A/C performance during this heat wave

[Fidomac]

What does this TSB say?

I don't know but it's somewhere on the Forum ...my understanding it's a computer update that changes the parameters of the system either the cut off points or the operation of the blender door.... I asked the service advisor about it, he was aware of it and I had it done on my truck ...It made a noticeable but not massive difference...well worth doing...

 

[Rammit]

Mine works flawlessly even with it almost 100 degree outside

 

[32ports]

I installed the heater inlet block off valve this week and saw a 14 degree drop in ac vent discharge, 58 to 44 degrees. You shouldn't have to do this on a new truck, but it was easier than having to leave at service department and works great. Cost $15 and took an hour. Its been 100 degrees most days this week and I don't need to run max ac to keep truck cold.

 

[ColoradoCub]

Mine works flawlessly even with it almost 100 degree outside

I’d be willing to bet that your interpretation of its performance is flawless, but if you put a a thermometer in the vents it would be substandard performance. The whole is my AC working right thing is not an across the board even consensus, some people don’t like it as cold as others simply put. I put a thermometer in my wife’s Lexus and my sons Tacoma and both of them will blow low 40’s at idle in 95-100 deg temps. My Rams AC blows 15-20 degrees warmer than my other two vehicles. Only with the valve in place can I get similar temps. Some people are fine with 52-59 deg temps at the vents on warm days but truth be told those temps in most vehicles would indicate something being wrong with the AC, like low on Freon. The fact that blocking off heater core flow provides close to normal AC temps tells me that there is a blend door problem. The heat from the core is blending with the cold air from the evaporator and hence blowing blended warm and cold air together through our vents. If the blend door closed all the way it would eliminate the warm air from passing by hence why when we block of the heater core hose we stop that warm air from being able to blend. That’s the only possibility. If we blocked off the heater core and still didn’t get low 40’s then that tells us there is something else wrong in the system, but that’s not the case.

 

[go-ram]

I’d be willing to bet that your interpretation of its performance is flawless, but if you put a a thermometer in the vents it would be substandard performance. The whole is my AC working right thing is not an across the board even consensus, some people don’t like it as cold as others simply put. I put a thermometer in my wife’s Lexus and my sons Tacoma and both of them will blow low 40’s at idle in 95-100 deg temps. My Rams AC blows 15-20 degrees warmer than my other two vehicles. Only with the valve in place can I get similar temps. Some people are fine with 52-59 deg temps at the vents on warm days but truth be told those temps in most vehicles would indicate something being wrong with the AC, like low on Freon. The fact that blocking off heater core flow provides close to normal AC temps tells me that there is a blend door problem. The heat from the core is blending with the cold air from the evaporator and hence blowing blended war and cold air together through our vents. If the blend door closed all the way it would eliminate the warm air from passing by hence why when we block of the heater core hose we stop that warm air from being able to blend. That’s the only possibility. If we blocked off the heater core and still didn’t get low 40’s then that tells us there is something else wrong in the system, but that’s not the case.

You've got it right, every human has different temperature thresholds and comfort levels, so one person's cold air is another person's lukewarm air. A thermometer is the only accurate, consistent way to judge.

That said, comparing one vehicle to another side-by-side, even it's just by the feel of the air coming out of the vents, can tell you a lot.

Of the eight or so 2019 Ram DT 1500s I've tested, only ONE had what I consider to be normal, acceptable cooling performance.

One thing I do if I don't have a thermometer is hold my hand right in front of one of the center vents in the dash and count the time to when the air coming out of the vent begins to feel acceptably cool. ("1-one-thousand, 2-one-thousand, 3-one thousand"...). Every other vehicle I've checked out gets the first feeling of cool air by the count of 5-one-thousand, and very cool air by the count of 10-one-thousand. Seven of the eight 2019 Ram DT 1500s I've checked out are just barely feeling cool at the count of 20-one-thousand or 30-one-thousand, and only the one ever got cool enough to feel comfortable.

Ram definitely has a problem with the AC systems on a significant percentage of the 2019 DT 1500s, either a programming issue or a assembly-line quality issue. Like you, I believe it is not inherently the compressor/evaporator/condenser mechanical system that is at fault.

 

[EXQQQME]

So completely blocking that line won't hurt anything since we are creating a blockage from, I'm guessing the water pump? Will this affect my warranty?
And lastly, are you making this just a manual valve to when it starts getting cool you'll just open it again???

 

[Rammit]

I’d be willing to bet that your interpretation of its performance is flawless, but if you put a a thermometer in the vents it would be substandard performance. The whole is my AC working right thing is not an across the board even consensus, some people don’t like it as cold as others simply put. I put a thermometer in my wife’s Lexus and my sons Tacoma and both of them will blow low 40’s at idle in 95-100 deg temps. My Rams AC blows 15-20 degrees warmer than my other two vehicles. Only with the valve in place can I get similar temps. Some people are fine with 52-59 deg temps at the vents on warm days but truth be told those temps in most vehicles would indicate something being wrong with the AC, like low on Freon. The fact that blocking off heater core flow provides close to normal AC temps tells me that there is a blend door problem. The heat from the core is blending with the cold air from the evaporator and hence blowing blended warm and cold air together through our vents. If the blend door closed all the way it would eliminate the warm air from passing by hence why when we block of the heater core hose we stop that warm air from being able to blend. That’s the only possibility. If we blocked off the heater core and still didn’t get low 40’s then that tells us there is something else wrong in the system, but that’s not the case.

My truck blows cold enough that I can leave it on auto and turn the temp up to where I want it. I do not notice any difference from my 2010 Rams performance.

 

[EXQQQME]

My truck blows cold enough that I can leave it on auto and turn the temp up to where I want it. I do not notice any difference from my 2010 Rams performance.

Oh I noticed when I traded in my 2016 Colorado that the ac was not near as cold in the 2019 Ram, instantly. Both the Colorado & the Ram are of the same color of blue too. I was in both on them on the same day and unfortunately the Colorado was better.

 

[timtlu]

Mine blows 44 degree air both sides in 105 degree weather with about 25% relative humidity. I'd be fit to be tied if it was barely blowing 58 degrees. But that's @ColoradoCub's point, comfort cooling is subjective, many people may say their AC works great when it's working exactly the same as someone that says their AC sucks. Vent temps with the correlating ambient temp/humidity ratio are the only true apples to apples comparison.

It's more than just vent temps though. The volume of hot air exchanged for colder air is just as, if not more important. I'm going to go out on a limb and say if the actual temperature in any of our cabs were at 44-48 degrees we would be turning on our heaters.

 

[EXQQQME]

It's more than just vent temps though. The volume of hot air exchanged for colder air is just as, if not more important. I'm going to go out on a limb and say if the actual temperature in any of our cabs were at 44-48 degrees we would be turning on our heaters.

Or decrease the blower speed. I have found that in my Tahoe and Colorado I noticed I was having to turn the fan to a reduced speed, unlike on my Ram it seemed to lack the power for cooling inside the cab. That's just my first hand experience. So far I feel where Dodge has lacked in climate control they have made up for it in other areas.

 

[Billet1500 4x4]

It's more than just vent temps though. The volume of hot air exchanged for colder air is just as, if not more important. I'm going to go out on a limb and say if the actual temperature in any of our cabs were at 44-48 degrees we would be turning on our heaters.

In comparing the ac performance of 2 different vehicles the mass quantity of air flowing over the condenser would have to be measured between the 2 along with other variables like temperature, pressure, humidity measured before the air enters the coil and after to truly determine the amount of work done by the AC system and compare the 2. Like comparing a Ram to some other car _________ (fill in the blank with make and model). In the case of comparing 2 2019 ram 1500's it would be pretty safe to assume that the amount of air flowing across the evaporator coil for 2 different Rams of the same build would be pretty close to the same with both blowers set on high the biggest difference being that starting ambient temp and amount of humidity in the air. Humidity is what really impacts AC performance with more energy going into whats known as latent cooling versus sensible cooling.

 

[timtlu]

In comparing the ac performance of 2 different vehicles the mass quantity of air flowing over the condenser would have to be measured between the 2 along with other variables like temperature, pressure, humidity measured before the air enters the coil and after to truly determine the amount of work done by the AC system and compare the 2. Like comparing a Ram to some other car _________ (fill in the blank with make and model). In the case of comparing 2 2019 ram 1500's it would be pretty safe to assume that the amount of air flowing across the evaporator coil for 2 different Rams of the same build would be pretty close to the same with both blowers set on high the biggest difference being that starting ambient temp and amount of humidity in the air. Humidity is what really impacts AC performance with more energy going into whats known as latent cooling versus sensible cooling.

Completely agree if comparing one Ram to another. I was referencing all the comparisons in cooling efficiency of our Rams to other vehicles.

 

[Juli_hoop]

Today was 95+ degrees where I live and I could not get comfortable driving around town. It definitely doesn’t blow as cold as my 2003 Silverado I sold for this new truck. There’s definitely an AC problem with the new ram trucks and messing with anything will just void warranties or give them an excuse to void your warranty. I have an appointment Thursday for other issues I’ve been having, I’ll be sure to bring this up as well.

 

[ldoh]

Today was 95+ degrees where I live and I could not get comfortable driving around town. It definitely doesn’t blow as cold as my 2003 Silverado I sold for this new truck. There’s definitely an AC problem with the new ram trucks and messing with anything will just void warranties or give them an excuse to void your warranty. I have an appointment Thursday for other issues I’ve been having, I’ll be sure to bring this up as well.

Good for you. Hopefully enough complaints are raised to possibly warrant an official fix. I plan to do the same thing before summer is over.

 

[duke2001]

This topic is so "hot" it deserves to be it's own major topic on the forum.

 

[Valsvic]

(UConnect 12) I was driving home the other day and the AC blower just suddenly stopped (blowing hard and still warm in the cab). It was a very hot day (upper 90s) and been driving 15 to 20 minutes mostly on the highway. About a minute after exiting onto city street it just stopped. I had it on auto and set to about 72. When I got home I turned truck off and back on and it was working again. It acts like a safety switch or a breaker. Clearly its a software issue of some kind. I notice that in general the AC doesn't blow very cold air as I would expect a new 2019 vehicle to. The volume gets stuck on the radio sometimes but I've found that has something to do with the driver memory (1 or 2). When it happens, changing the channel fixes it. Also, the BU camera is annoyingly slow to start.

 

[RamCares]

(UConnect 12) I was driving home the other day and the AC blower just suddenly stopped (blowing hard and still warm in the cab). It was a very hot day (upper 90s) and been driving 15 to 20 minutes mostly on the highway. About a minute after exiting onto city street it just stopped. I had it on auto and set to about 72. When I got home I turned truck off and back on and it was working again. It acts like a safety switch or a breaker. Clearly its a software issue of some kind. I notice that in general the AC doesn't blow very cold air as I would expect a new 2019 vehicle to. The volume gets stuck on the radio sometimes but I've found that has something to do with the driver memory (1 or 2). When it happens, changing the channel fixes it. Also, the BU camera is annoyingly slow to start.

Hi Valsvic,

Please let us know via private message if you decide to have your dealer look into these concerns. We would like to have this documented and have a case escalated in your behalf so a Case Specialist can work with your dealer to help find a potential solution.

Lydia
Ram Social Care Specialist

 

[Ramzy]

There is a TSB regarding AC performance..

Could you post a link or something for the tsb? I can’t seam to find one, that addresses the mechanical issue of the system not cooling enough. I already had the tsb (flash) done. It did nothing to improve it.

 

[jhalpinjr]

auto set at 68 degree and heater hose clamp = ice cubes

Can anyone provide step by step instruction on how to do this, where the hose is located etc for the 5th Gen Ram with Hemi?

Happy 4th!!!!

 

[User_3336]

Air conditioning Hack

so, this might have been answered a while back, BUT.. What do you do if you must go in for service? This is a mod you can't really reverse quickly. How do you explain what this is? Based on experience with most Ram dealerships they would never know or care. Only time they would even look...

5thgenrams.com

Since you resurrected THIS thread from over a year ago, I'd follow the thread above!!!!!

Can anyone provide step by step instruction on how to do this, where the hose is located etc for the 5th Gen Ram with Hemi?

Happy 4th!!!!