reconnect the battery to reset the
engine controller memory
More extensive repairs will be required for prolonged
exposure to E-85 fuel.
MMT In Gasoline
MMT is a manganese containing metallic additive that is
blended into some gasoline to increase octane. Gasoline
blended with MMT provides no performance advantage
beyond gasoline of the same octane number without
MMT. Gasoline blended with MMT reduces spark plug
life and reduces emission system performance in some
vehicles. The manufacturer recommends that gasoline
without MMT be used in your vehicle. The MMT contentof gasoline may not be indicated on the gasoline pump,
therefore, you should ask your gasoline retailer whether
the gasoline contains MMT.
It is even more important to look for gasolines without
MMT in Canada, because MMT can be used at levels
higher than those allowed in the United States.
MMT is prohibited in Federal and California reformu-
lated gasolines.
Materials Added to Fuel
All gasoline sold in the United States is required to
contain effective detergent additives. Use of additional
detergents or other additives are not needed under
normal conditions and would result in additional cost.
Therefore you should not have to add anything to the
fuel.
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increase in the time it takes for your engine to start and a
deterioration in drivability (sags and/or hesitations) un-
til the engine is fully warmed up.
NOTE:Use of the engine block heater (if equipped) is
beneficial for E-85 startability when the ambient tempera-
ture is less than 32°F (0°C).
Selection Of Engine Oil For Flexible Fuel Vehicles
(FFV) E-85 and Gasoline Vehicles
FFV vehicles operated on E85 require specially formu-
lated engine oils. These special requirements are included
in MOPARengine oils, and in equivalent oils meeting
Chrysler Specification MS-6395. The manufacturer only
recommends engine oils that are API Certified and meet
the requirements of Material Standard MS-6395. MS-6395
contains additional requirements, developed during ex-
tensive fleet testing, to provide additional protection to
Chrysler LLC engines. Use MOPARor an equivalent oil
meeting the specification MS-6395.
Cruising Range
Because E-85 fuel contains less energy per gallon than
gasoline, you will experience an increase in fuel con-
sumption. You can expect your MPG and your driving
range to decrease by about 30% compared to gasoline
operation.
Replacement Parts
Many components in your Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV) are
designed to be compatible with ethanol. Always be sure
that your vehicle is serviced with correct ethanol com-
patible parts.
CAUTION!
Replacing fuel system components with non-ethanol
compatible components can damage your vehicle.
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the fan 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.
CAUTION!
Driving with a hot cooling system could damage
your vehicle. If 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 for
service.
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 a service center if your
vehicle overheats. If you decide to look under the
hood yourself, see Section 7, Maintenance, of this
manual. Follow the warnings under the Cooling
System Pressure Cap paragraph.
WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES 411
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MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE
CONTENTS
Engine Compartment — 3.3/3.8L.......... 433
Engine Compartment — 4.0L............. 434
Onboard Diagnostic System — OBD II....... 435
▫Loose Fuel Filler Cap Message — Gascap . . . 435
Emissions Inspection And Maintenance
Programs............................ 436
Replacement Parts..................... 437
Dealer Service........................ 438
Maintenance Procedures................. 438▫Engine Oil......................... 438
▫Engine Oil Filter..................... 441
▫Engine Air Cleaner Filter............... 441
▫Exhaust System...................... 442
▫Maintenance-Free Battery............... 444
▫Air Conditioner Maintenance............ 446
▫Steering Shaft Seal.................... 448
▫Drive Shaft Universal Joints............. 448
▫Body Lubrication..................... 448
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ENGINE COMPARTMENT — 3.3/3.8L
1 — Air Cleaner Filter 7 — Engine Oil Fill
2 — Automatic Transmission Dipstick (3.3L Only) 8 — Engine Oil Dipstick
3 — Brake Fluid Reservoir 9 — Coolant Pressure Cap
4 — Battery 10 — Washer Fluid Reservoir
5 — Totally Integrated Power Module 11 — Power Steering Fluid Reservoir
6 — Engine Coolant ReservoirMAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE 433
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ENGINE COMPARTMENT — 4.0L
1 — Power Steering Fluid Reservoir 7 — Engine Oil Dipstick
2 — Air Cleaner Filter 8 — Engine Oil Fill
3 — Brake Fluid Reservoir 9 — Coolant Pressure Cap
4 — Battery 10 — Washer Fluid Reservoir
5 — Totally Integrated Power Module
6 — Engine Coolant Reservoir 434 MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE
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