Driving Through Water - Dodge Ram Power Wagon Owner's Manual

248 STARTING AND OPERATING

Driving Through Water

Extreme care should be taken crossing any type of water.
Water crossings should be avoided if possible and only
be attempted when necessary, in a safe responsible
manner. You should only drive through areas which are
designated and approved. You should tread lightly and
avoid damage to the environment. You should know
your vehicles abilities and be able to recover it if some-
thing 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 1st gear in 4L (low) and proceed very slowly with
a constant slow speed (3-5 mph 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 inges-
tion.
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