Mr.Blonde

Well, the hot weather is here and my air is not working very well. I have taken the truck in and they replaced the evap coil sensor and it still is blowing very warm air out of the passenger side vents. So I took it back and the dealer came back and said, "this is normal." They came back with Solution Number K4700644.

Vehicle Issue: With the air conditioning on, the drivers side blows approximately 10 degrees colder air than the passengers side
Year: 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002
Model: DR- Ram Pickup
Category: Customer Concern (No DTCs)
System or Component:Air Conditioning, Climate Control
Sympton:Erratic operation / Fluctuates. blows warm air , No cold air
Region:Right ,upper, Interior
Driver Input/ Vehicle Operation: A/C is on
Condition Verification: Yes - Intermittent, Yes - Continuously, No- Condition Never Duplicated
Case Verification: Vehilce is equipped with a single zone climate control system. There are no codes setting. The air conditioning system charge has the correct charge.
Recommendation:Up to 12 degrees difference in temperature from side to side is normal.
Modification Date: 1/24/05 9:50 AM

This is crazy. I never had a problem before and now they say there is nothing they can do. The truck used to be an ice box and now it never cools down on a warm day!

I bought this truck because of the reputation of the Cummins diesel and that is about the only thing going for this truck. I have had it in the shop several time for HVAC problems, reprogramming, and transmission is a POS (hate the way it shifts).

I have posted a pic of a test that I ran in my driveway. I placed a food probe in the drivers side upper vent and one in the passenger side vent. Here you can see the drivers side is at 61F and the passenger is at 77F. I will post the link as soon as the pic is approved.

Are others out there having this problem? If so, what do I need to do to get this fixed?

Hounddog

On going issue since the 3 gs came out.I also have this issue as does MANY others.Lot of posts and threads on this site and on TDR.Call 1-800-992-1997 and start a file! .I did the other day,only takes a few minutes. Did they do a evacuate and recharge or just a check? If the system is just a HAIR low the cooling gets really poor. Ac cooling on these trucks is poor and the left to right differance is not acceptable.Its NORMAL because THEY don't know what to do about it I think.Interesting FACT just posted on TDR by CobraJET on a ac test with a Mega Cab,Ford f150 and a f350 was that the F150 holds 34ozs of freon the f350 40ozs and the DODGE holds 30ozs. The Dodge on recir in mid 90 degree heat was mid 50 degree vent temps the Fords were in the low to mid 40s. Besides that when stopping and starting off the Dodge right side vents have a surge of hot ambient air pouring out of it.

MikeyB

The usual procedure for testing the A/C is to bring the idle up to 1000rpms and have sometype of fan blowing into the condenser.
Is the cooling fan running with the A/C on at idle? Could be the clutch is giving out and causing poor A/C performance at idle.

MikeyB

J BODY

Maybe I'll be the creator of a new TSB. I could also throw in a window tint package and make some "Big Cool" badges for the door .

Hounddog

They have poor performance at 70mph!

MikeyB

Not mine. Running at 70mph on recirc will freeze my rear off.

MikeyB

Mr.Blonde

Today I called the DC 800 number and reported my issue and they said there was nothing they could do. I then called the dealer and asked them if they had checked EVERYTHING. They said "YES". So I guess it's time to take matters into my own hands. I stopped by AZ and bought a can of R-134a and the Interdynamics recharge gun with the guage. Upon first hooking up the guage the system was reading 20 psi (which is in the green=low). I then proceeded to add the entire can and took it up to about 33 psi. And now for the results.....

Outside temp: 92F
A/C setting: Recycle, fan on 3rd setting
Speed: 60mph
Driver side: 42F
Pass side: 48F

Now that's how I remember it working. I can live with that!

Also, I bought the R-134a with the UV leak detector so later on tonight I'll be checking for leaks.

RVT223

My truck does exactly the same thing. How much did that get up from AZ cost? And what is a normal charge of R134a on the 05's?
Thanks,
Sam

Mr.Blonde

The recharger was $19.99 and the R-134a was $10.99.

MikeyB

FYI, at 90 degrees ambient the low side should be 30-40psi and the high side 250-350psi.

MikeyB

kwpatton

Ok, while you guys are on the subject of A/C I was wondering if any of you guys have noticed a problem with your fan control switch. I have noticed that when I have been driving for over and hour or so if the A/C on the third setting it only feels like it is blowing on the first setting. So then I turn it on the fourth setting and it still feels like the first setting. I noticed this last year when I first bought the truck and it is still doing it this year. On Sunday when this happen again I briefly turn the A/C off for about five minutes and then turned it back on and the blower motor was working properly. Any idea what might be causing this?

MikeyB

The evaporator is freezing up causing a blockage in airflow.
Most likely your A/C is low on freon.

MikeyB

Mr.Blonde

I had the same problem with air just trickling out of all vent on a 2.5 hour trip. I had to turn the air on/off to get it to work again. The dealer replaced the evap sensor in an attempt to fix the problem. I'm not sure if this actually fixed the problem. I like MikeyB's solution.

My question to kwpatton, what are the air temps coming out of your vents?

kwpatton

I will have to get the air temps and go from there. I know the PS is warmer.

Shanevrr

FYI when i charge a system i go by superheat or air discharge temp. i rarely go by recommended charging OZ. i also check pressure with about 2000rpm.

kwpatton / low pressure switch could be bad, causing compressor to never shut off. then evap will freez up.