Ram 1500/2500/3500: If Your Engine Overheats

In any of the following situations, you can reduce the potential for overheating by taking the appropriate action.

• On the highways - slow down.
• In city traffic - while stopped, place the transmission in NEUTRAL, but do not increase the engine idle speed.

NOTE: There are steps that you can take to slow down an impending overheat condition:

• If your air conditioner (A/C) is on, turn it off. The A/C system adds heat to the engine cooling system and turning the A/C off can help remove this heat.
• You can also turn the temperature control to maximum heat, the mode control to floor and the blower control to high. This allows the heater core to act as a supplement to the radiator and aids in removing heat from the engine cooling system.

CAUTION! Driving with a hot cooling system could damage your vehicle. If the temperature gauge reads HOT (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 HOT (H), and you hear continuous chimes, turn the engine off immediately and call for service.

WARNING! You or others can be badly burned by hot engine coolant (antifreeze) or steam from your radiator. If you see or hear steam coming from under the hood, do not open the hood until the radiator has had time to cool. Never try to open a cooling system pressure cap when the radiator or coolant bottle is hot.

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