Air Conditioning

[danburch73]

Does anyone else have any issues with the A/C not blowing hard enough?? It seems to get cool enough but just doesn't blow adequately enough to keep the cab cool.
Btw, 2006 Megacab

Thanks in advance

 

[Core-Lokt]

What do you mean when you say "not blowing adequately enough"? Do you mean you think there's a blower issue, as in you can tell it's not working like it used to? Do you mean airflow is impeded, as in the blower is spinning away, but airflow seems restricted?

I'm guessing it's the latter and it's malfunctioning HVAC door actuators or more likely the doors themselves-especially if they're original. It's a pretty involved process to repair it right, and only marginally less so to do a hack job, depending upon which doors.

 

[usaf2006]

On my 06, the recirculation door broke, falling down on the blower motor, blocking air flow. The blower motor is under the dash in the passenger foot well, held on by three screws. Take it out and peek up there to see if it's blocked.

 

[danburch73]

Thanks for the response!
I just bought the truck last week, so in comparison to previous vehicles it just seems like, even with the fan on max that I should have more air coming out of the vents, and this truck has little vents for the rear also and practically nothing comes out of them. The fan is on and I do get air just not as much as I would expect. I will see what the dealer says, but I'm sure I know how that will go!! The truck only has 73k on it and doesn't appear to have been mis-treated.

Thanks again

 

[usaf2006]

Nice looking truck. Got a Philips head screw driver available? Go take it out now. Takes less than five minutes. Don't go to the dealer! They'll charge you something crazy. It's literally one electrical plug and three screws.

 

[usaf2006]

Any updates?

 

[danburch73]

I'm going to get to it today, it's a bit hot here and I need to hydrate up before trying to pull it out. If I wait til this afternoon my driveway may be shaded a little!! Thanx for the help and I will let you know the results.

 

[usaf2006]

I hear ya. It's been steady 95* here with heat index of 102-108. Yay humidity! At least it's dry there lol When I was in Phoenix last, it was 118* both days, felt nice though.

 

[danburch73]

Well, its 105 here but I went out to check! I didn't see anything blocking the motor. Maybe it's doors further in the system that aren't opening properly.
I guess I will keep troubleshooting!!

 

[usaf2006]

It's probably the blend door then. I think there's an upper and lower, so maybe those broke. It could also be the actuators for the doors themselves. If you have a voltmeter, you could check to see if they're getting power to eliminate if the door is broken or the actuator itself.

 

[usaf2006]

The actuators are pretty cheap on Rockauto. But if it's the doors, there's a website called heater treater (i think), that sells metal doors to permanently fix the problem rather than replacing them with plastic ones again.

 

[JustDoug]

Just had similar issue with my 2011 Ram 3500. Since there is no cabin filter on this model that could not be the problem. Other discussions have hinted at problems with the RECIRC door being broken and/or disconnected and it was blocking the air flow. In my case, none of these was the issue. Mine was MUD. That's right, caked on MUD. I had been running in fresh air mode, not recirculate, and with high enough humidity and a very cold A/C, I was getting too much dirt in the air intake. Humidity (water) on the condenser and dirt being sucked in equals MUD. Had to have the dash pulled to remove the entire duct system and then had the mud cleaned out. I have a video I can attach if you are interested. Who'da thunk it? Good luck with yours.

 

[usaf2006]

That's awesome lol. Sorry for your troubles

 

[danburch73]

I know this sounds stupid but where would I hook the volt meter to see if the actuators are working??

This truck is pretty clean and we don't have much humidity out here in the desert, so I don't think that is the problem!! Crazy though, I would have never thought of that!!

 

[usaf2006]

This is even more stupid, but I don't know lol. Let me try with a free volt meter I got from harbor freight

 

[usaf2006]

Yeah with the lack of instructions, idk how to work it lol

 

[Core-Lokt]

I know this sounds stupid but where would I hook the volt meter to see if the actuators are working??

This truck is pretty clean and we don't have much humidity out here in the desert, so I don't think that is the problem!! Crazy though, I would have never thought of that!!

It's very possible to have a clogged evaporator core.

As far as testing actuators, that is not something altogether easy, because they are hidden behind the dash. So, you literally have to pull the dash to get at some. If you're in that far, you'd be wise to just replace the cores and doors.

EDIT: If it is the doors, look at http://www.ramforum.com/f76/heater_treater_doors-84186/

If you do determine you have a door problem, there's two methods to repair. One is conventional dash pull/open plenum/re-install with optional replacement of all doors (recommended) and both cores (recommended). It goes without saying to test the actuators before re-installation.

The other way is the Heater Treater door replacement method. This involves cutting open the plenum and repairing with foil tape. In the link, you'll see that member JPT's truck had part of the dash frame cut/welded in a hybrid install to access the door and still had the tape patch. That said, you can use Heater Treater doors (recommended) in the conventional installation method, as I did. FWIW, Chris with Heater Treater said the actuators seldom go bad. But when you buy a full door kit, they include a 9V jumper so you can test the actuators.

 

[Core-Lokt]

Yeah with the lack of instructions, idk how to work it lol

Red lead to red port

Black Lead to black port

Dial should have AC and DC positions; DC is probably on Left side

Place on lowest setting (might be 20/200/600)

If you see some odd number (say you know it's a 12V circuit), it's a divisor of the setting

 

[usaf2006]

If you pull out the glove box, you can see a few of them, and it's just a few tabs to get the box out.

 

[danburch73]

Ugh... I've got so many more problems now!! I may have to return this truck under lemon laws, but I don't want to, if they will fix it I really like the truck!!!
So frustrating!!