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2021 RAM 2500 Owners Manual - JACKING AND TIRE CHANGING



Owner’s Manuals 2021 JACKING AND TIRE CHANGING

JACKING AND TIRE CHANGING

(Continued)

 

 

If your vehicle is equipped with an air suspen- sion system, there is a feature which allows the automatic leveling to be disabled to assist with changing a tire.

This feature can be activated through the Uconnect system page 271.

PREPARATIONS FOR JACKING

Park the vehicle on a firm, level surface. Avoid ice or slippery areas.
Turn on the Hazard Warning Flashers.
Apply the parking brake.
Shift the transmission into Park (P).
Turn the ignition OFF.
Block both the front and rear of the wheel diagonally opposite the jacking position. For example, if the driver’s front wheel is being changed, block the passenger’s rear wheel.

NOTE:

Passengers should not remain in the vehicle when the vehicle is being raised or lifted.

JACK LOCATION

The jack and tools are stored under the front passenger seat.

REMOVAL OF JACK AND TOOLS

To access the jack and tools, you must remove the plastic access cover located on the side of the front passenger’s seat. To remove the cover, pull the front part of the cover (closest to the front of the seat) toward you to release a locking tab. Once the front of the cover is loose, slide the cover toward the front of the seat until it is free from the seat frame.

Remove the jack and tools by turning the wing bolt counterclockwise, remove the wing bolt and then slide the assembly out from under the seat.

Remove the jack and tools from the bracket assembly. Turn the jack turn-screw counterclockwise to release jack from bracket assembly.

Jacking Tools

There are two ways to assemble the tools: Assembled For Spare Tire Lowering/Raising

1 — Lug Wrench 2 — Extension 2

— Extension 3
— Extension 4

 

 

Assembled For Jack Operation

1 — Lug Wrench 2 — Extension 2

— Extension 3
— Extension 4 5 — Jack Driver

2. Rotate the lug wrench handle counter- clockwise until the spare tire is on the ground with enough cable slack to allow you to pull it out from under the vehicle.

REMOVING THE SPARE TIRE

1. Remove the spare tire before attempting to jack up the truck. Attach the lug wrench to the extension tubes with the curved angle facing away from the vehicle. Insert the extension tube through the access hole between the lower tailgate and the top of the fascia/bumper and into the winch mechanism tube.

 

Inserting The Extension Tubes Into The Access Hole

 

Pulling The Spare Tire Out

Pull the spare tire out from under the vehicle to gain access to the spare tire retainer.
Lift the spare tire with one hand to give clearance to tilt the retainer at the end of the cable.

Pull the retainer through the center of the wheel.

The winch mechanism is designed for use with the extension tubes only. Use of an air wrench or other power tools is not recommended and can damage the winch.

JACKING INSTRUCTIONS

 

 

 

If your vehicle is equipped with hub caps/wheel covers they must be removed before raising the vehicle off the ground page 383.

 

3. Placement of the jack is critical:

 

Remove the spare wheel, jack, and tools from storage.
Using the lug wrench, loosen, but do not remove, the wheel nuts by turning them counterclockwise one turn while the wheel is still on the ground. Changing a dually tire requires the lug wrench adapter.

 

Lug Wrench Adapter And Wrench

 

Jack / Extensions Placement

Front Jacking Location

When changing the front wheel, assemble the jack driver to the jack and connect the

jack driver to the extension tubes. Place the 7

jack under the axle as close to the tire as pos- sible with the drive tubes extending to the front. Connect the extension tubes and lug wrench.

Front Jacking Location

Rear Jacking Location

When changing a rear wheel, assemble the jack driver to the jack and connect the jack driver to the extension tubes. Place the jack

 

under the axle between the spring and the shock absorber with the extension tubes ex- tending to the rear.

Rear Jacking Location

 

Connect the extension tubes and lug wrench.

 

If the bottle jack will not lower by turning the dial (thumbwheel) by hand, it may be necessary to use the jack driver in order to lower the jack.

By rotating the lug wrench clockwise, raise the vehicle until the wheel just clears the surface.

 

Remove the lug nuts and pull the wheel off. On Single Rear Wheel (SRW) trucks, install the spare wheel and lug nuts with the cone shaped end of the wheel nuts toward the wheel. On 3500 Dual Rear Wheel models (DRW) trucks, if the outer tire is being replaced then leave the inner wheel on the vehicle. If the inner wheel is being replaced remove the outer wheel and replace the inner wheel. The wheel nuts are a two-piece assembly with a flat face. Lightly tighten the lug nuts. To avoid the risk of forcing the vehicle off the jack, do not fully tighten the lug nuts until the vehicle has been lowered.

 

Dual Rear Wheel Jack Placement

Finish tightening the lug nuts. Push down on the lug wrench while at the end of the handle for increased leverage. Tighten the lug nuts in a star pattern until each nut has been tightened twice page 474. If in doubt about the correct tightness, have them checked with a torque wrench by an authorized dealer or service station.

 

Install the wheel center cap and remove the wheel blocks. Do not install chrome or aluminum wheel center caps on the spare wheel. This may result in cap damage.
Lower the jack to its fully closed position. Stow the replaced tire, jack, and tools as previously described.

The bottle jack will not lower by turning the dial (thumbwheel) by hand, it may be necessary to use the jack driver in order to lower the jack.

Adjust the tire pressure when possible.

Do not oil wheel studs. For chrome wheels, do

not substitute with chrome plated lug nuts. 7

TO STOW THE FLAT OR SPARE

Have the flat tire repaired or replaced immedi- ately.

Turn the wheel so that the valve stem is facing the ground and toward the rear of the vehicle for convenience in checking the spare tire inflation. Slide the wheel retainer through the center of the wheel.

 

Lift the spare tire with one hand to give clearance to tilt the retainer at the end of the cable and position it properly across the wheel opening.

Attach the lug wrench to the extension tubes with the curved angle facing away from the vehicle. Insert the extensions through the access hole between the lower tailgate and the top of the fascia/bumper and into the winch mechanism tube.

 

Rotate the lug wrench handle clockwise until the wheel is drawn into place against the underside of the vehicle. Continue to rotate until you feel the winch mechanism slip, or click three or four times. It cannot be overtightened. Push against the tire several times to ensure it is firmly in place.

The winch mechanism is designed for use with the jack extension tube only. Use of an air wrench or other power tools is not recom- mended and can damage the winch.

REINSTALLING THE JACK AND TOOLS

Tighten the jack all the way down by turning the jack turn-screw counter- clockwise until the jack is snug.
Position the jack and tools into bracket assembly. Make sure the lug wrench is under the jack near the jack turn-screw. Snap tools into bracket assembly clips. Install the jack into bracket assembly and turn the jack turn-screw clockwise until jack is snug into bracket assembly.

 

Place the jack and tool bracket assembly in the storage position holding the jack by the jack turn-screw, slip the jack and tools under the seat so that the bottom slot engages into the fastener on the floor.

NOTE:

Ensure that the jack and tool bracket assembly slides into the front hold down location.

Turn the wing bolt clockwise to secure to the floor pan. Reinstall the plastic cover.

 

HUB CAPS/WHEEL COVERS — IF EQUIPPED

The hub caps must be removed before raising the vehicle off the ground.

For 2500/3500 Single Rear Wheel (SRW) models, use the flat end of the lug wrench to hook and pull off the hub cap. Find the opening in the hub cap, insert the lug wrench, and pull off the cap. If you need to pry against the wheel, protect the wheel surface.

On 3500 models with Dual Rear Wheels (DRW), you must first remove the hub caps—use the procedure noted for the single rear wheel. For the wheel covers (wheel skins), insert the flat end of the lug wrench between the outer edge of the wheel cover and the wheel. Pry against the wheel to remove the wheel cover. Repeat this procedure around the wheel until the cover pops off.

 

 

Replace the wheel covers using a rubber mallet to ease the installation. Align the wheel cover vent holes to the wheel vent holes. Tap on the wheel cover as needed to firmly seat it evenly around the wheel.

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