Air suspension has really nice features. It's really a deluxe system, superior to standard shocks in many ways because it's dynamic. You'd be going backwards ..so to speak, going to regular shocks. Air systems are mostly the same: You have a compressor, solenoid valves, and tubing that supply air to air-bag shocks at each wheel. Then there is a leveling switch (rheostat) at each wheel and sometimes an air pressure solenoid at each shock. And air bleeds too. And a module and wiring that connects these systems. Not that tricky, but there are a lot of air and electrical connections and possibility for failures which make debugging something ya gotta work through. And these items are exposed to rocks, road salt, water, ice, vibration, trauma and all that. Usually it's the small stuff which causes the bulk of the problems (air leaks, valves not sealing, level switches, wiring). It's not that difficult or even time-consuming to de-bug once you know the system. Owners who rely on dealer service, the key is to find a tech who's invested the time to really understand the system. Then, debugging and repair outcomes are a more certain event. And that's the key..finding the 'right' tech. You might call a couple other dealer service dept's and ask if they have such a guy really knowledgeable on air suspensions. Find out who he/she is and make sure they are the one who will be working on your truck 'that day'.
But in general, air suspension systems are not that difficult to work on and well within the capabilities of a strong DIY mechanic. A lot cheaper to fix if you learn the system yourself. And that's totally do-able. I read through the entire Ram air suspension part of the service manual word-for-word some months ago while trying to help another forum member. It seems very similar to other air suspension systems I've dealt with in the past. Different makes are very similar in design. There are probably some good (general) air suspension videos too.
I've had my hands in air suspensions many years ago. Started when I used to own a Lincoln Continential back in the 90's with air suspension. It was the smoothest riding car I ever had -- EVER, even to this day! LOL. But it was the same thing: a lot of problems, dealers not up on how they work. Expensive, not always resolve the problem. The usual knee-jerk dealer-fix was to replace shocks at $1,200/ea, or the compressor ...weather those were the real problem or not. Dealers have to make money ..why not replace a $1,200 shock than the $25 solenoid on it? LOL. But if that wasn't it, then you were back to the dealer ..frustrating. HOWEVER ...a dealer back then let me read through their Lincoln manual and after that I just started fixing my own air suspension system. And I knew a couple other people, including my parents, eventually, who owned lincolns, so I got to dig into their systems too (yeah!!
). Then I got on to Cadillac air and dynamic shocks systems, which was more electrical-based, but still included many of the same air components (for load-leveling).
The Ram system is essentially similar components, with the addition of a few components and a computer tie-in. Usually the problems come down to small things from my experience. Sure, everyone wants to say it's the module or air compressor, or shocks, but usually it's Leveling switches, Air connectors, Air pressure solenoids, bad air seal at some tube, cracked tube, Cracked solder joint on a board, rodent-chewed wire, etc. All which are fairly cheap to fix/replace. Esp in Mn where you have cold temps and road salt that can lead to cracked plastic tubing and/or corrode connectors. It's usually not the larger expensive items (of course sometimes major items can fail). But just look at the compressor, that's got a bunch of items on it that can be serviced, and the compressor can be disassembled too. A $500 compressor and 5-day wait could be a 30-min free repair if it was a simple leak-fix for example. Something a dealer would never do.
Sorry for the long-winded reply. With all the possible failure points, it would be irresponsible to throw out scatter-gun 'forum-fixes' w/o knowing where to start. But, in summary, your truck has a top-notch suspension system. De-bugging and repairing it is within the DIY relm of a decent home mechanic. Usually the problems come down to simple things. There are Ram PDF Service Manuals floating around this forum ...I recommend you get & read the entire Air suspension section (twice and backwards). It's a rather long and somewhat technical section. Look past the technical stuff and voltage checks at first, to gain a good basic understanding. Working on it is simpler than the manual portrays. Knowledge is empowering. Once you gain a good understanding, what seemed fuzzy before suddenly becomes a clearer picture. And it's actually kind of fun if you like troubleshooting. With owners stripping their air suspension systems off, there should be plenty of (good) used parts out there should you need to replace a more major component.
Best of luck
