Active Grille shutters

[vpatrol]

Hi folks,

New poster here. 2019 ram 1500. I'm getting an intermittent cel for the active grille shutters. They've always remained open even when light is on so I have ignored light. Being intermittent, could it just be a bad ground causing signal to be lost? Is it easy to check? I'm not great with electrical gremlins. Can it be checked without pulling the shutters out?

Thanks for any help you can offer

 

[mikeru]

First just to clarify. Is your 2019 a 5th gen 1500 (DT) or is it a 1500 Classic (DS)? This is important because a problem with the Active Air Dam (AAD) on 5th gens can also cause the cel for Active Grille Shutters (AGS). If it's a 5th gen try unplugging the AAD, reset the trouble codes, and see if it throws another code for AGS.

 

[ibike]

What code is it throwing? Mine was u11e9 which was a communication error. Unplugging the AAD would clear the code and allow the shutters to perform the self test. Within a few seconds after starting the shutters should close and open back up to locate its position. I’ve got a new AAD coming next week for the fix.

 

[GTyankee]

check the shutters to see if they are all in place, especially the one closest to the actuator

this videos explains everything about the AGS System

Ram Truck Code: P1D73 AGS (Active Grill Shutter) performance

Please use the following link when ever using Amazon.com. Any purchases you make on Amazon will help support this channel.http://amzn.to/2mALgqSEveryone love...

www.youtube.com

actually this mechanic made a follow up video too

 

[vpatrol]

What code is it throwing? Mine was u11e9 which was a communication error. Unplugging the AAD would clear the code and allow the shutters to perform the self test. Within a few seconds after starting the shutters should close and open back up to locate its position. I’ve got a new AAD coming next week for the fix.

Same code. Where is AAD? I haven't had to work on the truck previously so you'll have to treat me like a beginner with Ram specific terms. Thanks.

 

[ibike]

Automatic air dam. Drops down under the front when you go past 35mph. Seems to be a common failure at least on my 2020 ram.

 

[ibike]

If you’ve got the aad, pull the little white tab back, then pull the plug out. Get someone to start the truck while you look through the grill and see if your louvres close then open back up. (Self test to let the computer know position of louvres)
If they close and open, I think the mil will clear on its own. Even with the AAD plug pulled.

 

[ibike]

Hi folks,

New poster here. 2019 ram 1500. I'm getting an intermittent cel for the active grille shutters. They've always remained open even when light is on so I have ignored light. Being intermittent, could it just be a bad ground causing signal to be lost? Is it easy to check? I'm not great with electrical gremlins. Can it be checked without pulling the shutters out?

Thanks for any help you can offer

Got my new Automatic air dam in and took her for a drive. HEALED! Drove it about 400 miles yesterday and even got 21mpg. The old one seems seized up compared to the new one. Paid $450 from the dealership. Four 13mm nuts and one connector. Ten minute fix.

 

[ibike]

Took the AAD motor apart to seek the answer why it quit working and to see if it was fixable. If the pcb board is bad the answer for me is no. I suspect the rusty screw gear is the real cause that this unit failed. The tiny motor just didn’t have the guts to get past the rust. This Ram spent at least 7000 miles of its life in New Jersey then moved to Arizona and now resides in Tennessee. It looks like they drove it down the beach or maybe through the ocean. Who knows? But now the AGS fault has been cleared by replacing the AAD. Thought I’d post a pic in case someone wanted to fix it instead of buying a +$495 AAD.

 

[Dean2]

Interesting. Be useful to see if cleaning up the screw gets it working again.

 

[vpatrol]

If you’ve got the aad, pull the little white tab back, then pull the plug out. Get someone to start the truck while you look through the grill and see if your louvres close then open back up. (Self test to let the computer know position of louvres)
If they close and open, I think the mil will clear on its own. Even with the AAD plug pulled.

Louvres worked fine when I disconnected the air dam. Does that generally point to the air dam as the culprit? SAme code as you had

 

[ibike]

That is what fixed mine. The trouble shooting matrix says yes that is your problem too. I bought a one month alldata subscription and it walked me right to the aad being the problem.

 

[ibike]

It actually does help with the gas mileage. Gave me an easy 20mpg after replacing it. When it was causing the fault code I went down to 17mpg. Unplugged I was getting 18mpg. I have a mixed driving of 45mph to 80 mph. Some rural and some interstate.

 

[mikeru]

It actually does help with the gas mileage. Gave me an easy 20mpg after replacing it. When it was causing the fault code I went down to 17mpg. Unplugged I was getting 18mpg. I have a mixed driving of 45mph to 80 mph. Some rural and some interstate.

Your observations don't line up with what I've seen. I've removed both the fixed and active air dams from three different 5th gens and we saw no discernible difference in fuel economy on any of them. Lots of other owners have posted similar comments saying they didn't see any difference, in another 5th gen forum. 3 mpg is significant. I'd have reinstalled them if I'd noticed even a 1 mpg difference.

 

[Dean2]

I find that hard to believe. I've removed both the fixed and active air dams from three different 5th gens and we saw no discernible difference in fuel economy on any of them. Lots of other owners have posted similar comments saying they didn't see any difference in another 5th gen forum. 3 mpg is significant. I'd have reinstalled them if I'd noticed even a 1 mpg difference. Something else had to have affected your fuel economy.

Wind resistance on pickups is a huge deal. On my brothers 2014 1500 with the 5.7, it squatted badly when loaded with a quad and all his hunting gear and got it terrible gas mileage compared to running empty. We attributed the lousy mileage it to the load. However, becuase he hated the squatted in the rear appearnace we installed air bags in the rear so he could level things back out when loaded. Mileage with the same load went up 4-5 mpg at highway speeds after we put in air bags and got the front end back in proper trim angle. I would have never believed it if I had not seen it myself.

 

[ibike]

Your observations don't line up with what I've seen. I've removed both the fixed and active air dams from three different 5th gens and we saw no discernible difference in fuel economy on any of them. Lots of other owners have posted similar comments saying they didn't see any difference, in another 5th gen forum. 3 mpg is significant. I'd have reinstalled them if I'd noticed even a 1 mpg difference.

That’s why I attempted to qualify my gas mileage with a description of my driving experience. I do try to drive in a manner that will improve my mileage. I do drive like a grandpa but there are time I like the feeling of horsepower. 400hp is a good feeling

 

[mikeru]

Wind resistance on pickups is a huge deal. On my brothers 2014 1500 with the 5.7, it squatted badly when loaded with a quad and all his hunting gear and got it terrible gas mileage compared to running empty. We attributed the lousy mileage it to the load. However, becuase he hated the squatted in the rear appearnace we installed air bags in the rear so he could level things back out when loaded. Mileage with the same load went up 4-5 mpg at highway speeds after we put in air bags and got the front end back in proper trim angle. I would have never believed it if I had not seen it myself.

I agree. Wind resistance is a huge deal. Changing the angle of attack like your brother did can make a huge difference. Which is why they make these trucks with a small rake. I wanted to test fuel economy on my own with and without the front air dams. My daily drives consist of about 90% highway and 10% town driving. I see a bigger difference in fuel economy just by changing that to 80/20 than when I removed the air dams. It's been a couple years since I tested that and I don't remember the actual numbers, but I remember that it was less than .5 mpg. That told me the front air dams don't affect wind resistance enough to make much of a difference. I have no doubt that they help slightly. Auto makers don't just add things like that without a reason, and in a wind tunnel they probably do make a difference. But having the extra front bumper clearance is worth more than the minuscule increase in fuel economy. Not to mention how much better these trucks look without them IMO.

 

[Tulecreeper]

That’s why I attempted to qualify my gas mileage with a description of my driving experience. I do try to drive in a manner that will improve my mileage. I do drive like a grandpa but there are time I like the feeling of horsepower. 400hp is a good feeling

I don't know a single person who bought a pickup because they thought they would get better gas mileage - or even gave MPG much of a thought. And everybody I know owns a pickup. We buy pickups so we can tow our bass boats and RV's that can't be towed with a Prius. We don't buy them so we can lift them and add a bunch of stuff that does nothing to add to towing or hauling ability, and then never take them off the asphalt. Gas could go up to $10 a gallon and it wouldn't change the way I drive.

 

[GTyankee]

Looking at the image of the disassembled drive gear.

The screw like part, seems to have whitish plastic gears on it
those gears look damaged



It reminds me of the HVAC actuator

2009 Dodge RAM 1500 Blend Door repair

Two options to fix the clicking blend doors on your Dodge Pickup. One option allows you to fix the issue at no charge. The other option shows one actuator ...

www.youtube.com

 

[ramffml]

Looking at the image of the disassembled drive gear.

The screw like part, seems to have whitish plastic gears on it
those gears look damaged

View attachment 523498

It reminds me of the HVAC actuator

2009 Dodge RAM 1500 Blend Door repair

Two options to fix the clicking blend doors on your Dodge Pickup. One option allows you to fix the issue at no charge. The other option shows one actuator ...

www.youtube.com

Plastic gears on a $50,000 truck