manual transmission Ram 1500 2015 User Guide

RECREATIONAL TOWING (BEHIND MOTORHOME, ETC.)
Towing This Vehicle Behind Another Vehicle
Towing Condition Wheels OFF
The Ground
Two-Wheel
Drive Models
Four-Wheel Drive Models
Flat Tow NONENOT
ALLOWED
See Instructions
•Automatic transmission in PARK
•Manual transmission in gear (NOT in
NEUTRAL)
•Transfer case in NEUTRAL (N)
•Tow in forward direction
Dolly TowFrontNOT
ALLOWED
NOT ALLOWED
RearOKNOT ALLOWED
On TrailerALLOKOK
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NOTE:Vehicles equipped with air suspension must be
placed in Transport mode before tying them down (from
the body) on a trailer or flatbed truck. Refer to “Air
Suspension – If Equipped” for more information. If the
vehicle cannot be placed in Transport mode (for example,
engine will not run), tie-downs must be fastened to the
axles (not to the body). Failure to follow these instruc-
tions may cause fault codes to be set and/or cause loss of
proper tie-down tension.
Recreational Towing — Two-Wheel Drive Models
DO NOT flat tow this vehicle. Damage to the drivetrain
will result.
Recreational towing (for two-wheel drive models) is
allowedONLYif the rear wheels areOFFthe ground.
This may be accomplished using a tow dolly or vehicle
trailer. If using a tow dolly, follow this procedure:
1. Properly secure the dolly to the tow vehicle, following
the dolly manufacturer’s instructions.
NOTE:If vehicle is equipped with air suspension, ensure
the vehicle is set to Normal Ride Height.
2. Drive the rear wheels onto the tow dolly.
3. Firmly apply the parking brake. Place automatic trans-
mission in PARK, manual transmission in gear (not in
NEUTRAL).
4. Properly secure the rear wheels to the dolly, following
the dolly manufacturer’s instructions.
5. Turn the ignition switch to the OFF position and
remove the Key Fob.
6. Install a suitable clamping device, designed for tow-
ing, to secure the front wheels in the straight position.
674 STARTING AND OPERATING

CAUTION!
•Towing with the rear wheels on the ground will
cause severe transmission damage. Damage from
improper towing is not covered under the New
Vehicle Limited Warranty.
•Do not disconnect the driveshaft because fluid may
leak from the transmission, causing damage to
internal parts.
Recreational Towing — Four-Wheel Drive Models
NOTE:Both the manual shift and electronic shift trans-
fer cases must be shifted into NEUTRAL (N) for recre-
ational towing. Automatic transmissions must be shifted
into PARK for recreational towing. Manual transmissions
must be placed in gear (NOT in NEUTRAL) for recre-
ational towing. Refer to the following for the proper
transfer case NEUTRAL (N) shifting procedure for your
vehicle.
CAUTION!
•DO NOT dolly tow any 4WD vehicle. Towing with
only one set of wheels on the ground (front or rear)
will cause severe transmission and/or transfer case
damage. Tow with all four wheels either ON the
ground, or OFF the ground (using a vehicle trailer).
(Continued)
5
STARTING AND OPERATING 675

CAUTION!(Continued)
•Tow only in the forward direction. Towing this
vehicle backwards can cause severe damage to the
transfer case.
•Automatic transmissions must be placed in PARK
for recreational towing.
•Manual transmissions must be placed in gear (not
in Neutral) for recreational towing.
•Before recreational towing, perform the procedure
outlined under “Shifting Into NEUTRAL (N)” to be
certain that the transfer case is fully in NEUTRAL
(N). Otherwise, internal damage will result.
•Towing this vehicle in violation of the above re-
quirements can cause severe transmission and/or
transfer case damage. Damage from improper tow-
ing is not covered under the New Vehicle Limited
Warranty.
(Continued)
CAUTION!(Continued)
•Do not disconnect the rear driveshaft because fluid
will leak from the transfer case, causing damage to
internal parts.
•Do not use a bumper-mounted clamp-on tow bar
on your vehicle. The bumper face bar will be
damaged.
Shifting Into NEUTRAL (N)
Use the following procedure to prepare your vehicle for
recreational towing.
WARNING!
You or others could be injured or killed if you leave
the vehicle unattended with the transfer case in the
NEUTRAL (N) position without first fully engaging
(Continued)
676 STARTING AND OPERATING

WARNING!(Continued)
the parking brake. The transfer case NEUTRAL (N)
position disengages both the front and rear drive-
shafts from the powertrain and will allow the vehicle
to roll, even if the transmission is in PARK. The
parking brake should always be applied when the
driver is not in the vehicle.
CAUTION!
It is necessary to follow these steps to be certain that
the transfer case is fully in NEUTRAL (N) before
recreational towing to prevent damage to internal
parts.
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop, with the engine
running. Firmly apply the parking brake.
2. Shift the transmission to NEUTRAL.
NOTE:If vehicle is equipped with air suspension, ensure
the vehicle is set to Normal Ride Height.
3. Press and hold the brake pedal.
4. Depress the clutch pedal on a manual transmission.
•With manual shift transfer case, shift the transfer
case lever into NEUTRAL (N).
•With electronic shift transfer case, press and hold the
transfer case NEUTRAL (N) button. Some models
have a small, recessed#N#button (at the center of the
transfer case switches) that must be pressed using a
ballpoint pen or similar object. Other models have a
rectangular NEUTRAL switch, below the rotary
transfer case control knob. The NEUTRAL (N) indi-
cator light will blink while the shift is in progress.
The light will stop blinking (stay on solid) when the
shift to NEUTRAL (N) is complete. After the shift is
completed and the NEUTRAL (N) light stays on,
release the NEUTRAL (N) button.
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5. Release the parking brake.
6. Shift the transmission into REVERSE.
7. Release the brake pedal (and clutch pedal on manual
transmissions) for five seconds and ensure that there is
no vehicle movement.
8. Repeat steps 7 and 8 with automatic transmission in
DRIVE or manual transmission in first gear.
9. Shift the transmission to NEUTRAL. Firmly apply the
parking brake. Turn OFF the engine. For vehicles with
Keyless Enter-N-Go™, press and hold the ENGINE
START/STOP button until the engine shuts off.
10. Shift the transmission into PARK or place manual
transmission in gear (NOT in Neutral). On 8-speed
transmissions the shifter will automatically select
PARK when the engine is turned off.
11. Turn the ignition switch to the OFF position, then
cycle the key or the Keyless Enter-N-Go™ button to
the RUN position and back to the OFF position.
12. Attach the vehicle to the tow vehicle using a suitable
tow bar.
13. Release the parking brake.
NOTE:With electronic shift transfer case:
•Steps 2 through 4 are requirements that must be met
before pressing the NEUTRAL (N) button, and must
continue to be met until the shift has been completed.
If any of these requirements are not met before press-
ing the NEUTRAL (N) button or are no longer met
during the shift, the NEUTRAL (N) indicator light will
flash continuously until all requirements are met or
until the NEUTRAL (N) button is released.
678 STARTING AND OPERATING

•The ignition switch must be in the ON/RUN position
for a shift to take place and for the position indicator
lights to be operable. If the ignition switch is not in the
ON/RUN position, the shift will not take place and no
position indicator lights will be on or flashing.
•A flashing NEUTRAL (N) position indicator light
indicates that shift requirements have not been met.
•If the vehicle is equipped with air suspension, the
engine should be started and left running for a mini-
mum of 60 seconds (with all the doors closed) at least
once every 24 hours. This process allows the air
suspension to adjust the vehicle’s ride height to com-
pensate for temperature effects.
Shifting Out Of NEUTRAL (N)
Use the following procedure to prepare your vehicle for
normal usage.
1. Bring the vehicle to a complete stop, leaving it con-
nected to the tow vehicle.
2. Firmly apply the parking brake.
3. Press and hold the brake pedal.
4. Start the engine. Shift the transmission into NEU-
TRAL. Depress the clutch pedal on a manual trans-
mission.
•With manual shift transfer case, shift the transfer
case lever to the desired position.
•With electronic shift transfer case with rotary selector
switch, press and hold the transfer case NEUTRAL (N)
button until the NEUTRAL (N) indicator light turns
off. After the NEUTRAL (N) indicator light turns off,
release the NEUTRAL (N) button. After the NEUTRAL
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(N) button has been released, the transfer case will
shift to the position indicated by the selector switch.
•With electronic shift transfer case with pushbutton
selector switch, press and hold the switch for the
desired transfer case position, until the NEUTRAL
(N) indicator light turns off and the desired position
indicator light turns on.
NOTE:When shifting out of transfer case NEUTRAL (N),
turning the engine OFF is not required, but may be
helpful to avoid gear clash. With the 8-speed automatic
transmission, the engine must remain running, since
turning the engine OFF will shift the transmission to
PARK (and the transmission must be in NEUTRAL for
the transfer case to shift out of NEUTRAL).
5. Turn the engine OFF. Shift automatic transmission into
PARK. On 8-speed transmissions the shifter will auto-
matically select PARK when the engine is turned off.
6. Release the brake pedal (and clutch pedal on a manual
transmission).
7. Disconnect vehicle from the tow vehicle.
8. Start the engine.
9. Press and hold the brake pedal.
10. Release the parking brake.
11. Shift the transmission into gear, release the brake
pedal (and clutch pedal on manual transmissions),
and check that the vehicle operates normally.
NOTE:With electronic shift transfer case:
•Steps 3 and 4 are requirements that must be met before
pressing the button to shift out of NEUTRAL (N), and
must continue to be met until the shift has been
completed. If any of these requirements are not met
before pressing the button or are no longer met during
680 STARTING AND OPERATING

!MANUAL PARK RELEASE — 8 SPEED
TRANSMISSION.......................738
!TOWING A DISABLED VEHICLE...........740
▫Two-Wheel Drive Models................742
▫Four-Wheel Drive Models................743
684 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

Jack Instructions (1500 Series)
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.
•Turn on the Hazard Warning flasher.
•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.
(Continued)
WARNING!(Continued)
•Do not let anyone sit in the vehicle when it is on a
jack.
•Do not get under the vehicle when it is on a jack. If
you need to get under a raised vehicle, take it to a
service center where it can be raised on a lift.
•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.
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WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES 697