transmission fluid DODGE CHALLENGER SRT 2016 3.G Owners Manual

Transmission Temperature Warning Light
Red TelltaleLight What It Means
Transmission Temperature Warning Light
This light indicates that the transmission fluid temperature is running hot. This may occur with
severe usage. If this light turns on, safely pull over and stop the vehicle. Then, place the trans-
mission into NEUTRAL and run the engine at idle speed or apply light foot pressure to increase
the engine speed RPM until the Transmission Temperature light turns off.
CAUTION!
Continuous driving with the Transmission Tempera-
ture Warning Light illuminated will eventually cause
severe transmission damage or transmission failure.
WARNING!
If you continue operating the vehicle when the
Transmission Temperature Warning Light is illumi-
nated you could cause the fluid to boil over, come in
contact with hot engine or exhaust components and
cause a fire.
240 UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

situations. It is recommended that your vehicle operates
in SPORT or TRACK modes during the track event.
Prior to each track event/day:
•Verify allfluids are at the correct levels. Refer to
“Maintaining Your Vehicle” for fluid levels & specifi-
cations.
• Verify the front and rear brake pads have more than ½
the original pad thickness remaining. If the brake pads
require changing, please burnish prior to track outing
at full pace. Refer to “Track Burnishing Your Brakes.”
At the conclusion of each track event, it is recommended
that a brake bleed procedure be performed to maintain
the pedal feel and stopping capability of your Brembo
High Performance brake system.
It is recommended that each track outing end with a
minimum of one cool down lap using minimal braking. Change the differential and manual transmission fluid
after every five hours of track use. Refer to “Maintaining
Your Vehicle” for fluid levels & specifications.
If equipped with a removable lower front fascia grille, it
is recommended to remove it for track use during
warm/hot weather to improve cooling airflow to critical
powertrain and cooling system components.
All SRT vehicles are track tested for 24 hours of endur-
ance, however, it is recommended that the suspension
system, brake system, prop shaft, and half shaft boots
should be inspected for wear or damage after every track
event.
Track usage results in increased operating temperatures
of the engine, transmission, clutch, driveline and brake
system. This increased operating temperature may affect
4
UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 297

MANUAL TRANSMISSION — IF EQUIPPED
Six-Speed Manual Transmission
WARNING!
You or others could be injured if you leave the
vehicle unattended without having the parking
brake fully applied. The parking brake should al-
ways be applied when the driver is not in the vehicle,
especially on an incline.
CAUTION!
•Never drive with your foot resting on the clutch
pedal, or try to hold the vehicle on a hill with the
clutch pedal partially engaged, as this will cause
abnormal wear on the clutch. Refer to “Electronic
(Continued)
CAUTION! (Continued)
Brake Control System/Hill Start Assist” in “Start-
ing And Operating” for further information.
• Failure to press the clutch pedal fully to the floor
may cause increased shift efforts, and may result in
damage to the clutch and transmission.
• Do not rest your hand on the gear selector while
driving, as this may result in transmission synchro-
nizer damage.
• Do not attempt to shift the transmission if the rear
wheels are spinning due to loss of traction. Dam-
age to the transmission may occur.
NOTE: During cold weather, you may experience in-
creased effort in shifting until the transmission fluid
warms up. This is normal.
5
STARTING AND OPERATING 383

Launch control will be active until the vehicle reaches
62 mph (100 km/h), at which point the ESC system will
return to its current ESC mode.
Launch control will abort before launch completion,
display “Launch Aborted” in the cluster and return to
ESC Full ON under any the following conditions:
•The brake is applied during launch.
• The ESC system detects that the vehicle is no longer
moving in a straight line.
• The “ESC OFF” button is pushed to change the ESC
system to another mode.
NOTE: After launch control has been aborted, ESC will
return to its current ESC mode.CAUTION!
Do not attempt to shift when the drive wheels are
spinning and do not have traction. Damage to the
transmission may occur.
Guidelines For Track Use
NOTE: Because of the extreme conditions encountered
during track use, any damage or wear associated with
track use is not covered by warranty.
• If your SRT vehicle is equipped with Drive Modes,
they will alter the vehicle’s performance in various
driving situations. It is recommended that your vehicle
operates in SPORT or TRACK modes during the track
event.
• Prior to each track event/day, verify all fluids are at
the correct levels. Refer to “Fluid Capacities” in “Main-
taining Your Vehicle” for further information.5
STARTING AND OPERATING 409

▫Cooling System ..................... .529
▫ Brake System ....................... .535
▫ Clutch Hydraulic System (Manual Transmission)
— If Equipped ...................... .537
▫ Manual Transmission — If Equipped .......538
▫ Automatic Transmission — If Equipped .....538
▫ Rear Axle .......................... .540
▫ Appearance Care And Protection From
Corrosion .......................... .540
 FUSES ............................. .547
▫ Front Power Distribution Center (Fuses) .....548
▫ Rear Power Distribution Center (Fuses) .....553
 VEHICLE STORAGE ....................559
 REPLACEMENT BULBS .................560 
BULB REPLACEMENT ..................562
▫ Low Beam Headlamp, High Beam Headlamp,
Park/Turn Lamp — Models With Halogen
Headlamps — If Equipped ...............562
▫ Low Beam Headlamp, High Beam Headlamp, and
Park/Turn Lamp — Models With High Intensity
Discharge (HID) Headlamps — If Equipped . . .563
▫ Front/Rear Side Marker Lamp ............564
▫ Tail/Turn And Stop Lamp ...............564
▫ Center Tail/Backup Lamp ...............564
▫ Center High-Mounted Stop Lamp (CHMSL) . .564
▫ License Lamp ....................... .564
 FLUID CAPACITIES ....................565
▫ Fluid Capacities — 6.2L .................565
506 MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE

CAUTION!(Continued)
transmission, or air conditioning. Such damage is
not covered by the New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
If a flush is needed because of component malfunc-
tion, use only the specified fluid for the flushing
procedure.
Engine Oil
Checking Oil Level
To assure proper engine lubrication, the engine oil must
be maintained at the correct level. Check the oil level at
regular intervals, such as once a month. The best time to
check the engine oil level is about five minutes after a
fully warmed engine is shut off.
Checking the oil while the vehicle is on level ground will
improve the accuracy of the oil level readings. Maintain
the oil level in the “SAFE” range. Adding 1.0 quart (.95 liters) of oil when the reading is at the bottom of the
“SAFE” range will result in an oil level at the top of the
“SAFE” range on these engines.
CAUTION!
Overfilling or underfilling will cause oil aeration or
loss of oil pressure. This could damage your engine.
Change Engine Oil
The oil change indicator system will remind you that it is
time to take your vehicle in for scheduled maintenance.
Refer to “Maintenance Schedule” for further information.
NOTE:
Under no circumstances should oil change inter-
vals exceed 6,000 miles (10,000 km) or six months,
whichever occurs first.
7
MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE 515

WARNING!(Continued)
original factory installed hydraulic master cylinder
reservoir.
• To avoid contamination from foreign matter or
moisture, 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 unexpectedly during hard or pro-
longed 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.
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•Do not allow petroleum based fluid to contaminate
the brake fluid. Brake seal components could be
damaged, causing partial or complete brake failure.
This could result in a collision.
Use only brake fluid that has been in a tightly closed
container to avoid contamination from foreign matter or
moisture.
Clutch Hydraulic System (Manual Transmission)
— If Equipped
The clutch hydraulic system is fed by a segregated
volume of fluid within the brake system master cylinder
reservoir. In the event of leakage or wear, use only the
manufacturer’s recommended brake fluid. Refer to “Flu-
ids, Lubricants, And Genuine Parts” in “Maintaining
Your Vehicle” for further information.
7
MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE 537

Manual Transmission — If Equipped
Fluid Level Check
Check the fluid level by removing the fill plug on the left
side of the transmission. The fluid level should be 1/4
inch (6.4mm) below the bottom of the fill hole. Add fluid,
if necessary, to maintain the proper level. Refer to “Flu-
ids, Lubricants, and Genuine Parts” in “Maintaining Your
Vehicle” for further information.
Change Transmission Fluid
If contaminated with water, change the fluid immedi-
ately. See your authorized dealer for service.
Refer to the “Maintenance Schedule” for the proper
maintenance intervals.
Automatic Transmission — If Equipped
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, Lubricants, And Genuine Parts” in this section
for fluid specifications. It is important to maintain the
transmission fluid at the correct level using the recom-
mended fluid. No chemical flushes should be used in any
transmission; only the approved lubricant should be used.
CAUTION!
Using a transmission fluid other than the manufac-
turer ’s recommended fluid may cause deterioration
in transmission shift quality and/or torque converter
shudder. Refer to “Fluids, Lubricants, And Genuine
Parts” in this section for fluid specifications.
538 MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE

Special Additives
The manufacturer strongly recommends against using
any special additives in the transmission. Automatic
Transmission Fluid (ATF) is an engineered product and
its performance may be impaired by supplemental addi-
tives. Therefore, do not add any fluid additives to the
transmission. Avoid using transmission sealers as they
may adversely affect seals.
CAUTION!
Do not use chemical flushes in your transmission as
the chemicals can damage your transmission compo-
nents. Such damage is not covered by the New
Vehicle Limited Warranty.
Fluid Level Check
The fluid level is preset at the factory and does not
require adjustment under normal operating conditions.Routine fluid level checks are not required, therefore the
transmission has no dipstick. Your authorized dealer can
check your transmission fluid level using special service
tools.
If you notice fluid leakage or transmission malfunction,
visit your authorized dealer immediately to have the
transmission fluid level checked. Operating the vehicle
with an improper fluid level can cause severe transmis-
sion damage.
CAUTION!
If a transmission fluid leak occurs, visit your autho-
rized dealer immediately. Severe transmission dam-
age may occur. Your authorized dealer has the proper
tools to adjust the fluid level accurately.
7
MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE 539

Fluid And Filter Changes
Under normal operating conditions, the fluid installed at
the factory will provide satisfactory lubrication for the
life of the vehicle.
Routine fluid and filter changes are not required. How-
ever, change the fluid and filter if the fluid becomes
contaminated (with water, etc.), or if the transmission is
disassembled for any reason.
Rear Axle
Fluid Level Check
Checking the fluid level while the vehicle is on level
ground and has been stationary for 15 minutes will
improve the accuracy of the fluid level reading.
Check the fluid level by removing the fill plug on the
axle. The fluid level should be 1-2.5 mm below the fill
plug. Add fluid, if necessary, to maintain the proper level.Refer to “Fluids, Lubricants, And Genuine Parts” in
“Maintaining Your Vehicle” for further information.
Change Axle Fluid
Refer to the “Maintenance Schedule” for the proper
maintenance intervals.
Appearance Care And Protection From Corrosion
Protection Of Body And Paint From Corrosion
Vehicle body care requirements vary according to geo-
graphic locations and usage. Chemicals that make roads
passable in snow and ice, and chemicals that are sprayed
on trees and road surfaces during other seasons, are
highly corrosive to the metal in your vehicle. Outside
parking, which exposes your vehicle to airborne contami-
nants, road surfaces on which the vehicle is operated,
extreme hot or cold weather and other extreme condi-
tions will have an adverse effect on paint, metal trim, and
underbody protection.
540 MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE