DODGE GRAND CARAVAN 2010 5.G Repair Manual

NOTE:There are two jack engagement locations on each side of the vehicle body. These
locations are on the sill flange of the vehicle body.
• Place the jack:
• Rear jack locations are between a pair of down-facing tabs on the sill flange of thevehicle side body.
• Front jack locations are on the sill flange of the vehicle side body and align with front door edges.
• Turn the jack screw clockwise to firmly engage the jack saddle with the lift area of the sill flange.
• Raise the vehicle by turning the jack screw clockwise. Raise the vehicle only until the tire just clears the surface and enough clearance is obtained to install the spare tire.
WARNING!
Raising the vehicle higher than necessary can make the vehicle less stable and cause
an accident. It could slip off the jack and hurt someone near it. Raise the vehicle only
enough to remove the tire.
• Remove the lug nuts and wheel.
• Position the spare wheel/tire on the vehicle and install the lug nuts with the cone-shaped end toward the wheel. Lightly tight en the lug nuts clockwise. To avoid
the risk of forcing the vehicle off the jack, do not tighten the nuts fully until the vehicle
has been lowered.
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WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

• Lower the vehicle by turning the jack screw counterclockwise, and remove the jack andwheel blocks.
• Finish tightening the lug nuts. Push do wn on the wrench while tightening for
increased leverage. Alternate nuts until each one has been tightened twice. The
correct wheel nut tightness is 95 ft lbs (130 N•m). If in doubt about the correct
tightness, have them checked with a tor que wrench by your authorized dealer or at a
service station.
WARNING!
A loose tire or jack, thrown forward in an accident or hard stop, could endanger the
occupants of the vehicle. Always stow the jack parts and the spare tire in the places
provided.
• Place the deflated (flat) tire and compact spare tire cover assembly in the rear cargo area. DO NOT stow the deflated tire in the spare tire location. Have the full-sized tire
repaired or replaced as soon as possible.
• To stow the winch cable and wheel spacer, fit the assembled jack-handle over the winch drive nut. Rotate the jack-handle as sembly clockwise until you hear the winch
mechanism click three times.
• Secure the jack and tools in their proper locations.
WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES
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JUMP-STARTING
• If your vehicle has a discharged battery it can be jump-started using a set of jumpercables 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.
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!
When temperatures are below the freezing point, electrolyte in a discharged battery
may freeze. Do not attempt jump-starting because the battery could rupture or
explode and cause personal injury. Battery temperature must be brought above
freezing point before attempting a jump-start.
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WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

Preparations for Jump-Start
• The battery in your vehicle is locatedon the left side of the engine compartment.
WARNING!
• Take care to avoid the radiator cooling fan whenever 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 severely 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.
• Set the parking brake, shift the autom atic transmission into PARK and turn the ignition
to LOCK.
• Turn off the heater, radio, and all unnecessary electrical accessories.
• 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.
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 personal injury or property damage due
to battery explosion.
CAUTION!
Failure to follow these procedures could result in damage to the charging system of
the booster vehicle or the discharged vehicle.
• Connect the positive (+)end of the jumper cable to the positive (+)post of the
discharged vehicle.
• Connect the opposite end of the positive (+)jumper cable to the positive (+)post of
the booster battery.
• Connect the negative end (-)of the jumper cable to the negative (-)post of the booster
battery.
WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES
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• Connect the opposite end of the negative(-)jumper cable to a good engine ground
(exposed metal part of the discharged vehicle's engine) away from the battery and
fuel injection system.
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.
• 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:
• Disconnect the negative (-)jumper cable from the negative (-)post of the vehicle with
the discharged battery.
• Disconnect the negative end (-)of the jumper cable from the negative (-)post of the
booster battery.
• Disconnect the opposite end of the positive (+)jumper cable from the positive (+)
post of the booster battery.
• Disconnect the positive (+)end of the jumper cable from the positive (+)post of the
discharged vehicle.
• If frequent jump-starting is required to start your vehicle you should have the battery and charging system inspected 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 vehi cle’s battery will discharge sufficiently to degrade
battery life and/or prevent the engine from starting.
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WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

TOWING A DISABLED VEHICLEModelFlat Towing (all four
wheels on the ground)Flatbed Towing (all
four wheels
suspended OFF the
ground)Front Wheels Raised,
Rear Wheels on the
Ground
Rear Wheels Raised,
Front Wheels on the
Ground
FWD Without a Key NOT Permitted Recommended
MethodNOT Permitted NOT Permitted
FWD With a Key Shift lever must be in
NEUTRAL. The distance
to be traveled must not
exceed 100 mi
(160 km), and the
towing speed must not
exceed 44 mph
(72 km/h).Recommended
Method
NOT Permitted NOT Permitted
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WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

FREEING A STUCK VEHICLE
• If your vehicle becomes stuck in mud, sand or snow, it can often be moved by arocking motion. Turn your steering wheel right and left to clear the area around the
front wheels. Then, move the shift lever back and forth between REVERSE and 1st gear.
Using minimal accelerator pedal pressure to maintain the rocking motion, without
spinning the wheels, is most effective.
NOTE: If your vehicle is equipped with Electronic Stability Program (ESP) or Traction
Control
, turn the system off before attempting to “rock” the vehicle.
WARNING!
Fast spinning tires can be dangerous. Forces generated by excessive wheel speeds
may cause tire damage or failure. A tire could explode and injure someone. Do not
spin your vehicle's wheels faster than 30 mph (48 km/h) when you are stuck. Do not
let anyone near a spinning wheel, no matter what the speed.
CAUTION!
• When “rocking” a stuck vehicle by moving between 1st and REVERSE, do not spin the wheels faster than 15 mph (24 km/h), or drivetrain damage may result.
• Revving the engine or s pinning the wheels too fast ma y lead to transmission
overheating and failure. It can also damage the tires. Do not spin the wheels above
30 mph (48 km/h) while in gear (no transmission shifting occurring).
EVENT DATA RECORDER (EDR)
• This vehicle is equipped with an event data recorder (EDR). The main purpose of an
EDR is to record, in certain crash or near crash-like situations, such as an air bag
deployment or hitting a road obst acle, data that willassist in understanding how a
vehicle’s systems performed. The EDR is designed to record data related to vehicle
dynamics and safety systems for a short period of time, typically 30 seconds or less.
The EDR in this vehicle is designed to record such data as:
• How various systems in your vehicle were operating;
• Whether or not the driver and passenger s afety belts were buckled/fastened;
• How far (if at all) the driver was depressing the accelerator and/or brake pedal; and,
• How fast the vehicle was traveling.
• These data can help provide a better u nderstanding of the circumstances in which
crashes and injuries occur.
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WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

NOTE:EDR data are recorded by your vehicle only if a non-trivial crash situation occurs;
no data are recorded by the EDR under normal driving conditions and no personal data
(e.g. name, gender, age, and crash location) are recorded. However, other parties, such
as law enforcement, could combine the EDR data with the type of personally identifying
data routinely acquired during a crash investigation.
• To read data recorded by an EDR, special equipment is required, and access to the vehicle or the EDR is needed. In addition to the vehicle manufacturer, other parties
such as law enforcement, that have the special equipment, can read the information if
they have access to the vehicle or the EDR.
WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES
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OPENING THE HOOD
• Pull the hood release lever locatedon the instrument panel, below the steering
column.
• Raise the hood and locate the safety catc h lever, in the middle of the hood opening.
• Move the safety latch while lifting the hood at the same time.
• Insert the support rod into the slot on the hood.
• To close the hood, remove the support rod and place it in the retaining clip, then lower the hood slowly.
WARNING!
Be sure the hood is fully latched before driving your vehicle. If the hood is not fully
latched, it could open when the vehicle is in motion and block your vision. Failure to
follow this warning could result in serious injury or death.
ADDING FUEL
Fuel Filler Cap (Gas Cap)
• The gas cap is located behind the fuel filler door on the left side of the vehicle. If the
gas cap is lost or damaged, be sure the
replacement cap is for use with this vehicle.
• When the fuel nozzle “clicks” or shuts off, the fuel tank is full.
• Tighten the gas cap until you hear a “clicking” sound. This is an indication that
the gas cap is properly tightened. If not
properly tightened, the MIL (Malfunction
Indicator Light) may come on.
NOTE: The driver’s side sliding door cannot be opened while the fuel door is open.
CAUTION!
• Damage to the fuel system or emissions control sy stem could result from using an
improper gas cap. A poorly fitting cap could le t impurities into the fuel system and
may cause the MIL to turn on, due to fuel vapors escaping from the system.
• To avoid fuel spillage and overfilling, do not “top off” the fuel tank after filling.
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MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!
• Never have any smoking materials litin or near the vehicle when the gas cap is
removed or the tank filled.
• Never add fuel when the engine is running. This is in violation of most state and
federal fire regulations and will cause the MIL to turn on.
• A fire may result if gasoline is pumped into a portable container that is inside of a
vehicle. You could be burned. Always place gas containers on the ground while filling.
MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE
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