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Intermittent Roaring 2018 2500

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Steering damper

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PaulFarkas

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2018 RAM 2500 Limited not titled until May 2020 w/171 miles
Extended warranty
New Yokohama 285/60R20 Geolander A/T
22K Miles on the truck
Using Tow/Haul & exhaust brake driving 70 mph or less

Currently on a 3500 mile trip towing about a 4200 lb bumper pull.
The Service 4wd light came on & after researching & speaking with my retired RAM mechanic back home, my nerves kinda calmed down. Going to the store yesterday 1/2 mile away not going over 25 mph I noticed a slight roaring noise like I had big mud grips. The roar changes with speed changes.

I left this morning to visit Mount Rushmore & the Service 4wd light had stopped displaying, but returned & the roaring started again. This is at interstate speeds. Stop at the dealership in Rapid City SD. I was told they were booked into November, but if I could leave it for several days, they would “try” to work me in.

No loaners or rentals available. Leaving the dealership the roaring is still there even at low speeds. Driving the 30 miles back to Sturgis, the roaring stopped. While the roaring is going on, I’ve tried the left & right back & forth to see if it may be a wheel bearing. It doesn’t seem to make a difference. Leaving the exit for Sturgis the roaring started again. I pulled over to check the temperature of the the front wheels. Both were about 105 degrees (braking getting off the interstate I assume)

I have a supposedly reputable local shop that can look at it Friday morning for any obvious issues. Another dealership about 30 miles north can take it in Tuesday morning. The campground we are in closes for the season Sunday, so we have to move a few miles if the Friday visit doesn’t shed light on this roaring.

There is no vibration. Oil change right before we left. Fluid levels are ok except I added about 1/2 cup distilled water to the coolant to bring it to max level. I have visually inspected the tires & ran my hand along the driving surface. No apparent irregularities found. Crawled under the truck, Nothing obvious.

Using the onboard assist service was useless.

Looking for any input on what may be going on so I can safely head back to Louisiana.

I hope this post is in the correct place.
 
Disconnect the Shift motor at the TC and the shifter at the front axle. See if it still roars. Can't be good to grind these teeth all the time.

This will probably give some fault codes but better codes then...
 
The front axle disconnect actuator likely caused the 'service 4 wd' light. A fairly common problem. As mentioned, disconnect it and see if the noise is still there.
 
Maybe the fan? My truck roars when first started, at any speed, and the sound changes with rpm. Once the truck is up to temp, the roaring stops, unless I turn it off and back on, then it roars again for a little while.
 
The baffling part is temp doesn't seem to have a correlation to the sound. Cold or running temp.

I will try the actuators later today & report back
 
The fan is also commanded on by the A/C.

Yes but I think from what I see it isn't commanded at a 100% duty cycle.
I can hear my fan coming on when the vehicle is stationary and the AC commands it on a very low rpm. But never heard it going down the road.
 
Yes but I think from what I see it isn't commanded at a 100% duty cycle.
I can hear my fan coming on when the vehicle is stationary and the AC commands it on a very low rpm. But never heard it going down the road.

Thats how my ‘05 was, the ‘18 and ‘22 are very different. Fan will hit 1800-2000 rpms for A/C at rpms just off idle. Fan sound is different too, even between the ‘18 and ‘22.
 
Saw a Youtube video witht he same concern. Turned out the t/case was engaged and ended up with a big hole in it and metal pieces falling out. Definitely check the t/case engagement. That's why I like a lever on the floor. Good luck.
 
Update.

Disconnected the TC & front axle actuators. 30+ mile interstate & city driving with no roaring. We will attempt the Mt Rushmore (120ish miles) excursion Saturday.

Hopefully the 1500+ mile trip home next week will be uneventful. Truck is still under warranty & will have the dealership drain both cases to check for metal.

Thanks to all for the input.
 
Update.

Disconnected the TC & front axle actuators. 30+ mile interstate & city driving with no roaring. We will attempt the Mt Rushmore (120ish miles) excursion Saturday.

Hopefully the 1500+ mile trip home next week will be uneventful. Truck is still under warranty & will have the dealership drain both cases to check for metal.

Thanks to all for the input.
Keep us up to speed... the roar sounds like the fan... when mine came I can tell u it caught my attention... and it only came on once in the 10 years I have owned the truck...my be just a bad or stuck sensor... either safe travels
 
Keep us up to speed... the roar sounds like the fan... when mine came I can tell u it caught my attention... and it only came on once in the 10 years I have owned the truck...my be just a bad or stuck sensor... either safe travels

My ‘18 and ‘22 have had the fan come on every time I drive them. The ‘05 was different with Smarty programming but once I put UDC Pro tuning on it I got the fan to be more effective.
 
NEVER hear my fan unless I am hooked to the 24k Mobile Suites. 7,500# Boat n Trailer in 80 degrees never hear it.

You don’t hear it work with the A/C? That’s at least 90% of the fan activation.

I start to hear the fan around 1000 fan rpms, and really hear it by 2000 fan rpms.
 
The roaring fan will get your attention ac on full hot day and pull a hard steep grade with a heavy load . It will scare you . But it’s just doing it’s job and rarely happens. Heck I can hear the regen happen almost everytime
 
We made home last Tuesday. Someone was nice enough to share Covid with us. A miserable 1500+ mile journey home. We are on the good side now.

I have an appointment Thursday with one of the area dealerships to hopefully fix this.

After disconnecting the two actuators before the journey home, no more roaring. Bets are on the front axle actuator.

Stay tuned….
 
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