Air conditioning performance

[Gman]

There are a number of factors. You could get a small volume of air at a lower temperature, or a larger volume at not quite as low a temperature, and they could both be effective. I keep mine set at 70 and the fan speed is initially high and it calms down as the cabin cools to temp and it keeps me comfy.

 

[tdager]

Absolutely horrible A/C system. With temperatures reaching 105 today I am seeing 60 degrees out of the driver vent. My trucks AC feels like a swamp cooler.
The wife's Chrysler is getting 38 degrees.
That's a 22 degree difference.

38 degrees? That is just six degrees above FREEZING. 60 degrees is quite cold, and a 45 degree temperature difference than the outside!

Are you guys driving trucks or wanting to hang meat in your vehicles??

 

[Differia]

38 degrees? That is just six degrees above FREEZING. 60 degrees is quite cold, and a 45 degree temperature difference than the outside!

Are you guys driving trucks or wanting to hang meat in your vehicles??

38 is the temp at the vent in her car. Not like the car is 38 degrees in the cabin. Her car can be put on auto LO and cooled down in about 5 minutes and set at 67 for a very comfortable ride.
I am a pretty reasonable guy and dont have ridiculous expectations and want to cool down meat. I want to be comfortable driving my truck where I live we have temps of 100 and above for 4 months. Alot of guys are not complaining with weather in the 90s and being parked in a cool garage.

My 2014 rams air was great.

This 2019 doesnt quite live up to that. I have to keep the setting at Lo and it takes a good 15 minutes to cool down when parked in the sun. At that point if I my driving on the highway it's cool but not freezing. But as soon as I come to a stop the temperature rises and becomes uncomfortable.
Is it just me? No two other people have commented on how my air is crap.
I contacted the dealer yesterday to bring my truck in and was told its gonna be a wait alot of vehicles in the shop for AC. I asked 2019 models? He laughed and said yes.
I know not much the dealer can do but want to double check anyhow while I have a few other issues to get serviced

 

[ramhead]

Just wondering ....what is the build date on most of the trucks having the issues? Are they all earlier build dates?

Also, how many of you with issues have the "automatic climate control" settings option via the touchscreen? I don't have that...just the old school manual rotary dials and my ac works fine (later build though).

 

[Billet1500 4x4]

38 is the temp at the vent in her car. Not like the car is 38 degrees in the cabin. Her car can be put on auto LO and cooled down in about 5 minutes and set at 67 for a very comfortable ride.
I am a pretty reasonable guy and dont have ridiculous expectations and want to cool down meat. I want to be comfortable driving my truck where I live we have temps of 100 and above for 4 months. Alot of guys are not complaining with weather in the 90s and being parked in a cool garage.

My 2014 rams air was great.

This 2019 doesnt quite live up to that. I have to keep the setting at Lo and it takes a good 15 minutes to cool down when parked in the sun. At that point if I my driving on the highway it's cool but not freezing. But as soon as I come to a stop the temperature rises and becomes uncomfortable.
Is it just me? No two other people have commented on how my air is crap.
I contacted the dealer yesterday to bring my truck in and was told its gonna be a wait alot of vehicles in the shop for AC. I asked 2019 models? He laughed and said yes.
I know not much the dealer can do but want to double check anyhow while I have a few other issues to get serviced

I'm in the same boat. 3 months out of the year temps are 100 + hitting 110 in July and August, good AC is a must and not a luxury in a $50k+ vehicle. The best the AC can do while idle at a stop light is 60 degrees. Passenger side is always 10 degrees cooler than the drivers side. Passenger side can get down to low 40's depending on the ambient temp. Drivers side can't get below 50 on max AC even if its only 75 degree ambient. Took the truck into my selling dealer since they are only 5 miles away to have recalls / warranty work done, asked them address the poor AC issue. The result 2 items that they "fixed" were now worse, One of the items they "fixed" they ended up scratching the lens on my instrument cluster and denied they did it and refused to fix it. Under my AC concern the paperwork read " Customer stated poor AC performance, checked for TSB, TSB did not apply" didn't bother to check pressures temperatures or anything else. Called a different dealer 38 miles away. Described my AC issues and my experience with my selling dealer. Service advisers response, "That's not right please bring it to us" he said that the calibration on the blend doors is directly related to the charge in the system and the being a little over or a little under charged will cause calibration issues on the blend doors that compounds with poor performance of the system itself due to charge being out of spec. I have an appointment July 8th to drop it off and give them a shot at making the AC right. If they can fix it I'll post what was done, I'm somewhat hopeful but have a shutoff valve waiting in the wings to cut off the supply to the heater core which should address the imbalance in temperatures. In my opinion it still take way to long to cool down and I think this is a function of a larger problem. I have noticed and perhaps someone else can confirm, on every other vehicle I have owned at idle with the ac system on the idle would kick up several hundred RPM from normal to speed up the AC compressor. My ram stay right around 575 regardless of whether the ac compressor is engaged or not. My GMC would jump up from 550 to 800 at idle with the AC system engaged to get better refrigerant flow through the system at idle for the 3 years I owned that truck i left it @ 72 on auto and never touched it. The truck itself had it's issues but the climate control was superb which makes this Rams AC all that more disappointing.

 

[Gsmith223]

I am noticing that the outside thermometer is reading about 15 degrees hotter than it really is outside. I am wondering if this is part of the issue with mine. Also I see the Max AC setting under the climate menu but I thought MAX AC could be achieved by buttons on the dash as well. But when I hit the max a/c button the a/c light on the knob goes off.

 

[Differia]

I'm in the same boat. 3 months out of the year temps are 100 + hitting 110 in July and August, good AC is a must and not a luxury in a $50k+ vehicle. The best the AC can do while idle at a stop light is 60 degrees. Passenger side is always 10 degrees cooler than the drivers side. Passenger side can get down to low 40's depending on the ambient temp. Drivers side can't get below 50 on max AC even if its only 75 degree ambient. Took the truck into my selling dealer since they are only 5 miles away to have recalls / warranty work done, asked them address the poor AC issue. The result 2 items that they "fixed" were now worse, One of the items they "fixed" they ended up scratching the lens on my instrument cluster and denied they did it and refused to fix it. Under my AC concern the paperwork read " Customer stated poor AC performance, checked for TSB, TSB did not apply" didn't bother to check pressures temperatures or anything else. Called a different dealer 38 miles away. Described my AC issues and my experience with my selling dealer. Service advisers response, "That's not right please bring it to us" he said that the calibration on the blend doors is directly related to the charge in the system and the being a little over or a little under charged will cause calibration issues on the blend doors that compounds with poor performance of the system itself due to charge being out of spec. I have an appointment July 8th to drop it off and give them a shot at making the AC right. If they can fix it I'll post what was done, I'm somewhat hopeful but have a shutoff valve waiting in the wings to cut off the supply to the heater core which should address the imbalance in temperatures. In my opinion it still take way to long to cool down and I think this is a function of a larger problem. I have noticed and perhaps someone else can confirm, on every other vehicle I have owned at idle with the ac system on the idle would kick up several hundred RPM from normal to speed up the AC compressor. My ram stay right around 575 regardless of whether the ac compressor is engaged or not. My GMC would jump up from 550 to 800 at idle with the AC system engaged to get better refrigerant flow through the system at idle for the 3 years I owned that truck i left it @ 72 on auto and never touched it. The truck itself had it's issues but the climate control was superb which makes this Rams AC all that more disappointing.

Yah we will hit 114 today. So A/C is a must.

I get about 60 degrees also at idle on the driver side vent when its above 100 degrees outside. It’s pretty warm in the truck to say the least and I get a Musky sell coming through vents at times. I have not paid attention to the RPM on this truck while AC is engaged. I will have to take a look.

If you get a fix for your truck on your next appointment please post. My truck is in for service now I will mention the AC charge to the dealer and see what they say.

 

[Billet1500 4x4]

I am noticing that the outside thermometer is reading about 15 degrees hotter than it really is outside. I am wondering if this is part of the issue with mine. Also I see the Max AC setting under the climate menu but I thought MAX AC could be achieved by buttons on the dash as well. But when I hit the max a/c button the a/c light on the knob goes off.

Mine behaves the same way, no difference in performance between max AC and setting the temp to low, fan speed on 7, recirc on, AC light on. I think the max AC in the climate screen is just a shortcut that sets everything with one touch. it would have been nice to have physical button to do that instead of having to go into a touch screen, same holds true for the sync function i would have like a physical button for syncing drivers side and passenger side as well.

 

[Gsmith223]

Mine behaves the same way, no difference in performance between max AC and setting the temp to low, fan speed on 7, recirc on, AC light on. I think the max AC in the climate screen is just a shortcut that sets everything with one touch. it would have been nice to have physical button to do that instead of having to go into a touch screen, same holds true for the sync function i would have like a physical button for syncing drivers side and passenger side as well.

I find it interesting when you hit the max ac it turns off the recirc light on the button then you have to hit the recirc again to get it to to turn back on. I have open a case with RAM and I am taking the truck in on Monday morning. I will let you know what I find out.

 

[timmbos]

I am noticing that the outside thermometer is reading about 15 degrees hotter than it really is outside. I am wondering if this is part of the issue with mine. Also I see the Max AC setting under the climate menu but I thought MAX AC could be achieved by buttons on the dash as well. But when I hit the max a/c button the a/c light on the knob goes off.

Same here. When it's 90 degrees out, my Uconnect screen says it's 115 degrees! Crazy.

 

[RBRK]

It’s not instant as far as outside temp reading. It goes down after driving doesn’t it? The temp sensor is in the mirror on mine with the tow mirrors I believe. When I swapped them to black I had to transfer the sensors. It gets heat soaked and isn’t an instant read quick change type thing.

If the truck was 25k would it still be good? No. Just weird how many people say for a 50k or 60k this is unacceptable? it is not no matter the cost. Mine is working much better this year after some pcm and HVAC updates. Still about 7 degrees warmer on drivers though, so that isn’t the fix for that and I doubt there will be, but it’s pretty good now. The radiator fan speed has helped the most when stopped it doesn’t go to 60 anymore. Last year I couldn’t stand it. This year 95 today and felt good

 

[Gsmith223]

It’s not instant as far as outside temp reading. It goes down after driving doesn’t it? The temp sensor is in the mirror on mine with the tow mirrors I believe. When I swapped them to black I had to transfer the sensors. It gets heat soaked and isn’t an instant read quick change type thing.

If the truck was 25k would it still be good? No. Just weird how many people say for a 50k or 60k this is unacceptable? it is not no matter the cost. Mine is working much better this year after some pcm and HVAC updates. Still about 7 degrees warmer on drivers though, so that isn’t the fix for that and I doubt there will be, but it’s pretty good now. The radiator fan speed has helped the most when stopped it doesn’t go to 60 anymore. Last year I couldn’t stand it. This year 95 today and felt good

My temp gauge doesn’t go down very much at all. It only went down to 97 today after 30 minutes of driving. It was only 87 out.

In other news I got a probe and took a video. They started at 75 ish After 30 minutes of driving I checked it after I could tell it was coldest it was getting. I ended up at 58-60 degrees on the drivers side and 48-50 on the passenger. This was the coldest it ever got. And it was only 87 out. When it gets to 97 outside this it’s gonna be even worse.

 

[phoover]

First off, I want to thank everyone for writing about the AC problems they've been having. I am new here, but I recently bought a 2019 Ram Rebel 1500 last week and I'm so glad there is this forum where some very smart people have figured out a way we can at least get a little relief with the Harbor Freight clamp!...

Since it seems that the blend door is the problem with some of our rams, has anyone had the blend door replaced? I have an appointment with the dealership on Monday for my AC. I'm going to explain that the AC system works alright, but the blend door is letting too much heat in from the heater core. Maybe we all just got faulty blend doors? I had an identical 2019 Ram Rebel before this one, but 2 days after purchasing the truck I noticed a paint defect from the factory, they had an identical truck on the lot, so we just swapped them out. The AC in the first truck was PERFECT! I'm just wondering if anyone has gone this route. I've had the AC tested and the refrigerant is filled correctly, and when I clamp the heater core hose the AC works fine. The only thing causing the warm air is heat pollution from the heater core... It seems that if they replace the blend door, the AC problem could be solved.

 

[Gman]

I am noticing that the outside thermometer is reading about 15 degrees hotter than it really is outside.

Yeah, I've been noticing this as well. I parked in the sun and the truck was reading 110 degrees. We did get up to 98 today, but it took forever for the outside temp to come down to 105.

I rolled down the windows to let the heat out of the cab and the climate control had me comfortable pretty quickly. The outside temp never did match reality.

I've had other vehicles register very high when parked in the sun, but they did normalize in a few miles of driving.

 

[Edwards]

First off, I want to thank everyone for writing about the AC problems they've been having. I am new here, but I recently bought a 2019 Ram Rebel 1500 last week and I'm so glad there is this forum where some very smart people have figured out a way we can at least get a little relief with the Harbor Freight clamp!...

Since it seems that the blend door is the problem with some of our rams, has anyone had the blend door replaced? I have an appointment with the dealership on Monday for my AC. I'm going to explain that the AC system works alright, but the blend door is letting too much heat in from the heater core. Maybe we all just got faulty blend doors? I had an identical 2019 Ram Rebel before this one, but 2 days after purchasing the truck I noticed a paint defect from the factory, they had an identical truck on the lot, so we just swapped them out. The AC in the first truck was PERFECT! I'm just wondering if anyone has gone this route. I've had the AC tested and the refrigerant is filled correctly, and when I clamp the heater core hose the AC works fine. The only thing causing the warm air is heat pollution from the heater core... It seems that if they replace the blend door, the AC problem could be solved.

You may be the first one with noticeably different trucks to compare. Any way you could get actual temperatures between the two Rebels? That would be a great diagnostic for all of us.

Maybe the dealer could compare the two as well?

 

[GM convert]

 

[phoover]

View attachment 29258

How is your AC performing after this?

 

[GM convert]

How is your AC performing after this?

Great

 

[Lawman]

Okay sorta late to this party but wanted to add my 2 cents..Found the Limited truck I wanted at a better price than I ever expected ..Just got back from test driving it and I can tell you without a doubt the a.c. does not cool nearly as well as my 2010 F150..I took digital thermometer and tested the ambient temp on my test drive..The best temp I got was after 10 minute drive including some highway speeds and the lowest it reached was 49 degrees..It took a long time to cool down the cabin and the way the vents are constructed you cannot direct the air to your body nearly to the extent that I can in my Ford..Immediately after leaving the dealership I took the same route in my Ford that I had taken in the Ram and my truck cooled down within a couple of minutes well before I reached the highway...Truck air temp was 43 within 3 minutes.. The outside temp was around 86 F..It was cloudy..The most troubling thing to me was the length of time it took for the Dodge to reach the low temp. and the fact that I was unable to direct any vents on myself..Also I might add the Ram was on full fan speed which I do not like and when I compared my Ford I never went to high on fan speed..I can tell you without reservation the difference between the the two is great..The cabin of the ram just took too long to get comfortable for Texas..I could have bought the truck at 23% below MSRP for $51,000.00 I've decided to pass...

 

[sticker500]

Okay sorta late to this party but wanted to add my 2 cents..Found the Limited truck I wanted at a better price than I ever expected ..Just got back from test driving it and I can tell you without a doubt the a.c. does not cool nearly as well as my 2010 F150..I took digital thermometer and tested the ambient temp on my test drive..The best temp I got was after 10 minute drive including some highway speeds and the lowest it reached was 49 degrees..It took a long time to cool down the cabin and the way the vents are constructed you cannot direct the air to your body nearly to the extent that I can in my Ford..Immediately after leaving the dealership I took the same route in my Ford that I had taken in the Ram and my truck cooled down within a couple of minutes well before I reached the highway...Truck air temp was 43 within 3 minutes.. The outside temp was around 86 F..It was cloudy..The most troubling thing to me was the length of time it took for the Dodge to reach the low temp. and the fact that I was unable to direct any vents on myself..Also I might add the Ram was on full fan speed which I do not like and when I compared my Ford I never went to high on fan speed..I can tell you without reservation the difference between the the two is great..The cabin of the ram just took too long to get comfortable for Texas..I could have bought the truck at 23% below MSRP for $51,000.00 I've decided to pass...

Smart decision, it’s disappointing for a required function. Step up RAM, you won’t sit in the #2 spot for long if this continues.