Need help with (62-68 mph) vibration, dealer says no fix but is aware of issue?

[rjohnson916]

Need help with 62-68 mph vibration that just started occurring over the last 4K miles. First off I visited my local five star this past Friday regarding this issue and got some helpful & confusing information. First off the service advisor openly admitted and chuckled when I inquired about the vibration I am now experiencing. He and the guy next to him said “Let me guess, did it just start happening around 40K miles?” They also mentioned they have been getting a lot of complaints about this vibe from ’04-’06 trucks “short-box 4wd diesel engine specific” in some cases they said that a few folks have driven brand new ’06 trucks that did it with less than 40 miles and the people have driven 2-3 trucks on the lot and ½ would do the same, my truck has 42,XXX miles year to date. At any rate I asked about setting up an appointment to have it looked at and since they seemed well familiar with the problem, what was their success rate at fixing it. Response from the advisors “Daimler Chrysler is well aware of this issue, there are no TSB’s for the problem we are handling it on a case by case scenario and the only fix at this time is to shim the drive line and there is no guarantee this will completely cure it”. They said they have only been able to cure the vibe 60% -70 % and there is no real fix. I am getting so frustrated with what I should do about this? I need my truck for my business everyday, and cannot afford to have it down for any length of time. I have a couple of questions, I’m willing to spend a little money and sweat labor to do my own R&D to resolve this as it’s getting more and more annoying everyday, I’m embarrassed to have anyone ride along in my truck.



1) How exactly does the drive shaft disconnect? It looks like there are x4 bolts and it should slide out from the yoke side once you remove and drop the shaft down and away to clear the axle yes/ no?



2) Can a CTD 4x4 (auto) be driven for test purposes in 4x4 less the rear shaft in place (Fwd) or using the front wheels only up to the 62-68 mph range to see if the vibe is gone or will it not work at all or break something?



3) Should I let Dodge attempt to shim the shaft, risk down time and rental bills, loss of wages etc….



4) Should I remove the shaft assy, send it to a professional driveline specialist and have it re-balanced, new U-Joints etc. .



5) Live with the vibe for a few more months, trade into a Powerstroke or D-max, I would rather not though, I really love my truck & the Cummins but can’t deal with this vibration.



-Ryan

 

[Cummins724]

If the truck is still under warranty... why do anything but shove it in the shop & demand a loaner vehicle. If that dealership is being smart about it, then take it to another one or call daimler chrysler & demand results. The longer you wait ... the harder it is to get a fix from them. My friend bought a powerjoke & has had 3 heads crack & fuel injector failures & 15 more problems with it. He is in a lawsuit as we speak with Ford trying to get a new truck. Believe me the 6. 0 is junk & you don't want that headache. Besides that why downgrade?

 

[Dallyon2]

I agree with putting it in the shop. Drive axle is part of the drive train warranty. We are starting to see this same problem in the Nissan Titan, so far the fix is the drive shaft angle.

 

[Briman]

This reply does not help you, yet may shed some light on the problem. This has been going on since the introduction of the 3rd generation pickup. My '03 was bought back for a vibration in the same speed range. My '04 was smooth as silk until the rear drive shaft was replaced under the drive train warranty at 69. 5k miles. Since then I have had the same vibe that my '03 had. I now have 95K miles and will be replacing the drive shaft with a one piece custom made unit. No more dealer input.

 

[rjohnson916]

This reply does not help you, yet may shed some light on the problem. This has been going on since the introduction of the 3rd generation pickup. My '03 was bought back for a vibration in the same speed range. My '04 was smooth as silk until the rear drive shaft was replaced under the drive train warranty at 69. 5k miles. Since then I have had the same vibe that my '03 had. I now have 95K miles and will be replacing the drive shaft with a one piece custom made unit. No more dealer input.

I don't want a patch jobber, I read a thread way back on here from a guy that had a shop machine a GM/ Duramax shaft for a Dodge CTD and it worked awesome for him. Ever looked at the shaft under the GM trucks? the rest of the truck is cheese-ball but at least they put a nice and shiny "heavy-duty" shaft under it.



Does anyone know what exactly is wearing out on the shaft making it vibrate? If I get under the truck and apply pressure to the shaft I don't get any play or slack other than the normal rotational play.



-Ryan

 

[RRees]

Here's some food for thought. Get a driveline angle indicator and check the angles at both yokes. See if the variation in degrees is in an acceptable range. That would tell you if you need to shim the axle.



I didn't notice if you have had your tires rebalanced lately either. See if there is a tire shop that has a "Road Force" type of balancer.



Good luck.



Bob

 

[rjohnson916]

Here's some food for thought. Get a driveline angle indicator and check the angles at both yokes. See if the variation in degrees is in an acceptable range. That would tell you if you need to shim the axle.



I didn't notice if you have had your tires rebalanced lately either. See if there is a tire shop that has a "Road Force" type of balancer.



Good luck.



Bob

I've had the tires rotated once and balanced on three diffrent Occasion , took it back to Les Schwab twice because I thought they didn't balance it right, got it back hit the highway same vibration. Took it to Big-O tires said I thought schwab still didn't balance the tires. Tech checked everything was dead on as far as tires and balancing.



-Ryan

 

[Parks]

I don't know if this will help but Balance Masters makes a balancer for the driveshaft. Maybe you can give them a call and see what they say.

 

[BJMarshall]

My brother's 03 with 130k on it has a problem. It was real bad when he first got it. I looked everything over and found the right u-joint on the front axle about to fall out. I didn't have the time or the desire to mess with it right then so I told him to take it to the dealer and see what they said. I also told him to only tell them there was a vibration around 60mph and nothing else. He told them to go ahead and fix it if it was less than 500 bucks.

That afternoon the dealer called and said it was ready. They said they replaced the rear u-joint and that was all. My brother had the service manager ride with him for a test drive and the problem was still there. When they got back, my brother showed them the axle u-joint. They replaced both sides and only charged him for parts. They were also supposed to check the fluid in the 5600 and it was obvious the plug hadn't been touched even though they were going to charge him for a quart of fluid. They serviced the transmission while he watched for free and also changed the engine oil for free.

I thought they did what was necessary to correct the error.

 

[RRees]

Have you swapped driveshafts yet? I'd do that to rule out the rear driveshaft.



Also, something to look it, is if you have any type of "nerf/side step" bars. Sometimes they can act like an amplifier of sounds. The reason I know that, is because a friend of mine who just bought an 06 Dodge Hemi 1500 that had a vibration issue.



Good luck. Keep us posted.

 

[Tryingit]

My 04. 5 was the front drive shaft. It removes faily easy and you can drive the truck with out it and rule that out. I told the dealer what I did with the front drive shaft and that the vibration was gone (Vibration so bad my hands would go numb). Without question they replaced the front shaft (That problem solved). Once I removed my cap I noticed a binding feeling upon take off once the truck was already rolling and I started accelerating. The cure for that was a 5/16 shim between my carrier bearing housing and the body. All vibration gone and the 2K 70mph vibration was gone as well.

I think the saying goes if you want it done right, figure it out yourself. Sad but true. Oo.

 

[RaymondSmith]

I had the vibe at about 68 mph. Dealer swapped out the drive shaft and now the vibe is at 72. It is very rare that I drive over 70 so I may live with it the way it is. I still have several thousand miles left on my warranty if I change my mind.

 

[rjohnson916]

I had the vibe at about 68 mph. Dealer swapped out the drive shaft and now the vibe is at 72. It is very rare that I drive over 70 so I may live with it the way it is. I still have several thousand miles left on my warranty if I change my mind.

Well I stopped by my local five star today. I spoke with my usual (really cool guy) writer, whom was able to get the shop forman to drive my truck with me. He recognised the vibration between (62-68) mph, but reffered to it as. . "Definately a tire vibration" he said " You would only have a drivetrain vibe if the vibration was audible, since you don't hear it and only feel it it's deffinately you're tires" I know this guy is a very credible source, but I'm still not convinced it's my rubber? I'm currently running 285/70/17 BFG All Terrains, they have been on the truck since 1500 miles or so, I have 43,800 miles today and the tires are about 40% the right rear just a little more so than the rest perhaps 35% :-laf but that's from a little more foot than necessarily needed here & there while turning right.



-Ryan

 

[HOBrian]

Just a thought but if you two rear tires are not the same size (one more worn than the other) wouldn't the limited slip give you a vibration as it wants to spin both tires at the same speed???Having two different tire diameters that lsd is going to bind up trying to spin the tires at the same rate. Giving you a vibration. Again just thinking out loud

 

[Cummins724]

Well I stopped by my local five star today. I spoke with my usual (really cool guy) writer, whom was able to get the shop forman to drive my truck with me. He recognised the vibration between (62-68) mph, but reffered to it as. . "Definately a tire vibration" he said " You would only have a drivetrain vibe if the vibration was audible, since you don't hear it and only feel it it's deffinately you're tires" I know this guy is a very credible source, but I'm still not convinced it's my rubber? I'm currently running 285/70/17 BFG All Terrains, they have been on the truck since 1500 miles or so, I have 43,800 miles today and the tires are about 40% the right rear just a little more so than the rest perhaps 35% :-laf but that's from a little more foot than necessarily needed here & there while turning right.



-Ryan

This is a possibility that the vibration is coming from the tires, but not because of a little more wear than normal on one side. The vibration could be coming from a busted belt in one tire, failing to get alignment & excessive "cupping" in tires. The BFG's are very aggressive for a all terrain tire & the cupping is a common problem=vibration at highway speed. I would take it to a tire shop who really knows tires & tell them to check out all tires & balance them, check rotation. Then if no problem is found... get it in writing, go to your dealer & make him fix it. My brother reminded me that his truck had this problem & dealer replaced rear driveshaft & rear seal.

 

[pwr2tow]

There is suppose to be a new TSB out for this problem, dang if I can remember the number though. Maybe a search will bring it up.

 

[steved]

Couple things... the dreaded 70mph vibe is either there or it isn't, you don't "get" it like you catch a cold... it doesn't come on at 40k... you have it when you get the truck new... not saying you don't have a problem, but I don't think you have the un-curable 3rd gen driveline vibrations.



If the SM suspects rubber, I would swap a different set of tires onto it as you could have one either out-of-round or one with a slipped belt... I have had both cause a vibration... but it was a typical "thump-thump-thump" type vibration, not a "buxx" or "whirring" vibration (high speed)



You may also have a ujoint going bad (one pin) and it is binding... I had this happen on the rear shaft...



My drive shaft was off in the rear by a lot... had it rebalanced and it helped... I also replaced every joint in the truck by 70k (all bad)...



The DT kit took most of the 70mph vibe away... you can still barely feel it... I do agree with DCX on this one... I believe it is the interference vibrations... remove one and it goes away.



steved

 

[JGrosso]

I think steve has a point, the normal 70 MPH vibration problem usually shows up when the truck is new. I had the problem and dealer tried new drive shafts and ballancing/rotating the tires, but the final cure was a new rear axle assembly.



Since you seem to be having the vibe issue with 40,000 miles, I would be more suspect of the tires than the drivetrain.

 

[jhyatt]

ujoints napa #330 i have same truck ,had same problem