brakes Ram 3500 2015 User Guide

your vehicle’s abilities and be able to recover it if
something goes wrong. You should never stop or shut a
vehicle off when crossing deep water unless you ingested
water into the engine air intake. If the engine stalls do not
attempt to restart it. Determine if it has ingested water
first. The key to any crossing is low and slow. You want
to use first gear in 4L (Low Range) and proceed very
slowly with a constant slow speed (3-5 mph [5–8 km/h]
maximum) and light throttle. Keep the vehicle moving;
do not try to accelerate through the crossing. After
crossing any water higher than the bottom of the axle
differentials, you should inspect all of the vehicle fluids
for signs of water ingestion.CAUTION!
Water ingestion into the axles, transmission, transfer
case, engine or vehicle interior can occur if you drive
too fast or through too deep of water. Water can cause
permanent damage to engine, driveline or other
vehicle components and your brakes will be less
effective once wet and/or muddy.
• Before You Cross Any Type Of Water – As you
approach any type of water you need to determine if
you can cross it safely and responsibly. If necessary, get
out and walk through the water or probe it with a
stick. You need to be sure of its depth, approach angle,
current and bottom condition. Be careful of murky or
muddy waters, check for hidden obstacles. Make sure
you will not be intruding on any wildlife and you can
recover the vehicle if necessary. The key to a safe
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wood dowel. This will keep the straps from becoming
knotted and is safer than using a clevis pin if the strap
breaks. Next have the tow vehicle backup, leaving two
to three feet worth of slack in the strap. Then the tow
vehicle, using light throttle, should accelerate tighten-
ing the strap providing the pulling force needed to free
the vehicle. The vehicle being recovered should assist
in the recovery, at the time of the snap, by slowly
spinning the tires in the same direction as the pulling
vehicle. After the vehicle becomes free, the driver of
the previously stuck vehicle should signal they are free
and should hit their brakes stopping both vehicles. The
driver of the pulling vehicle should let off the throttle
without using the brakes, once signaled by the other
driver. This sequence is important to avoid having the
recovered vehicle hit the pulling vehicle.WARNING!
Never use tow straps with end hooks or link two
straps with a clevis pin. These heavy metal objects
could become projectiles if a strap breaks, which
could cause severe injury. Never leave more than two
or three feet of slack in the strap. More slack than this
greatly increases the risk of injury and vehicle dam-
age. Always keep everyone at least 30 feet away from
a strapping or winching situation.
• Winching (Refer To “Winch Operation” For Addi-
tional Information) – Winching is most commonly
used in the following situations: there is no support
vehicle available, a high controlled force is required to
recover the vehicle, there is a high risk of environmen-
tal or vehicle damage, or where nothing else seems to
work. A winch can deliver a high pulling force with a
great deal of control. It allows you to walk the vehicle
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After Driving Off-Road
Off-road operation puts more stress on your vehicle than
does most on-road driving. After going off-road, it is
always a good idea to check for damage. That way you
can get any problems taken care of right away and have
your vehicle ready when you need it.
•Completely inspect the underbody of your vehicle.
Check tires, body structure, steering, suspension, and
exhaust system for damage.
• Inspect the radiator for mud and debris and clean as
required.
• Check threaded fasteners for looseness, particularly on
the chassis, drivetrain components, steering, and sus-
pension. Retighten them, if required, and torque to the
values specified in the Service Manual. •
Check for accumulations of plants or brush. These
things could be a fire hazard. They might hide damage
to fuel lines, brake hoses, axle pinion seals, and
propeller shafts.
• After extended operation in mud, sand, water, or
similar dirty conditions, have the radiator, fan, brake
rotors, wheels, brake linings, and axle yokes inspected
and cleaned as soon as possible.
WARNING!
Abrasive material in any part of the brakes may cause
excessive wear or unpredictable braking. You might
not have full braking power when you need it to
prevent a collision. If you have been operating your
vehicle in dirty conditions, get your brakes checked
and cleaned as necessary.
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WARNING!(Continued)
distances. Therefore, after driving through stand-
ing water, drive slowly and lightly press on the
brake pedal several times to dry the brakes.
• Failure to follow these warnings may result in
injuries that are serious or fatal to you, your pas-
sengers, and others around you.
CAUTION!
• Always check the depth of the standing water
before driving through it. Never drive through
standing water that is deeper than the bottom of
the tire rims mounted on the vehicle.
• Determine the condition of the road or the path
that is under water and if there are any obstacles in
the way before driving through the standing water.
(Continued)
CAUTION! (Continued)
•Do not exceed 5 mph (8 km/h) when driving
through standing water. This will minimize wave
effects.
• Driving through standing water may cause damage
to your vehicle’s drivetrain components. Always
inspect your vehicle’s fluids (i.e., engine oil, trans-
mission, axle, etc.) for signs of contamination (i.e.,
fluid that is milky or foamy in appearance) after
driving through standing water. Do not continue to
operate the vehicle if any fluid appears contami-
nated, as this may result in further damage. Such
damage is not covered by the New Vehicle Limited
Warranty.
• Getting water inside your vehicle’s engine can
cause it to lock up and stall out, and cause serious
internal damage to the engine. Such damage is not
covered by the New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
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•After extended operation in mud, sand, water, or
similar dirty conditions, have the radiator, fan, brake
rotors, wheels, brake linings, and axle yokes inspected
and cleaned as soon as possible.
WARNING!
Abrasive material in any part of the brakes may cause
excessive wear or unpredictable braking. You might
not have full braking power when you need it to
prevent a collision. If you have been operating your
vehicle in dirty conditions, get your brakes checked
and cleaned as necessary.
• If you experience unusual vibration after driving in
mud, slush or similar conditions, check the wheels for
impacted material. Impacted material can cause a
wheel imbalance and freeing the wheels of it will
correct the situation.
WINCH USAGE — POWER WAGON ONLY — (IF
EQUIPPED)
Things To Know Before Using Your Winch
General Winch Information
Your vehicle is equipped with an electric vehicle recovery
winch. This winch uses the electrical power from the
vehicle charging system to power a motor that winds
wire rope into the winch drum via planetary gear reduc-
tion. By nature, a winch is capable of generating very
high forces and should be used with care. Do not operate
the winch without reading and understanding the com-
plete winch owner’s manual.
Tensioning The Wire Rope
The winch rope must be properly tensioned before use.
Follow the instructions below to tension the rope:
1. Un-spool the wire rope leaving five wraps of rope on the winch drum.
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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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BRAKE SYSTEM
If power assist is lost for any reason (for example,
repeated brake applications with the engine off), the
brakes will still function. However, you will experience a
substantial increase in braking effort to stop the vehicle.
If either the front or rear hydraulic system loses normal
braking capability, the remaining system will still func-
tion with some loss of overall braking effectiveness. This
will be evident by increased pedal travel during applica-
tion, greater pedal force required to slow or stop, and
activation of the “Brake Warning Light” and the “ABS
Warning Light” (if equipped) during brake use.
Hydraulic Brake Assist — 2500/3500 Models Only
(Except Power Wagon)
The brake system power assist is provided by a hydro-
boost unit which shares fluid with the power steeringsystem. You may experience some clicking or hissing
noises from the hydro-boost system during hard braking
conditions.
NOTE:
Under cold temperatures, pedal effort will be
higher than normal until the power steering fluid reaches
operating temperature.
ELECTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEM
Your vehicle is equipped with an advanced electronic
brake control system that includes Anti-Lock Brake Sys-
tem (ABS), Traction Control System (TCS), Brake Assist
System (BAS), Electronic Roll Mitigation (ERM), Hill
Start Assist (HSA), Electronic Stability Control (ESC),
Trailer Sway Control (TSC) and Hill Decent Control
(HDC [Power Wagon only]). All of the systems work
together to enhance vehicle stability and control in vari-
ous driving conditions, and are commonly referred to as
ESC.
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Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
The Four-Wheel Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) is de-
signed to aid the driver in maintaining vehicle control
under adverse braking conditions. The system operates
with a separate computer to modulate hydraulic pressure
to prevent wheel lockup and help avoid skidding on
slippery surfaces.
The system’s pump motor runs during an ABS stop to
provide regulated hydraulic pressure. The pump motor
makes a low humming noise during operation. This is
normal.
The ABS conducts a low-speed selftest at about 10 mph
(16 km/h). If you have your foot lightly on the brake
while this test is occurring, you may feel slight pedal
movement. The movement can be more apparent on ice
and snow. This is normal.
When you are in a severe braking condition involving
use of the ABS, you will experience some pedal drop asthe vehicle comes to a complete stop. This is the result of
the system reverting to the base brake system and is
normal.
Engagement of the ABS may be accompanied by a
pulsing sensation. You may also hear a clicking noise.
These occurrences are normal, and indicate that the
system is functioning.
WARNING!
•
Pumping of the anti-lock brakes will diminish
their effectiveness and may lead to a collision.
Pumping makes the stopping distance longer. Just
press firmly on your brake pedal when you need to
slow down or stop.
• The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) cannot prevent
the natural laws of physics from acting on the
vehicle, nor can it increase braking or steering
(Continued)
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WARNING!(Continued)
efficiency beyond that afforded by the condition of
the vehicle brakes and tires or the traction afforded.
• The ABS cannot prevent collisions, including those
resulting from excessive speed in turns, following
another vehicle too closely, or hydroplaning.
• The capabilities of an ABS-equipped vehicle must
never be exploited in a reckless or dangerous
manner which could jeopardize the user’s safety or
the safety of others.
ABS Warning Light
The ABS includes an amber warning light. When the light
is illuminated, the ABS is not functioning. The system
reverts to standard, non-anti-lock brakes.
Traction Control System (TCS)
The TCS monitors the amount of wheel spin of each of
the driven wheels. If wheel spin is detected, brake pressure is applied to the slipping wheel(s), and engine
power is reduced to provide enhanced acceleration and
stability. A feature of the TCS system, Brake Limited
Differential (BLD), controls the wheel spin across a
driven axle. If one wheel on a driven axle is spinning
faster than the other, the system will apply the brake of
the spinning wheel. This will allow more engine torque
to be applied to the wheel that is not spinning. This
feature remains active even if TCS and ESC are in the
“Partial Off” mode. Refer to “Electronic Stability Control
(ESC)” in this section of this manual. This brake pressure
modulation transfers drive torque from slipping to non-
slipping wheels to provide optimal forward traction.
Brake Assist System (BAS)
The BAS is designed to optimize the vehicle’s braking
capability during emergency braking maneuvers. The
BAS detects an emergency braking situation by sensing
the rate and amount of brake application and then
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applies optimum pressure to the brakes. The system
applies optimum pressure to the brakes in emergency
braking conditions. This can help reduce braking dis-
tances. The BAS complements the ABS. Applying the
brakes very quickly results in the best BAS assistance. To
receive the benefit of BAS, you must apply continuous
braking pressure during the stopping sequence. Do not
reduce brake pedal pressure unless braking is no longer
desired.
Once the brake pedal is released, the BAS is deactivated.
WARNING!
•The BAS cannot prevent the natural laws of phys-
ics from acting on the vehicle, nor can it increase
braking efficiency beyond that afforded by the
condition of the vehicle brakes and tires or the
traction afforded.
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•The BAS cannot prevent collisions, including those
resulting from excessive speed in turns, following
another vehicle too closely, or hydroplaning.
• The capabilities of a BAS-equipped vehicle must
never be exploited in a reckless or dangerous
manner which could jeopardize the user ’s safety or
the safety of others.
Hill Start Assist (HSA)
The HSA system is designed to assist the driver in
launching a vehicle on an incline. HSA will maintain the
level of brake pressure the driver inputs for a short
duration once the driver takes his foot off of the brake
pedal. If the driver does not apply the throttle during this
short duration, the system will release brake pressure
and the vehicle will roll down the incline. The system will
release brake pressure in proportion to the amount of
throttle applied.
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