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A/C Issues? Anyone else
- Thread starter OuachitaAdventure
- Start date
Having been a loyal Chrysler customer since my first 1993 D350 Cummins, it's not surprising anymore. Unfortunately although the ball valve works to keep the air box temperature down and the AC vent temperature lower, I'm not sure how that affects the cooling system pressure on the hoses and what warranty denial they may implement if seen by a dealer. Loved my 2017, the 2021 maybe my last.
Will_T
Well-Known Member
I finally got around to doing this today. Here are a couple of photos of the Muzzy's kit installed. I do have a question though. In the first photo below you can see what I am referring to. I did not cut to shorten the original hose in case I need to put it back to stock for some reason. Because the Muzzy's kit is about 3-1/2 inches long, the oem hose from there to where it goes through the firewall has that much extra. It fits fine and is secured from moving around freely. But to avoid kinking the hose, I ended up with the foil wrapped oem hose (green arrow), resting against a fairly sturdy metal pipe, (red arrow). That metal pipe comes out of some sort of manifold(?), (blue arrow). What is that pipe/manifold, and does it get too hot or cold for the foil wrapped oem heater core hose to be touching it? Thanks
The other two photos just show the installed valve.
Edit: I ran the truck for a while and that pipe indicated by the blue arrow does not seem to get either too hot or too cold so likely it is OK touching. I would still like to know what that manifold and piping is? I also took some temperature measurements. It is not a hot day here today and I was not towing or running the truck hard. But I was definitely seeing about 10 degrees cooler at the center left vent with the valve closed.
The other two photos just show the installed valve.
Edit: I ran the truck for a while and that pipe indicated by the blue arrow does not seem to get either too hot or too cold so likely it is OK touching. I would still like to know what that manifold and piping is? I also took some temperature measurements. It is not a hot day here today and I was not towing or running the truck hard. But I was definitely seeing about 10 degrees cooler at the center left vent with the valve closed.
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Will_T
Well-Known Member
Still wondering if someone can tell me what that manifold and steel pipes are in the 1st photo of the previous post? (Blue arrow, 1st photo)
But just an addition to what I encountered when doing this: The hardest part was just getting my hands into position to disconnect and reconnect everything. The space is tight. Also, I did purchase a gallon of coolant to replace what is lost during the process. I did not need it however so now I have a gallon of coolant that hopefully I will never need! As can be seen from the below photo, I lost only maybe 2 or 3 oz, maybe 4 during the disconnect. Almost nothing flowed out of the engine side and if you don't let the hose from the heater core hang down, very little comes out of there either.
But just an addition to what I encountered when doing this: The hardest part was just getting my hands into position to disconnect and reconnect everything. The space is tight. Also, I did purchase a gallon of coolant to replace what is lost during the process. I did not need it however so now I have a gallon of coolant that hopefully I will never need! As can be seen from the below photo, I lost only maybe 2 or 3 oz, maybe 4 during the disconnect. Almost nothing flowed out of the engine side and if you don't let the hose from the heater core hang down, very little comes out of there either.
DammitDave
Well-Known Member
Those lines to the manifold are aluminum, they are your air conditioning lines.
Will_T
Well-Known Member
Thanks! I felt the smaller line after running the engine and A/C for a while and I don't think the heater core hose resting against it will be an issue. The bigger tube changed temperature quite a bit but the smaller one did not. Mainly I wanted to be sure that smaller tube would not get hot and damage the wrap of the heater core hose so it should be good.
Will_T
Well-Known Member
I have seen a few posts in this thread and in others with concerns like this. Pressure or coolant flow concerns. I have not seen anyone come right out and say it is or is not a problem though. There are a lot of people, especially on the other Ram site who have done this or just pinched the hose. I have not seen any of them post that problems were caused by doing it, or that a dealer ever gave them any grief. So hopefully it is not an issue. I will only need to use mine during the summer and even then, not most of the time, living in Oregon. My truck's usage is probably 80% to tow my TT so it will be nice to have on a hot day or when out in the desert for sure! I will probably just close it when heading out on trip like that.
DRAGRAM
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Just for info. I traced all these lines out on an engine sitting in a crate at the dealership ready to be installed. Cutting flow to the heater core will not hurt anything. If anything it will INCREASE flow to the EGR cooler and the TURBO. Just my opinion. Pluse the evidence of hundreds if not thousands doing this and the fact that majors like Amazon sell the kits. etc.
I am interested in doing the Muzzi mod on my 2021 6.4 Hemi. At first glance it appears though that the coolant line leaves the water pump to the heater core and then circulates and back down to the oil cooler and from there it ties in to large hose that goes back to radiator. Seems like a valve interrupting circulation would be a problem for the oil cooler. Anybody have any experience with this? Thanks for the help.
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Drumminguy81
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Do you have a link with the parts you used? I like how clean yours turned out.. not really a fan of the added hose/clamps of the muzzy kit..
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Will_T
Well-Known Member
I was driving today for about an hour in 95+ degree temps and the Muzzys A/C Hack is doing what it is supposed to. Before the install if the outside temp was 75* or below the A/C would blow temps in the upper 40 at best, usually low 50s. But if the temps got up into the 90s or 100+ the vent temps were well up in the mid 50s at least and the cooling could not keep up. Worse, I would have to run the A/C even if the outside temps were anything above 70 because the system would blow vent air that was 10 to 15 degrees above the ambient outside temp. In other words, the system, when just on vent, was heating the intake air before blowing it into the cab. Now it does not do that at all which is nice. Today at 96 degrees ambient, with the system on recirculated air and fan on #4, I measured 45 to 46 degrees from the vents. So about 10 degrees cooler than what was blowing before the valve install and that seems to be enough.
Also, I just checked and so far, no leaks that I can tell. I wrapped my hand with a paper towel around the entire valve and hose connections after the hour+ of driving and the paper towel was clean and dry.
DammitDave
Well-Known Member
I bought a the pieces myself. I used 1/2" galvanized about 3 1/2" long and a 90* Parker Hannifan 1/2" ball valve.
Will_T
Well-Known Member
Maybe the routing of the lines in your 6.4 is different than the 6.7? I have seen this question asked or point made several times but I have not seen anyone say "Yes it definitely is a problem" or that they installed the valve and then had an issue. I have seen a few post things like the following for the 6.7 though. I have no idea myself but maybe the issue you raise would only apply to how the Hemi hoses run? Maybe the 6.7 oil cooler is located differently? I did see this valve installation discussed in a long thread somewhere on another forum where they were discussing the Ram 1500. Lots of people had done it over the years and nobody, in that thread at least, said it broke anything. I think you are smart to want to know for sure though.
The instructions with the Nuzzys kit say you can also leave the valve partially open which will still allow a reduced flow through the heater core but create some additional cooling.
matemike
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I don't even have my truck yet, but battling this 100* heat wave has me nervous about my soon to be Ram's AC issues. I also got the 6,4 Hemi, so if you found an answer to inproving the AC would you please share. Continuing to look myself.
FWIW; has FCA not addressed this issue being that it is almost 4 years old now?
There was a TSB for affected 19-20 trucks that replaces the HVAC box and uses a different blend door design.
I had mine done and it definitely improved. I guess some are still not happy with the performance even in the new trucks.
Yep, that's TSB 24-001-20 with a date of Nov. 5, 2020 for 2019-20 year trucks as you say. So unless RAM has redesigned the A/C (has it?) then I would think that TSB should be extended to 2022 trucks.
There is no TSB for 21+ trucks, they have the new design box that was put into the TSB.
10 degrees at the vents on a hot day is pretty big. It's the difference between a very marginal air conditioner and one that will cool fairly well. 54 at the vents on a hot day isn't very good. 45 will do pretty well. I've had colder but 45 does ok.
I put mine to the test today. It sat out in upper 90's temps, closed up tight, windshield facing the sun from just after noon to about 3:00. Honestly when I opened the door, it didn't feel as hot inside as I expected. My last truck with the wonderful black interior would try to take your breath. This indigo/frost, or whatever they call it, was noticeably cooler inside but of course it was still well past the point of being comfortable. It was hot inside, just not like an oven. It took about 10 minutes on the highway until I felt fairly comfortable and about another 10 minutes later I heard the auto system controls slow the fan down some, meaning it was nearly cooled down to the set point so the system was satisfied, I assume.
I need to get a thermometer in the vents and go from there. I'm still on the fence regarding the shutoff valve but probably leaning toward doing it. I don't see much of a downside other than having to pop the hood to turn the heat off and on. It just seems so uncalled for but I guess big trucks have been using them for decades so what the hell.
I put mine to the test today. It sat out in upper 90's temps, closed up tight, windshield facing the sun from just after noon to about 3:00. Honestly when I opened the door, it didn't feel as hot inside as I expected. My last truck with the wonderful black interior would try to take your breath. This indigo/frost, or whatever they call it, was noticeably cooler inside but of course it was still well past the point of being comfortable. It was hot inside, just not like an oven. It took about 10 minutes on the highway until I felt fairly comfortable and about another 10 minutes later I heard the auto system controls slow the fan down some, meaning it was nearly cooled down to the set point so the system was satisfied, I assume.
I need to get a thermometer in the vents and go from there. I'm still on the fence regarding the shutoff valve but probably leaning toward doing it. I don't see much of a downside other than having to pop the hood to turn the heat off and on. It just seems so uncalled for but I guess big trucks have been using them for decades so what the hell.