2019 Ram Rebel

[Big Z]

Good Morning All,


I’m looking for some advice. I was driving my truck (2019 Ram Rebel 12) yesterday and the AC went out on me and began only blowing hot air. By last night the air was barely blowing from it on the seventh setting. I inspected the under carriage to see if there were any fluids leaking, and there are not. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I’ve never fixed AC myself but I would like to try. I’ve only ever changed my brakes and oil.

 

[Jake819]

I'd make sure the compressor is cycling first. Usually its a audible click/clunk whatever you want to call it. you will hear at the compressor. If its not or its cycling very quick could be low or no freon. After I would get a black light and yellow glasses, can get at harbor freight dosen't need to be fancy. Most A/c oil put in the compressor has dye. It will show up as neon green. You will probably not see a freeon leak with the naked eye. I would start there first. You could also use some gauges to gauge the pressure on the high and low side.

 

[mikeru82]

Not to disparage Jake’s advice, but you need to have a certain level of understanding of how A/C system work before attempting to work on them. It’s not like changing your oil or spark plugs. There are tons of videos online explaining how to work on A/C systems. I advise you to do some research online before you attempt this repair yourself. It’s easy to damage the system if you don’t know what you‘re doing. At a minimum you want to have a good set of gauges and a vacuum pump as far as tools go. And you never want to just add refrigerant without knowing how much is in there.

 

[Jake819]

Not to disparage Jake’s advice, but you need to have a certain level of understanding of how A/C system work before attempting to work on them. It’s not like changing your oil or spark plugs. There are tons of videos online explaining how to work on A/C systems. I advise you to do some research online before you attempt this repair yourself. It’s easy to damage the system if you don’t know what you‘re doing. At a minimum you want to have a good set of gauges and a vacuum pump as far as tools go. And you never want to just add refrigerant without knowing how much is in there.

Thanks for the add on I should have said that instead of assuming he knew what I was refering too.

 

[Big Z]

Thank for your advice everyone. Side note please post the most reliable, easy to install and affordable starter here.

 

[SD Rebel]

It could be a cheap simple fix, or expensive of course, smartest thing to do is get it to a good independent shop that is well rated and knows what they are doing (check local yelp for shops with a lot of positive reviews). Then call them and ask for a quote, it's probably going to be cheaper and easier than trying to figure it out yourself.

 

[Big Z]

I took my truck into a local mechanic shop with good reviews (military - no time - always move). After reviewing the truck the business owner said that it needs an A/C compressor and condenser and would run me $2,100. With install. He also said that i may have only a few days before it completely blows out and I’ll likely be unable to drive my vehicle. I included some videos along with his quote. Is it a fair quote ? Is it possible to only need the compressor ? If so how could I tell if I needed both ? All advice is greatly appreciated as I don’t want to continue driving if it’s unsafe. The video won’t post but it’s what you can imagine a compressor sounding like when it’s ready to go . Very loud

 

[SD Rebel]

I took my truck into a local mechanic shop with good reviews (military - no time - always move). After reviewing the truck the business owner said that it needs an A/C compressor and condenser and would run me $2,100. With install. He also said that i may have only a few days before it completely blows out and I’ll likely be unable to drive my vehicle. I included some videos along with his quote. Is it a fair quote ? Is it possible to only need the compressor ? If so how could I tell if I needed both ? All advice is greatly appreciated as I don’t want to continue driving if it’s unsafe. The video won’t post but it’s what you can imagine a compressor sounding like when it’s ready to go . Very loud

Seems pricey, but I haven't needed one of these in a modern car yet. I would get another quote just to be sure, check another good shop and don't tell them about your previous quote, see if it matches.

 

[mikeru82]

I took my truck into a local mechanic shop with good reviews (military - no time - always move). After reviewing the truck the business owner said that it needs an A/C compressor and condenser and would run me $2,100. With install. He also said that i may have only a few days before it completely blows out and I’ll likely be unable to drive my vehicle. I included some videos along with his quote. Is it a fair quote ? Is it possible to only need the compressor ? If so how could I tell if I needed both ? All advice is greatly appreciated as I don’t want to continue driving if it’s unsafe. The video won’t post but it’s what you can imagine a compressor sounding like when it’s ready to go . Very loud

Seems about $800-$1000 more than it should be to me. In checking Mopar parts prices on BAM, It looks like the compressor is $400 and condenser is $333. Incidentals like o-rings and seals might be $50. Referigerant should be less than $20. They aren't as likely to use Mopar parts so the parts cost will likely be less. So it sounds like they are planning to charge in the ballpark of $1300 for labor. Ouch! I'd probably try to find another reputable shop to see if you can find a better price if you aren't able to do the work yourself.

Edit: Just looked at your attachments. They are gouging you on parts and supplies with those prices. I don't have mine available to check right now, but do these trucks use R1234 or R134a referigerant? R1234 is very expensive in comparison to R134a. So I am likely off on that with my estimate. But the parts cost I listed came straight from a Mopar website.

 

[1BADRAMLIMITED]

If you can I would get 2 more quotes from reputable shops and see who is in your price range and if the other shops have different quotes or same across the board

 

[ChunkyM0nk3y09]

I took my truck into a local mechanic shop with good reviews (military - no time - always move). After reviewing the truck the business owner said that it needs an A/C compressor and condenser and would run me $2,100. With install. He also said that i may have only a few days before it completely blows out and I’ll likely be unable to drive my vehicle. I included some videos along with his quote. Is it a fair quote ? Is it possible to only need the compressor ? If so how could I tell if I needed both ? All advice is greatly appreciated as I don’t want to continue driving if it’s unsafe. The video won’t post but it’s what you can imagine a compressor sounding like when it’s ready to go . Very loud

What did you end up doing? Did you need a condenser? I have a similar situation and my clutch looks the same as your photo. I am in California and shops in the Bay Area provided an estimate of $1,400 - $1,800, before tax, depending on the actual part. The estimate was over the phone, the shops didn't do an actual diagnostic. A couple shops said this was about a 2hr job.

 

[Big Z]

What did you end up doing? Did you need a condenser? I have a similar situation and my clutch looks the same as your photo. I am in California and shops in the Bay Area provided an estimate of $1,400 - $1,800, before tax, depending on the actual part. The estimate was over the phone, the shops didn't do an actual diagnostic. A couple shops said this was about a 2hr job.

Hey I got it resolved. I had the condenser replaced. The shop on base in Va charged me $1200 to include labor