two issues w/04.5 600

[doldenburg]

AFacey-i ordered 04. 5 from tommygun in st louis. i live in mn. yours sounds the same as mine. i have a 6 speed so it gets jerking real hard. not cool! no vibration

 

[CATCRACKER]

the vibration is the nature of the beast. just live with it! it really not a big deal this engine is not benz v8 and not supposed to be it has come along way and will they get the vibrations out of that huge rotating mass i cant see it any time soon. the physics of the I-6 make it hard to balance that huge mass swinging around perfectly.

 

[AFacey]

CATCRACKER: I have to disagreed with your comment on "just live with the vibration... nature of the beast etc... ". Have you driven an 04. 5 with this problem? It is bad... This is not my first rodeo. I have had 5 dodge diesels **NONE** of them rode like this 04. 5.



The vibration is not the nature of the beast; it is a problem in engineering or a bad part. Further more it doesn't exist on all the trucks. . That should tell ya something.

 

[jlasich]

Those of you with the hesitation, I was just curious when your engine was built. I'm wondering how many engines this might affect. If the fix isn't out until March, does that mean that all of them until then will need the fix? Mine has a ship date of Feb. 23 so I guess I'll find out if I escape or not. Does anyone know if there are different ECM codes for different trucks, similar to the Ford PSD, or do all the ECM's have the same programming, except of course the difference between autos and manuals?

 

[WStrmiska]

Hi guys, I have 512 miles on mine and it has done it from day one, this is the first diesel 4x4 I have owned. I thought it was normal. It started getting alittle better around 400 miles but it is still present, thats 2nd and 3th also. The vibration starts about 72 mph. Thank god for TDR and the members that keep our trucks running.

Bill

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

As the owner of an '02 that has displayed the same hesitation in cold weather, *I* will be very interested to see if any "fix" developed by DC will also apply to trucks like mine...

 

[AFacey]

I just talked to the service manager - he told me that the vibration/drone problem (@70 MPH) has been confirmed with the regional manager and they think it is an engineering issue with the exhaust. There is no ETA on a fix or even an exact cause of the problem.



For those of you that think the drone or vibration I have is normal -- it is not. It actually makes the rear view mirror jump around.



The hesitation makes the truck worthless under load. My 02 ran flawlessly... so did my 01, 99, and 97. I hated the 47re tho...



I wish I could put a sign on the trucks on the lot where I bought mine warning others. Although I had a great experience with my dealer on my purchase, the 2 remaining trucks on their lot have problems identical to mine.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

I drove four 04. 5s at the product introduction last month. None had the hesitation, vibration, or drone under any driving conditions I used. I know this is not a consolation to those with a problem, but it suggests that the condition is not inevitable or normal. My 2004 (305 hp 6 speed) has none of these problems either. I now have DD 4" exhaust on it, but I drove and towed with the stock exhaust and it was OK as I recall.



If your main interest is solving the problem, even if it costs a bit, once you have documented it, talk to the service manager and tell him/her you are going to put on an aftermarket muffler at your own expense to see if that helps. Get his concurrence that he will not later blame your muffler for a pre-existing problem. Another muffler just might fix it--I don't know. I do know the stock muffler is a heavy beast with 4 (if I recall) crossways baffles in it. I'd rather have a straight through muffler with perforated core, either Magnaflow or Walker 21471 anyway. The 04. 5 already has full 4" exhaust so you don't need to buy everything.



As for the hesitation, I don't know. I have never experienced it so I don't know if it could be low rpm turbo lag or what.



I know not everyone agrees (since warranty should cover everything defective), but my approach is to fix something, and if Dodge can't or won't figure it out, I'll do it myself because the truck overall is the best out there. Sometimes we TDR members, and aftermarket vendors, are the best at figuring out things. That goes for the killer dowel pin, exhaust manifold woes, etc.

 

[WOT]

I heard they had a fix for it. Some new software that removed the pilot injection and uses the true sound of a diesel to mask those little annoying noises. :--)

 

[doldenburg]

joe im sure its not turbo lag. its not consistant. im sure its fueling. it works great most of the time. it gets very bad at times. i have 6 speed so much more noticable. this is my 4th ctd, 93-98-01 04. 5.

 

[RobertBolinger]

Originally posted by doldenburg

im sure its not turbo lag.

I wondered about that-maybe the new electronic wastegate-if it was a gasser I would bet ignition, so fueling makes sense... I guess. Mines a 6 speed too, and does not do it all the time-hesitation that is.



No vibes up to 80-mines 2wd. Very smooth on a smooth road at highway speeds.



Could they use different mufflers on 2500/3500 or St Louis/Saltillo?

 

[jlasich]

Originally posted by WOT

I heard they had a fix for it. Some new software that removed the pilot injection and uses the true sound of a diesel to mask those little annoying noises. :--)

Oh boy. That sounds exactly what Ford is doing to the 6. 0l. I hope they don't start messing with it like that. Don't get me wrong, I like a loud diesel as much as everyone else. I would think, if nothing else, they could remove the post injection event and then it would be just like the '03-'04 models. I would be ok with that but then what do they do about the emissions? Do they have to continue to show that the engine can pass emissions or is it only a "new model, one-time" thing?

 

[ELongfellow]

Regarding the vibration. This is a note I pulled off the TDR about 2 weeks ago regarding the vibration. My truck does it at exactly 2000 RPM's and it then goes away around 2200 (80mph). I asked the service guy at the dealer I bought it from and he was clueless. If I could get rid of the vibration, my truck would be almost perfect.





The TSB for the 2000-2200 RPM vibration in the steering column and/or accelerator pedal has been issued. It is TSB 19-008-03. The fix is a new PS hose from the pump to the Hydroboost. The PN is 52113926AF and parts says that it is available in most depots.



This should not be confused with a front drive line vibration. The TSB addresses the vibration that can be felt while the truck is stopped. Saw a post earlier today from someone that said their new 04 had a damper on the PS hose. I suppose the new hose is being installed now on 04's.

 

[AFacey]

I saw that post & mentioned it to my service guy. He said they checked it. Anyhow, the regional zone guy said they know of the problem, they think it is related to the tuning of the new exhaust, but can't confirm it. Obviously no fix yet.

 

[DPelletier]

AFacey,



- First off, sorry about your troubles. I have only about 5,000 mi on my '03, but it has been flawless. This issue with the hesitation obviously only affects the '04. 5 trucks or it would be old news by now. The weird thing is that they don't all seem to do it, that would indicate to me that maybe its a bad batch of widgets. Question is which widget? I predict the answer will be found here before DC figures it out!



- Any more info on the vibration? Personnally I think the exhaust explanation is plausible. All new for '04. 5. On the other hand why only some trucks? It is a mystery.



- For all those comparing these issues to Ford's ill-fated 6. 0 litre engine; I think you're overstating the issues here. The "600" is largely the same as last years HO, whatever the problem is, I don't expect it to be catastrophic. So far it doesn't sound like anyone has needed a tow or an engine replacement.



Good luck and keep us posted,



Dave

 

[jlasich]

Dave, I agree with you about the bad comparison between the 04. 5 Cummins and the Ford 6. 0l. I'm sure it won't turn into anything big, but this is exactly what happened to the 6. 0l. It started out as something small and then snowballed into a disaster. Even though the 04. 5 engine or fuel system isn't all new, enough changes were made (aka programming) that things could go awry very easily.

 

[jungledave]

My 04 is in the shop for the third time with the dreaded drone vibration. It also has a vibration at idle. I really think that the two are related. The roving tech has it all day tommarow and they are evaluating it to see if they can fix it or replace the truck this time around. I am pretty confident that they will not findthe problem. They have replaced rear shaft and I had front shaft balanced. They have put sensors on it. I realize that the PS hose may mask the idle vibration but it is still there and I really believe it is in the engine or tourque converter. I ahve also driven the truck about 40 miles without the front shaft and no difference. This would also eliminate the t-case because the chain doesnt spin without the front shaft. All I can say is that my 02 had no vibrations at idle or speed in or out of overdrive so I see no reason that this new engine should have any vibrations either. I have really given up on it being fixed and just want it replaced. I don't care if it is an 04 or 04. 5. I jsut will not except of put up with that kind of vibration on a 40,000 dollar investment.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

"This issue with the hesitation obviously only affects the '04. 5 trucks or it would be old news by now. "



Nope - '03's have it too, as do some of the 2nd generation 24 valve trucks (or a variation of it) - but yer right, it IS "old news"!

 

[AFacey]

Jungledave- HAve you talked to dc about a buy back? I have gone the route with the drive shafts too.

 

[jungledave]

Originally posted by AFacey

Jungledave- HAve you talked to dc about a buy back? I have gone the route with the drive shafts too.

Yea they are starting to consider replacing or buying my 04, finally. I do know for a fact that the dealer where I bought my 02 did in fact repalace an 03 with the vibration after replacing the driveshaftand and rearend. I ma not going to get specific wher this dealer was because i don't want to ruffle any feathers until mine is taken care of. I do know that the truck replaced was a 6 spd truck and had 20000 on the odometer. My 04 is an auto. I met the fella whos truck they replaced and he had a hearing condition that was irritated by the drone noise. He also stated that his new truck didn't have any vibration problems. I jsut want a good smooth running truck. Be sure to call chrysler every couple weeks and be "professional" and they will do their best to accomidate you.