transmission oil DODGE GRAND CARAVAN 2009 5.G Owners Manual

NOTE:
If your vehicle is equipped with a hood switch, in the
case of hood ajar, a warning message will be displayed
in either the PRNDL/Odometer display as “hood” or
“Hood Ajar” in the EVIC display.
Some of the above warnings will be displayed in the
Compass Mini-Trip Computer / Electronic Vehicle
Information Center Display Area located in the instru-
ment cluster.
Refer to ”Compass Mini-Trip Computer (CMTC)
Display— If Equipped” / ”Electronic Vehicle Informa-
tion Center (EVIC) Display — If Equipped” later in
this section for more information.
LoW tirE
When the appropriate condition exists, the odometer
display will toggle between LoW and tirE for three
cycles. HOTOIL
When this message is displayed there is a transaxle
over-temperature condition. When this condition occurs,
the “HOTOIL” message will be displayed in the odom-
eter along with a chime.
If this message appears, stop the vehicle and run the
engine at idle or faster, with the transmission in NEU-
TRAL, until the light goes off.
NOTE:
When this message is displayed, bring the
vehicle to a stop and idle the engine until the message
clears.
CHAngE OIL
Your vehicle is equipped with an engine oil change
indicator system. The “Change Oil” message will flash in
the instrument cluster odometer for approximately
12 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
UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 245 4

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 and
release the Trip Odometer button on the instrument
cluster. To reset the oil change indicator system (after
performing the scheduled maintenance), refer to the
following procedure:
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 vehicle, the oil change indicator system did not
reset. If necessary repeat this procedure. 13. Odometer Display Reset Button
To reset a message display (gATE, gASCAP, noFUSE,
CHAngE OIL, LoCOOL, LoWASH), push and hold the
button until the display resets (approximately two sec-
onds).
14. Electronic Stability Program (ESP) Indicator Light
/ Traction Control System (TCS) Indicator Light
If this indicator light flashes during accelera-
tion, apply as little throttle as possible. While
driving, ease up on the accelerator. Adapt your
speed and driving to the prevailing road con-
ditions, and do not switch off the Electronic Stability
Program (ESP), or Traction Control System (TCS).
15. Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) The Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) is part of
an onboard diagnostic system called OBD that
monitors engine and automatic transmission con-
trol systems. The light will illuminate when the key is in 246 UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

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.
STARTING AND OPERATING 341 5

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 Reservoir MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE 433 7

CAUTION!Your vehicle has been built with improved fluids
that protect the performance and durability of your
vehicle and also allow extended maintenance inter-
vals. Do not use chemical flushes in these compo-
nents as the chemicals can damage your engine,
transmission, power steering or air conditioning.
Such damage is not covered by the New Vehicle
Limited Warranty. If a flush is needed because of
component malfunction, 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 every fuel stop. The best time to
check the engine oil level is about five minutes after a
fully warmed engine is shut OFF or before starting the
engine after it has sat overnight.
Checking the oil while the vehicle is on level ground will
improve the accuracy of the oil level readings. Maintain
the oil level between the MIN and MAX markings on the
dipstick. Adding one quart of oil when the reading is at
the MIN mark will result in a MAX reading on these
engines. CAUTION!
Overfilling or underfilling will cause oil aeration, or
loss of oil pressure. This could damage your engine.
MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE 439
7

Compass Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255,261
Compass Variance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254,262
Computer, Trip/Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
ConnectorUCI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Universal Consumer Interface (UCI) . . . . . . . . . 290
Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Console, Floor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Console, Overhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Console, Removable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Contract, Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 505
Coolant Pressure Cap (Radiator Cap) . . . . . . . . . . 454
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451 Adding Coolant (Antifreeze) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453
Coolant Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480
Coolant Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451,455
Disposal of Used Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454
Drain, Flush, and Refill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452
Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455 Points to Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455
Pressure Cap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454
Radiator Cap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454
Selection of Coolant (Antifreeze) . . . . . . 452,480,481
Cruise Control (Speed Control) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Cupholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214,466
Customer Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 503
Data Recorder, Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Daytime Running Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Dealer Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438
Defroster, Rear Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Defroster, Windshield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94,308,318
Diagnostic System, Onboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435
Dimmer Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Dipsticks Automatic Transaxle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
Oil (Engine) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 439
INDEX 515
10

Flexible Fuel VehiclesCruising Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383,384
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386
Replacement Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386
Flooded Engine Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
Floor Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Fluid Capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480
Fluid Leaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Fluid Level Checks
Automatic Transaxle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457
Power Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
Fluids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481
Fluids, Lubricants and Genuine Parts . . . . . . . . . . 481
Fog Light Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477 Fog Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181,248,477
Fold in Floor (Stow
8n Go) Seating . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Freeing A Stuck Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378
Adding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381
Clean Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
Filler Cap (Gas Cap) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240,387
Filler Door (Gas Cap) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Octane Rating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378,480
Tank Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480
Fuel, Flexible . . . . . . . . . . . . . See Flexible Fuel Vehicles
Fuel System Caution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381
Fueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467
518 INDEX

Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Cold Weather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
Engine Fails to Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
Remote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Starting and Operating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Starting Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Steering Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
Tilt Column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Steering Wheel Mounted Sound System
Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216,475
Storage Bin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Storage, Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323,475
Storing Your Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475
Stow 8n Go (Fold in Floor) Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Sun Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 Sunglasses Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Sunroof Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Supplemental Restraint System - Airbag . . . . . . . . 63
Synthetic Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
System, Remote Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Temperature Control, Automatic (ATC) . . . . . . . . 314
Temperature Gauge, Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . 240,411
Tether Anchor, Child Restraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Tilt Steering Column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Tire and Loading Information Placard . . . . . . . . . 356
Tire Identification Number (TIN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
Tire Markings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352
Tire Safety Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94,360,509
Aging (Life of Tires) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366
Air Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360
Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367
INDEX 527
10