ECU Ram 1500 2014 Workshop Manual

WARNING!(Continued)
•Your vehicle could move and injure you and others
if it is not completely in PARK. Check by trying to
move the shift lever out of PARK with the brake
pedal released. Make sure the transmission is in
PARK before leaving the vehicle.
• It is dangerous to shift out of PARK or NEUTRAL
if the engine speed is higher than idle speed. If
your foot is not firmly pressing the brake pedal, the
vehicle could accelerate quickly forward or in re-
verse. You could lose control of the vehicle and hit
someone or something. Only shift into gear when
the engine is idling normally and your foot is
firmly pressing the brake pedal.
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•Unintended movement of a vehicle could injure
those in and near the vehicle. As with all vehicles,
you should never exit a vehicle while the engine is
running. Before exiting a vehicle, always apply the
parking brake, shift the transmission into PARK,
turn the engine OFF, and remove the key fob. When
the ignition is in the full OFF (key removal) posi-
tion, the transmission is locked in PARK, securing
the vehicle against unwanted movement.
• When leaving the vehicle, always remove the key
fob and lock your vehicle.
(Continued)
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NOTE:Even if the transmission can be reset, we recom-
mend that you visit your authorized dealer at your
earliest possible convenience. Your authorized dealer has
diagnostic equipment to determine if the problem could
recur.
If the transmission cannot be reset, authorized dealer
service is required.
Electronic Range Select (ERS) Operation
The Electronic Range Select (ERS) shift control allows the
driver to limit the highest available gear when the shift
lever is in the DRIVE position. For example, if you shift
the transmission into 3 (third gear), the transmission will
not shift above third gear, but will shift down into second
and first gears normally.
You can switch between DRIVE and ERS mode at any
vehicle speed. When the shift lever is in the DRIVE
position, the transmission will operate automatically, shifting between all available gears. Tapping the ERS (-)
switch will activate ERS mode, display the current gear in
the instrument cluster, and maintain that gear as the top
available gear. Once in ERS mode, tapping ERS (-) or (+)
will change the top available gear.
Column Shift Lever
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stuck. The locking front and rear differentials should only
be engaged during low-speed, extreme off-road situa-
tions where one wheel is likely to not be in contact with
the ground. It is not recommended to drive the vehicle
with the differentials locked on pavement due to the
reduced ability to turn and speed limitations.
CAUTION!
•Do not lock the front or rear axle on hard surfaced
roads. The ability to steer the vehicle is reduced
and damage to the drivetrain may occur when the
axles are locked on hard surfaced roads.
• Do not try to lock the rear axle if the vehicle is
stuck and the tires are spinning. You can damage
drivetrain components. Lock the rear axle before
attempting situations or navigating terrain, which
could possibly cause the vehicle to become stuck. The locking axles are controlled by the axle locker switch.
The switch has three positions, AXLE UNLOCK, REAR
LOCK, and FRONT/REAR LOCK. Under normal driv-
ing conditions, the switch should be left in the AXLE
UNLOCK position. In the AXLE UNLOCK position, the
front and rear axles are unlocked. In the REAR LOCK
position, the rear axle is locked. In the FRONT/REAR
LOCK position, the front and rear axles are locked.
NOTE:
Even when the axles are in the AXLE UNLOCK
position, the limited slip differential in the rear axle still
provides torque biasing capability for moderate low
traction environments.
During the command to lock the axle, the indicator light
will flash until the axle is locked. After the lock command
has been successfully executed, the light will remain on
solid.
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mud, snow and ice. Every surface has a different effect on
your vehicle’s steering, handling and traction. Control-
ling your vehicle is one of the keys to successful off-road
driving, so always keep a firm grip on the steering wheel
and maintain a good driving posture. Avoid sudden
accelerations, turns or braking. In most cases there are no
road signs, posted speed limits or signal lights. Therefore
you will need to use your own good judgment on what is
safe and what isn’t. When on a trail you should always be
looking ahead for surface obstacles and changes in
terrain. The key is to plan your future driving route while
remembering what you are currently driving over.
CAUTION!
Never park your vehicle over dry grass or other
combustible materials. The heat from your vehicle
exhaust system could cause a fire.
WARNING!
Always wear your seat belt and firmly tie down
cargo. Unsecured cargo can become projectiles in an
off-road situation.
When To Use Low Range
When driving off-road, shift into 4L (Low Range) for
additional traction or to improve handling and control on
slippery or difficult terrain. Due to the lower gearing, low
range will allow the engine to operate in a higher power
range. This will allow you to idle over obstacles and
down hills, with improved control and less effort. Also,
use 4L (Low Range) in rain, ice, snow, mud, sand, to get
heavy loads rolling, improve traction, or whenever 4H
(High Range) traction will not do the job.
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5. Pull the wire to the anchor point. Pull out enough wirerope to reach your anchor point. Be sure to keep a
certain amount of tension on the wire as it can become
twisted and over-wrapped when slackened, leading to
wire rope damage. To prevent losing the end, hold the
hook strap while you work. 6. Secure to the anchor point. Once you have established
your anchor point, secure the tree-trunk protector or
choker-chain around the object.
Hook StrapPulling Wire Rope
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CAUTION!
Always be certain the anchor you select will with-
stand the load.NOTE: How to choose an anchor point:
A secure anchor
is critical to winching operations. An anchor must be
strong enough to hold while winching. Natural anchors
include trees, stumps and rocks. Hook the cable as low as
possible. If no natural anchors are available when recov-
ering another vehicle, your vehicle becomes the anchor
point. In this case, be sure to put the transmission in
NEUTRAL, apply the hand brake and block its wheels to
prevent your vehicle from moving. Ideally, you’ll want
an anchor point that will enable you to pull straight in the
direction the vehicle will move. This allows the wire rope
to wind tightly and evenly onto the spooling drum. An
anchor point as far away as possible will provide the
winch with its greatest pulling power.
7. Attach the Clevis/D-shackle and Tree Trunk Protector. Attach the shackle to the two ends of the strap or chain
and through the hook loop, being careful not to over
tighten (tighten and back-off 1/2 turn).
Tree Trunk Protector
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10. Put wire rope under tension. Using the remote con-trol switch, slowly wind the wire rope until no slack
remains. Once the wire rope is under tension, stand
well clear of it and never step over it. 11. Check your anchor. Make sure all connections are
secured and free of debris before continuing with the
winching procedure.
12. Check wire rope. The wire rope should be neatly wound around the spooling drum. Improper wind-
ing can cause damage to the wire rope.
Winch Box Remote Control
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NOTE:•Avoid overheating the winch motor. For extended
winching, stop at reasonable intervals to allow the
winch motor to cool down.
• What to look for under load: The wire rope must
always spool onto the drum as indicated by the
drum rotation decal on the winch. As you power-in,
make sure the wire rope winds evenly and tightly on
the drum. This prevents the outer wire wraps from
drawing into the inner wraps, binding and damag-
ing the wire rope. Avoid shock loads by using the
control switch intermittently to take up wire rope
slack. Shock loads can momentarily far exceed the
winch and wire rope ratings. During side pulls the
wire rope tends to stack up at one end of the drum.
This stack can become large enough to cause serious
damage to the winch. So, line up pulls as straight
ahead as possible and stop winching if the wire rope
comes close to the tie rods or mounting plate. To fix an uneven stack, spool out that section of the rope
and reposition it to the opposite end of the drum,
which will free up space for continued winching.
15. Secure vehicle. Once recovery of the vehicle is com- plete, be sure to secure the vehicle’s brakes and shift
the transmission to PARK. Release tension in the wire
rope.
16. Disconnect the wire rope, and disconnect from the anchor.
17. Rewind the wire rope. The person handling the wire rope should walk the rope in and not let it slide
through the hand, control the winch at all times.
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How To Change The Pulling DirectionAll winching operations should have a straight line from
the winch to the object being pulled. This minimizes the
wire rope collecting on one side of the drum affecting
pulling efficiency and damaging wire rope. A snatch
block, secured to a point directly in front of the vehicle
will enable you to change your pulling direction while
still allowing the wire rope to be at 90° to wind properly
onto the spooling drum.
Increasing Pulling Power
In some cases, you may find yourself needing more
pulling power. The use of snatch blocks increases me-
chanical advantage and that increases your pulling
power.
Change Pulling Directions
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Double Line
Because pulling power decreases with the number of
layers of wire rope on the winch drum, you can use a
snatch block to double line out more wire rope. This
decreases the number of layers of wire rope on the drum,
and increases pulling power. Start by feeding out enoughwire rope to free the winch hook. Attach the hook to your
vehicle’s frame/tow hook and run the wire rope through
a snatch block. Disengage the clutch and, using the
snatch block, pull out enough wire to reach your anchor
point. Do not attach the hook to the mounting kit. Secure
to the anchor point with a tree trunk protector or choker
chain. Attach the clevis/shackle. Attach the shackle to the
two ends of the strap/chain, being careful not to over
tighten (tighten and back-off 1/2 turn).
POWER STEERING — 1500 MODELS
The electric power steering system will give you good
vehicle response and increased ease of maneuverability
in tight spaces. The system will vary its assist to provide
light efforts while parking and good feel while driving. If
the electric steering system experiences a fault that
prevents it from providing assist, you will still have the
ability to steer the vehicle manually.
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