wheel Ram 2500 2013 Owner's Manual

CAUTION!
•Towing with the rear wheels on the ground will
cause severe transmission damage. Damage from
improper towing is not covered under the New
Vehicle Limited Warranty.
• Do not disconnect the driveshaft because fluid may
leak from the transmission, causing damage to
internal parts.
Recreational Towing – Four-Wheel Drive Models
NOTE: Both the manual shift and electronic shift trans-
fer cases must be shifted into NEUTRAL (N) for recre-
ational towing. Automatic transmissions must be shifted
into PARK for recreational towing. Manual transmissions
must be placed in gear (NOT in NEUTRAL) for recre-
ational towing. Refer to the following for the proper
transfer case NEUTRAL (N) shifting procedure for your
vehicle.
CAUTION!
• Front or rear wheel lifts must not be used. Internal
damage to the transmission or transfer case will
occur if a front or rear wheel lift is used when
recreational towing.
(Continued)
568 STARTING AND OPERATING

WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES
CONTENTS
HAZARD WARNING FLASHERS ...........577
 IF YOUR ENGINE OVERHEATS ............577
 JACKING AND TIRE CHANGING 1500 SERIES
TRUCKS ............................ .578
â–« Jack Location ........................ .579
â–« Removal Of Jack And Tools (1500 Series) .....579
â–« Removing The Spare Tire ................581
â–« Preparations ........................ .584
â–« Jack Instructions (1500 Series) .............585
â–« To Stow The Flat Or Spare ...............591 â–«
Reinstalling The Jack And Tools (1500 Series) . .593
â–« Hub Caps/Wheel Covers — If Equipped . . . .595
â–« Wheel Nuts ........................ .596
 JACKING AND TIRE CHANGING 2500 AND 3500
SERIES TRUCKS ...................... .597
â–« Jack Location ........................ .597
â–«
Removal Of Jack And Tools (2500, 3500 Series) . . .597
â–« Removing The Spare Tire ................599
â–« Preparations ........................ .602
â–« Jack Instructions (2500, 3500 Series) .........603
6

â–«To Stow The Flat Or Spare ...............609
â–« Reinstalling The Jack And Tools (2500 And 3500
Series) ..............................611
â–« Hub Caps/Wheel Covers — If Equipped . . . .613
â–« Wheel Nuts ........................ .614
 HOISTING .......................... .617
 JUMP-STARTING PROCEDURES ...........617
â–« Preparations For Jump-Start ..............618
â–« Jump-Starting Procedure ................619
 FREEING A STUCK VEHICLE .............621
EMERGENCY TOW HOOKS — IF EQUIPPED . .623
 SHIFT LEVER OVERRIDE ................624
â–« Column Shifter — If Equipped ............624
â–« Center Console Shifter — If Equipped .......625
 MANUAL PARK RELEASE — 8 SPEED
TRANSMISSION (3.6L Engine) .............626
 TOWING A DISABLED VEHICLE ...........628
â–« Two-Wheel Drive Models ................630
â–« Four-Wheel Drive Models ................631
576 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

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 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.
WARNING!
You or others can be badly burned by hot engine
coolant (antifreeze) or steam from your radiator. If
(Continued)
WARNING!(Continued)
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.
JACKING AND TIRE CHANGING 1500 SERIES
TRUCKS
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 the danger of being hit when
operating the jack or changing the wheel.
(Continued)
578 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

Release the tool bag straps from the jack and remove
tools from bag.WARNING!
After using the jack and tools, always reinstall them
in the original carrier and location. While driving
you may experience abrupt stopping, rapid accelera-
tion or sharp turns. A loose jack, tools, bracket or
other objects in the vehicle may move around with
force, resulting in serious injury.
Removing The Spare Tire
1. Remove the spare tire before attempting to jack up thetruck. Attach the wheel wrench to the jack extension
tube with the curved angle facing away from the
vehicle. Insert the tube through the access hole be-
tween the lower tailgate and the top of the bumper
and into the winch mechanism tube.
Jack And Tool Bag
6
WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES 581

2. Rotate the wheel wrench handle counterclockwiseuntil the spare tire is on the ground with enough cable
slack to allow you to pull it out from under the vehicle.
582 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

5. Pull the retainer through the center of the wheel.
NOTE:The winch mechanism is designed for use with
the jack extension tube only. Use of an air wrench or other
power tools is not recommended and can damage the
winch.Preparations
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 the danger of being hit when
operating the jack or changing the wheel.
2. Turn on the Hazard Warning flasher.
3. Set the parking brake.
4. Place the shift lever into PARK. On four-wheel drive vehicles, shift the transfer case to the 4L position.
584 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

5. Turn the ignition OFF.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.Jack Instructions (1500 Series)
WARNING!
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
vehicle.
• Turn on the Hazard Warning flasher.
• 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.
• Never start or run the engine with the vehicle on a
jack.
(Continued)
6
WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES 585

WARNING!(Continued)
•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. If
you need to get under a raised vehicle, take it to a
service center where it can be raised on a lift.
• Only use the jack in the positions indicated and for
lifting this vehicle during a tire change.
• If working on or near a roadway, be extremely
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.
CAUTION!
Do not attempt to raise the vehicle by jacking on
locations other than those indicated in the Jacking
Instructions for this vehicle.
1. Remove the spare wheel, jack, and tools from storage.
2. Using the wheel wrench, loosen, but do not remove, the wheel nuts by turning them counterclockwise one
turn while the wheel is still on the ground.
Jack Warning Label
586 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

3. Placement of the jack:
4x2 Series Trucks Front Jacking Location
There is a jack location indicator on the rear portion of the
lower control arm.When changing a front wheel, place the scissor jack
under the rear portion of the lower control arm as shown
below.
4X2 Front Jacking Location Indicator
4X2 Front Jacking Location
6
WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES 587