Vibration

[BigSix]

When I bought my truck, the tech who did the prep said, "this one vibrates". Yeah so did my last three. It's a Cummins. Like Harleys, they vibrate. First trip out on the interstate, he wasn't shttn. So I returned to the dealership where they rebalanced my tires. Now I had a tire vibration along with the origional vibration. So I had the normal 2100rpm engine vibration, a higher frequency pulsating vibration, and a tire vibration. A TSB came out for the 2100rpm normal vibration to isolate it from the steering wheel. The weighted hydro boost hose works great! The dealership swapped drive-shafts with another truck and cured the pulsating vibration that started very slightly at 45mph and was bad at 65mph. Now I've got the tire vibration. The dealership rebalanced the tires two more times. When they rotated the tires, the vibration seemed to go to the rear of the truck.
Point is, there seems to be more than just one cause of vibrations in the new Dodges. There's a fair amount of arguing on other sights about what it is and what it ain't. If you think it's a drive shaft vibration, take a hose clamp and strap a small bolt or something to the shaft. Drive around the block and see what a drive shaft vibration feels like. It comes on soon and is a higher frequency than tire or axle vibration. It's spinning 3,000rpm on the highway while tires and axles are spinning 700rpm there about. It's a different feeling. If you think it's motor or the dealer is telling you it's normal motor vibration, run up to 70 on the enterstate and slip it into neutral and coast down through the vibration speeds. If it still vibrates, it ain't motor. If it's not motor and it seems to come and go from day to day, it's probably tires. They get into different positions each time out and can be worse or better in relation to each other each time out. That and I don't think the dealer's tire guys are all that good. We had the tires balaced and rotated on our Durango and now it vibrates. We'll be taking both to Goodyear for a rebalance to see if we can cure the vibration on both of them once and for all.
Just ramblin' over coffee...

 

[Whit]

Bigsix,
Yes the new rides have been known to vibrate in different spots, I am sure it is very frustrating especially with a new truck,Its my understanding that the most of it is driveline related, but dont rule out tires as a problem either, taking you truck to another tire shop would be a great idea, spin balance is deffinatly the way to go also there is some balance liquid out there that goes inside the tire to take up any differences that the wheel weights may have, my tires are balanced very good but the tread tends to hold rockes and this takes my balance away, I want to get this goo stuff in mine as well.One thing I learned about vibration is that there is a harmonics deal pending frequency and rpm that have a direct corrilation on one another, for example if the driveline is outa balance and spinning 700 rpm there will be addition EXTRA vibes when other components spin at 1400 and 2100 and so on, these vibes get together and create new vibes that compound the problem worse, If you have ever been around industry that monitors vibes of equipment you can see it clear as day on a chart, its amazing to watch as rpm is increased and these frequencies start matching up and making new vibes, it WILL create self destruction if not delt with correctly. I once was put on some framework that had so obvious vibes that were visible to the naked eye when a 4" channel iorn was vibing bad, the span was about 20' long, I installed a brace in the middle that was stout, then on either side of the brace the vibes was still there only diff was each 10' section was vibing 2x the frequency ***..............only solution is to eliminate the source of the vibes.
My woman just bought a new 04.5 Cummins and we tested the **** outa all rpm ranges and got a good one so I am thankful for that. Good luck and dont let the dealer off the hook till yer satisfied

Cheers, Kevin

 

[BigSix]

Well, so much for the scientific approach. I stopped in the local Goodyear store for their fantastic tire balance act. Carlos took his time (45 mins) and said only one was out enough to feel. So out on the road I went. Vibration is still there. I a freakin' Einstein!!!


I guess the next step is to trade it for one that doesn't vibrate since DC is playing hot potato with it and I don't have time to fight them over it. I think the F-250s with V-10s are smooth as silk and aren't having any problems to speak of...

 

[BigSix]

I fixed my vibration! After three great Dodge Cummins trucks and then the '03, I'm driving my new '05 silky smooth 2500 Hemi with 5spd auto/3.73. If DC would do as good a job matching the driveline of the Cummins to the truck as they did with the Hemi, I'd still have the '03.
I'd be pissed off but I gotta admit I really like the way the Hemi and 5spd auto work together.
If it pulls good even if at 3000rpm, I'll be happy as a puppy with two peckers!;p

 

[MUDDY]

shame on ya steve


yep,,,,,,,,,tht hemi will pull ok,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,when ya trade down to a smaller 5er

seriously tho,,,,,,,,,,,,,have fun with that gasser. them hemis run well. i raced one last week and his empty 5,000lb halfton agin my 9,000lb drw, he way behind. figgered if'n i had the 5er hooked on maybe he cldve kept up

what a heluva way to gid rid of a vibrtion too bad dc didnt do their prt to make thngs right

 

[Whit]

Bigsix, congrats on the new ride, hope it works out to be everything you want and need, I can understand your frustration with the vibrator and the lack of fixing it at the dealers, I think you were way to nice to them , hell if it were me I woulda got plum nasty with them

Cheers, Kevin

 

[BigSix]

I did get nasty at first. The service manager and I had a shouting match in the service drive. He got fired. They swapped drive shafts and helped alot but after our last trip out with the 5th wheel, it got worse. They measured the drive line angles and said it's within specs. Then I decided to wait for a TSB at their recommendation. Rumors have been around of a TSB for a while. Still nothing concrete. I read all about drive shafts and it seems an aluminum shaft would be the fix. But my Hemi truck has a steel shaft and it's so smooth I can't imagine the steel shaft is the problem with the Cummins. It did it with the motor off coasting down from 75mph. I don't see how it could be related to the Cummins engine's normal power pulses with the motor off. I think the rear end was crumbling.
So another dealership offered me the deal I couldn't refuse at the time. My '03 with 44k miles on it and $2k for the '05 same truck with Hemi. I know I'll take a dive if I trade back to a Cummins in a couple of years if Dodge has done as stellar a job with it as they did with the Hemi 2500 driveline, but I ran out of rope and don't want to fight about it.
I don't think I'll have any problems towing our 5th wheel with it in Florida and up to Mississippi on occasion. If we do, we're about ready for a new smaller 5th wheel anyhow. The 293 RKS Jayco is nice but it's a full time rig for a couple of vacationers a few times a year and it's 6yr old self is starting to make me work on it alot. I kinda like the KZ Durango RLS or RDS 5th wheel. It's a mid profile single slide more aerodynamic 8500 lb'er.
So far with 425 miles on it, I'm getting 14.5 mpg were I was getting 17.6 mpg pretty consistantly with the Cummins. The manual says for proper break in of the motor to give it an occasional full throttle operation when safe to do so. So I've complied on occasion. The ***** flat hauls fkn ass empty! It literally leaps to 5500rpm where it snags second and slaps my happy ass back in the seat!
Towing, well, I'll give an honest report when I get it hitched up. According to the math, it should do as well as my stock standard output Cummins running a gear lower. Where the Cummins ran in O/D, I'll be in third at 2800rpm. Where the Cummins ran in 3rd, I'll be running second around 3500-4000rpm. Running 65mph in third with the Hemi and O/D with the Cummins both put right at 200hp and 1300ft/lbs to the rear wheels minus driveline losses. I expect to burn about 30% more fuel with the Hemi so that won't be a surprise. If it does it smoothly and quietly I won't mind. The Hemi actually doesn't sound like it's wound up at 3,000rpm. I'll find out in a couple of weeks...
Do I miss my Cummins? I miss my '01.5. That was a nice truck. I even looked for a good clean used one. Diesels usually get worked hard and put away wet. It's hard to find a good clean used one that hasn't been beat half to death. I drive one in Milton Florida that was perfect but I don't want to look at the orange color interior what ever color it's called for years to come. It was an '01.5 qc lb Laramie HO/6spd with 3.55 rear end. Very nice to drive and no vibration other than the normal minor engine buzz. He acted like he didn't want mine anyhow.