Blowing sound while towing

[Phil Buckles]

I have a 2012 Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn with towing capacity approx 10,000 lbs. My camper is about 6,000 lbs so well within the towing capacity of the truck. When I am towing the camper through the mountains in New Mexico and Colorado, I get a very loud blowing sound that increases and decreases with RPMs, if I shift to neutral it stops so it must be transmission related. I watched the transmission temp last time I was towing and it seemed to stay within safe ranges. Any suggestions or ideas about what the blowing sound is? It seems to be intentional and normal but I would feel better if I knew for sure what the sound was and what its purpose is.

 

[CamperMike]

Cooling fan probably. Mine will come on when towing usually due to high oil temps. Trans and coolant never really get that high.

 

[2003F350]

I second CamperMike. Cooling fans on these things can be REALLY loud, especially clutched ones. Electric ones aren't usually quite as loud, but can be if they are damaged or the bearings are going bad (entirely possible on a 2012 truck). Sometimes your cooling fan will kick on just because it's a really hot day, but they always seem louder when towing because you're running higher RPMs at lower speeds.

If it's really worrying you, it may be worth having it checked out by a shop for peace of mind, but I'll bet that's exactly what it is.

 

[trailhead]

I agree, more than likely fan kicking in on warm day..

 

[JSMITH8505]

Does your truck have "Ram Active Air"?
If so, that's it. 100% certain.

Im not sure, however, if the Active air system dates back to 2012.
It's essentially a cold air intake system that kicks in when the engine needs some additional air flow in the air intake system for combustion.
There's a 2nd opening in a Ram Active Air system that has a fan to help force more air into the combustion chamber.

The blowing sound is the fan that pushes more air into the air cleaner box. For me, Higher elevations are the only place when it happens.
ALWAYS when towing across New Mexico and colorado for me too.
When it first started doing it I'd back off 5-7 mph, and the pitch of the fan would decrease.

Here's a video of a person trouble shooting it. Its worth watching because it shows the system in a bit more detail than anywhere else I've found.
Not all Ram Active Air systems have it stamped on the air cleaner box. Mine doesn't. Look for a 2nd air intake on the bottom of your air cleaner box.

 

[crash68]

Does your truck have "Ram Active Air"?

The Ram Active Air system is only on the Cummins platform.