How many with the vibes

[BNH4221]

The dealers all seem to do the same thing to solve the problem, in most cases unsuccessfully. They do the drive train realignment, pinion angle/caster adjustment to try to get the front shaft into better alignment. Essentially, misaligning the truck and creating a new problem to solve another one.

Wstoops,

As you know, I am with you on this one. I think it is not an inherent condition with a diesel powered Ram as some say. It is nothing more than poor engineering, taking the cheap way out instead of building it right to begin with.

Get a hose clamp and put it on the front shaft

Sag2, a DC tech did this a month or so ago when he tried to fix the vibe. Didn't work. He indexed the shaft which seemed to do a little better in combination with a caster adjust. Like WStoops said, solve one problem by creating another. Not acceptable.

With the shaft out, no vibe.

My personal belief is that the vibe is a result of several orders coming together at speed. Some engine, some transmission, some transfer case, some shaft and God knows what else.



As I have oft repeated, I don't have so much of an issue with the vibration itself, my complaint lies in the fact that DC doesn't care to find an acceptable fix. Hanging weights off the frame is a stopgap measure if you ask me. Find the source (s) of the vibes and engineer them out!



Steve

 

[WStoops]

Hi Steve, I just got off the phone with SRH who lives in Seattle. He is the second person to tell me that they have heard from techs at dealerships that the problem may be in the torque converter. I'm wondering if anyone who had the vibration has installed one of those high tech replacement torque converters. I think we all know that the clutches in the factory converters are not strong enough to withstand the torque of the mighty cummins. ( stole that term from another poster here) I think there may be something to that as my vibration has gotten worse in the last few thousand miles. Others have reported that there has been a relatively sudden onset of vibration or fairly sudden worsening of symptoms that seem unlikely to have a simple imbalance or misalignment as the cause. Steve (SRH) also said that the long beds don't have the problem. Anyone out there with a long bed have the problem??

Might be better to start a new thread with that title.

 

[kblranch]

I had the vibration which started at 73 mph and up. It was so bad that cars in the rear view mirror were so blurry you could barely tell what they were. They balanced all the tires which did not help. They then replaced the front drive shaft and the vibration is now 99. 9 percent gone.

 

[Ereynolds72]

I'm going to chime in on this one since no one has replied to my post in the 2nd Gen. Forum. Especially since we are all talking about the same thing. My truck is an '02 QC Short Bed 4x4. I have 285/75/16 BFGs on the factory wheels and at highway speeds, I never noticed any vibration whatsoever. About 6 weeks ago I installed 2. 5" leveling springs on the front. It developed an aweful vibration. First thing I did was take it for an alignment. Nothing changed. I then took the front driveshaft off. My vibration started about 40 mph and seemed to mellow out if I cruised about 60-65mph. If I went any faster it got increasingly worse until it felt like the truck was going to vibrate apart. I took the front driveshaft off and the worst of the vibration is gone. I now have the "drone-like" vibration from 70mph to 75mph; feels like it's coming from the rear. Maybe at the rear output shaft of the trans. case. If I stay above 75, Its as smooth as silk again. I've had it aligned and I've even adjusted the caster/pinion angle without any success. For now, I'm running without the front driveshaft until I can figure something else out. For now, I can deal with the 70-75 mph vibration. The front drives me nuts though. I may put the stock springs back on and see what that does.

 

[GGill]

Bad Vibrations Also

Bought my 03' used w/ about 40,000 on the odo... noticed a slight vibration (btwn. 52 and 62 mph +/-) when I took it for a test drive prior to purchasing it and attributed the vibration to tires in need of rotation.



Drove it for awhile and rotated the tires, still had the vibration at the same speed range. Replaced the u-joints on the advice from a repair shop... joints were indeed shot but vibration remained the same.



Had the tires rebalanced, was told they were not far out, vibration remained the same.



I have now noticed that the vibration is indeed getting worse, dash rattles, change in the dash wells buzz.



With the very cold mornings we have been having here in WNY I have noticed that the vibration in that speed range does not start until I have been running down the road awhile. This leads me to believe that it is bearing or ring/pinion problem that manifests itself when the gearlube gets warmed up. Time to go to the dealer I guess.



This is starting to **** me off... I feel that I should have never sold my '97 for the friggin rattle trap...



BTW, this rig is a standard transmission NV5600 4wd quad cab short bed... totally stock... . unfortunatley.



Thanks for listening, Greg

 

[BNH4221]

Hi Steve, I just got off the phone with SRH who lives in Seattle. He is the second person to tell me that they have heard from techs at dealerships that the problem may be in the torque converter. I'm wondering if anyone who had the vibration has installed one of those high tech replacement torque converters. I think we all know that the clutches in the factory converters are not strong enough to withstand the torque of the mighty cummins. ( stole that term from another poster here) I think there may be something to that as my vibration has gotten worse in the last few thousand miles. Others have reported that there has been a relatively sudden onset of vibration or fairly sudden worsening of symptoms that seem unlikely to have a simple imbalance or misalignment as the cause. Steve (SRH) also said that the long beds don't have the problem. Anyone out there with a long bed have the problem??

Wayne,

Interesting thoughts. I am not so sure though, because when the front driveshaft was off my truck the vibe was gone. Not sure how the Tq converter would affect this. I have not heard of a single long bed having the vibe. Different drivetrain angle I believe. But, the tq converter thing is interesting and bears keeping in mind.

My thoughts really run to driveline angle. The DC tech had a long winded explanation about how the new American Axle pinion angle is really high and exits the pumpkin at a sharp angle and all that stuff. New drivetrain, new angle, new vibration. It may be something that DC needs to address with AA.

The post by Ereynolds72 illustrates my point well about what can happen when you change driveline angles.



Thanks

Steve

 

[WStoops]

Wayne,

Interesting thoughts. I am not so sure though, because when the front driveshaft was off my truck the vibe was gone. Not sure how the Tq converter would affect this. I have not heard of a single long bed having the vibe. Different drivetrain angle I believe. But, the tq converter thing is interesting and bears keeping in mind.

My thoughts really run to driveline angle. The DC tech had a long winded explanation about how the new American Axle pinion angle is really high and exits the pumpkin at a sharp angle and all that stuff. New drivetrain, new angle, new vibration. It may be something that DC needs to address with AA.

The post by Ereynolds72 illustrates my point well about what can happen when you change driveline angles.



Thanks

Steve

This is maddening!! I do think that we can find a common thread if enough people with the problem respond with their thoughts, symptoms and attempted repairs. There is a definite solution out there somewhere. Who better than DC to find it but since they are apparently not interested, it is up to us who are out 40 to 50G's for their bad engineering.

 

[NickSullivan]

I have it (Vibrtion) and I was at the dealership yesterday and the service manager said he has had to replace the drive shaft on a few trucks to solve the problem. The truck goes in on Friday. My truck also pulls hard to the right. It was noticeable when I got the truck from the dealer in it's stock form. Now that I have put larger 35" BFG tires on it, the truck pulls even harder. Not sure if this is just a case of the truck being out of alignment or if there is ball joint problem. The Service Manager was pretty upfront about the vibration problem so I decided to ask him about the pull to the right. He told me it needed to be aligned, so I asked him about bad ball joints and he said he has not had any problems with them. Should I have to pay for the alignment or should I ask Dodge to pay for it?



As for my truck, it's a 04. 5 Six Speed Long Box with 4. 10's and NO LIFT or any Modifications



Nick

 

[GaryHarris]

I took my truck to the dealer yesterday for the vibe problem. They sent the drive shafts out to be balanced. They called me back today and told me they needed to be replaced because of the yokes. I will find out more when it is completed and post my results.

Gary

 

[BNH4221]

they needed to be replaced because of the yokes.

Gary,



Please let us know what they are talking about relative to yokes. I am curious as to what they mean. I think this is a more plausible direction to take with regards to vibrations.



Interesting to say the least... .



Steve

 

[sag2]

Most drive line shops I have dealt with do not have the proper adapter for their machine to balance the front shaft with the alignment teeth that are on the front yoke. I had a bad one that had been balanced, and come to find out, they put their own yoke on and balanced, then reinstalled the factory yoke. Trouble is, you end up with too much runout.

 

[Kry226]

I had the cyclic thrumming vibration, stock truck. Put 315s on, still had thrumming, add shimmy. Took out front drive shaft, vibrations reduced only about 50%. Reinstalled drive shaft, added TRex coils. Thrumming severely reduced, shimmy still there. Added Innovative Balance Beads, shimmy severely reduced. In all, I still have vibrations in that "sweet spot", but engine vibes seem to equal all other driveline vibes now. Not 100% happy, but it's tolerable.

 

[WStoops]

Well, I thought the torque converter idea was a plausible one and took my truck on the highway and drove it in tow/haul to 70. Vibration was still there but masked somewhat by engine noise. The vibration could still be felt in the sheel, shift handle and floor. Now it can easily be felt in the high 50 mph range and low 60's. So it is changing and getting worse. When the whole drive train falls out on the road will they still be waiting for DC to come up with a fix. Really frustrated by DC total lack of concern. When I asked to have the District Manager call me they said outright that he will NOT call you, he is too busy.

 

[BNH4221]

When I asked to have the District Manager call me they said outright that he will NOT call you, he is too busy.

Wayne,



I got the same response from my dealer when I requested the area rep call me. Must be a policy or something.

However, they did call to get me in when he was scheduled to make an appearance at the dealer. This is when he worked on the truck and made the vibe much better.

I might suggest, if you are getting no where with a particular dealer, try another one. Some are just more willing to help.

You might try your attorney generals office. Nobody wants to hear from an AG inquiring about a defective vehicle! That might light a fire under them.



Since you are in the lemon law process, they might not want to have anything to do with the vehicle until it is resolved.



No matter what it's gotta be frustrating. I feel your pain...



Steve

 

[GaryHarris]

I picked up my truck today from the dealer after they replaced the drive shaft (rear)

I thought for sure it was in the front and still may have some vibe in the front. I can tell you that it is so much better that I think I can live with what may be left. It seems to be about 75% better. You can still feel a very slight amount at the sweet spot but like I said it is so much better. I think I may try to balance the front my self trying the hose clamp in different positions method and see if I can get the last little bit if the vibe out. I did not get the chance to talk to the tech so I am not sure as to what the trouble was with the yoke but I will try and touch basis with him next week.

Just wanted to say thanks to all of you guy's for posting your ideas about this problem as I am not sure I could have persuaded them to replace the drive shaft with out the information I received from this group.

Gary

2004. 5

auto short bed quad cab

 

[JTBMC]

My O My,

2004 Cummins, Auto, 410 gears, Short Bed Quad Cab 4X4

I've been fighting the Dodge Garage for a year over this vibration, it comes on at 45 thru 75, and the interior of the truck is being shaken apart. Seat backs mirrors your butt will go crazy on the Interstate.

Well I went to another Dealer and they replaced the rear drive shaft, no the problem is not solved yet but they are interested in solving the problem and are replacing the front shaft monday morning. The tech also said it could be in the torque converter.

Will post more as it happens.

TJ

 

[WStoops]

My O My,

2004 Cummins, Auto, 410 gears, Short Bed Quad Cab 4X4

I've been fighting the Dodge Garage for a year over this vibration, it comes on at 45 thru 75, and the interior of the truck is being shaken apart. Seat backs mirrors your butt will go crazy on the Interstate.

Well I went to another Dealer and they replaced the rear drive shaft, no the problem is not solved yet but they are interested in solving the problem and are replacing the front shaft monday morning. The tech also said it could be in the torque converter.

Will post more as it happens.

TJ

TJ, good for you. I'm envious that you have been able to find a dealer willing to work on it. I have been told the same thing by 5 different dealers, namely that DC will only reimburse the dealer for certain types of attempts to fix the vibes. They are drive train realignment and pinion angle adjustment. Since those things have already been done to my truck, they claim they would have to work on it for free and won't even look at the problem until DC comes up with a TSB. Mine goes to lemon law hearing in 2 weeks but I'm still open to a repair. DC, are you listening??? Good luck, i hope they get it fixed for you.

 

[SMorton]

I had the vibration described almost exactly as you have. Started at around 65mph, progressed slightly worse to 70 and almost gone at 75. My dealer swapped driveshaft and rear wheels off another truck in the lot, and replaced rear rotors. All to no avail, and finally replaced whole rear axle assembly. This helped quite a bit, and I've decided to live with it, as I almost don't notice it anymore. They repeatedly went over the driveline angle and the service manager has been very accomodating with respect to the problem. After this nice weather I think I will have to try the removal of the front shaft to see if it goes away totally.

WStoops, what town are you from in Connecticut? I'm across the way in Coventry, maybe we can compare sometime?



04. 5 600/325, Q/C 4X4 2500 SLT, 4:10 Anti-spin,Silver, aluminum wheels,tow/plow prep, special order and worth the wait! Rhino liner, wheel liners, mud gaurds and a child seat in the back

 

[WStoops]

WStoops, what town are you from in Connecticut? I'm across the way in Coventry, maybe we can compare sometime?



Hi, I live in Sharon, in the NW corner. I'd love to meet with you and compare vibes. Good to hear that you have had some success with the problem and especially that you have a dealer who is willing to try. I can take a drive over in that direction some time so let me know when it would be a good time for you. I bought mine from Mitchell Dodge in Simsbury. If I lose in the lemon law hearing on the 24th I guess I'll send it to a driveline specialist like CT Driveshaft. If I end up having to pay for something on a $48K truck that should be covered under warranty I'll be MFing DC forever. If I'm successful, I'm thinking either back to a 1500 with a Hemi or on to a Durango Hemi for my limited towing needs and get a used pickup. Drove a Durango Limited with the Hemi today out of Wilson Dodge in Torrington. Not bad, rides nice, plenty of power and very quiet except for lots of wind noise but no vibes. I bought my 03 there and they are good people. I would be SO HAPPY if they could fix this vibration. What a great truck otherwise. You can send me a PM. Wayne

 

[GGill]

Continuing on the vibration saga I presented in my first post (p. 2)



Dealer drove my truck, said it must be my tires... I insisted it was not as the tires were just balanced and are in very good shape.



The Dealership then agrees ( after a STRONG insistance on my part) to look at the truck, determines that the front axle u-joints are very stiff & replaces them. They don't bother to test drive it. I take it home, no change.



Took the "law" into my own hands and removed the front drive shaft, vibration seemed less by 50% at the magic 55 - 60 mph range.



Set up another appointment, Dealer still insists it the tires, ( He managed a Firestone previous to this job) I get the tires RE-CHECKED at a shop of his choice... still fine, and bring it back.



They pull the front shaft and determine that the constant velocity joint has a bind /tight spot, decide to replace it. The shaft comes in today, so I guess I will find out if it is bearable. However I've been driving around the last couple of days w/o the shaft and it still sucks... . I'm not done yet...





Greg