ignition DODGE RAM 2500 DIESEL 2008 3.G Owner's Guide

Headlamp Delay
To aid in your exit, your vehicle is equipped with a
headlamp delay that will leave the headlamps on for 90
seconds. This delay is initiated when the ignition is
turned OFF while the headlamp switch is ON, and then
the headlamp switch is cycled OFF. Headlamp delay can
be cancelled by either turning the headlamp switch ON
then OFF, or by turning the ignition ON.
Headlights, Parking Lights, Panel Lights
When the headlight switch is rotated to the first
position, the parking lights, taillights, side marker
lights, license plate light and instrument panel
lights are all turned on. The headlights will turn ON
when the switch is rotated to the second position.Your vehicle is equipped with plastic headlight lenses
that are lighter and less susceptible to stone breakage
than glass headlights.
Plastic is not as scratch resistant as glass and therefore
different lens cleaning procedures must be followed.
Light Switch Rotation
UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 131
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To minimize the possibility of scratching the lenses and
reducing light output, avoid wiping with a dry cloth. To
remove road dirt, wash with a mild soap solution fol-
lowed by rinsing.
Do not use abrasive cleaning components, solvents, steel
wool or other abrasive materials to clean the lenses.
Daytime Running Lights (Canada Only and Fleet
Vehicles)
The headlights on your vehicle will illuminate when the
engine is started and the transmission is in any gear
except PARK. This provides a constant9Lights ON9
condition until the ignition is turned OFF. The lights
illuminate at less than 50% of normal intensity. If the
parking brake is applied, the Daytime Running Lights
(DRL) will turn OFF. Also, if a turn signal is activated, the
DRL lamp on the same side of the vehicle will turn off for
the duration of the turn signal activation. Once the turn
signal is no longer active, the DRL lamp will illuminate.
Lights-on Reminder
If the headlights, parking lights, or cargo lights are left on
after the ignition is turned OFF, a chime will sound when
the driver's door is opened.
Fog Lights Ð If Equipped
The fog lights are turned ON by placing the
headlight rotary control in the parking light or
headlight position and pushing in the headlight
rotary control. The fog lights will operate only when the
parking lights are on or when the vehicle headlights are
on low beam. An indicator light located in the instrument
cluster will illuminate when the fog lights are on. The fog
lights will turn off when the switch is pushed a second
time, when the headlight switch is rotated to the OFF
position, or the high beam is selected.
132 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

NOTE:The Electronic Speed Control System has been
designed to shut down if multiple speed control switch
buttons (i.e., SET and CANCEL) are operated simulta-
neously, in order to ensure proper operation. The system
can be reactivated by pushing the speed control switch
ON/OFF button and re-establishing the desired vehicle
SET speed.
To Activate
Push the ON/OFF button to the ON position. An indi-
cator light in the instrument cluster illuminates when the
system is on.
To Set At A Desired Speed
When the vehicle has reached the desired speed, press
and release the SET button. Release the accelerator and
the vehicle will operate at the selected speed.
To Deactivate
A soft tap on the brake pedal, normal braking, clutch
pressure while slowing the vehicle, or pressing the CAN-
CEL button will deactivate speed control without erasing
the memory. Pushing the ON/OFF button to the OFF
position or turning off the ignition erases the memory.
WARNING!
Leaving the speed control ON when not in use is
dangerous. You could accidentally set the system to
cause it to go faster than you want. You could lose
control and have an accident. Always leave the sys-
tem OFF when you aren't using it.
140 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

Trip Functions
Pressing the STEP button allows you to scroll through
one of the following Trip Function features:
²TRIP ± Shows the total distance traveled since the last
reset. To reset the TRIP function, press and hold the
RESET button.
²ELAPSED TIME ± Shows the total elapsed time of
travel since the last reset. Elapsed time will increment
when the ignition switch is in the ON/RUN or START
positions.
²UNIT IN US/METRIC ± Press the RESET button to
toggle between US and METRIC.
²AVG. MPG ± Shows the average fuel economy since
the last reset. When the fuel economy is reset, the
display will show dashes for two seconds. Then the
history information will be erased, and the averaging
will continue from the last fuel average reading beforethe reset. (Example: If your EVIC displays 18 AVG.
MPG and the RESET button is pressed, the previous
averaging history will be erased and the display will
return to the 18 AVG. MPG, not to 0 AVG. MPG.) The
display may take several miles/kilometers for the
value to change, dependent upon driving habits.
²MI TO EMPTY (Distance to Empty) ± Shows the
estimated distance that can be traveled with the fuel
remaining in the tank. This estimated distance is
determined by a weighted average of fuel economy,
according to the current fuel tank level. MI TO EMPTY
cannot be reset through the RESET button.
NOTE:Significant changes in driving style or vehicle
loading will greatly affect the actual drivable distance of
the vehicle, regardless of the DTE displayed value.
²When the DTE value is less than 30 mi (48 km)
estimated driving distance, the DTE display will
change to a text display of9LOW FUEL.9This display
144 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

indicator system is duty cycle based, which 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 Menu button. To reset the oil change indicator
system (after performing the scheduled maintenance) use
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.PERFORM SERVICE
Your vehicle will require emissions maintenance at a set
interval. To help remind you when this maintenance is
due, the Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC)
will display ªPerform Serviceº. When the ªPerform Ser-
viceº message is displayed on the EVIC it is necessary to
have the emissions maintenance performed. Emissions
maintenance includes replacing the Closed Crankcase
Ventilation (CCV) filter element, cleaning of the EGR
Cooler, and cleaning of the EGR Valve. The procedure for
clearing and resetting the9Perform Service9indicator
message is located in the appropriate Service Informa-
tion.
Personal Settings (Customer Programmable
Features)
Personal Settings allows the driver to set and recall
features when the transmission is in PARK. If the trans-
mission is not in PARK, the EVIC will display NOT
AVAILABLE and VEHICLE NOT IN PARK.
146 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

²ªSOUND HORN W/LOCK > ONº ± When ON is
selected, a short horn sound will occur when the
remote keyless entry LOCK button is pressed. This
feature may be selected with or without the flash lights
on lock/unlock feature. To make your selection, press
and release the RESET button until ªONº or ªOFFº
appears.
²ªFLASH LIGHTS W/LOCK > ONº ± When ON is
selected, the front and rear turn signals will flash when
the doors are locked or unlocked with the remote
keyless entry transmitter. This feature may be selected
with or without the sound horn on lock feature
selected. To make your selection, press and release the
RESET button until ªONº or ªOFFº appears.
²ªHEAD LAMP OFF DELAY > 0 SECº ± When this
feature is selected, the driver can choose to have the
headlights remain on for 0, 30, 60, or 90 seconds whenexiting the vehicle. To make your selection, press and
release the RESET button until ª0,º ª30,º ª60,º or ª90º
appears.
²ªKEY OFF POWER DELAY > OFFº ± When this
feature is selected, the power window switches, radio,
hands±free system (if equipped), and power outlets
will remain active for up to 10 minutes after the
ignition switch is turned OFF. Opening a vehicle door
will cancel this feature. To make your selection, press
and release the RESET button until ªOff,º ª45 sec.,º ª5
min.,º ª10 min.º appears.
²ªILLUMINATED APRCH > OFFº ± When this feature
is selected, the headlights will activate and remain on
for up to 90 seconds when the doors are unlocked with
the remote keyless entry transmitter. To make your
selection, press and release the RESET button until
ªOFF,º ª30 sec.,º ª60 sec.,º or ª90 sec.º appears.
148 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

Manual Compass Calibration
If the compass appears erratic and the ªCALº message
does not appear in the EVIC display, you must put the
compass into the Calibration Mode manually as follows:
1.Turn the ignition switch to the ON/RUN position.
2.Press the Menu buttonuntil Personal Settings is
displayed.
3.Press the STEP buttonuntil ªCalibrate Compass YESº
is displayed.
4.Press and release the RESET buttonto start the
calibration. The message ªCALº will display in the EVIC.
5. Slowly drive the vehicle 5 mph (8 km/h) in a complete
360É circle (in an area free from large metal or metallic
objects) until the ªCALº message turns off. The compass
will now function normally.
Compass Variance
Compass Variance is the difference between magnetic
North and Geographic North. In some areas of the
country, the difference between magnetic and geographic
North is great enough to cause the compass to give false
readings. If this occurs, the compass variance must be set
using the following procedure:
NOTE:Magnetic materials should be kept away from
the overhead console. This is where the compass sensor is
located.
150 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

1.Turn the ignition switch to the ON/RUN position.
2.Press the Menu buttonuntil Personal Settings is
displayed.
3.Press the STEP buttonuntil ªCompass Varianceº is
displayed.
4.Press and release RESET buttonuntil the proper
variance zone is selected according to the map.
5.Press and release the Compass buttonto exit.
GARAGE DOOR OPENER Ð IF EQUIPPED
HomeLinktreplaces up to three remote controls (hand-
held transmitters) that operate devices such as garage
door openers, motorized gates, lighting, or home security
systems. The HomeLinktunit operates off your vehicle's
battery.
Compass Variance Map
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WARNING!
Vehicle exhaust contains carbon monoxide, a danger-
ous gas. Do not run your vehicle in the garage while
training the transceiver. Exhaust gas can cause seri-
ous injury or death.
Programming HomeLinkT
Before You Begin
If you have not trained any of the HomeLinktbuttons,
erase all channels before you begin training.
To do this, press and hold the two outside buttons for 20
seconds. The EVIC will display ªCLEARING CHAN-
NELS.º Release the buttons when the EVIC message
states ªCHANNELS CLEARED.ºIt is recommended that a new battery be placed in the
hand-held transmitter of the device being programmed
to HomeLinktfor more efficient training and accurate
transmission of the radio-frequency signal.
Your vehicle should be parked outside of the garage
while training.
1. Turn the ignition switch to the ON/RUN position.
2. Place the hand-held transmitter 1 to 3 in (3 to 8 cm)
from the HomeLinktbuttons while keeping the EVIC
display in view.
For optimal training, point the battery end of the hand-
held transmitter away from the HomeLinkt.
3. Simultaneously, press and hold both the chosen
HomeLinktbutton and the hand-held transmitter button
until the EVIC display changes from ªCHANNEL #
TRAININGº to ªCHANNEL # TRAINED.º
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Similar to this Canadian law, some U.S. gate operators are
designed to ªtime-outº 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
HomeLinkº 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
has successfully accepted the frequency signal. The
EVIC display will change from ªCHANNEL # TRAIN-
INGº to ªCHANNEL # TRAINED.º
If you unplugged the device for training, plug it back in
at this time.Then proceed with Step 4 under ªProgramming
HomeLinktº earlier in this section.
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 for 20
seconds until the EVIC display states ªCHANNEL #
TRAINING.ºDo not release the button.
156 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE