tow Ram 1500 2009 Repair Manual

CAUTION!
•Do not use a bumper-mounted clamp-on tow bar
on your vehicle. The bumper face bar will be
damaged.
•Do not disconnect the rear driveshaft because
fluid will leak from the transfer case and fluid loss
will damage internal parts.
5
STARTING AND OPERATING 417

WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES
CONTENTS
Hazard Warning Flasher ................ 420
 Jacking And Tire Changing ............... 420
▫ Jack Location ....................... 421
▫ Removing The Spare Tire ............... 426
▫ Preparations ........................ 427
▫ Instructions ........................ 428
 Hoisting ............................ 433 
Jump-Starting Procedures ................ 433
▫ With Portable Starting Unit ............. 435
 Freeing A Stuck Vehicle ................. 436
 Emergency Tow Hooks — If Equipped ...... 437
 Towing A Disabled Vehicle ............... 437
▫ 4-Wheel Drive Vehicles ................ 438
▫ 2-Wheel Drive Vehicles ................ 438
6

Jack Location
The jack and jack tools are stored under the front
passenger seat.
Removal
To access the jack and jack tools you must remove the
plastic access cover, located on the side of the seat. To
remove the cover, pull the front part of the cover (closest
to the front of the seat) toward you to release a locking
tab. Once the front of the cover is loose, slide the cover
toward the front of the seat until it is free from the seat
frame.
Jack Access Cover6
WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES 421

Removing The Spare Tire
Remove the spare tire before attempting to jack up the
truck. Attach the wheel wrench to the jack extension tube.
Insert the tube through the access hole between the lower
tailgate and the top of the bumper and into the winch
mechanism tube. Rotate the wheel wrench handle coun-
terclockwise until the spare tire is on the ground with
enough cable slack to allow you to pull it out from under
the vehicle. When the spare is clear, tilt the retainer at the
end of the cable and pull it through the center of the
wheel.It is recommended that you stow the flat or spare to
avoid tangling the loose cable.
1 — Lower
2 — Raise
426 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

Instructions
WARNING!
Carefully follow these tire changing warnings to
help prevent personal injury or damage to your
vehicle:
•Always park on a firm, level surface as far from
the edge of the roadway as possible before raising
the vehicle.
•Block the wheel diagonally opposite the wheel to
be raised.
•Set the parking brake firmly and set an automatic
transmission in PARK; a manual transmission in
REVERSE.
•Never start or run the engine with the vehicle on a
jack.
•Do not let anyone sit in the vehicle when it is on a
jack.(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•Do not get under the vehicle when it is on a jack.
•Only use the jack in the positions indicated and
for lifting this vehicle during a tire change.
•If working on or near a roadway, be extremely
careful of motor traffic.
•To assure that spare tires, flat or inflated, are
securely stowed, spares must be stowed with the
valve stem facing the ground.
•Turn on the Hazard Warning flasher.
1. Remove the spare wheel, jack, and tools from storage.
Jack Warning Label
428 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

•For all trucks, when changing a rear wheel, as-
semble the jack drive tube to the jack and connect
the drive tube to the extension tube. Place the jack
under the axle between the wheel and the shock
bracket with the drive tubes extending to the rear.•Connect the jack tube extension and wheel wrench.
Before raising the wheel off the ground, make sure
that the jack will not damage surrounding truck
parts and adjust the jack position as required.
4. Raise the vehicle until the wheel just clears the surface,
by rotating the wheel wrench clockwise
WARNING!
Raising the vehicle higher than necessary can make
the vehicle unstable and cause an accident. It could
slip off the jack and hurt someone near it. Raise the
vehicle only enough to remove the tire.
5. Remove the wheel nuts and pull the wheel off. Install
the spare wheel and wheel nuts with the cone shaped end
of the wheel nuts toward the wheel. Lightly tighten the
Rear Jacking Location (All)
430 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

wheel nuts. To avoid the risk of forcing the vehicle off the
jack, do not fully tighten the wheel nuts until the vehicle
has been lowered.
6. Using the wheel wrench, finish tightening the wheel
nuts using a crisscross pattern. The correct wheel nut
tightness is 130 ft lbs (177 N·m) torque. If in doubt about
the correct tightness, have them checked with a torque
wrench by your authorized dealer or at a service station.
WARNING!
A loose tire or jack thrown forward in a collision or
hard stop could injure someone in the vehicle. Al-
ways stow the jack parts and the extra tire and wheel
in the places provided.
7. Install the wheel center cap and remove the wheel
blocks. Do not install chrome or aluminum wheel center
caps on the spare wheel. This may result in cap damage. 8. Lower the jack to its fully closed position. If the bottle
jack will not lower by turning the dial (thumbwheel) by
hand, it may be necessary to use the jack drive tube in
order to lower the jack. Stow the replaced tire, jack, and
tools as previously described.
9. Adjust the tire pressure when possible.
NOTE:
Do not oil wheel studs. For chrome wheels, do
not substitute with chrome plated wheel nuts.
Wheel Nuts
All wheel nuts should be tightened occasionally to elimi-
nate the possibility of wheel studs being sheared or the
bolt holes in the wheels becoming elongated. This is
especially important during the first few hundred miles/
kilometers of operation to allow the wheel nuts to
become properly set. All wheel nuts should first be firmly
seated against the wheel. The wheel nuts should then be
tightened to recommended torque. Tighten the wheel
nuts to final torque in increments. Progress around the6
WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES 431

bolt circle, tightening the wheel nut opposite to the wheel
nut just previously tightened until final torque is
achieved. Recommended torques are shown in the fol-
lowing chart.
Disc
WheelsNut Type Stud Size Torque
(Ft. Lbs.)Torque
(N•m)
Cone 9/16-18 110-150 160-200
To Stow The Flat Or Spare
NOTE: Vehicles equipped with aluminum wheels can-
not be stored under the vehicle because the wheel
retainer will not fit through the wheel pilot hole. Secure
the flat tire in the bed of the truck. Have the flat tire
repaired or replaced immediately.
WARNING!
A loose tire thrown forward in a collision or hard
stop could injure the occupants in the vehicle. Have
the deflated (flat) tire repaired or replaced immedi-
ately.
Turn the wheel so that the valve stem is down. Slide the
wheel retainer through the center of the wheel and
position it properly across the wheel opening.
For convenience in checking the spare tire inflation, stow
with the valve stem toward the rear of the vehicle.
Attach the wheel wrench to the extension tube. Rotate the
winch mechanism until the wheel is drawn into place
against the underside of the vehicle. Continue to rotate
until you feel the winch mechanism slip or click three or
four times. It cannot be overtightened. Push against the
tire several times to be sure it is firmly in place.
432 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

HOISTING
A conventional floor jack may be used at the jacking
locations. Refer to the graphics that show jacking loca-
tions. However, a floor jack or frame hoist must never be
used on any other parts or the underbody.
CAUTION!
Never use a floor jack directly under the differential
housing of a loaded truck or damage to your vehicle
may result.
JUMP-STARTING PROCEDURES
Do not attempt to push or tow your vehicle to get it
started. Vehicles equipped with an automatic transmis-
sion cannot be started this way. Also, there is a greater
risk of an accident when a vehicle is being pushed or
towed. If the vehicle has a discharged battery, booster
cables may be used to obtain a start from a booster
battery or the battery in another vehicle. This type of startcan be dangerous if done improperly, so follow this
procedure carefully.
WARNING!
•Battery fluid is a corrosive acid solution; do not
allow battery fluid to contact eyes, skin or cloth-
ing. Don’t lean over battery when attaching
clamps or allow the clamps to touch each other. If
acid splashes in eyes or on skin, flush contami-
nated area immediately with large quantities of
water.
•A battery generates hydrogen gas which is flam-
mable and explosive. Keep flame or spark away
from the vent holes.
•Do not use a booster battery or any other booster
source that has a greater than 12-Volt system, i.e.,
do not use a 24-Volt power source.
6
WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES 433

1. Remove all metal jewelry such as watch bands or
bracelets which might make an unintended electrical
contact.
2. Park the booster vehicle within cable reach but with-
out letting the vehicles touch. Set the parking brake on
both vehicles, place the automatic transmission in PARK
and turn the ignition OFF.
3. Turn off the heater, radio, and all unnecessary electri-
cal loads.
4. Connect one end of a jumper cable to the positive
terminal of the booster battery. Connect the other end of
the same cable to the positive terminal of the discharged
battery.WARNING!
Do not permit vehicles to touch each other as this
could establish a ground connection and personal
injury could result.
5. Connect the other cable; first to the negative terminal
of the booster battery, and then to the engine of the
vehicle with the discharged battery. Make sure you have
a good contact on the engine.
WARNING!
•You should not try to start your vehicle by pushing
or towing.
•Do not connect the cable to the negative post of the
discharge battery. The resulting electrical spark
could cause the battery to explode. (Continued)
434 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES