battery CHRYSLER 200 2011 1.G Owner's Manual

For vehicles equipped with Tip Start (Six-Speed Trans-
mission),turn the ignition switch to the START position
and release it as soon as the starter engages. The starter
motor will continue to run, and it will disengage auto-
matically when the engine is running. If the engine fails
to start, the starter will disengage automatically in 10 sec-
onds. If this occurs, turn the ignition switch to the LOCK
position, wait 10 to 15 seconds, then repeat the “Normal
Starting” procedure.
Extreme Cold Weather (Below –20°F or 29°C)
To ensure reliable starting at these temperatures, use of
an externally powered electric engine block heater (avail-
able from your dealer) is recommended.
If Engine Fails To Start
WARNING!
•Never pour fuel or other flammable liquids into
the throttle body air inlet opening in an attempt to
start the vehicle. This could result in a flash fire
causing serious personal injury.
•Do not attempt to push or tow your vehicle to get it
started. Vehicles equipped with an automatic trans-
mission cannot be started this way. Unburned fuel
could enter the catalytic converter and once the
engine has started, ignite and damage the converter
and vehicle. If the vehicle has a discharged battery,
booster cables may be used to obtain a start from a
booster battery or the battery in another vehicle.
This type of start can be dangerous if done improp-
erly. Refer to “Jump Starting” in “What To Do In
Emergencies” for further information.
5
STARTING AND OPERATING 289

To fix a Non-FFV vehicle inadvertently fueled once with
E-85 perform the following:
•change the engine oil and oil filter
•disconnect and reconnect the battery
•drain the fuel tank (see your authorized dealer)
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 emissions system performance in some vehicles. The manufacturer recommends that gasoline
without MMT be used in your vehicle. The MMT content
of 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 gasoline 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 Califor-
nia reformulated gasoline.
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 is not needed under normal
conditions and they would result in additional cost.
Therefore, you should not have to add anything to the
fuel.
348 STARTING AND OPERATING

HAZARD WARNING FLASHERS
The Hazard Warning flasher switch is located on the
instrument panel, below the radio.Press the switch to turn on the Hazard Warning
flasher. When the switch is activated, all directional
turn signals will flash on and off to warn oncoming
traffic of an emergency. Press the switch a second time to
turn off the Hazard Warning flashers.
This is an emergency warning system and it should not
be used when the vehicle is in motion. Use it when your
vehicle is disabled and it is creating a safety hazard for
other motorists.
When you must leave the vehicle to seek assistance, the
Hazard Warning flashers will continue to operate even
though the ignition is placed in the OFF position.
NOTE: With extended use the Hazard Warning flashers
may wear down your battery.
IF YOUR ENGINE OVERHEATS
In any of the following situations, you can reduce the
potential for overheating by taking the appropriate ac-
tion.
•On the highways — Slow down.
•In city traffic — While stopped, put transaxle in
NEUTRAL, but do not increase engine idle speed.
CAUTION!
Driving with a hot cooling system could damage
your vehicle. If temperature gauge reads “H”, pull
over and stop the vehicle with the engine at idle,
when safe. Turn the air conditioner off and wait until
the pointer drops back into the normal range. After
appropriate action has been taken, if the pointer
remains on the “H”, turn the engine off immediately,
and call for service.
372 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

each nut has been tightened twice. The correct wheel nut
torque is 100 ft lbs (135 N·m). If you doubt that you have
tightened the nuts correctly, have them checked with a
torque wrench by your authorized dealer or at a service
station.
9. Remove the wheel blocks and lower the jack until it is
free. Reassemble the lug wrench to the jack assembly and
stow it in the spare tire area. Secure the assembly using
the means provided.
WARNING!
A loose tire or jack thrown forward in a collision or
hard stop could endanger the occupants of the ve-
hicle. Always stow the jack parts and the spare tire in
the places provided.
10. Place the deflated (flat) tire in the cargo area and have
the tire repaired or replaced as soon as possible.
WARNING!
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 immedi-
ately.
11. Check the tire pressure as soon as possible. Correct
the tire pressure as required.
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.
NOTE: When using a portable battery booster pack
follow the manufacturer’s operating instructions and
precautions.6
WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES 381

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.
WARNING!
Do not attempt jump-starting if the battery is frozen.
It could rupture or explode and cause personal injury.
Preparations For Jump-Start
The battery in your vehicle is located between the left
front headlight assembly and the left front wheel splash
shield. To allow jump-starting there are remote battery
posts located on the left side of the engine compartment.
Remote Battery Posts
1 — Remote Positive(+) Post (covered with protective cap)
2 — Remote Negative (-) Post
382 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

WARNING!
•Take care to avoid the radiator cooling fan when-
ever 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 watch bands or
bracelets that might 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. Set the parking brake, shift the automatic transmission
into PARK and turn the ignition to LOCK.
2. Turn off the heater, radio, and all unnecessary electri-
cal accessories. 3. Remove the protective cover over the remote positive
(+)
battery post. To remove the cover, press the locking
tab and pull upward on the cover.
4. If using another vehicle to jump-start the battery, park
the vehicle within the jumper cables reach, set the
parking brake and make sure the ignition is OFF.
Locking Tab
6
WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES 383

WARNING!
Do not allow vehicles to touch each other as this
could establish a ground connection and personal
injury could result.
Jump-Starting Procedure
WARNING!
Failure to follow this procedure could result in per-
sonal injury or property damage due to battery ex-
plosion.
CAUTION!
Failure to follow these procedures could result in
damage to the charging system of the booster vehicle
or the discharged vehicle.1. Connect the positive
(+)end of the jumper cable to the
remote positive (+)post of the discharged vehicle.
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 the remote negative (-)post of the vehicle with
the discharged battery.
WARNING!
Do not connect the cable to the negative post (-) of the
discharged battery. The resulting electrical spark
could cause the battery to explode and could result in
personal injury.
384 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

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.
Once the engine is started, remove the jumper cables in
the reverse sequence:
6. Disconnect the negative(-)jumper cable from the
remote negative (-)post of the vehicle with the dis-
charged battery.
7. Disconnect the negative end (-)of the jumper cable
from the negative (-)post of the booster battery.
8. Disconnect the opposite end of the positive (+)jumper
cable from the positive (+)post of the booster battery.
9. Disconnect the positive (+)end of the jumper cable
from the remote positive (+)post of the discharged
vehicle. 10. Reinstall the protective cover over the remote posi-
tive
(+)battery post of the discharged vehicle.
If frequent jump-starting is required to start your vehicle
you should have the battery and charging system in-
spected at your authorized dealer.
CAUTION!
Accessories that can be plugged into the vehicle
power outlets draw power from the vehicle’s battery,
even when not in use (i.e., cellular phones, etc.).
Eventually, if plugged in long enough, the vehicle’s
battery will discharge sufficiently to degrade battery
life and/or prevent the engine from starting.
6
WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES 385

MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE
CONTENTS
Engine Compartment — 2.4L ............. 393
 Engine Compartment — 3.6L ............. 394
 Onboard Diagnostic System — OBD II ...... 395
▫ Loose Fuel Filler Cap Message ........... 395
 Emissions Inspection And Maintenance
Programs ............................ 396
 Replacement Parts ..................... 397
 Dealer Service ........................ 398 
Maintenance Procedures ................. 398
▫ Engine Oil ......................... 399
▫ Engine Oil Filter ..................... 402
▫ Engine Air Cleaner Filter ............... 403
▫ Maintenance-Free Battery .............. 403
▫ Air Conditioner Maintenance ............ 405
▫ A/C Air Filter – If Equipped ............ 406
▫ Body Lubrication .................... 407
▫ Windshield Wiper Blades ............... 408
7

persists, the message will appear the next time the
vehicle is started. This might indicate a damaged cap. If
the problem is detected twice in a row, the system will
turn on the “Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL).” Resolv-
ing the problem will turn the MIL light off.
EMISSIONS INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE
PROGRAMS
In some localities, it may be a legal requirement to pass
an inspection of your vehicle’s emissions control system.
Failure to pass could prevent vehicle registration.For states that require an Inspection and Mainte-
nance (I/M), this check verifies the “Malfunction
Indicator Light (MIL)” is functioning and is not
on when the engine is running, and that the OBD II
system is ready for testing. Normally, the OBD II system will be ready. The OBD II
system may
notbe ready if your vehicle was recently
serviced, recently had a dead battery or a battery replace-
ment. If the OBD II system should be determined not
ready for the I/M test, your vehicle may fail the test.
Your vehicle has a simple ignition key-actuated test,
which you can use prior to going to the test station. To
check if your vehicle’s OBD II system is ready, you must
do the following:
1. Turn the ignition switch to the ON position, but do not
crank or start the engine.
2. If you crank or start the engine, you will have to start
this test over.
3. As soon as you turn the ignition switch to the ON
position, you will see the MIL symbol come on as part of
a normal bulb check.
396 MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE