Air conditioning performance

[Devlin]

I hadn't noticed the difference in A/C performance until I spent a week in a '19 Ram 1500 "Classic" while my truck was unsuccessfully being repaired for the brake squeal, A/C noise and downshift bump issues. The A/C in that truck was FREEZING me out. Then I got back in my truck where I enjoyed a far superior ride but with a much less than adequate A/C. The second dealership I took the truck to acknowledged that the new Ram had a recirculating fresh air door issue that many had reported. At highway speeds you would often hear the rushing sound of air on the passenger's side with a noticeable temperature increase for a short period of time. My adviser told me that they believe the door is being held slightly open by the pressure from the outside air intake, and as far as he knows there is no fix for it. The first dealership told me I was crazy and there was no issue, so at least the second dealership admitted they knew of the problem. But the end result is still "sucks to be you". I get annoyed just thinking about it........

I've had that same sound of rushing air on the passenger side. I hadn't seen anyone else post about it, but glad to hear I'm not the only one. Also have poor A/C performance.

 

[RAM#2]

I hadn't noticed the difference in A/C performance until I spent a week in a '19 Ram 1500 "Classic" while my truck was unsuccessfully being repaired for the brake squeal, A/C noise and downshift bump issues. The A/C in that truck was FREEZING me out. Then I got back in my truck where I enjoyed a far superior ride but with a much less than adequate A/C. The second dealership I took the truck to acknowledged that the new Ram had a recirculating fresh air door issue that many had reported. At highway speeds you would often hear the rushing sound of air on the passenger's side with a noticeable temperature increase for a short period of time. My adviser told me that they believe the door is being held slightly open by the pressure from the outside air intake, and as far as he knows there is no fix for it. The first dealership told me I was crazy and there was no issue, so at least the second dealership admitted they knew of the problem. But the end result is still "sucks to be you". I get annoyed just thinking about it........

I to am having this issue and also have come to the same conclusion. If fact while on a trip home from FL a few weeks ago My Recirc indicator would actually go out as the speed of the air coming in was forcing the vents open occasionally (I was doing 75 into a slight head wind). Resetting the switch would reset the vent positions.

 

[ac1dd]

I to am having this issue and also have come to the same conclusion. If fact while on a trip home from FL a few weeks ago My Recirc indicator would actually go out as the speed of the air coming in was forcing the vents open occasionally (I was doing 75 into a slight head wind). Resetting the switch would reset the vent positions.

Pretty sure that the occasional system turning the recirc off is designed that way, it's safety measure to keep the air from getting stale or contaminated with CO. I'm sure the way it functions can be changed with the FCA scan tool
but the dealers won't do it for liability reasons. Best bet is to see if an independent shop will change the operation so that it stays on at all times when the recirc button is set to on.

 

[TX_Phil]

I've had that same sound of rushing air on the passenger side. I hadn't seen anyone else post about it, but glad to hear I'm not the only one. Also have poor A/C performance.

Noticed this same brief wind noise. I assumed it was related to the louvers opening / closing to let fresh air into the engine compartment. what was described above makes more sense. I have the Lonestar L2 trim with cloth seats and panoramic sunroof. The ac is not ice cold but not bad like others described. I just blamed it on black interior and Texas summer heat. Guess I need to keep a closer eye on this thread.

Sent from my SM-T230NU using Tapatalk

 

[Jack]

Does anyone know if 2020 Ram solves this?

 

[Dusty1948]

Does anyone know if 2020 Ram solves this?

Haven't heard anything about air conditioning issues in quite a while, then again I wouldn't expect much news this time of the year.

The last time I had a discussion about this with my tech. back in September of '18 he indicated that the few issues they had at the dealership appeared to be the result of an under charged system in early builds.

Best regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33 gallon fuel tank, factory dual exhaust, 18” wheels. Build date: 17 July 2018. Now at: 027519 miles.

 

[ldoh]

Does anyone know if 2020 Ram solves this?

Unless we knew someone at the factory, there's really no way of knowing until summer rolls around. FCA has denied the issue all along so I wouldn't expect them to add the cost or risk of an a/c design or production change.

One can always minimize the a/c load by avoiding the pano roof and/or ordering quad or regular cab. The latter options really stink for families. Worst case scenario, the a/c hack is relatively cheap, easy and so far guaranteed to be effective.

 

[Willwork4truck]

Doubt RAM has fixed it, you'd see any TSB or approved fix here

Theres no issues in Dec-Jan though!

 

[ZonaRam44]

I bought my 2019 Ram in June and the AC was lacking to say the least in the 110* weather. Now its winter and I have the opposite problem, the heat is way too hot. It's been around 45-50 degrees out when I leave for work in the morning. I have the heated seat and steering wheel on and I turn on the heater as well. I first had the heater on fan speed 1, with upper and lower vents open at 70 degree heat. It was very hot! I had to turn the temp down to 68 to be comfortable with the same vent settings. To me, this confirms there is a blend door issue. I doubt there will be a recall as its not a safty issue, so I guess I'll suffer for the next 4+ years until my warranty is up and then add a valve.

 

[nlicalsi91]

Im about to go from a 2015 JKU Sahara with a black soft top and black leather interior to a Delmonico Red Laramie without the Pano sunroof. I expect it to feel the same inside the Ram as the wrangler in the summer after reading all this. At least I will soon have ventilated seats

 

[MassHoleRam]

I was having the A/C issue like everyone else here and the dealer kept saying the same crap “performing as designed”. Just recently I brought my truck in for service and told them if they don’t fix the list of issues I’m going to crush them on the survey and google because I’m tired of it. Would you believe they found a broken blend door allowing heat to mix with the A/C. I haven’t been able to officially test in the summer but I will report back when I do.

 

[Edwards]

I was having the A/C issue like everyone else here and the dealer kept saying the same crap “performing as designed”. Just recently I brought my truck in for service and told them if they don’t fix the list of issues I’m going to crush them on the survey and google because I’m tired of it. Would you believe they found a broken blend door allowing heat to mix with the A/C. I haven’t been able to officially test in the summer but I will report back when I do.

Can you post the description on the work order or get any additional info from them? If we could get a clue on how to check ourselves, that would go a long way to making many happy owners. There has got to be a way to snake a camera into the system and lay eyes on this blend door.

 

[ramhead]

Doubt RAM has fixed it, you'd see any TSB or approved fix here

Theres no issues in Dec-Jan though!

As someone pointed out upthread, FCA will never admit to it being an issue and go through the massive expense of fixing it on Rams already out there with issues but they may have quietly made a change to the operation of the a/c system/blend doors, etc. in newer builds. They would simply call it a design change or alteration. It's not a safety thing which would require a recall or even a "tangible" defect like a water leak, engine noise, UConnect issue and so on to which they'd have to warranty repair. There was a limited TSB (NUMBER: 24-001-19) for newer Rams with owners complaining of improper or too warm A/C but their fix was to reflash the software/HVAC module.

There was no mechanical or physical issue mentioned nor authorized to be repaired....which, many believe to be a design flaw in the blend door system. That would require a physical teardown inside every truck and new parts/labor costs which FCA would have to shoulder and will do everything possible to avoid the admission that there is a problem.

 

[Jack]

As someone pointed out upthread, FCA will never admit to it being an issue and go through the massive expense of fixing it on Rams already out there with issues but they may have quietly made a change to the operation of the a/c system/blend doors, etc. in newer builds. They would simply call it a design change or alteration. It's not a safety thing which would require a recall or even a "tangible" defect like a water leak, engine noise, UConnect issue and so on to which they'd have to warranty repair. There was a limited TSB (NUMBER: 24-001-19) for newer Rams with owners complaining of improper or too warm A/C but their fix was to reflash the software/HVAC module.

There was no mechanical or physical issue mentioned nor authorized to be repaired....which, many believe to be a design flaw in the blend door system. That would require a physical teardown inside every truck and new parts/labor costs which FCA would have to shoulder and will do everything possible to avoid the admission that there is a problem.

I was having the A/C issue like everyone else here and the dealer kept saying the same crap “performing as designed”. Just recently I brought my truck in for service and told them if they don’t fix the list of issues I’m going to crush them on the survey and google because I’m tired of it. Would you believe they found a broken blend door allowing heat to mix with the A/C. I haven’t been able to officially test in the summer but I will report back when I do.

Can you post the fix?

 

[ac1dd]

Can you post the fix?

Yes, even speak to the tech that worked on it! Sometimes the RO or service writer won't understand the mechanical aspects of what you are talking about. Talk to the tech if possible and ask him EXACTLY what he did. Thanks

 

[2wd]

Warm day today so I ran the AC for a 20 minute drive.

Ambient Temp outside, 72F, Sunny

Settings:

AC, Recirc On, Lowest/Coldest Setting.

Fan speed 6 out of 7

Driver Temp 53F, Passenger Temp 45F.

Looks like I definitely have a blend door issue on the drivers side.

 

[2wd]

I'm pretty happy with 45 degrees out of the passenger side. If it weren't for the blend door/heater core leak, I would have a satisfactory AC.

Whats puzzling however is there are reports of folks WITHOUT the dual zone climate with poor AC. Now most of them are measuring out of just the driver's vents, so it's unclear if it;s a blend door, crack in the ductwork, or something else.

For me, I've got good temps passanger but 8-10 degrees higher on the driver.

I picked up a boroscope to explore the ductwork. I'll post some pics if I get some good ones. The dream scenario is a find a blend door that won't close all the way for the drivers side, and I can pull it into place with the boroscope hook attachment.

Is there a way to reset the hvac/climate control calibration that anyone is aware of?

 

[moosem]

I'm pretty happy with 45 degrees out of the passenger side. If it weren't for the blend door/heater core leak, I would have a satisfactory AC.

Whats puzzling however is there are reports of folks WITHOUT the dual zone climate with poor AC. Now most of them are measuring out of just the driver's vents, so it's unclear if it;s a blend door, crack in the ductwork, or something else.

For me, I've got good temps passanger but 8-10 degrees higher on the driver.

I picked up a boroscope to explore the ductwork. I'll post some pics if I get some good ones. The dream scenario is a find a blend door that won't close all the way for the drivers side, and I can pull it into place with the boroscope hook attachment.

Is there a way to reset the hvac/climate control calibration that anyone is aware of?

I have standard HVAC (non-climate control) and mine is ~8-10 degrees warmer out of the drivers vent.

 

[2wd]

I have standard HVAC (non-climate control) and mine is ~8-10 degrees warmer out of the drivers vent.

Thanks for this info!

What that tells me, is that the issue is likely NOT a dual climate blend door, as your standard climate truck shouldn't have dual climate zone doors.

It's a leak then from the heater core getting into the drivers side only somehow, likely not door dual climate blend door related.

 

[JJRamTX]

I just had a 2019 1500 Classic rental while my Truck was at the Dealership, and I can say when I got my truck back today the A/C is colder than before and also colder than the 1500 Classic Rental. They did a slew of Software updates and put in a new 12V battery under warranty (I am at 34,650 miles, so I am just about to run out of warranty) and all is working perfectly now. I am suspicious of the Tazer not going into sleep mode and draining my battery so I haven't re-installed it yet.

Today was the first time that I had to turn the A/C down due to feeling too cold since I owned the truck (1 year and 3 months) which could be due to the software updates or finally the compressor being fully broken in.