AC - does anyone have a truck that blows ice cold?

[jdmartin]

There is a proven issue with the AC. It may work within "Ram spec" but it doesn't work as it should.

And when I say proven issue I mean proven by the drop in temp by the valve/clamp hack. If the AC was working correctly this hack wouldn't have the significant impact that it does.

I doubt RAM does anything about it though. It's all about $$$ and since their is no safety risk here they have no financial motivation to correct.

I don't think the clamp trick proves there's any problem - it only proves that it's possible that the temperature coming out of the vents can be lower than it currently is. Whether that's because of the way it's designed, a software bug/flaw, or a mechanical flaw has not really been determined. And I don't think it will ever be determined unless someone can speak to the engineer(s) that designed the HVAC system for the Ram.

As long as the system is doing two things it is working: removing humidity from the air and lowering the air temperature across the coils. The temperature drop is what everyone is affecting with the clamp trick, but even without the clamp people are registering 45-55 degree temps out of the vents, which means there's a significant temperature drop across the unit. So there's really nothing for FCA to fix, because effectiveness and level of comfort is largely subjective. For me, the AC works fantastic. But I don't live in South Texas, and perhaps I would find it insufficient there - I can't say. I can't disagree with lots of people who don't find the AC system as effective as other vehicles, because that's entirely possible, but that still doesn't mean the system doesn't work as intended.

 

[AndreiV]

AC sucks:
My daily commute is 5.5 miles each way. If the outside temp is in 95+ range I have to close valve to stay cool on the way home. Same applies to short trips around town.

AC blows ice-cold:
Last week was driving from AZ to CA, 4.5 hour drive, outside temp range was 103 to 95. Valve open all the way. After on hour of continuous driving my hands were freezing on LO and max blower and I had to reduce blower to 3-4 and raise temp setting to 68 for the remainder of the trip

 

[Royal27]

I don't think the clamp trick proves there's any problem - it only proves that it's possible that the temperature coming out of the vents can be lower than it currently is. Whether that's because of the way it's designed, a software bug/flaw, or a mechanical flaw has not really been determined. And I don't think it will ever be determined unless someone can speak to the engineer(s) that designed the HVAC system for the Ram.

As long as the system is doing two things it is working: removing humidity from the air and lowering the air temperature across the coils. The temperature drop is what everyone is affecting with the clamp trick, but even without the clamp people are registering 45-55 degree temps out of the vents, which means there's a significant temperature drop across the unit. So there's really nothing for FCA to fix, because effectiveness and level of comfort is largely subjective. For me, the AC works fantastic. But I don't live in South Texas, and perhaps I would find it insufficient there - I can't say. I can't disagree with lots of people who don't find the AC system as effective as other vehicles, because that's entirely possible, but that still doesn't mean the system doesn't work as intended.

Like I said,

There is a proven issue with the AC. It may work within "Ram spec" but it doesn't work as it should.

 

[ColoradoCub]

I don't think the clamp trick proves there's any problem - it only proves that it's possible that the temperature coming out of the vents can be lower than it currently is. Whether that's because of the way it's designed, a software bug/flaw, or a mechanical flaw has not really been determined. And I don't think it will ever be determined unless someone can speak to the engineer(s) that designed the HVAC system for the Ram.

Sorry but You don’t know what your talking about. If the hot air blend door closed all the way as it should then the heater hose hack would not change the temp at the vents. When you are on max AC the blend door for air coming from the heater core is completely restricted from entering the compartment vents. In the case of so many trucks, including mine, there is hot air blow by entering the HVAC plumbing and it blends with the cold air increasing the temp of air coming out of the dash vents. It’s that simple. It also appears to be more prominent on the drivers side vents. If I can drop the vent temp by 10 + degrees by stopping the flow of hot coolant into the heater core it’s clear cut what the problem is. Many people are content with AC that blows low to high 50’s air but that is **** poor performance on an AC system in a car or truck and in any other scenario would be considered a faulty AC system. I can get high 30’s and low 40’s in the other two vehicles in my household and the 2018 Ram 2500 I traded in too. But now we’re in the realm of FCA creating new standards for what is normal in automobile AC though they brag about this being the most innovative and advanced HVAC system they make? Major screw up if you ask me. I love my truck, just rolled over 5,000 miles and have had no issues with it, thank god for this hack to get better AC or god knows if I’d still have the truck!

 

[MattF]

Sorry but You don’t know what your talking about. If the hot air blend door closed all the way as it should then the heater hose hack would not change the temp at the vents. When you are on max AC the blend door for air coming from the heater core is completely restricted from entering the compartment vents. In the case of so many trucks, including mine, there is hot air blow by entering the HVAC plumbing and it blends with the cold air increasing the temp of air coming out of the dash vents. It’s that simple. It also appears to be more prominent on the drivers side vents. If I can drop the vent temp by 10 + degrees by stopping the flow of hot coolant into the heater core it’s clear cut what the problem is. Many people are content with AC that blows low to high 50’s air but that is **** poor performance on an AC system in a car or truck and in any other scenario would be considered a faulty AC system. I can get high 30’s and low 40’s in the other two vehicles in my household and the 2018 Ram 2500 I traded in too. But now we’re in the realm of FCA creating new standards for what is normal in automobile AC though they brag about this being the most innovative and advanced HVAC system they make? Major screw up if you ask me. I love my truck, just rolled over 5,000 miles and have had no issues with it, thank god for this hack to get better AC or god knows if I’d still have the truck!

Does anyone have a schematic / parts diagram to see how all of this is put together? It might help the collective here understand how it all is supposed to work.

Thanks

Matt

 

[ramhead]

Does anyone have a schematic / parts diagram to see how all of this is put together? It might help the collective here understand how it all is supposed to work.

Thanks

Matt

 

[airgas1998]

^^^^^I remember those days

 

[2020RamSport]

I don't know what the specs are for the new trucks, but for my 2005, it's 55 degrees with an ambient temperature of 90 degrees and over (45 degrees below an ambient of 90).

 

[jdmartin]

Sorry but You don’t know what your talking about. If the hot air blend door closed all the way as it should then the heater hose hack would not change the temp at the vents. When you are on max AC the blend door for air coming from the heater core is completely restricted from entering the compartment vents. In the case of so many trucks, including mine, there is hot air blow by entering the HVAC plumbing and it blends with the cold air increasing the temp of air coming out of the dash vents. It’s that simple. It also appears to be more prominent on the drivers side vents. If I can drop the vent temp by 10 + degrees by stopping the flow of hot coolant into the heater core it’s clear cut what the problem is. Many people are content with AC that blows low to high 50’s air but that is **** poor performance on an AC system in a car or truck and in any other scenario would be considered a faulty AC system. I can get high 30’s and low 40’s in the other two vehicles in my household and the 2018 Ram 2500 I traded in too. But now we’re in the realm of FCA creating new standards for what is normal in automobile AC though they brag about this being the most innovative and advanced HVAC system they make? Major screw up if you ask me. I love my truck, just rolled over 5,000 miles and have had no issues with it, thank god for this hack to get better AC or god knows if I’d still have the truck!

Sorry, but for you to say I don't know what I'm talking about either means that you are ignorant or obnoxious. I'm not sure which it is, nor do I care. If the door doesn't close all the way (I'm guessing you haven't torn your system apart to prove this for sure), it may be a faulty setup or it may be by design. Since I'm guessing you're not an FCA engineer, nor have probably not spoke to one, you don't know whether it is by design or not.

In any case, there's nothing untrue in what I said. I own a bunch of rentals and they all have central AC. They're all different brands - Trane, Goodman, Rheem, Comfort Aire, etc. Guess what? None of them have the same temperature drop across the coils. Some are better than others. That doesn't mean the ones that are worse don't work, they just aren't as effective as the others. As long as the system has a temperature drop across the system, and it dehumidifies the air, the system works. Whether it works the way you, I, or anyone else expects is another question altogether. I already agreed that the system may suck for some people and not for others. What more do you want?

Personally, I think you should just trade your piece of **** in and get something that blows colder air. I don't get what bitching on an online forum about the AC is supposed to accomplish except confirm your status as a victim of the evil geniuses at FCA.

 

[Fidomac]

I know we've heard from those with AC issues but is there anyone that does not have an issue with the AC? Their truck blows ice cold air similar to other vehicles they've owned when it's warm/hot.

check for a service bulletin on the AC..... They did one on my truck and it made a big difference in how cool the AC felt

 

[ColoradoCub]

Sorry, but for you to say I don't know what I'm talking about either means that you are ignorant or obnoxious. I'm not sure which it is, nor do I care. If the door doesn't close all the way (I'm guessing you haven't torn your system apart to prove this for sure), it may be a faulty setup or it may be by design. Since I'm guessing you're not an FCA engineer, nor have probably not spoke to one, you don't know whether it is by design or not.

In any case, there's nothing untrue in what I said. I own a bunch of rentals and they all have central AC. They're all different brands - Trane, Goodman, Rheem, Comfort Aire, etc. Guess what? None of them have the same temperature drop across the coils. Some are better than others. That doesn't mean the ones that are worse don't work, they just aren't as effective as the others. As long as the system has a temperature drop across the system, and it dehumidifies the air, the system works. Whether it works the way you, I, or anyone else expects is another question altogether. I already agreed that the system may suck for some people and not for others. What more do you want?

Personally, I think you should just trade your piece of **** in and get something that blows colder air. I don't get what bitching on an online forum about the AC is supposed to accomplish except confirm your status as a victim of the evil geniuses at FCA.

I’m not trading in ****, but it pisses me off to no end when I read threads on here from people simply trying to justify a faulty system and a pretty important one for many people. There is a major design flaw in the AC system in MANY of these 5th gen rams and to just accept that the AC sucks and that we have to jimmy rig a damn clamp or valve on our heater core hose like we’re driving an old Chevy Scottsdale is ********. It also erks me that people on here act like this is the first truck some of us have ever owned and we don’t know what the AC temp should feel like coming out of the vents in these “Oversized Cabins”. We need to stay on FCA about it or they’ll just brush off the problem and never fix it. I’m in Colorado , it was 9 deg yesterday morning so as you can imagine I’m not to concerned with my AC now.

 

[Jus Cruisin]

I've stayed away from this thread for a couple of months, I think. Anyway, if this a/c system, in fact, has a "major design flaw" many, as in 1,000's (over 300,000 built now) of owners would be complaining to dealers about it. I haven't found it to be the case in the 4 different dealers I've dealt with in Florida and now Michigan. Just because of this never ending thread, I ask the service writers I deal with about a/c problems they are seeing. I still haven't gotten a response from them that leads me to come to the conclusion there are many unhappy customers.
Does it blow "ice cold"? No. Do most people want "ice cold" air blowing on them. No. 50some degree air hitting me is fine. My interior will get into the 70's within minutes. I still haven't messed with the temperature control.
If there is any complaint from me regarding the auto temperature control it's the fact it blows cold air initially during warm up in cold temps. In my other auto a/c vehicles the blower would stay off or low on a windshield /footwell blend until the engine warms up then blow hard. The Ram blows hard out the vents until it warms up then switches to windshield / footwell blend.

 

[jdmartin]

I’m not trading in ****, but it pisses me off to no end when I read threads on here from people simply trying to justify a faulty system and a pretty important one for many people. There is a major design flaw in the AC system in MANY of these 5th gen rams and to just accept that the AC sucks and that we have to jimmy rig a damn clamp or valve on our heater core hose like we’re driving an old Chevy Scottsdale is ********. It also erks me that people on here act like this is the first truck some of us have ever owned and we don’t know what the AC temp should feel like coming out of the vents in these “Oversized Cabins”. We need to stay on FCA about it or they’ll just brush off the problem and never fix it. I’m in Colorado , it was 9 deg yesterday morning so as you can imagine I’m not to concerned with my AC now.

I don't see where anyone is trying to justify anything. You want the air to come out of the vent like a refrigerator. It's not going to happen. That doesn't mean that the system doesn't work the way it was intended. And you don't have to put a clamp on the hose; you are doing it because you want refrigerator air. If like most people you are happy with 40-50 degree temps out of the vent - a number that will go down the longer the system is running - then you don't need to do anything.

Somehow you believe that complaining on here or to the dealer is going to make FCA redesign the system and do a recall? If not, what exactly do you achieve by complaining about it? And if you do believe that then I would say that is a delusion. By the end of this year there will be 400k+ of these trucks delivered, and possibly 50 - maybe - people on here claiming a problem with the system. I would bet money that FCA will change nor fix anything on this system no matter how many posts come up on here.

As far as I can see there are several facts:

1. The AC doesn't blow as cold as some people would like.
2. The AC works because it produces dehumidified air with a double digits temperature drop.
3. You can make the temperature colder by reducing coolant flow, with any consequences to that as of yet unknown.
4. The system FCA gave you in the truck is the system you will have and you can either live with it, try your own fixes, or get a different vehicle.

As for other vehicles, I have over a million miles of driving in my decades of driving, with maybe 20 or more vehicles, and the AC works exactly as I would expect - better than some I've owned and worse than others.

 

[Lance]

I know we've heard from those with AC issues but is there anyone that does not have an issue with the AC? Their truck blows ice cold air similar to other vehicles they've owned when it's warm/hot.

Mine doesn't run "ice cold" but is more than adequate to handle Arizona 100 + temperatures.

 

[KcRay]

I don't see where anyone is trying to justify anything. You want the air to come out of the vent like a refrigerator. It's not going to happen. That doesn't mean that the system doesn't work the way it was intended. And you don't have to put a clamp on the hose; you are doing it because you want refrigerator air. If like most people you are happy with 40-50 degree temps out of the vent - a number that will go down the longer the system is running - then you don't need to do anything.

Somehow you believe that complaining on here or to the dealer is going to make FCA redesign the system and do a recall? If not, what exactly do you achieve by complaining about it? And if you do believe that then I would say that is a delusion. By the end of this year there will be 400k+ of these trucks delivered, and possibly 50 - maybe - people on here claiming a problem with the system. I would bet money that FCA will change nor fix anything on this system no matter how many posts come up on here.

As far as I can see there are several facts:

1. The AC doesn't blow as cold as some people would like.
2. The AC works because it produces dehumidified air with a double digits temperature drop.
3. You can make the temperature colder by reducing coolant flow, with any consequences to that as of yet unknown.
4. The system FCA gave you in the truck is the system you will have and you can either live with it, try your own fixes, or get a different vehicle.

As for other vehicles, I have over a million miles of driving in my decades of driving, with maybe 20 or more vehicles, and the AC works exactly as I would expect - better than some I've owned and worse than others.

So do you think the system was intended to blow 8-10 degrees warmer on drivers side than it does on the passenger side?

 

[jdmartin]

So do you think the system was intended to blow 8-10 degrees warmer on drivers side than it does on the passenger side?

I can't answer that because I don't know. I suspect there are nuances in a system that allows the driver and passenger to have different temperatures that make it different from the old fashioned setups that I'm used to. I would have to spend a lot of time reading and understanding how the system doors, controls and actuators work before I could really begin to form an opinion. All I really know, when it comes to my truck, is:

1. I have owned vehicles with colder air at the vent, and
2. The AC overall works very well in my truck, and I live in the humid south.

 

[jimk hunt]

I can't answer that because I don't know. I suspect there are nuances in a system that allows the driver and passenger to have different temperatures that make it different from the old fashioned setups that I'm used to. I would have to spend a lot of time reading and understanding how the system doors, controls and actuators work before I could really begin to form an opinion. All I really know, when it comes to my truck, is:

1. I have owned vehicles with colder air at the vent, and
2. The AC overall works very well in my truck, and I live in the humid south.

I also live in the humid south and the AC is not adequate. I had 55 and 58 out of the vents prior to the clamp. Not acceptable from a modern AC system. Glad yours works for you but to say it is 'working' blowing 50 plus is semantics. I do agree that FCA won't do squat.

 

[jdmartin]

I also live in the humid south and the AC is not adequate. I had 55 and 58 out of the vents prior to the clamp. Not acceptable from a modern AC system. Glad yours works for you but to say it is 'working' blowing 50 plus is semantics. I do agree that FCA won't do squat.

It's not semantics. Let's say you are seeing 55 at the vent when the air temp being drawn from (outside or recirculation) is 85. That's a 30 degree temperature drop. How did the temperature drop? It's not magic. The compressor moved refrigerant through the system, allowing the temperature drop and cooling the refrigerant back off so you could do it again. That's a system that works. Maybe it doesn't work as fast as you want. Maybe the insulation allows too much heat exchange into the vehicle such that the vent temperature can never decline. Whatever the case, if you see a temperature drop of any significance, the system works.

 

[jloops]

So do you think the system was intended to blow 8-10 degrees warmer on drivers side than it does on the passenger side?

I agree! What’s the point of having dual zone climate controls (higher end feature) set to sync if you’re going to get 8-10 degree difference. When you’re talking about ac or heat that’s a BIG difference. And the fact that FCA is trying to pass that off as acceptable or as designed is pathetic.

 

[Differia]

Mine doesn't run "ice cold" but is more than adequate to handle Arizona 100 + temperatures.

Which part of AZ are you in? Phoenix had 27 days of 110 plus degrees this summer.