heating DODGE CARAVAN 2008 5.G Owners Manual

Exhaust Gas
WARNING!
Exhaust gases can injure or kill. They contain carbon
monoxide (CO) which is colorless and odorless.
Breathing it can make you unconscious and can
eventually poison you. To avoid breathing (CO)
follow the safety tips below.
Do not run the engine in a closed garage or in confined
areas any longer than needed to move your vehicle in or
out of the area.If it is necessary to sit in a parked vehicle with the engine
running, adjust your heating or cooling controls to force
outside air into the vehicle. Set the blower at high speed.WARNING!
If you are required to drive with the deck lid / liftgate
open, make sure that all windows are closed, and the
climate control blower switch is set at high speed.
DO NOT use the recirculation mode.
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 95
2

Using HomeLinkt
To operate, simply press and release the programmed
HomeLinktbutton. Activation will now occur for the
trained device (i.e., garage door opener, gate operator,
security system, entry door lock, home/office lighting,
etc. The hand-held transmitter of the device may also be
used at any time.
Reprogramming a Single HomelinktButton
To reprogram a channel that has been previously trained,
follow these steps:
1. Turn the ignition switch to the ON/RUN position.
2. Press and hold the desired HomeLinktbutton until
the indicator light begins to flash after 20 seconds.Do not
release the button.
3.Without releasing the button,proceed with Program-
ming HomelinktStep 2 and follow all remaining steps.
GATE OPERATOR/CANADIAN PROGRAMMING
Canadian radio frequency laws require transmitter sig-
nals to time-out (or quit) after several seconds of trans-
mission ± which may not be long enough for HomeLinkt
to pick up the signal during programming. Similar to this
Canadian law, some U.S. gate operators are designed to
time-out in the same manner.
It may be helpful to unplug the device during the cycling
process to prevent possible overheating of the garage
door or gate motor.
If you are having difficulties programming a garage door
opener or a gate operator, replace ªProgramming
HomeLinktº Step 3, with the following:
3. Continue to press and hold the HomeLinktbutton
while you press and release - every two seconds
(ªcycleº) your hand-held transmitter until HomeLinkt
190 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

mRadio Operation And Cellular Phones........299
mRemote Sound System Controls Ð If Equipped . . 299
NRadio Operation......................299
NCD Player..........................300
mCD/DVD Maintenance...................300
mClimate Controls.......................301
NManual Heating, Ventilation And Air
Conditioning (HVAC) System.............301
NRear Manual Climate Control Zone Ð
If Equipped.........................307
NAutomatic Temperature Control (ATC) Ð
If Equipped.........................309NSummer Operation....................318
NWinter Operation.....................318
NVacation/Storage.....................318
NWindow Fogging.....................318
NOutside Air Intake....................319
NOperating Tips.......................319
NA/C Air Filter Ð If Equipped............320
mElectric Rear Window Defroster Ð
If Equipped...........................320
222 UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

CLIMATE CONTROLS
The Climate Control System allows you to regulate the
temperature, amount, and direction of air circulating
throughout the vehicle. The controls are located on the
instrument panel, below the radio.
MANUAL HEATING, VENTILATION AND AIR
CONDITIONING (HVAC) SYSTEM
The controls for the manual HVAC system in this vehicle
consist of a series of outer rotary dials inner push knobs.
These comfort controls can be set to obtain desired
interior conditions.
Manual HVAC Controls
UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 301
4

ECONOMY Mode
If ECONOMY mode is desired, press the A/C button to
turn off the indicator light and the A/C compressor.
Rotate the temperature control knob to the desired tem-
perature.
Air Conditioning Operation
Push on this button to engage
the Air Conditioning. A light
will illuminate when the A/C
System is engagedNOTE:The air conditioning compressor will not engage
until the engine has been running for about 10 seconds.
MAX A/C
For maximum cooling use the A/C and RECIRCULA-
TION mode buttons at the same time.
Three Zone Basic Temperature Control Ð If
Equipped
With the Three Zone Basic Temperature Control System,
each front seat occupant can independently control the
Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) op-
erations coming from the outlets on their side of the
vehicle.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 305
4

The Three Zone Basic Temperature Control bottom panel
controls rear Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning
(HVAC) operations.
Three Zone Temperature Control
1 Ð Left Temp 7 Ð Right Temp
2 Ð PANEL 8 Ð Rear DEFROST
3 Ð BI-LEVEL 9 Ð RECIRCULATE
4 Ð BLOWER 10 Ð Front DEFROST
5 Ð FLOOR 11 Ð A/C
6 Ð MIX
Front Lower Three Zone Temperature Control Features
1 Ð Left Heated Seat 3 Ð Rear Temp
2 Ð Rear Blower 4 Ð Right Heated Seat 306 UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

HEADLINER Mode
Air comes from the outlets in the headliner. Each of
these outlets can be individually adjusted to direct
the flow of air. Moving the air vanes of the outlets to one
side will shut off the airflow.
SUMMER OPERATION
The engine cooling system in air conditioned vehicles
must be protected with a high-quality antifreeze coolant
to provide proper corrosion protection and to protect
against engine overheating. A 50% solution of ethylene
glycol antifreeze coolant in water is recommended. Refer
to section 7, ªMaintenance Proceduresº, of this manual
for proper coolant selection.
WINTER OPERATION
To ensure the best possible heater and defroster perfor-
mance, make sure the engine cooling system is function-
ing properly and the proper amount, type, and concen-
tration of coolant is used. Refer to section 7,ªMaintenance Proceduresº, of this manual for proper
coolant selection. Use of the air RECIRCULATION mode
during winter months is not recommended because it
may cause window fogging.
VACATION/STORAGE
Anytime you store your vehicle, or keep it out of service
(i.e., vacation) for two weeks or more, run the air
conditioning system at idle for about five minutes in the
fresh air and high blower setting. This will ensure
adequate system lubrication to minimize the possibility
of compressor damage when the system is started again.
WINDOW FOGGING
Vehicle windows tend to fog on the inside in mild rainy
or humid weather. To clear the windows, select DE-
FROST or MIX mode and increase the front blower
speed. Do not use the RECIRCULATION mode without
A/C for long periods, as fogging may occur.
318 UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

STARTING PROCEDURES
Before starting your vehicle, adjust your seat, adjust the
inside and outside mirrors, fasten your seat belt, and if
present, instruct all other occupants to buckle their seat
belts.
WARNING!
NEVER leave unattended children alone in a vehicle.
Leaving children in a vehicle is dangerous for a
number of reasons. A child or others could be seri-
ously or fatally injured. Don't leave the key in the
ignition. A child could operate power windows,
other controls, or move the vehicle.
WARNING!
DO NOT leave animals or children inside parked
vehicles in hot weather. Interior heat build-up may
cause serious injury or death.
WARNING!
Be sure to turn off the engine and remove the key
from the ignition switch if you want to rest or sleep
in your car. Accidents can be caused by inadvertently
moving the gear selection lever. Accidents can also be
caused by pressing the accelerator pedal. This may
cause excessive heat in the exhaust system, resulting
in overheating and vehicle fire, which may cause
serious or fatal injuries.
324 STARTING AND OPERATING

under heavy loading conditions, (i.e., in hilly terrain,
traveling into strong head winds or while towing heavy
trailers). Under these conditions, using the ª3º range will
improve performance and extend transmission life by
reducing excessive shifting and heat build-up.
CAUTION!
If the transmission operating temperature exceeds
acceptable limits, the vehicle computer will override
DRIVE and select ª5º range (on six-speed transmis-
sions) or ª3º range (on four-speed transmissions) by
changing shift points. This is done to prevent trans-
mission damage due to overheating.
Electronic Range Select (ERS) Operation
The Electronic Range Select (ERS) shift control allows
you to move the gear selector lever to the left (-) or right
(+) when the gear selector lever is in the D (Drive)position, this allows the selection of the desired top gear.
For example, if the driver shifts the transmission into 3rd
gear, the transmission will never shift above 3rd gear, but
can shift down to 2nd or 1st gear automatically, when
needed.
Switching from ERS to D-Mode (Drive) can be done at any
vehicle speed. To shift from ªDriveº mode to ªERSº mode,
move gear selector lever to the left (-) once. The current gear
will be maintained as the top gear. To disable ERS, simply
press and hold the gear selector lever to the right (+) until
ªDº is displayed in the instrument cluster odometer.
WARNING!
Do not downshift for additional engine braking on a
slippery surface. The drive wheels could lose their
grip and the vehicle could skid causing an accident or
personal injury.
STARTING AND OPERATING 333
5

before placing the gear selector lever in PARK, otherwise
the load on the transmission locking mechanism may
make it difficult to move the gear selector lever out of
PARK.
WARNING!
²Always fully apply the parking brake when leav-
ing your vehicle, or it may roll and cause damage
or injury. Also be certain to leave an automatic
transmission in PARK, a manual transmission in
REVERSE or first gear. Failure to do so may allow
the vehicle to roll and cause damage or injury.
²Be sure the parking brake is fully disengaged
before driving, failure to do so can lead to brake
problems due to excessive heating of the rear
brakes.
WARNING!
NEVER leave children alone in a vehicle. Leaving
unattended children in a vehicle is dangerous for a
number of reasons. A child or others could be seri-
ously or fatally injured. Don't leave the key in the
ignition. A child could operate power windows,
other controls, or move the vehicle
When parking on a hill, turn the front wheels toward the
curb on a downhill grade, and away from the curb on an
uphill grade.
The parking brake should always be applied whenever
the driver is not in the vehicle.
336 STARTING AND OPERATING