length Ram 1500 2018 User Guide

• Rear of the center console storagecompartment.
When the vehicle is turned off, be sure to
unplug any equipment as to not drain the
battery of the vehicle. All accessories con-
nected to the outlet(s) should be removed or
turned off when the vehicle is not in use to
protect the battery against discharge.WARNING!
To avoid serious injury or death:
• Only devices designed for use in this type of outlet should be inserted into any
12 Volt outlet.
• Do not touch with wet hands.
• Close the lid when not in use and while
driving the vehicle.
• If this outlet is mishandled, it may cause
an electric shock and failure.
CAUTION!
•Many accessories that can be plugged in
draw power from the vehicle's battery, even
when not in use (i.e., cellular phones,
etc.). Eventually, if plugged in long
enough, the vehicle's battery will discharge
sufficiently to degrade battery life and/or
prevent the engine from starting.
• Accessories that draw higher power (i.e.,coolers, vacuum cleaners, lights, etc.),
will discharge the battery even more
quickly. Only use these intermittently
and with greater caution.
CAUTION!
• After the use of high power draw acces-sories, or long periods of the vehicle not
being started (with accessories still
plugged in), the vehicle must be driven a
sufficient length of time to allow the
generator to recharge the vehicle's bat-
tery.
Power Inverter — If Equipped
A 115 or 230 Volt (150 Watts Maximum)
outlet is located on the center stack of the
instrument panel, to the right of the radio.
This outlet can power cellular phones, elec-
tronics and other low power devices requiring
power up to 150 Watts. Certain high-end
video game consoles will exceed this power
limit, as will most power tools.
Power Outlet — Rear Console
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR VEHICLE
56

WARNING!
seat belt will not be able to provide
proper restraint and will increase the
risk of injury in a collision.
• When reattaching the mini-latch plate
and mini-buckle, ensure the seat belt
webbing is not twisted. If the webbing is
twisted, follow the preceding procedure
to detach the mini-latch plate and mini-
buckle, untwist the webbing, and reat-
tach the mini-latch plate and mini-
buckle.
First Row Center Lap Belt Operating Instruc-
tions — If Equipped
The center seating position for the Quad Cab,
Mega Cab and Crew Cab front seat has a lap
belt only. To buckle the lap belt, slide the
latch plate into the buckle until you hear a
"click." To lengthen the lap belt, tilt the latch
plate and pull.
To remove slack, pull the loose end of the
webbing. Wear the lap belt snug against the
hips. Sit back and upright in the seat, then
adjust the seat belt as tightly as is comfort-
able.
Seat Belt Extender
If a seat belt is not long enough to fit properly,
even when the webbing is fully extended and
the adjustable upper shoulder belt anchorage
(if equipped) is in its lowest position, your
authorized dealer can provide you with a Seat
Belt Extender. The Seat Belt Extender should
be used only if the existing seat belt is not
long enough. When the Seat Belt Extender is
not required for a different occupant, it must
be removed.
WARNING!
• ONLY use a Seat Belt Extender if it isphysically required in order to properly
fit the original seat belt system. DO NOT
USE the Seat Belt Extender if, when
worn, the distance between the front
edge of the Seat Belt Extender buckle
and the center of the occupant’s body is
LESS than 6 inches.
• Using a Seat Belt Extender when not
needed can increase the risk of serious
injury or death in a collision. Only use
the Seat Belt Extender when the lap belt
WARNING!
is not long enough and only use in the
recommended seating positions. Re-
move and store the Seat Belt Extender
when not needed.
Seat Belts And Pregnant Women
Seat belts must be worn by all occupants
including pregnant women: the risk of injury
in the event of an accident is reduced for the
mother and the unborn child if they are wear-
ing a seat belt.
Pregnant Women And Seat Belts
101

ignition from OFF or ACC to RUN, and will
illuminate the "Wait To Start" telltale. The
engine will not immediately crank, this is
normal operation.
2. The “Wait To Start" telltale will remain on for a period of time that varies depending
on the engine temperature.
3. While the "Wait to Start" telltale is on, the instrument cluster will additionally dis-
play a gauge or bar whose initial length
represents the full "Wait to Start" time
period. Its length will decrease until it
disappears when the "Wait to Start" time
has elapsed.
CAUTION!
If the “Water in Fuel Indicator Light” re-
mains on, DO NOT START engine before
you drain the water from the fuel filters to
avoid engine damage. Refer to “Draining
Fuel/Water Separator Filter” in “Dealer
Service” under “Servicing And Mainte-
nance” for further information. 4. After the engine “Wait To Start” telltale
goes off, the engine will automatically
crank.
CAUTION!
Do not crank engine for more than 15 sec-
onds at a time or starter motor damage
may result. Turn the ignition switch to the
OFF position and wait at least two minutes
for the starter to cool before repeating start
procedure.
5. After engine start-up, check to see that there is oil pressure.
6. Allow the engine to idle about three min- utes until the manifold heaters have com-
pleted the post-heat cycle.
7. Release the parking brake and drive.
NOTE:
• Engine idle speed will automatically in- crease to 1,000 RPM and engage the Vari-
able Geometry Turbocharger at low coolant
temperatures to improve engine warm-up. • The engine may not automatically crank
after the engine "Wait To Start" telltale goes
off if a door or the hood is ajar.
• If the engine stalls, or if the ignition switch is left ON for more than two minutes after
the “Wait To Start Light” goes out, reset the
grid heaters by turning the ignition switch
to the OFF position for at least five seconds
and then back ON. Repeat steps 1 through
7 of “Keyless Enter-N-Go Starting Proce-
dure – Engine Manifold Air Temperature
Below 66° F (19° C).”
Extreme Cold Weather
The Cummins diesel engine is equipped with
several features designed to assist cold
weather starting and operation:
• The engine block heater is a resistance
heater installed in the water jacket of the
engine just above and behind the oil filter.
It requires a 110–115 Volt AC electrical
outlet with a grounded, three-wire exten-
sion cord.STARTING AND OPERATING
148

NOTE:
The engine block heater cord is a factory
installed option. If your vehicle is not
equipped, heater cords are available from
your authorized Mopar dealer.
• A 12 Volt heater built into the fuel filterhousings aid in preventing fuel gelling. It is
controlled by a built-in thermostat.
• A heated intake air system both improves engine starting and reduces the amount of
white smoke generated by a warming
engine.NORMAL OPERATION — 3.0L DIESEL
ENGINE
Observe the following when the diesel engine
is operating.
• All message center lights are off.
• Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) is off.
• Engine Oil Pressure telltale is not illumi-nated.
• Voltmeter operation:
The voltmeter may show a gauge fluctuation
at various engine temperatures. This is
caused by the glow plug heating system. The
number of cycles and the length of the cy-
cling operation is controlled by the engine
control module. Glow plug heater operation
can run for several minutes, once the heater
operation is complete the voltmeter needle
will stabilize.
Cold Weather Precautions
Operation in ambient temperature below
32°F (0°C) may require special consider-
ations. The following charts suggest these
options:
Winter Front Usage
A winter front or cold weather cover is to be
used in ambient temperatures below 32°F
(0°C), especially during extended idle condi-
Winter Front Cover
149

NORMAL OPERATION — 6.7L DIESEL
ENGINE
Observe the following when the engine is
operating.
• All message center lights are off.
• Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) is off.
• Engine oil pressure is above 10 psi(69 kPa) at idle.
• Voltmeter operation:
The voltmeter may show a gauge fluctuation
at various engine temperatures. This cycling
operation is caused by the post-heat cycle of
the intake manifold heater system. The num-
ber of cycles and the length of the cycling
operation is controlled by the engine control
module. Post-heat operation can run for sev-
eral minutes, and then the electrical system
and voltmeter needle will stabilize.
The cycling action will cause temporary dim-
ming of the headlamps, interior lamps, and
also a noticeable reduction in blower motor
speed.
Cold Weather Precautions
Operation in ambient temperature below
32°F (0°C) may require special consider-
ations. The following charts suggest these
options:
Winter Front Cover Usage
A winter front or cold weather cover is to be
used in ambient temperatures below 32°F
(0°C), especially during extended idle condi-
tions. This cover is equipped with four flaps
for managing total grille opening in varying
ambient temperatures. If a winter front or
cold weather cover is to be used the flaps
should be left in the full open position to
allow air flow to the charge air cooler and
automatic transmission oil cooler. When am-
bient temperatures drop below 0°F (-17°C)
the four flaps need to be closed. A suitable
cold weather cover is available from your
Mopar dealer.
Engine Idling
Avoid prolonged idling, long periods of idling
may be harmful to your engine because com-
bustion chamber temperatures can drop so low that the fuel may not burn completely.
Incomplete combustion allows carbon and
varnish to form on piston rings, engine valves,
and injector nozzles. Also, the unburned fuel
can enter the crankcase, diluting the oil and
causing rapid wear to the engine.
If the engine is allowed to idle or the truck is
driven on low engine speed drive cycles for
more than 2 hours, the system will automati-
cally enter an emissions operating mode that
will increase the engine idle speed to
900 RPM (1050 RPM for Chassis Cab).
While in this mode, which is designed to help
maintain the diesel particulate filter, the en-
gine idle speed will return to normal when the
brake pedal is applied. A small change in
engine tone or a slight change in engine
performance while accelerating may also be
noticeable at speeds below 20 mph
(32 kmh). This operating mode may last for
up to an hour of idle time, or around 20 min-
utes of driving time.
Your truck may have been ordered with an
optional voltage monitoring idle up feature. If
a load is placed on the electrical system while
the truck is in park, this feature will attempt
151