Is there a "certified air suspension technician"?

[chrisbh17]

 

[steven_sbs]

So here's the latest (and maybe final) update...

The truck is home. It came home yesterday (Feb 20). Dealer says it's fixed. My testing shows it's fixed. I'm hoping it's fixed. The air problem was mostly when it was very cold outside. Last night it went down to 15 degrees. This morning I started the truck and it raised and lowered like it should. So I'm hopeful it all fixed. I spoke to the tech at the dealer who worked on the truck. He told me he pulled a vacuum on the system, dried out any chance of moisture in the lines, charged with nitrogen, worked with an engineer at RAM to do some other procedures, made sure there were no sticking valves, and a lot more work. All covered by warranty. @RamCares and Keller Bros Ram in Lititz PA both did a great job, they stuck with the problem, and never gave up. Keeping fingers crossed it's all fixed for good now.

Thanks for following along and for everyone's helpful suggestions. You are a great community.

@RamCares OK people, I was WRONG when I said my truck was fixed. IT'S STILL BROKEN. The g***d**m f***ng piece of s**t thing is sitting in the driveway, stuck in entry / exit mode (or low rider mode as I call it) and it won't raise to driving height. All I get is the 'service air suspension immediately' message on the dashboard. I parked it last night in low mode to unload some things from the bed, went to go out this morning and it won't come up. And the overnight air temperature only went down to 30 degrees. Hardly freezing. I have had it with the piece of s**t truck.

Lemon Law time?

I'm not going to take this. Wormer, he's a dead man. Marmalard, dead. Niedermeyer... dead. Damn it that's twice. I want some butts!!! (In case you can't tell, I'm a little upset right now. Sorry for the cussing. I thought maybe some humorous movie quotes would lighten the mood a little. If you can name the movies, you will win a gold star and the title of Movie Nerd.)

 

[chrisbh17]

@RamCares OK people, I was WRONG when I said my truck was fixed. IT'S STILL BROKEN. The g***d**m f***ng piece of s**t thing is sitting in the driveway, stuck in entry / exit mode (or low rider mode as I call it) and it won't raise to driving height. All I get is the 'service air suspension immediately' message on the dashboard. I parked it last night in low mode to unload some things from the bed, went to go out this morning and it won't come up. And the overnight air temperature only went down to 30 degrees. Hardly freezing. I have had it with the piece of s**t truck.

Lemon Law time?

I'm not going to take this. Wormer, he's a dead man. Marmalard, dead. Niedermeyer... dead. Damn it that's twice. I want some butts!!! (In case you can't tell, I'm a little upset right now. Sorry for the cussing. I thought maybe some humorous movie quotes would lighten the mood a little. If you can name the movies, you will win a gold star and the title of Movie Nerd.)

Do you have or have access to someone with an AlfaOBD setup?

Alfa can connect to the air suspension module and read actual codes and data instead of just "service air suspension".

The system isnt all that complicated, its not like there are a million parts that can break. IIRC the last person whose dealer couldnt do a thing eventually figured out one of the height sensors was bad. Replaced the part and all is well.

There ARE issues in cold weather, apparently, if moisture gets into the system. Supposedly they switched to a better "fill" material to help keep everything dry, but if something is leaking it would still allow moisture into the system.

 

[JoeCo]

@RamCares OK people, I was WRONG when I said my truck was fixed. IT'S STILL BROKEN. The g***d**m f***ng piece of s**t thing is sitting in the driveway, stuck in entry / exit mode (or low rider mode as I call it) and it won't raise to driving height. All I get is the 'service air suspension immediately' message on the dashboard. I parked it last night in low mode to unload some things from the bed, went to go out this morning and it won't come up. And the overnight air temperature only went down to 30 degrees. Hardly freezing. I have had it with the piece of s**t truck.

Lemon Law time?

I'm not going to take this. Wormer, he's a dead man. Marmalard, dead. Niedermeyer... dead. Damn it that's twice. I want some butts!!! (In case you can't tell, I'm a little upset right now. Sorry for the cussing. I thought maybe some humorous movie quotes would lighten the mood a little. If you can name the movies, you will win a gold star and the title of Movie Nerd.)

Sorry to hear it's giving you trouble again. Excellent movie quote, animal house is one of the greats!

 

[steven_sbs]

Do you have or have access to someone with an AlfaOBD setup?

Alfa can connect to the air suspension module and read actual codes and data instead of just "service air suspension".

The system isnt all that complicated, its not like there are a million parts that can break. IIRC the last person whose dealer couldnt do a thing eventually figured out one of the height sensors was bad. Replaced the part and all is well.

There ARE issues in cold weather, apparently, if moisture gets into the system. Supposedly they switched to a better "fill" material to help keep everything dry, but if something is leaking it would still allow moisture into the system.

Sorry to say I don't have access to that OBD scanner. The dealer had told me there were some stored codes last time but I don't know what codes they found. The dealer tech did tell me that the Star bulletin about this type of issues says "don't replace the compressor". They also said they pulled a vacuum on the system and refilled with nitrogen. I will ask them about height sensors and see what they think. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[steven_sbs]

Sorry to hear it's giving you trouble again. Excellent movie quote, animal house is one of the greats!

Ding ding, Animal House is one of the quotes. You get half a gold star. Someone can still guess the other quote. Let me know if anyone needs any hints.

 

[steven_sbs]

Hey there, hope everyone is well. I wanted to share an update on my air suspension problem. Yes it is a continuing problem. The dealer has been working hard and has not given up. @RamCares and the support center have been following along and have not given up.

So the truck went back to the dealer two weeks ago. They replaced a valve or two, I think the compressor also, cleared the system, everything they could do. The truck seemed to be fine. They would let it sit for a day, test again, it kept working. They called Tuesday to say "Come and get it, all done". Wednesday morning they called and said the tech went out to test it one last time and the suspension failed. It was down in lowrider mode and wouldn't come up. WhooHooo it failed in their parking lot. The best news I've heard in a while. Error codes and testing seem to show a sensor or two are intermittently faulty. New parts are on the way. Maybe this will be the final fix. As I said, Keller and RAM have not given up. I'm hoping I get my truck back next week. Just in time to quarantine myself so I don't catch the virus.

Stay tuned.

 

[chrisbh17]

Hey there, hope everyone is well. I wanted to share an update on my air suspension problem. Yes it is a continuing problem. The dealer has been working hard and has not given up. @RamCares and the support center have been following along and have not given up.

So the truck went back to the dealer two weeks ago. They replaced a valve or two, I think the compressor also, cleared the system, everything they could do. The truck seemed to be fine. They would let it sit for a day, test again, it kept working. They called Tuesday to say "Come and get it, all done". Wednesday morning they called and said the tech went out to test it one last time and the suspension failed. It was down in lowrider mode and wouldn't come up. WhooHooo it failed in their parking lot. The best news I've heard in a while. Error codes and testing seem to show a sensor or two are intermittently faulty. New parts are on the way. Maybe this will be the final fix. As I said, Keller and RAM have not given up. I'm hoping I get my truck back next week. Just in time to quarantine myself so I don't catch the virus.

Stay tuned.

I think this is the biggest problem with "fixing" the air suspension....they went with the HARD STUFF FIRST.

Compressor? Requires emptying and re-charging the system.

Sensors? Swap em out in minutes.

For the life of me I still cant figure out why it seems like the dealers are not reading the air suspension module. It can dump live data like what each height sensor thinks it is at, etc. My guess is if they did that first they would have been able to pinpoint the real issue the first time.

 

[Tach_tech]

I think this is the biggest problem with "fixing" the air suspension....they went with the HARD STUFF FIRST.

Compressor? Requires emptying and re-charging the system.

Sensors? Swap em out in minutes.

For the life of me I still cant figure out why it seems like the dealers are not reading the air suspension module. It can dump live data like what each height sensor thinks it is at, etc. My guess is if they did that first they would have been able to pinpoint the real issue the first time.

They probably went after the compressor and valve block first because that’s the 2 most common failures. We do them all the time when it starts getting cold.

 

[chrisbh17]

They probably went after the compressor and valve block first because that’s the 2 most common failures. We do them all the time when it starts getting cold.

Yeah but those are probably the hardest and most expensive parts.

Meanwhile, I cant get a dealer to agree that my cheap supercharger sounding A/C compressor is anything but "normal characteristic".

 

[Tach_tech]

Yeah but those are probably the hardest and most expensive parts.

Meanwhile, I cant get a dealer to agree that my cheap supercharger sounding A/C compressor is anything but "normal characteristic".

Absolutely they are, a little proper diag goes a long way. You just have to hope you get a tech that actually knows how the system operates.

Then if it’s a warranty job, it pays **** so theres even less incentive to spend a bunch of time on an intermittent issue. Which is probably what happened in OPs case. Was an intermittent issue, not happening now, chuck the most common failed part at it.

 

[steven_sbs]

Absolutely they are, a little proper diag goes a long way. You just have to hope you get a tech that actually knows how the system operates.

Then if it’s a warranty job, it pays **** so theres even less incentive to spend a bunch of time on an intermittent issue. Which is probably what happened in OPs case. Was an intermittent issue, not happening now, chuck the most common failed part at it.

Hey there everyone, hope you are all safe and staying home. I thought i would give you all an update on my still broken truck.

Yes, still broken. Over the past few weeks, the dealer has replaced valves, sensors, and whatever else FCA/Ram/ corporate tech support told them to do. Last Friday dealer said it's all fixed. I said great, I'm stuck in the house, I'll have to make arrangements to get it next week. Service manager says I'll take it home Monday night for one last test. I said park it in low rider mode, and see if it comes up to ride height in the morning. Tuesday morning he calls me, the truck failed to come up IN HIS DRIVEWAY. Yes, the truck failed to work while in the possession of the service manager. He's pissed that the problem hasn't been fixed. But they've done everything the service center told them to do. So now he says they will replace the compressor. Seems that the compressor was not replaced yet. Service center said not to replace it all this time.

I'm hiding in my house until this virus thing goes away, so I don't really care how long it takes to get fixed. It's no longer a cold weather issue since we've been having lows only in the mid 40's now. The dealer has not ever tried to blow off the issue or pass the buck to someone else. They continue to work the problem. They've been great so far. Nothing bad to say about them. They could have easily said a long time ago "It works, come get it, we can't duplicate the problem, call us when it fails completely". They have never said anything like that. Great group of people. @RamCares support center calls the dealer every week for an update, then calls me to report the status.

Wash your hands, stay healthy, be safe.

 

[steven_sbs]

Absolutely they are, a little proper diag goes a long way. You just have to hope you get a tech that actually knows how the system operates.

Then if it’s a warranty job, it pays **** so theres even less incentive to spend a bunch of time on an intermittent issue. Which is probably what happened in OPs case. Was an intermittent issue, not happening now, chuck the most common failed part at it.

..... News Flash.....
Dealer just called. Good news, since the truck failed in their hands, they found an intermittent problem with the TIPM, Total Integrated Power Module that powers the compressor (I hope I understood that right). They replaced the unit and it all works (I've heard that before, wink wink). The bad news... They are closing the shop this afternoon for two weeks (some kind of virus thing going around??) so I can't go pick it up before they shut down. They will park it inside the shop in low mode and see what happens in two weeks.

Updates (maybe final) to follow.

 

[steven_sbs]

..... News Flash.....
Dealer just called. Good news, since the truck failed in their hands, they found an intermittent problem with the TIPM, Total Integrated Power Module that powers the compressor (I hope I understood that right). They replaced the unit and it all works (I've heard that before, wink wink). The bad news... They are closing the shop this afternoon for two weeks (some kind of virus thing going around??) so I can't go pick it up before they shut down. They will park it inside the shop in low mode and see what happens in two weeks.

Updates (maybe final) to follow.

Hey there everyone. I hope you are all healthy and not suffering from cabin fever being stuck in the house. If you are a first responder, health care worker, or essential services person, thank you being on the job during this time. I'm a chicken s**t and not leaving the house.

I thought it was time for the latest update on my ongoing air suspension problem. The dealer reopened on Monday after a two week shutdown. While they were closed, my truck was parked inside their garage. It was supposedly all fixed but I couldn't pick up the truck before their shutdown. Well, when they came back to work on Monday, they went to pull the truck out of the shop and guess what... the suspension had settled to low mode and WOULD NOT COME UP. Failed again. Still broken.

In a previous post, I said I thought they replaced the compressor. I was wrong about that. They replaced a check valve on the compressor. Other replaced items have been the sensors, some other valves, the computer controller, a power module, air hoses... I've lost track of it all. Now they say the are going to replace the compressor. At this point, I want the whole truck replaced, but since there are no new sublime green special edition trucks being made, I'm stuck with this unfixable truck.

The good side of this, the dealer has been GREAT to work with. They have never given up, they continue to work with RAM to find a solution, they have done everything RAM has told them to do. The dealer (Keller Bros, Lititz PA) has been really nice about this whole process. Every time they fix something, they take extra time to test is for a few days, and when they find it still doesn't work, they go back and try again. Good people. It's the truck I'm having a problem with.

Compressor is about a week away. Then it's install and test for a week. The only good part of this is I'm not leaving my house until a cure or vaccine is found for this virus thing. Be well everyone.
@RamCares @corneileous @Tach_tech @chrisbh17

 

[chrisbh17]

Good luck! Sorry to hear its still an issue. I know you mentioned they replaced sensors....IIRC a lot of people end up having trouble with the vehicle height sensors, but for some reason its one of the last things dealers replace. If you have any paperwork, does it show exactly what sensors they replaced?

Absolute worst case is that you could go to coil springs if you had to. Its not that hard (and with Alfa you could actually correct any CELs that would show up).

I like the sublime green too, BTW! Its fun to be different.

 

[steven_sbs]

Drum roll please.... The truck is home and seems to be all fixed (queue the cheering crowd noise if we could gather in large crowds). It came home on May 1. Four months from the day it went in for service. Now three weeks of that time the service department was closed for the virus, and there was a bit of letting the truck sit for follow up testing. I now have the paperwork showing problem and parts and what was done. I'm going to retype it all here for those of you playing along at home. I have to say the dealer stayed with the problem all the way until it was fixed. They never gave up, never surrendered, never gave me a hard time about anything. Great people. Keller Bros Dodge Ram, Lititz PA.

"Scanned and retrieved codes C1562-98, C155E-92, C1509-00 & C15A1-00. Repeated ASCM tests & leak tests, all passed. Did find vent valve solenoid activation not at proper time. Check solenoid and wiring - OK. Replaced the air ride suspension control module. Upon purging the system & refilling with nitrogen, found the pressure switch inaccurate. Replaced the valve block assembly refilled with nitrogen. Let it sit overnight in entry/exit height and would not go up in the morning. Only code present for "Ride height not achieved". Compressor not running. Checked wiring to compressor - OK. Checked relay - power not getting from output relay to TPIM connector. Replaced TPIM and verified repair".

(the truck sat for several days at the dealer and tested again)

"Service air ride suspension light is on. Technician verified concern - AIR MASS LOW message. Ran all tests - pass. Checked system for leaks - none found. Pressure in Wi-Tech saying 25-28 PSI while actual pressure is 160 PSI. Found sticking bypass valve on rear of compressor. Pressure not getting to sensor in valve block. Replaced compressor / valve assembly and purged system / filled with nitrogen. Test drove to verify repairs".

Parts replaced: 68245951AC (module), 68311126AA (relay), 68204398AA (valve block), 68322371AD (PDC), (F) 4877128AK (compressor)".

I did a quick lookup for pricing and it's around $3000 in parts. I did notice that all of these parts are listed at "fits up to 2018", so if your thinking about buying a 2019 or 2020, I think the parts are different and may be better and more reliable. If I buy a new truck (like the supercharged TRX??) I would have no problems getting the air ride system again. I have my truck again, just in time for the governor to extend the stay at home order until June 4. Wash your hands and stay healthy. Thank to everyone for your support and suggestions.
@RamCares @corneileous @Tach_tech @chrisbh17

 

[chrisbh17]

Glad its all set (again!) hopefully for real this time.

Funny, they've probably replaced every part in the system (and a TIPM too!) I think the air suspension is a great idea on paper, but apparently not 100% in practice, especially in colder weather states.

 

[bellaireroad]

I wonder if it was just the compressor to begin with


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[Basil]

I have a 2018 Ram Sport Night with air ride. I live in Alabama and I have had all the issues the northern folks have had with the suspension, blowing fuses and suspension pump failure and in similar temperature conditions but not as extreme as the Canadian folks. My Dealership replaced the pump but while doing so my tech drained a good bit of water for the in coming intake line to the pump and out of the pump. After replacement I rerouted the intake line from behind the driver side tail light into the interior of the truck underneath the rear seats and attached a replaceable desiccant filter on the end of the line. No more pump issues but fuse will blow when temperatures drop enough and I use the auto start to warm and defrost truck. But this only happens when heated seats and heated steering wheel is on and I adjust air ride. So I just turn the seats and steering heaters off and that stops the fuse from blowing. The other issue with the suspension error was caused by a broken steering wheel alignment sensor that can that way from the factory. The tech broke the steering wheel down and checked it after troubleshooting and found the alignment tab on the sensor was broken. No more suspension, trailer brake and a few more errors that keep popping up. And no more face down ass up truck because of blown fuse. Man my dealership is the best. I started having problems soon after I got my truck and we worked over a year figuring all this out.

 

[Bigpaul13]

I have a 2018 Ram Sport Night with air ride. I live in Alabama and I have had all the issues the northern folks have had with the suspension, blowing fuses and suspension pump failure and in similar temperature conditions but not as extreme as the Canadian folks. My Dealership replaced the pump but while doing so my tech drained a good bit of water for the in coming intake line to the pump and out of the pump. After replacement I rerouted the intake line from behind the driver side tail light into the interior of the truck underneath the rear seats and attached a replaceable desiccant filter on the end of the line. No more pump issues but fuse will blow when temperatures drop enough and I use the auto start to warm and defrost truck. But this only happens when heated seats and heated steering wheel is on and I adjust air ride. So I just turn the seats and steering heaters off and that stops the fuse from blowing. The other issue with the suspension error was caused by a broken steering wheel alignment sensor that can that way from the factory. The tech broke the steering wheel down and checked it after troubleshooting and found the alignment tab on the sensor was broken. No more suspension, trailer brake and a few more errors that keep popping up. And no more face down ass up truck because of blown fuse. Man my dealership is the best. I started having problems soon after I got my truck and we worked over a year figuring all this out.

Jus curious, you'll pop a fuse every time with the heated seats and wheel on while adjusting the air ride level?