Dodge 2500 (2009 year). Manual — part 15

Blower Control

The rotary knob on the left of the
control panel is the blower control.
Turn the knob clockwise to one of the
four positions to obtain the blower
speed you desire. To turn the blower
off, turn the knob to the far left posi-
tion.

NOTE:

For vehicles equipped with Remote Start, the

climate controls will not function during Remote Start
operation if the blower control is left in the “O” (Off)
position.

Temperature Control

The rotary knob at the center of the
control panel controls the temperature
of the interior air. You can choose your
degree of comfort by rotating the
knob. The coldest temperature setting
is to the extreme left (blue region) and
the warmest setting is to the extreme

right (red region) of the rotation.

236

UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

Air Conditioning and Heating — If Equipped

Air Conditioning Operation

To turn on the Air Conditioning, set the fan
control at any speed and press the snowflake
button located at the right of the control panel.
Conditioned air will be directed through the

outlets selected by the mode control. A light in the
snowflake button shows that the air conditioning is on.
Press the button a second time to turn the air condition-
ing off.

Slight changes in engine speed or power may be noticed
when the air conditioning compressor is on. This is a
normal occurrence as the compressor will cycle on and
off to maintain comfort and increase fuel economy.

Air Conditioning And Heating

UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

237

The mode control (at the right of the
control panel) can be set in any of the
following positions:

NOTE:

To improve your selection choices, the system

allows you to operate at intermediate positions between
the major modes. These intermediate positions are iden-
tified by the small dots.

Recirculation Modes (Panel or Bi-Level)

Select the recirculation modes when
the outside air contains smoke, odors,
high humidity, or if rapid cooling is
desired. This feature allows for recir-
culation of interior air only. Air flows
through the panel only, or through

both the panel and floor vents depending on the selected
mode (panel vs bi-level).

NOTE:

Selecting a Recirculation Mode does not neces-

sarily consume more fuel than normal A/C mode.

Panel

Outside air flows through the outlets located in the
instrument panel.

Bi-Level

Outside air flows through the outlets located in the
instrument panel and at the floor.

Floor

Outside air flows primarily through the floor out-
lets located under the instrument panel.

Mix

Outside air flows in equal proportions through the
floor and defroster outlets, and the air conditioning
may be on.

238

UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

Defrost

Outside air is primarily directed to the windshield
through the defroster outlets located at the base of

the windshield, and the demister outlets located at the
edge of each side of the instrument panel, and the air
conditioning may be on.

NOTE:

The air conditioning compressor operates in

both Mix and Defrost or a blend of these modes, even if
the A/C button has not been pressed. This dehumidifies
the air to help dry the windshield.

Blower Control

Temperature Control

right (red region) of the rotation.

Circulation
The cab is designed with features to promote outside air
circulation. There are grilles in the cab back panel. These
are air exhausters that provide the means for regular
exchange of cab air.

Side window demisters direct airflow specifically to the
window glass to help prevent interior fogging of the
glass. They are located in the extreme outside upper

UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

239

edges of the instrument panel. The demisters also pro-
vide extra air ducts for circulation. They are in operation
whenever the Floor, Mix or Defrost modes are in use. To
remove frost from the side windows, it is best to use the
full defrost mode.

NOTE:

When you turn off the engine you may hear a

hissing sound from under the hood for a short period of
time. This is a normal condition that occurs if the air
conditioning system has been on. It is not an indication of
a problem with the air conditioning system.

Air Conditioning with Dual Zone Temperature
Control — If Equipped
With the Dual Zone Temperature Control System, each
front seat occupant can independently control the tem-
perature of air coming from the outlets on their side of
the vehicle.

Air Conditioning and Heating Operation
To turn on the Air Conditioning, set the fan control at any
speed and press the snowflake button located on the
control panel. Conditioned air will be directed through
the outlets selected by the mode control. A light in the
snowflake button shows that the air conditioning is on.
Press the button a second time to turn the air condition-
ing off.

Dual Zone Control Head

240

UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

A/C Pushbutton

With the fan control in the ON posi-
tion, pushing the A/C button turns on
the air conditioning compressor. An
indicator light on the button shows
that the Air Conditioning compressor
is on. Conditioned air is now directed
through the mode outlets selected.

Pushing the button a second time turns the compressor
OFF.

Recirculation Pushbutton

Pushing the Recirculation button al-
lows interior air to recirculate continu-
ously in any position except defrost
and defrost/floor mode for rapid cool
down of the interior. See “Fast
Cooldown” later in this section.

Mode Control

The mode control allows you to
choose from several patterns of air
distribution.

NOTE:

To improve your selection choices, the system

allows you to operate at intermediate positions between
the major modes. These intermediate positions are iden-
tified by the small dots and give an even blend of both
modes.

Panel

Outside air flows through the outlets located in the
instrument panel. These outlets can be adjusted to

direct the airflow.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

241

Bi-Level

Air flows through the outlets located in the instru-
ment panel and those located on the floor.

NOTE:

There is a difference in temperature between the

upper and lower outlets for added comfort. The warmer
air goes to the floor outlets. This feature gives improved
comfort during sunny but cool conditions.

Heat

Outside air flows primarily through the floor out-
lets located under the instrument panel.

Mix

Outside air flows in equal proportions through the
floor and defroster outlets.

Defrost

Outside air is primarily directed to the windshield
through the defroster outlets located at the base of

the windshield and side window demist outlets.

NOTE:

The air conditioning compressor operates in

both Mix and Defrost or a blend of these modes, even if
the A/C button has not been pressed. This dehumidifies
the air to help dry the windshield.

Blower Control

242

UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

Dual Zone Temperature Control

Use this control to regulate the temperature of the air
inside the passenger compartment. This is accomplished
by having separate temperature control slides for both
the driver and front passenger. The blue area of the scale

indicates cooler temperatures while the red area indicates
warmer temperatures.

Side window demisters direct airflow specifically to the
window glass to help prevent interior fogging of the
glass. They are located in the extreme outside upper
edges of the instrument panel. The demisters also pro-
vide extra air ducts for circulation. They are in operation
whenever the Floor, Mix or Defrost modes are in use.

NOTE:

When you turn off the engine you may hear a

Dual Zone Temperature Control

UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

243

Operating Tips

Fast Cooldown
For a fast cooldown, turn the blower fan rotary knob to
the extreme right position, turn the mode control to the
panel fresh position, press the snowflake button to turn
on the air conditioning, and drive with the windows
open for the first few minutes. Once the hot air has been
expelled, close the windows and press the recirculation
pushbutton, on dual-zone control, or switch the mode
from panel/fresh to panel/recirculate on single-zone
control. When a comfortable condition has been reached,
choose a mode position and adjust the temperature
control slide and blower speed as necessary to maintain
comfort. For high humidity conditions it may be neces-
sary to remain in the Recirculation mode to maintain
comfort.

Window Fogging
Windows will fog on the inside when the humidity inside
the vehicle is high. This often occurs in mild or cool
temperatures when it’s rainy or humid. In most cases
turning on the air conditioning (pressing the snowflake
button) will clear the fog. Adjust the temperature control,
air direction and blower speed to maintain comfort.

As the temperature gets colder it may be necessary to
direct air onto the windshield by using MIX Mode
position on the control. Adjust the temperature control
and blower speed to maintain comfort. Higher blower
speeds will reduce fogging. Interior fogging on the
windshield can be quickly removed by selecting the
defrost mode.

Regular cleaning of the inside of the windows with a
non-filming cleaning solution (vinegar and water works
very well) will help prevent contaminates (cigarette
smoke, perfumes, etc.) from sticking to the windows.
Contaminates increase the rate of window fogging.

244

UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

Summer Operation
Air conditioned vehicles must be protected with a high
quality antifreeze coolant during summer to provide
proper corrosion protection and to raise the boiling point
of the coolant for protection against overheating. A 50 %
concentration is recommended. For proper coolant type,
refer to “Recommended Fluids and Genuine Parts” in
Section 7.

When using the air conditioner in extremely heavy traffic
in hot weather, especially when towing a trailer, addi-
tional engine cooling may be required. If this situation is
encountered, operate the transmission in a lower gear to
increase engine RPM, coolant flow and fan speed. When
stopped in heavy traffic, it may be necessary to shift into
NEUTRAL and depress the accelerator slightly for fast
idle operation to increase coolant flow and fan speed.

NOTE:

On models equipped with Diesel engines, the

idle speed will automatically increase to 1000 rpm at
elevated coolant temperatures to improve engine cooling.

Your air conditioning system is also equipped with an
automatic recirculation system. When the system senses
a heavy load or high heat conditions, it may use partial
Recirculation A/C mode to provide additional comfort.

Winter Operation
When operating the system during the Winter months,
make sure the air intake, located directly in front of the
windshield, is free of ice, slush, snow, or other obstructions.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

245

Operating Tips Chart

246

UNDERSTANDING YOUR INSTRUMENT PANEL

STARTING AND OPERATING

CONTENTS

䡵 Starting Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

▫ Normal Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
▫ Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
▫ If Engine Fails To Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
▫ After Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254

䡵 Engine Block Heater — If Equipped . . . . . . . . 254
䡵 Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254

▫ Automatic Transmission With Overdrive . . . . 255

䡵 Four-Wheel Drive Operation — If Equipped . . . 260

▫ Manually Shifted Transfer Case Operating

Information/Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260

▫ Shifting Procedure - Manually Shifted

Transfer Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263

▫ Transfer Case Position Indicator Light . . . . . . 264
▫ Electronically Shifted Transfer Case

Operating Information/Precautions (Five
Position Switch) — If Equipped . . . . . . . . . . 264

▫ Shifting Procedure — Electronically Shifted

Transfer Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

▫ Electronically Shifted Transfer Case

Operating Information/Precautions (Four
Position Switch) — If Equipped . . . . . . . . . . 272

▫ Shifting Procedure — Electronically Shifted

Transfer Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276

䡵 Axle Locker System — Power Wagon Only

. . 279

䡵 Stabilizer/Sway Bar System — Power Wagon

Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282

䡵 Safe Off-Road Driving — Power Wagon

Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284

▫ Off-Road Driving Tips And Vehicle

Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284

▫ Driving In Snow, Mud And Sand . . . . . . . . 289
▫ Crossing Obstacles (Rocks And Other High

Points) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290

▫ Hill Climbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293

▫ Driving Through Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
▫ Airing Down For Off-Road Driving

. . . . . . 298

▫ Vehicle Recovery

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

▫ After Driving Off-Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

䡵 Limited-Slip Differential – If Equipped

. . . . . 304

䡵 Driving On Slippery Surfaces

. . . . . . . . . . . . 304

䡵 Driving Through Water

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305

▫ Flowing/Rising Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
▫ Shallow Standing Water

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305

䡵 Driving Off-Road — Ram Truck Only

. . . . . . 307

䡵 Winch Usage – If Equipped (Power Wagon

Only). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308

▫ Things To Know Before Using Your

Winch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308

248

STARTING AND OPERATING

▫ Understanding The Features Of Your

Winch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310

▫ Winch Accessories

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312

▫ Operating Your Winch

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313

▫ Rigging Techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325

䡵 Power Steering

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327

▫ Power Steering Fluid Check

. . . . . . . . . . . 328

䡵 Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
䡵 Brake System

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330

▫ Dual Rear Wheel Models Only . . . . . . 331
▫ Four-Wheel Anti-Lock Brake System

. . . . . 331

䡵 Electronic Brake Control System —

If Equipped . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333

▫ Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . 333

▫ Traction Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . . . 334
▫ Brake Assist System (BAS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
▫ Hill Start Assist (HSA)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336

▫ Electronic Roll Mitigation (ERM)

. . . . . . . . 339

▫ Electronic Stability Program (ESP)

. . . . . . . 340

▫ TSC (Trailer Sway Control)

. . . . . . . . . . . . 345

䡵 Tire Safety Information

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346

▫ Tire Markings

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346

▫ Tire Identification Number (TIN)

. . . . . . . . 349

▫ Tire Loading And Tire Pressure

. . . . . . . . . 350

䡵 Tires — General Information

. . . . . . . . . . . . 354

▫ Tire Pressure

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354

▫ Tire Inflation Pressures

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355

STARTING AND OPERATING

249

▫ Tire Pressures For High Speed Operation . . . 356
▫ Radial Ply Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
▫ Tire Spinning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
▫ Tread Wear Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358
▫ Life Of Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359
▫ Replacement Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359

䡵 Supplemental Tire Pressure Information —

If Equipped . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360

䡵 Tire Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
䡵 Snow Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
䡵 Tire Rotation Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . 363

▫ Dual Rear Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365

䡵 Tire Pressure Monitor System (TPMS) —

If Equipped . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366

▫ Tire Pressure Monitor System (TPMS) Tire

Light Load Inflation Switch Description –
If Equipped . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369

▫ Tire Pressure Monitor System Components . . 372
▫ General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374

䡵 Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375

▫ Reformulated Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375
▫ Gasoline/Oxygenate Blends . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376
▫ E-85 Usage In Non-Flex Fuel Vehicles . . . . . . 376
▫ MMT In Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377
▫ Materials Added To Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377
▫ Fuel System Cautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378
▫ Carbon Monoxide Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . 379