Console not insulated

[runamuck]

I notice that the console must not be insulated from the underside of the truck. when I keep my drink or my coffee mug in one of the console holders the bottom of it gets freezing cold on the outside in cold weather. somebody gave me one of those thermal 16 oz. ones so coffee stays hot but now I'm thinking I need to figure some way to insulate under there as summer in Texas is just around the corner.

 

[Ram19 Owner]

I notice that the console must not be insulated from the underside of the truck. when I keep my drink or my coffee mug in one of the console holders the bottom of it gets freezing cold on the outside in cold weather. somebody gave me one of those thermal 16 oz. ones so coffee stays hot but now I'm thinking I need to figure some way to insulate under there as summer in Texas is just around the corner.

I’ve discussed this same issue with my dealer. He just goes, ummmm yep I hear ya. It’s like cold air just blowing through there on a cold Midwest winter day. Only way to find out what’s wrong is rip everything in front out

 

[mdifilippo]

It's not insulated, its just plastic under the rubber inserts. There may be enough space to put something against the cupholders to insulate not sure

 

[runamuck]

well I need to pull my console loose anyway as I lost a cd down under there recently. that lack of insulation wouldnt be noticeable except that the wife and I were up in Taos skiing and the outside temp was around 0-2* every morning. I have some 1/2" foam mat that I can cut to fit under that and glue down while I have it loose. dont remember having this situation with my last couple trucks.

 

[yakalong]

I noticed this when I put my phone down there and take it out and its ice cold. Won't be doing that again!

 

[Ram19 Owner]

We shouldn’t have to be the ones to “fix” this ourselves. @RamCares should be monitoring this and hopefully the techs will put out a fix/repair. Having no insulation to protect items in the console area is poor manufacturing. Especially in the northern states. When you can basically make ice cubes inside it there’s definitely something wrong.

 

[Tim Garceau]

I used to be the engineer for the company that designed and manufactures the console/hinge, max space was what Mitchell Plastics was told from Ram.

Not to keep drinks hot or cold, they put in a compartment in the back for that!

 

[TcRoc]

Yep noticed this right away,, heat on truck warm.. put hand in storage area,, ice cold.

 

[ErnieBoling]

I recently took my truck down to bare metal to do sound deadening. There is absolutely nothing under the console but the controls for the seats. As you can see, the carpet is coped out to allow for the electronics, which leaves bare metal exposed under the console.

 

[Ram19 Owner]

I recently took my truck down to bare metal to do sound deadening. There is absolutely nothing under the console but the controls for the seats. As you can see, the carpet is coped out to allow for the electronics, which leaves bare metal exposed under the console.

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That’s some dedication there and nice work. How did it turn out? Any improvement for wind noise reduction?

Unfortunately this isn’t something myself nor I imagine most new $60k+ owners are able or willing to take on just to fix what ram screwed up imho. This is something @RamCares should be reporting back to the designers & techs for fixes. If ram had installed a layer of sound deadening material they would have an untouchable winner for truck sales instead of skimping on material. Even though I love this truck I’ll gladly jump ship when the other manufactures start catching up with the interior and advanced safety features of ram.

 

[ErnieBoling]

That’s some dedication there and nice work. How did it turn out? Any improvement for wind noise reduction?

Unfortunately this isn’t something myself nor I imagine most new $60k+ owners are able or willing to take on just to fix what ram screwed up imho. This is something @RamCares should be reporting back to the designers & techs for fixes. If ram had installed a layer of sound deadening material they would have an untouchable winner for truck sales instead of skimping on material. Even though I love this truck I’ll gladly jump ship when the other manufactures start catching up with the interior and advanced safety features of ram.

I can understand not wanting to tear apart a new truck lol. I've never bought anything new however, so I have a little less to lose. It's a 2014, and I bought it for cash in August of 2018 with 82k for $27,600. I will say that from the factory the truck had some bitumen sound deadener in the floors of the cab, closed cell foam under mass loaded vinyl in the front fire wall, and butyl rubber foil tape in the doors in an effort to reduce sound. However, they can only install so much before weight and cost become a factor and put them at a disadvantage in sales. Compromises of quality vs marketability. But, I wanted a quieter truck, so I bought cheap, installed myself, and have maybe $500 total in the whole project. I haven't noticed a huge difference if any in fuel economy, but I have noticed a huge improvement in driving bliss. As far as if it has made a difference; when the back seat passengers whisper at 75mph, I can hear them clearly. Where I used to have the stereo at 17 or 18 for cruising music, I now have it at 11. The sound quality of the music is also amazing. Without having to combat the frequencies of the road noise, the music is crisp and bright, with much better bass response. Gravel roads are as quiet as pavement.
As far as a quick fix for you and others that are having issues with the heat/cold in the bottom storage, you could get a $6 roll of Reflectix at Lowes, and put it under the rubber mat in the console. I know, it "Shouldn't have to be done", but that's the reality, and I'm sure you will agree that in the grand scheme of things, it is a very small problem in an otherwise very great vehicle

 

[runamuck]

I recently took my truck down to bare metal to do sound deadening. There is absolutely nothing under the console but the controls for the seats. As you can see, the carpet is coped out to allow for the electronics, which leaves bare metal exposed under the console.

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what was involved in getting the console loose. I plan to do that this week to retrieve a cd that got lost down there and to maybe add some insulation. it looks like 4 screws but what else.
thanx for any tips

 

[ErnieBoling]

what was involved in getting the console loose. I plan to do that this week to retrieve a cd that got lost down there and to maybe add some insulation. it looks like 4 screws but what else.
thanx for any tips

I wish I would have pic stepped it...I remember pulling off the rear cover where the outlet and rear seat switches are. There may have been some bolts/screws in there. There were some bolts about 3/4 of the way towards the rear that would normally be hidden by the seats. There are two hex bolts in the very front, hidden by vanity panels. Once I had all the bolts out, I slid the console rearward about 4 inches or so to disconnect all the wires. I don't remember any "Gotcha" moments or pitfalls.

 

[runamuck]

thanx. I pulled the two bolts on each side of the console and I could lift up the back of it but it is still fastened somewhere up front at the top of the console and would not slide back. I guess still a screw behind a panel somewhere. dont want to break anything so looking for service manual download.

update: thanx to adrianp89 posting a link to the assembly diagram. I was able to pull 6 screws and slide console back to retrieve a lost cd that disappeared under there.