Air conditioning performance

[chalin]

I have had continual problems for my climate control. I've had it back to the dealer a few times, they do software updates and twice they have replaced the blower motor, because there was an error code. It never keeps it the temp it is set on. The A/C will always come on first, full blast, even in the winter. Then it gets confused, and switches from A/C to heat, back and forth.

I have an open case with FCA for several issues and just had my truck in the shop last week. They replaced the blower motor, and reprogramed the transmission again, and then told me that there is update to fix the Uconnect, but it is not available for the dealer to install it.

I get so frustrated because it seems like there is no diagnosis from mechanics anymore, if the computer says its good... then no problem found. There is no common sense being used. I don't know to blame the dealer or FCA.

Same thing going on with my climate control system. This morning it was 66F outside, have the system set on A/C (not auto) at 66F fan speed on 4.
Drivers side vent is blowing cool air and passenger side vent is blowing warm air. Both pass and driver climate sync at 66F.
Worse climate control system I've seen. I'm sure if I took it in to the dealer, they would say it was operating as designed. Not a happy camper.

 

[Willwork4truck]

You guys with this issue really should hop on over to the F150 forum and see what your cousins over there have been dealing with since, ohh, 2015...

2015 - Present Ford F150 General discussion on the latest generation Ford F150 truck.
Sticky Poll Cooling Seats issue and TSB feedback
View Poll Results: Cooling Seats - Are Your Seat Backs Working Properly?

Yes, I've got a good amount of cool air coming from both the back and bottom of the seat

216
15.30%

No, I've got just a hair of cold air coming from the seat back

369
26.13%
No, I've got no cool air coming from the seat back

778
55.10%

No cool air from seat back...waiting for updated parts from dealership

49
3.47%

(Now for the thread on it...)
(

1 2 3 ...Last Page)
Today 12:04 PM
by Jazzy-Jay
5,461 posts 1,284,880 views

Yep, a whopping 15.30% of respondents are satisfied with their F-150 cooled seats... Only over 5,000 posts about it, and several F150 owners have cobbled together kits to try and fix the issue. Ford has not stepped up yet, since 2015...

I think RAM has a bit of time to get their act together.

 

[moosem]

That's interesting and all but cooled seats are a luxury and A/C is a necessity that comes on every vehicle manufactured in the world today.

 

[Willwork4truck]

That's interesting and all but cooled seats are a luxury and A/C is a necessity that comes on every vehicle manufactured in the world today.

Yes AC is quite nice, having spent 20 years in Phoenix I'd agree to that. Being old enough to have not had it in vehicles, I can appreciate it even more.
RAM has an ac issue that has been shown on this forum, and there is a poster who has offered a hack to fix it. Will the 2020 RAM take care of the blend door issue? Will a TSB resolve it? I certainly hope so.
The point is, the grass isn't greener on the other side at all. Ford has had 4 years to address this and they never have.
I've had several Fords, still own one today. I've never had an FCA/Dodge/RAM product, ever, so I'm certainly no FCA/RAM fanboy. I just think giving them a bit of time to address it is allowable.

It doesn't take away anything from any owners discomfort, just saying that you have to let the process work, unless you want to apply the low dollar hack. From what I've read, the hack may well be a reasonable fix. What it does to your warranty, IDK, but likely nothing good.

 

[Jhill]

i was a dummy!! I bought my truck on 7-24-18 and it was baking hot! I noticed the a/c never seemed to cool like you would expect, but i just figured it was because it had just been started and never had a chance to really start cooling... wish i had stopped to think about it now....since i'm stuck with a deal breaking problem now

This will cool you off.......do at your own risk and don't cut factory hoses so you can remove when fix is available from FCA Ram engineers. 5/8" heater hose fits 3/4" Pex barb fittings perfectly. You have total control to flow and bypass.

 

[moosem]

Yes AC is quite nice, having spent 20 years in Phoenix I'd agree to that. Being old enough to have not had it in vehicles, I can appreciate it even more.
RAM has an ac issue that has been shown on this forum, and there is a poster who has offered a hack to fix it. Will the 2020 RAM take care of the blend door issue? Will a TSB resolve it? I certainly hope so.
The point is, the grass isn't greener on the other side at all. Ford has had 4 years to address this and they never have.
I've had several Fords, still own one today. I've never had an FCA/Dodge/RAM product, ever, so I'm certainly no FCA/RAM fanboy. I just think giving them a bit of time to address it is allowable.

It doesn't take away anything from any owners discomfort, just saying that you have to let the process work, unless you want to apply the low dollar hack. From what I've read, the hack may well be a reasonable fix. What it does to your warranty, IDK, but likely nothing good.

First RAM for me too, and I love it! Definitely has the "cool factor" that the other brands do not IMO.

I'm not ready to do the hack yet, but my AC performance definitely leaves a lot to be desired.

I am anxiously, yet patiently, waiting for a real fix from FCA. However, here in RI, we havent had any really hot days as of yet, so my attitude may change drastically come July!

 

[Jhill]

Yes AC is quite nice, having spent 20 years in Phoenix I'd agree to that. Being old enough to have not had it in vehicles, I can appreciate it even more.
RAM has an ac issue that has been shown on this forum, and there is a poster who has offered a hack to fix it. Will the 2020 RAM take care of the blend door issue? Will a TSB resolve it? I certainly hope so.
The point is, the grass isn't greener on the other side at all. Ford has had 4 years to address this and they never have.
I've had several Fords, still own one today. I've never had an FCA/Dodge/RAM product, ever, so I'm certainly no FCA/RAM fanboy. I just think giving them a bit of time to address it is allowable.

It doesn't take away anything from any owners discomfort, just saying that you have to let the process work, unless you want to apply the low dollar hack. From what I've read, the hack may well be a reasonable fix. What it does to your warranty, IDK, but likely nothing good.

If you add modification, do not cut factory hoses so you can restore truck back to stock without a trace. Do at your own risk! You can use Harbor Freight clamps to limit coolant loss on heater hoses while installing mod on a cooled down engine. Then take them off and enjoy cool AC!

 

[Willwork4truck]

First RAM for me too, and I love it! Definitely has the "cool factor" that the other brands do not IMO.

I'm not ready to do the hack yet, but my AC performance definitely leaves a lot to be desired.

I am anxiously, yet patiently, waiting for a real fix from FCA. However, here in RI, we havent had any really hot days as of yet, so my attitude may change drastically come July!

We've been in the 90's here with high 80's humidity (Raleigh NC) so it's been plenty warm. Maybe the missus and I are too used to what we felt in Phoenix, so we let the truck run 3-5 minutes on recirculate and then the inside temps are just fine in comparison. If not, trust me, she'd let me know.
About the only "hot time" I ever get anymore is out cooling down the truck...

 

[Jhill]

First RAM for me too, and I love it! Definitely has the "cool factor" that the other brands do not IMO.

I'm not ready to do the hack yet, but my AC performance definitely leaves a lot to be desired.

I am anxiously, yet patiently, waiting for a real fix from FCA. However, here in RI, we havent had any really hot days as of yet, so my attitude may change drastically come July!

Order parts and have them ready to go just in case. Remember when everyone use to add transmission coolers for towing? This is less invasive than that really. Just return to stock before any service work.

 

[Jhill]

Yes AC is quite nice, having spent 20 years in Phoenix I'd agree to that. Being old enough to have not had it in vehicles, I can appreciate it even more.
RAM has an ac issue that has been shown on this forum, and there is a poster who has offered a hack to fix it. Will the 2020 RAM take care of the blend door issue? Will a TSB resolve it? I certainly hope so.
The point is, the grass isn't greener on the other side at all. Ford has had 4 years to address this and they never have.
I've had several Fords, still own one today. I've never had an FCA/Dodge/RAM product, ever, so I'm certainly no FCA/RAM fanboy. I just think giving them a bit of time to address it is allowable.

It doesn't take away anything from any owners discomfort, just saying that you have to let the process work, unless you want to apply the low dollar hack. From what I've read, the hack may well be a reasonable fix. What it does to your warranty, IDK, but likely nothing good.

I bought a 2004 Dodge Cummins 2500 4x4 loaded Laramie brand new in November 2003, and I took it in for air bags recall recently and advisor couldn't believe it hadn't been to a dealer for service since 2005. (I had a dragging front wheel bearing back then). I said it only has 63k on it today but it has been trouble free for 16 years. Not even a check engine light and fit and finish was flawless. Paint has less orange peel than my new Rebel has. Ram has a good history with me.

 

[DraKhen99]

You guys with this issue really should hop on over to the F150 forum and see what your cousins over there have been dealing with since, ohh, 2015...

2015 - Present Ford F150 General discussion on the latest generation Ford F150 truck.
Sticky Poll Cooling Seats issue and TSB feedback
View Poll Results: Cooling Seats - Are Your Seat Backs Working Properly?

Yes, I've got a good amount of cool air coming from both the back and bottom of the seat

216
15.30%

No, I've got just a hair of cold air coming from the seat back

369
26.13%
No, I've got no cool air coming from the seat back

778
55.10%

No cool air from seat back...waiting for updated parts from dealership

49
3.47%

(Now for the thread on it...)
(

1 2 3 ...Last Page)
Today 12:04 PM
by Jazzy-Jay
5,461 posts 1,284,880 views

Yep, a whopping 15.30% of respondents are satisfied with their F-150 cooled seats... Only over 5,000 posts about it, and several F150 owners have cobbled together kits to try and fix the issue. Ford has not stepped up yet, since 2015...

I think RAM has a bit of time to get their act together.

SO TRUE! I had a 2015 F-150 prior to this RAM, and the seat cooling was sub-par in that truck. I had the professionally-made kit from SeatGuru (in the thread you mentioned), and even did a write-up with pictures on my automotive blog for his customers. It made a huge difference. I typically drive with a window cracked and a cigar going when I'm by myself, running the A/C on non-recirculate, so I'm used to being a little warm, and I find that the RAM, while not ice cold, is adequate for 90F+/80%rH days.

I remember a friend of mine telling me that A/C units could typically cool 30 degrees below ambient. Of course, that was residential so it may be different, but if the air can get down to 55-60 degrees on a super hot day, then I count that as a win. Trucks have large cabins to cool. I am 100% NOT discounting those of you who have an issue with the stock cooling, just sharing.

I'll take warmer-than-expected A/C over all the issues my 2015 F-150 had, for sure!

-John

 

[chalin]

First RAM for me too, and I love it! Definitely has the "cool factor" that the other brands do not IMO.

I'm not ready to do the hack yet, but my AC performance definitely leaves a lot to be desired.

I am anxiously, yet patiently, waiting for a real fix from FCA. However, here in RI, we havent had any really hot days as of yet, so my attitude may change drastically come July!

Sorry, don't mean to be negative but what makes you guys think FCA will fix this? I filed a case and the response was "operating as designed". That response doesn't sound like "we're working on it".

 

[Billet1500 4x4]

SO TRUE! I had a 2015 F-150 prior to this RAM, and the seat cooling was sub-par in that truck. I had the professionally-made kit from SeatGuru (in the thread you mentioned), and even did a write-up with pictures on my automotive blog for his customers. It made a huge difference. I typically drive with a window cracked and a cigar going when I'm by myself, running the A/C on non-recirculate, so I'm used to being a little warm, and I find that the RAM, while not ice cold, is adequate for 90F+/80%rH days.

I remember a friend of mine telling me that A/C units could typically cool 30 degrees below ambient. Of course, that was residential so it may be different, but if the air can get down to 55-60 degrees on a super hot day, then I count that as a win. Trucks have large cabins to cool. I am 100% NOT discounting those of you who have an issue with the stock cooling, just sharing.

I'll take warmer-than-expected A/C over all the issues my 2015 F-150 had, for sure!

-John

A typical house hold air conditioner would be somewhere around 3 to 4 ton capacity for the average house. Homes are well insulated and the total R value for a home is a lot higher than a car meaning the amount of heat allowed to pass through into the house is small, a 30 degree delta is really all that is needed. For a vehicle like a full size truck the R value is pretty low because there is no insulation, a lot of single pane windows and ambient heat and radiation passes quickly from the exterior into the vehicle so a typical mobile ac unit also has a capacity somewhere between 3 tons and 4 tons and can discharge air with a delta of 50 to 60 degrees depending on the humidity levels, anything smaller wouldn't be able to handle the heat load. Typically mobile ac system are designed around 10 or more different heat transfer values which account for all the exterior heat as well as interior heat loads generated by the electronics and occupants of the car. Most people wouldn't guess that the AC unit in their car is as powerful as the one on their home.

 

[Flot]

I was the OP on this thread and have been living with mediocre A/C for a year.
There’s no reason to give Ram a pass on this one. For those of us with A/C problems, the blend door or airbox design appears to have problems. Stopping the flow of coolant to the heater core results in ice cold “normal modern vehicle” air conditioning under all conditions, just like the other 2 vehicles in my driveway and just like my 2011 Ram.

Of course I would _never_ alter the coolant flow on my own truck in case Ram decided it created a warranty issue. Never. Never ever. Not with those clamps from harbor freight that look like they would work just great.

I’m hoping to get a USB inspection camera to take a look in there and see what I can see. That would be the next best step to debug. Might also help solve the random “outside air noises” people get on long highway trips.

 

[moosem]

Sorry, don't mean to be negative but what makes you guys think FCA will fix this? I filed a case and the response was "operating as designed". That response doesn't sound like "we're working on it".

Hoping.

 

[DraKhen99]

A typical house hold air conditioner would be somewhere around 3 to 4 ton capacity for the average house. Homes are well insulated and the total R value for a home is a lot higher than a car meaning the amount of heat allowed to pass through into the house is small, a 30 degree delta is really all that is needed. For a vehicle like a full size truck the R value is pretty low because there is no insulation, a lot of single pane windows and ambient heat and radiation passes quickly from the exterior into the vehicle so a typical mobile ac unit also has a capacity somewhere between 3 tons and 4 tons and can discharge air with a delta of 50 to 60 degrees depending on the humidity levels, anything smaller wouldn't be able to handle the heat load. Typically mobile ac system are designed around 10 or more different heat transfer values which account for all the exterior heat as well as interior heat loads generated by the electronics and occupants of the car. Most people wouldn't guess that the AC unit in their car is as powerful as the one on their home.

Thanks! That makes a lot of sense.

-John

 

[GM convert]

It’s actually an ac filter dryer they are replacing per bulletin.

 

[trook]

It’s actually an ac filter dryer they are replacing per bulletin.

Would it be possible to give us the bulletin number?

 

[jdmartin]

We've been in the 90's here with high 80's humidity (Raleigh NC) so it's been plenty warm. Maybe the missus and I are too used to what we felt in Phoenix, so we let the truck run 3-5 minutes on recirculate and then the inside temps are just fine in comparison. If not, trust me, she'd let me know.
About the only "hot time" I ever get anymore is out cooling down the truck...

I wonder the same thing. My AC seems to be by and large just fine. It doesn't "feel" as cold coming out of the vents as some other vehicles I've had, but within a few minutes it's cold enough inside the cab that I start turning it down. Once all the built-up heat in the truck is removed the cabin of this truck is as cool as any other vehicle I have/have had.

I don't place a lot of confidence in just measuring vent temperature, as it's really going to be a product of the differential between what's out and in. I have a bunch of rental houses with heat pumps and we get this complaint from tenants all the time - "The air coming out of the vents is cold". No, it's not "cold", it's just colder than your body temperature (98.5 or thereabouts). They don't understand that heat pumps are air conditioning in reverse, with the same principal. They think they take a house they let get down to 62 degrees while they were working (to save on electric bill) and get it back up to 72 in 15 minutes with a heat pump. It doesn't work like that, and AC systems are the same scenario.

I'm not discrediting the work done here already regarding the blend door and set up. It looks like some enterprising people have found a pretty easy solution to get more cold air for themselves. I think the problem is that the system doesn't work the way people think it should work, whether that's by design or mistake, and that's making people upset. It's relatively simple to find out if the AC system will cool down a vehicle in a reasonable amount of time.

 

[2wd]

It’s actually an ac filter dryer they are replacing per bulletin.

If you can post a screenshot of that bulletin and the work done when completed (assuming you notice an improvement), that would be helpful! Thanks!