Air suspension and cold weather

[Davidkjs1]

I have a 2013 Longhorn. Suspension dropped right down to the the bumpstops. Truck rubs on the front tires now so I am unable to even drive to the dealership. Currently Temp is -37 celsius -49 with windchill (Before people start saying of course it froze up, this happens as warm as -23 -24 which is not an unusual winter temp here) . My question is what do you guys do to be able to drive in the winter. Even if in a heated garage overnight as soon as I start driving it goes to ****. Just spent over 2 grand on the air system last winter. Is this going to be an ongoing issue every winter? Another case of a truck marketed to handle Canadas conditions but not capable at all?

 

[BWL]

Someone posted on another thread that they made changes to the 2015 and up ones because of this. There was an issue with the o-rings and I think there was a vac procedure prior to recharging to eliminate moisture. I'm not 100% sure though. My new truck has the air suspension and a co-worker has a 15 with air suspension and it worked fine today. Given it was as cold as -35C today it seems like the update worked. I wonder if your dealer used the proper procedure for charging the system after repair and also if there's a new seal kit available.

 

[Mr.AK902]

I have a 2013 Longhorn. Suspension dropped right down to the the bumpstops. Truck rubs on the front tires now so I am unable to even drive to the dealership. Currently Temp is -37 celsius -49 with windchill (Before people start saying of course it froze up, this happens as warm as -23 -24 which is not an unusual winter temp here) . My question is what do you guys do to be able to drive in the winter. Even if in a heated garage overnight as soon as I start driving it goes to ****. Just spent over 2 grand on the air system last winter. Is this going to be an ongoing issue every winter? Another case of a truck marketed to handle Canadas conditions but not capable at all?

Damn thats gotta suck, it's fun cold here in SK this week. I don't know much about our ram air systems but they were always terrible in the cadillacs I had the same issues you mentioned with those multiple times. Air bags and our winters just don't mix.

 

[Mr.AK902]

If it isn't the bags with an issue its the compressors in the cold and salt

 

[averageguy]

I have 0 knowledge of the air ride on the ram so I don't know if this is an option.That being said, on a semi where the suspension, brakes, and several other things work off air this is what you do. Go to the out bound side of the compressor, release/bleed off pressure, pour air line antifreeze in, reconnect and fire it up. Then operate the farthest air operated system from the compressor to move it through the lines. Our trucks at my job have an evaporator that constantly puts the antifreeze in the system so freeze up never happens. Maybe the aftermarket needs to come up with something similar for the rams with air suspension that operate in cold weather.

 

[ColdCase]

The RAM has a closed system that is filled with 99.99% pure nitrogen to avoid the moisture issues that plague open systems like those used in semis and old Mercedes and GM cars. They have a storage tank to hold the air not currently needed, the compressor moves air back and forth between the tank and airbags as needed. Very reliable if they don't leak. When they leak, the compressor will draw in outside air to make up for it, through a dryer, but its not pure. Then there is the o ring thing, and the software used to disable the compressor under a certain temperature which they changed via a flash. There are thousands that work fine in cold weather but if you are going to have problems it seems that those in cold weather have more than than others. You shouldn't run a tire size that rub in park or deflated mode

I think the fix for these is usually an updated compressor and carefully inspect for leaks and eliminate them. Make sure the controller is loaded with the latest software. Make sure the fill is with very high grade nitrogen. The few that have issues every year most likely have a small leak somewhere.

 

[sportcoupe]

IMO the OP should install coil springs and dump the air suspension due to the extreme climate the truck is exposed to.

 

[ColdCase]

It would probably cost less to just trade in on a coil spring model. The truck would need flashed to remove the air option codes or there may be all kinds of error codes, if thats even possible.

 

[Davidkjs1]

I would get rid of the truck and buy a chev or ford before I go to a dodge coil set up. I've pulled trailer with them and they are awful. That's the reason I decided to go with air.

 

[barr0208]

get a coil ram add airbags to the rear end tows fine mine has them. if the bags leak in the winter you still have a suspension that works no rubbing or dropping.

 

[ColdCase]

There are a lot of guys in the towing section that love the RAM. Add $90 airbags to the rear coils of a 1500 and XL rated tires and it tows like a dream up until the point where you should be using a 2500 or 3500.

 

[WISluggo]

In my 2013 longhorn I get the occasional “immediate air suspension service required” error message and the truck won’t drop into aero mode, but I have never had the bags deflate.

 

[averageguy]

The RAM has a closed system that is filled with 99.99% pure nitrogen to avoid the moisture issues that plague open systems like those used in semis and old Mercedes and GM cars. They have a storage tank to hold the air not currently needed, the compressor moves air back and forth between the tank and airbags as needed. Very reliable if they don't leak. When they leak, the compressor will draw in outside air to make up for it, through a dryer, but its not pure. Then there is the o ring thing, and the software used to disable the compressor under a certain temperature which they changed via a flash. There are thousands that work fine in cold weather but if you are going to have problems it seems that those in cold weather have more than than others. You shouldn't run a tire size that rub in park or deflated mode

I think the fix for these is usually an updated compressor and carefully inspect for leaks and eliminate them. Make sure the controller is loaded with the latest software. Make sure the fill is with very high grade nitrogen. The few that have issues every year most likely have a small leak somewhere.

 

[averageguy]

The RAM has a closed system that is filled with 99.99% pure nitrogen to avoid the moisture issues that plague open systems like those used in semis and old Mercedes and GM cars. They have a storage tank to hold the air not currently needed, the compressor moves air back and forth between the tank and airbags as needed. Very reliable if they don't leak. When they leak, the compressor will draw in outside air to make up for it, through a dryer, but its not pure. Then there is the o ring thing, and the software used to disable the compressor under a certain temperature which they changed via a flash. There are thousands that work fine in cold weather but if you are going to have problems it seems that those in cold weather have more than than others. You shouldn't run a tire size that rub in park or deflated mode

I think the fix for these is usually an updated compressor and carefully inspect for leaks and eliminate them. Make sure the controller is loaded with the latest software. Make sure the fill is with very high grade nitrogen. The few that have issues every year most likely have a small leak somewhere.

Thanks, now I know. It sounds like a recipe for failure since it isn't designed to be serviceable. I'm feeling better about not ordering it on my truck now.

 

[barr0208]

and that's why I got rid of my 2014 air suspension ram and mine did drop to the bump stops several times,2 compressors and numerous attempts at fixing it.

 

[TerraNewf]

Knock on wood, no problem with mine. Friend of mine had a 14 with nightmares over the air ride. Some of the issues were self inflicted with not disabling when jacking. He shipped it to Montreal on OceanX, when it arrived it was on the stops. Truck was trying to level itself for 4 days on the ship while tied down. All sensors were burnt out.

 

[ColdCase]

Thanks, now I know. It sounds like a recipe for failure since it isn't designed to be serviceable. I'm feeling better about not ordering it on my truck now.

I'm not sure how the RAM airlift is any less serviceable than any other air suspension. Its designed to be maintenance free and much more reliable than the troublesome open systems. The components are replaceable and the diagnostic tools usually lead you to what fails. Like most other things in these RAMs, you need the right kind of service tools and know how to service them. You don't need very sophisticated tools to fix coil springs and shocks, but a little knowledge can be helpful

Small leaks are the number one cause of trucks with issues, and it takes a pretty savvy tech with lots of patience to fix one of these problem trucks right... and there are not many of them.

 

[averageguy]

I'm not sure how the RAM airlift is any less serviceable than any other air suspension. Its designed to be maintenance free and much more reliable than the troublesome open systems. The components are replaceable and the diagnostic tools usually lead you to what fails. Like most other things in these RAMs, you need the right kind of service tools and know how to service them. You don't need very sophisticated tools to fix coil springs and shocks, but a little knowledge can be helpful

Small leaks are the number one cause of trucks with issues, and it takes a pretty savvy tech with lots of patience to fix one of these problem trucks right... and there are not many of them.

I already have the experience and tools to fix coil springs so I will stick with those. If one breaks, which is rare, the truck will lean but all four corners wont be on the bump stops. And traditional suspension parts are probably alot cheaper. My truck is going to be mine for a long time so the more things I can fix when its out of warrant the better. I will agree its a better ride but mine rides good enough.

 

[ColdCase]

Sorry, I thought you were commenting on the serviceability between air type suspensions.

Yes tractor/trailer air rides may harder to service too, but just about all of them use them on the long haul because of the significant benefits over leafs.

No need to go to air if you can get by with coil or leaf springs.

 

[PRRAM]

Is there a way to disable the Air Ride? My threw an error in the 0 degree weather this week in NJ. It cleared by itself but curious?