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Active air dam failure - stuck down.

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Burnin8

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Good evening,

I was driving a couple of days ago when my CEL came on. I got to the dealer the next day to have them run codes and they said it was the active air dam system. I went home and realized that the air dam is actually stuck in the down position. I was told it should be ok to drive like that for a while. My truck only has 28k miles and is 2 months out of the bumper to bumper warranty, so this is really frustrating! I don't feel like a system like that should fail so early.

Has anyone had any success repairing this on their own? Any things to look for other than the basics (fuses, wire connections)? The dealer wants $200 to even tell me what's wrong and like probably most of us at this time, I don't really have to income to roll the dice on a potentially very expensive repair.

Any input/advice is appreciated!

Thanks!
 
I took mine out several weeks ago just for looks. No codes and didn't notice any lost in mpg.
Several others have done the same but a few have gotten codes.
since you are out of warranty maybe ask to see if somebody wants to sell theirs.
A quick search shows these are around $300 so maybe that is the way to go cause if the dealer is going to charge you $200 just to tell you you need to buy a new one plus installation fee you'll end up paying much more
There are super easy to remove and install
 
Just remove it. Mine broke off during a mud bog day in the middle of June. Haven't had it on since, and since then, although probably pure coincidence, my fuel mileage has actually improved.
 
jl13 said:
I took mine out several weeks ago just for looks. No codes and didn't notice any lost in mpg.
Several others have done the same but a few have gotten codes.
since you are out of warranty maybe ask to see if somebody wants to sell theirs.
A quick search shows these are around $300 so maybe that is the way to go cause if the dealer is going to charge you $200 just to tell you you need to buy a new one plus installation fee you'll end up paying much more
There are super easy to remove and install
Click to expand...
Yeah, my last resort will just be to remove it, but I'd like to keep the functionality if possible. I'll look around for a take-off system though. Crawling under the truck, it didn't look like it would be difficult to replace and it seems like a lot of people take off fully functioning systems by choice, hopefully I'll find one and do the wrenching myself! Thanks for the input :)
 
What are the odds it's a problem outside of the active air dam system? I would hate the buy the system to find out it's not the cause. Any guesses at least?

Thanks!
 
Like many of the systems on these computers that behave like trucks, there doesn't seem to be much troubleshooting information in the wild. Yes you can drive with it down if you avoid speed bumps, curbs, and parking blocks. I'd check all the fuses, then maybe remove it for a physical inspection, it's only four nuts and one connector. There may be clues in the way the CEL light came on, as in what was your speed and were you accelerating or decelerating. Might tell you whether it jammed on the way down or failed to come back up.
 
There's a tsb on the active air damn regarding water intrusion into the connector and motor on the air dam. Only repair listed is to replace it. There's quite a few of us that have solved the persistent MIL by simply clearing the code and then unplugging the AAD motor and going on about our days. What year is your truck and what was the code it was showing?
 
Last edited:
Do you happen to know the TSB number, or have a link to it?
 
Lemme dig for it when I get back to work tomorrow unless someone else happens to have it.
 
These are the codes they pulled at the dealer. I "think" they're all related, but I'm not an expert and I can't afford to play parts whack-a-mole :)
ECU Code Status Description
------------------------------------
PCM C0604 Stored Active Air Dam Control Circuit Performance
PCM U0645 Active Lost Communication with Active Air Dam module
PCM U11E9 Stored Lost Communication with AGS
PCM U02A9 Stored Lost Communication with Charge Air Cooler Coolant Pump "A"
HVAC B10EB-4B Stored Blower Power Module-Over Temperature

Again, any input is appreciated!!
 
U11E9 usually sets when the PCM loses communication with the AGS for more than 2.6 seconds. Being the AGS and AAD share the same LIN bus for comms, the air dam is the first "checkpoint". Per the tsb, techs are instructed to first check the AAD connector and motor for water intrusion. If water is present, replace the AAD assembly and proceed forward with component testing.

What year is your truck? Do you have access to a code reader or scan tool?
 
Ratchet said:
U11E9 usually sets when the PCM loses communication with the AGS for more than 2.6 seconds. Being the AGS and AAD share the same LIN bus for comms, the air dam is the first "checkpoint". Per the tsb, techs are instructed to first check the AAD connector and motor for water intrusion. If water is present, replace the AAD assembly and proceed forward with component testing.

What year is your truck? Do you have access to a code reader or scan tool?
Click to expand...
The truck is a 2019. I have an OBDII dongle at home, but I'm out of town on military orders for a couple days. I'll get it hooked up as soon as I get home. Anything specific I'm looking for?

Also, the way I'm reading this is that the communication to the AGS flows through the AAD. Would that mean since the com is lost to the AAD that my AGS would no longer work as well as a consequence?

I don't mind swapping out the AAD, just want to be pretty sure that's the problem source before spending the money :)
 
I have a 19 as well. Had same issue. AAD motor was almost full of water. Easiest fix was to just remove it and not have to deal with it. Had mine uninstalled for several months now. No MIL illumination. Sure, a code will appear if you scan it, but it doesnt trigger the MIL.

Clear the codes. Unplug AAD. Start the truck (can do remote start if you like)...wait a few seconds and see if the active grill shutter cycles. If so, there ya go. Another case of AAD failure. Judging by the code list you posted, looks like some set when the AGC got stuck in closed position.

Not sure what's up with the HVAC blower code. That's one I haven seen yet.
 
Ratchet said:
I have a 19 as well. Had same issue. AAD motor was almost full of water. Easiest fix was to just remove it and not have to deal with it. Had mine uninstalled for several months now. No MIL illumination. Sure, a code will appear if you scan it, but it doesnt trigger the MIL.

Clear the codes. Unplug AAD. Start the truck (can do remote start if you like)...wait a few seconds and see if the active grill shutter cycles. If so, there ya go. Another case of AAD failure. Judging by the code list you posted, looks like some set when the AGC got stuck in closed position.

Not sure what's up with the HVAC blower code. That's one I haven seen yet.
Click to expand...
Awesome, thank you for the help! That's exactly what I was looking for! So the grill shutters cycle shortly after startup then? This will be easy enough to do once I get home and then I can decide if I want to replace the system or not.

The HVAC code is not an active code, so I'm really wondering if it was related somehow. I'm in Oklahoma and when the CEL activated, it was about 106 degrees, so maybe it's possible that if the grill shutters got stuck closed it could have overheated the pump?
 
Burnin8 said:
Awesome, thank you for the help! That's exactly what I was looking for! So the grill shutters cycle shortly after startup then? This will be easy enough to do once I get home and then I can decide if I want to replace the system or not.

The HVAC code is not an active code, so I'm really wondering if it was related somehow. I'm in Oklahoma and when the CEL activated, it was about 106 degrees, so maybe it's possible that if the grill shutters got stuck closed it could have overheated the pump?
Click to expand...
Also, this might be a dumb question, but I like to understand how things are working. If the AAD system can cause communication loss to the AGS, how does unplugging the AAD fix that issue?
 
Burnin8 said:
Also, this might be a dumb question, but I like to understand how things are working. If the AAD system can cause communication loss to the AGS, how does unplugging the AAD fix that issue?
Click to expand...
That sir is a million dollar question. I'm guessing it is something to do with a partial load sense kinda thing. Could cause the module to ignore a certain type of fault and then treat it as a forced "diagnostic mode" for troubleshooting things that share the same driver circuit maybe? I'm honestly not sure.
 
Burnin8 said:
Also, this might be a dumb question, but I like to understand how things are working. If the AAD system can cause communication loss to the AGS, how does unplugging the AAD fix that issue?
Click to expand...
If multiple devices share a serial communication wire, any device shorting out that wire will probably prevent all of them from communicating. So if the AAD actuator gets corroded or full of water, unplugging it could easily restore normal function to other connected devices.
 
My 2019 Ram 1500 threw the following codes.

PCM C0604 Stored Active Air Dam Control Circuit Performance
PCM U0645 Active Lost Communication with Active Air Dam module
PCM U11E9 Stored Lost Communication with AGS

I reset the codes and disconnected the Active Air Dam and drove for a week with no additional issues. I reconnected the AAD and once I hit highway speeds the LIT came on.

Im thinking AAD is issue but I know the Dealer is going to say AGS is the issue and want to change, ( which I can do). How do I check the AAD for water intrusion.

Now that the AAD is extended warrantee I want to ensure that is the problem

John
 
roikenne said:
My 2019 Ram 1500 threw the following codes.

PCM C0604 Stored Active Air Dam Control Circuit Performance
PCM U0645 Active Lost Communication with Active Air Dam module
PCM U11E9 Stored Lost Communication with AGS

I reset the codes and disconnected the Active Air Dam and drove for a week with no additional issues. I reconnected the AAD and once I hit highway speeds the LIT came on.

Im thinking AAD is issue but I know the Dealer is going to say AGS is the issue and want to change, ( which I can do). How do I check the AAD for water intrusion.

Now that the AAD is extended warrantee I want to ensure that is the problem

John
Click to expand...

Hi, could you please tell me how to unplug the AAD? I have a DT 1500. Thanks.
 
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