Compass Variance Adjustment: Notes
Do not place any external magnets, such as magnetic roof mount antennas, in the vicinity of the Remote Compass Module (RCM) located at the top center of the instrument panel. Do not place any electronic devices (cell phones, laptop computers, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), portable DVD players, etc.) on or near the instrument panel as the RCM performance may be affected. Do not use magnetic tools when servicing the RCM.
If the vehicle is equipped with a Chrysler Uconnect™ GPS (Navigation Radio), the navigation system will provide the compass direction, so the Variance and Calibration menus will be unavailable. The compass performs accurately based upon GPS signals rather than based upon the Earth's magnetic field.
If the vehicle is taken on long trips into a new variance zone, the compass accuracy may be affected. Compass variance may need to be manually adjusted to the proper variance zone setting to restore accurate compass indications.
The factory default for the compass variance zone setting is zone 8.
Compass variance, also known as magnetic declination, is the difference in angle between magnetic north and geographic north. In some geographic locations, the difference between magnetic and geographic north is great enough to cause the compass to give inaccurate readings. To optimize compass accuracy, the compass variance should be properly set according to the compass variance map zone for the region where the vehicle is being operated.
If the Remote Compass Module (RCM) is being replaced with a new unit, if compass readings appear to be inaccurate or if a manual compass calibration is being performed, check and adjust the variance zone setting using the appropriate procedure.