engine Ram 1500 2020 Owner's Guide

130 GETTING TO KNOW YOUR VEHICLE
When the vehicle is turned off, be sure to unplug any equip-
ment as to not drain the battery of the vehicle. All accessories
connected 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.
• After the use of high power draw accessories, or long periods of the vehicle not being started (with accesso -
ries still plugged in), the vehicle must be driven a suffi -
cient length of time to allow the generator to recharge
the vehicle's battery.
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162 GETTING TO KNOW YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL
Base / Midline Instrument Cluster Descriptions
1. Tachometer• Indicates the engine speed in revolutions per minute(RPM x 1000).
2. Voltmeter
• When the vehicle is in the RUN state, the gauge indi -
cates the electrical system voltage. The pointer should
stay within the normal range if the battery is charged.
If the pointer moves to either extreme left or right and
remains there during normal driving, the electrical
system should be serviced.
NOTE:
In vehicles equipped with Stop/Start, a reduced voltage may
be present during an Autostop.
3. Instrument Cluster Display
• When the appropriate conditions exist, this displayshows the instrument cluster display messages. Refer
to “Instrument Cluster Display” in “Getting To Know
Your Instrument Panel” for further information. 4. Oil Pressure Gauge
• The pointer should always indicate the oil pressurewhen the engine is running. A continuous high or low
reading under normal driving conditions may indicate
a lubrication system malfunction. Immediate service
should be obtained from an authorized dealer.
NOTE:
In vehicles equipped with Stop/Start, an oil pressure indica -
tion of zero is normal during an Autostop.
5. Speedometer
• Indicates vehicle speed.
6. Fuel Gauge
• The pointer shows the level of fuel in the fuel tankwhen the ignition is in the ON/RUN position.
• The fuel pump symbol points to the side of the vehicle where the fuel door is located.
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GETTING TO KNOW YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 163
7. Temperature Gauge• The pointer shows engine coolant temperature. Thepointer positioned within the normal range indicates
that the engine cooling system is operating satisfacto -
rily.
• The pointer will likely indicate a higher temperature when driving in hot weather, up mountain grades, or
when towing a trailer. It should not be allowed to
exceed the upper limits of the normal operating range.
WARNING!
A hot engine cooling system is dangerous. You or others
could be badly burned by steam or boiling coolant. You
may want to call an authorized dealer for service if your
vehicle overheats. Refer to “Cooling System Pressure
Cap” in “Servicing And Maintenance” for further
information if you decide to look under the hood.
CAUTION!
Driving with a hot engine cooling system could damage
your vehicle. If the temperature gauge reads “H,” pull
over and stop the vehicle. Idle the vehicle with the air
conditioner turned off until the pointer drops back into
the normal range. If the pointer remains on the “H,” turn
the engine off immediately and call an authorized dealer
for service.
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164 GETTING TO KNOW YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL
PREMIUM INSTRUMENT CLUSTER
Premium Instrument Cluster Display
Premium Instrument Cluster Descriptions
1. Tachometer• Indicates the engine speed in revolutions per minute(RPM x 1000). 2. Instrument Cluster Display
• When the appropriate conditions exist, this displayshows the instrument cluster display messages. Refer
to “Instrument Cluster Display” in “Getting To Know
Your Instrument Panel” for further information.
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GETTING TO KNOW YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 165
3. Speedometer• Indicates vehicle speed.
4. Fuel Gauge
• The pointer shows the level of fuel in the fuel tankwhen the ignition is in the ON/RUN position.
• The fuel pump symbol points to the side of the vehicle where the fuel door is located.
5. Temperature Gauge
• The pointer shows engine coolant temperature. Thepointer positioned within the normal range indicates
that the engine cooling system is operating satisfacto -
rily.
• The pointer will likely indicate a higher temperature when driving in hot weather, up mountain grades, or
when towing a trailer. It should not be allowed to
exceed the upper limits of the normal operating range.WARNING!
A hot engine cooling system is dangerous. You or others
could be badly burned by steam or boiling coolant. You
may want to call an authorized dealer for service if your
vehicle overheats. Refer to “Cooling System Pressure
Cap” in “Servicing And Maintenance” for further
information if you decide to look under the hood.
CAUTION!
Driving with a hot engine cooling system could damage
your vehicle. If the temperature gauge reads “H,” pull
over and stop the vehicle. Idle the vehicle with the air
conditioner turned off until the pointer drops back into
the normal range. If the pointer remains on the “H,” turn
the engine off immediately and call an authorized dealer
for service.
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168 GETTING TO KNOW YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL
Up And Down Arrow Buttons:
Using the up or down arrows allows you to cycle through
the Main Menu Items.
Left And Right Arrow Buttons:
Using the left or right arrow button allows you to cycle
through the submenu items of the Main menu item.
NOTE:
• Holding the up/down or left/right arrow button will loop the user through the currently selected menu or options
presented on the screen.
• Main menu and submenus wrap for continuous scrolling.
• Upon returning to a main menu, the last submenu screen viewed within that main menu will be displayed.
OK Button:
For Digital Speedometer:
• Pushing the OK button changes units (mph or km/h).
For Screen Setup:
• OK button allows user to enter menu and submenus.
• Within each submenu layer, the up and down arrows will
allow the user to select the item of interest. • Pushing the
OK button makes the selection and a confir -
mation screen will appear (returning the user to the first
page of the submenu).
• Pushing the left arrow button will exit each submenu layer
and return to the main menu.
Oil Life Reset
Your vehicle is equipped with an engine oil change indicator
system. The “Oil Change Required” message will display in
the instrument cluster display for five seconds after a single
chime has sounded, to indicate the next scheduled oil change
interval. The engine oil change indicator system is duty cycle
based, which means the engine oil change interval may fluc -
tuate, dependent upon your personal driving style.
Unless reset, this message will continue to display each time
you place the ignition in the ON/RUN position. To turn off
the message temporarily, push and release the OK or arrow
buttons. To reset the oil change indicator system (after
performing the scheduled maintenance), refer to the
following procedure:
1. Without pressing the brake pedal, push the ENGINE START/STOP button and place the ignition in the ON/
RUN position (do not start the engine).
2. Push and release the down arrow button to scroll down -
ward through the main menu to “Vehicle Info.”
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GETTING TO KNOW YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 169
3. Push and release the right arrow button to access the ”Oil
Life” screen.
4. Push and hold the OK button to reset oil life. If conditions
are met, the gauge and numeric display will update to
show 100%. If conditions are not met a pop up message of
“To reset oil life engine must be off with ignition in run”
will be displayed (for five seconds), and the user will
remain at the Oil Life screen.
5. Push and release the up or down arrow button to exit the
submenu screen.
NOTE:
If the indicator message illuminates when you start the
vehicle, the oil change indicator system did not reset. If
necessary, repeat this procedure.
Display Menu Items
Push and release the up or down arrow button until the
desired selectable menu icon is highlighted in the instrument
cluster display.
Speedometer
Push and release the up or down arrow button until the
speedometer menu item is highlighted in the instrument
cluster display. Push and release the OK button to cycle the
display between mph and km/h. Vehicle Info
Push and release the
up or down arrow button until the
Vehicle Info menu icon is displayed in the instrument cluster
display. Push and release the left or right arrow button to
scroll through the information submenus and push and
release the OK button to select or reset the resettable
submenus.
• Tire Pressure
• Trans Temp (Automatic only)
• Oil Temperature
• Oil Life
• Air Suspension — If Equipped
• Coolant Temperature — If Equipped
• Oil Pressure — If Equipped
• Battery Voltage — If Equipped
• Gauge Summary — If Equipped
• Engine Hours
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176 GETTING TO KNOW YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL
• Trailer Tow (show/hide)
• Audio (show/hide)
• (Stored) Messages
• Screen Setup
Current Gear
• Off (Default)
• On
Odometer
• No Decimal Point (Default)
• Decimal Point
Defaults
• Cancel
• RestoreBattery Saver On/Battery Saver Mode Message —
Electrical Load Reduction Actions — If Equipped
This vehicle is equipped with an Intelligent Battery Sensor
(IBS) to perform additional monitoring of the electrical
system and status of the vehicle battery.
In cases when the IBS detects charging system failure, or the
vehicle battery conditions are deteriorating, electrical load
reduction actions will take place to extend the driving time
and distance of the vehicle. This is done by reducing power
to or turning off non-essential electrical loads.
Load reduction is only active when the engine is running. It
will display a message if there is a risk of battery depletion to
the point where the vehicle may stall due to lack of electrical
supply, or will not restart after the current drive cycle.
When load reduction is activated, the message “Battery
Saver On Some Systems May Have Reduced Power” will
appear in the instrument cluster.
These messages indicate the vehicle battery has a low state of
charge and continues to lose electrical charge at a rate that
the charging system cannot sustain.
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GETTING TO KNOW YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL 177
NOTE:
• The charging system is independent from load reduction.The charging system performs a diagnostic on the
charging system continuously.
• If the Battery Charge Warning Light is on it may indicate a problem with the charging system. Refer to “Battery
Charge Warning Light” in “Getting To Know Your Instru -
ment Panel” for further information.
The electrical loads that may be switched off (if equipped),
and vehicle functions which can be affected by load reduc -
tion:
• Heated Seats / Vented Seats / Heated Wheel
• Rear Defroster And Heated Mirrors
• HVAC System
• 115 Volts AC Power Inverter System
• Audio and Telematics System
Loss of the battery charge may indicate one or more of the
following conditions:
• The charging system cannot deliver enough electrical power to the vehicle system because the electrical loads are
larger than the capability of charging system. The charging
system is still functioning properly. • Turning on all possible vehicle electrical loads (e.g. HVAC
to max settings, exterior and interior lights, overloaded
power outlets +12 Volts, 115V AC, USB ports) during
certain driving conditions (city driving, towing, frequent
stopping).
• Installing options like additional lights, upfitter electrical accessories, audio systems, alarms and similar devices.
• Unusual driving cycles (short trips separated by long parking periods).
• The vehicle was parked for an extended period of time (weeks, months).
• The battery was recently replaced and was not charged completely.
• The battery was discharged by an electrical load left on when the vehicle was parked.
• The battery w as used for an extended period with t he engine not running to supply radio, lights, chargers,
+12 Volt portable appliances like vacuum cleaners,
gam e consoles and similar devices.
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— Engine Coolant Temperature Warning Light
This warning light warns of an overheated engine condition.
If the engine coolant temperature is too high, this indicator
will illuminate and a single chime will sound. If the tempera -
ture reaches the upper limit, a continuous chime will sound
for four minutes or until the engine is able to cool: whichever
comes first.
If the light turns on while driving, safely pull over and stop
the vehicle. If the A/C system is on, turn it off. Also, shift the
transmission into NEUTRAL (N) and idle the vehicle. If the
temperature reading does not return to normal, turn the
engine off immediately and call for service.
Refer to “If Your Engine Overheats” in “In Case Of Emer -
gency” for further information.
— Battery Charge Warning Light
This warning light will illuminate when the battery is not
charging properly. If it stays on while the engine is running,
there may be a malfunction with the charging system.
Contact an authorized dealer as soon as possible.
This indicates a possible problem with the electrical system
or a related component. — Oil Pressure Warning Light
This warning light will illuminate to indicate low engine oil
pressure. If the light turns on while driving, stop the vehicle,
shut off the engine as soon as possible, and contact an autho -
rized dealer. A chime will sound when this light turns on.
Do not operate the vehicle until the cause is corrected. This
light does not indicate how much oil is in the engine. The
engine oil level must be checked under the hood.
— Oil Temperature Warning Light
This warning light will illuminate to indicate the engine oil
temperature is high. If the light turns on while driving, stop
the vehicle and shut off the engine as soon as possible. Wait
for oil temperature to return to normal levels.
— Electronic Throttle Control (ETC) Warning Light

This warning light will illuminate to indicate a problem with the
Electronic Throttle Control (ETC) system. If a problem is
detected while the vehicle is running, the light will either stay on
or flash depending on the nature of the problem. Cycle the igni -
tion when the vehicle is safely and completely stopped and the
transmission is placed in the PARK position. The light should
turn off. If the light remains on with the vehicle running, your
vehicle will usually be drivable; however, see an authorized
dealer for service as soon as possible.

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