Differential or Transmission Clunk

[rparth139]

Curious if you had the problem resolved. Im having the same " thumping issue
dealer reset transmission once , helped slightly

 

[The_Chemist]

Curious if you had the problem resolved. Im having the same " thumping issue
dealer reset transmission once , helped slightly

No the truck still does it. This truck is just a toy for me, so I don't drive it that much. Only at 1300 miles now. I will have the dealer check it at first oil change. Something just isn't quite right.

 

[KRField]

It’s normal, nothing wrong with your truck. It’s a 8 speed trans charachteristic. My 13 did it and my 19 does too. I mainly notice it on freeway on ramps waiting for our metering lights. Slow stop and go traffic. On and off the throttle, seems like something is wrong, but it’s not. Feels like major backlash In the drivetrain.

Well that’s disheartening that it’s “normal” but relieving as well.

I did notice I have a leak in the front drivers footwell (supposedly a seam leak). Had heavy rains last Thursday and Friday was 70 and truck smelled musty. Cleaned the inside. When removing driver floor liner the carpet was wet. Peeled carpet back and had water trail deposits and some moisture. Calling dealer today.


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[Quicker10u]

I had an issue when I first got my truck of rough downshifts coming up to stoplights...Felt like I was getting hit from behind, however it has cleared itself up by the 2k mile mark. Must have been a combo of the 'learning period' of the trans and break in. I never had an audible clunk though.

 

[NDanecker]

Sounds like the issue I am having which is different then the transmission downshifting and causing the truck to slow down quickly. That is a symptom of having a high rear axle gear ratio and high 1st gear trans ratio where the motor has a huge mechanical advantage to spin or slow down the truck in 1st gear. I believe that is what the TSB is addressing.

No - this is different. This is a loud clunk which sounds as if the rear pinion is walking in the axle or the 2 piece driveshaft has lots of play in the spline (slip joint). You can reproduce the noise driving 10 -15 mph and pressing on/off the throttle letting the truck drive and then be driven by its momentum. This is where you feel the slop in the drivetrain and hear the extremely loud CLUNK. If the driveshaft slop then I am wondering if this is only an issue with trucks that have 2 piece driveshafts (think its only CC with 6'-4" bed). Could it be a lack of grease in the slip joint causing the shafts to slap???

Truck did not do this new and only started around 800 miles and now at 1200, and is very pronounced. I have an appointment on 2/26. Will let you know when service says.

 

[KRField]

Sounds like the issue I am having which is different then the transmission downshifting and causing the truck to slow down quickly. That is a symptom of having a high rear axle gear ratio and high 1st gear trans ratio where the motor has a huge mechanical advantage to spin or slow down the truck in 1st gear. I believe that is what the TSB is addressing.

No - this is different. This is a loud clunk which sounds as if the rear pinion is walking in the axle or the 2 piece driveshaft has lots of play in the spline (slip joint). You can reproduce the noise driving 10 -15 mph and pressing on/off the throttle letting the truck drive and then be driven by its momentum. This is where you feel the slop in the drivetrain and hear the extremely loud CLUNK. If the driveshaft slop then I am wondering if this is only an issue with trucks that have 2 piece driveshafts (think its only CC with 6'-4" bed). Could it be a lack of grease in the slip joint causing the shafts to slap???

Truck did not do this new and only started around 800 miles and now at 1200, and is very pronounced. I have an appointment on 2/26. Will let you know when service says.

That’s the exact issue here. Please let me know what the findings are.


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[NDanecker]

That’s the exact issue here. Please let me know what the findings are.

Will do.

Just so happens I dropped truck off this morning. Yes - it took over a month to get an appointment with a local dealer. Ugh....

Service adviser said it may take a day or 2 for a level 1 tech to inspect the issue. I'm in a loaner (Jeep Wrangler) so although I don't care if it takes a few days I'd really like my truck back. The Jeep makes me feel the a bear on a tricycle. Not big-boy approved at all. LOL

EDIT: So after dealing with the noise for so long I am leaning towards the splines in the 2 piece shaft being the culprit where they slap because of clearances. Thinking maybe some grease or even a new driveshaft will be the fix. Just a guess though.

 

[KRField]

Will do.

Just so happens I dropped truck off this morning. Yes - it took over a month to get an appointment with a local dealer. Ugh....

Service adviser said it may take a day or 2 for a level 1 tech to inspect the issue. I'm in a loaner (Jeep Wrangler) so although I don't care if it takes a few days I'd really like my truck back. The Jeep makes me feel the a bear on a tricycle. Not big-boy approved at all. LOL

EDIT: So after dealing with the noise for so long I am leaning towards the splines in the 2 piece shaft being the culprit where they slap because of clearances. Thinking maybe some grease or even a new driveshaft will be the fix. Just a guess though.

Mine is in as well. They are testing it with one off the lot. It was happening a little more frequent. Mine is a single aluminum drive shaft. Crew Cab 6’4 bed 4x4.

I am in a loaded Caravan. It’s nice, but not my truck. I had a loaner Jeep for month when I had issues with my 17 Ram. I hated it. The Manuel trans was garbage. It would be a nice toy but not an every day driver. For the price I would buy an older one and totally rebuild it and still be ahead.


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[Boozygoose]

Looking forward to what you all find.

I'm going in for a few items in a few weeks. The "clunk" being one. I am having a helluva time duplicating consistently, so little expectation dealer will be able to.

So, any info I can come armed with will help.

 

[The_Chemist]

Looking forward to what you all find.

I'm going in for a few items in a few weeks. The "clunk" being one. I am having a helluva time duplicating, so little expectation dealer will be able to.

So, any info I can come armed with will help.

I've got the "clunk" as well. 5'7" bed. Sometimes the backlash is so intense that it actually launches my truck forward. Kind of scary.

I can honestly say that I have never purchased a vehicle before in my many purchases with so many issues as this 2019 Ram 1500

 

[KRField]

Looking forward to what you all find.

I'm going in for a few items in a few weeks. The "clunk" being one. I am having a helluva time duplicating consistently, so little expectation dealer will be able to.

So, any info I can come armed with will help.

I can put the truck in drive and let it idle roll it self into second and it will do it. I can brake from 40 to 30ish then roll acceleration back and it will clunk as soon as I start accelerating. Those are the two ways I can replicate it. It will do it a lot of other times though.


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[Boozygoose]

I can put the truck in drive and let it idle roll it self into second and it will do it. I can brake from 40 to 30ish then roll acceleration back and it will clunk as soon as I start accelerating. Those are the two ways I can replicate it. It will do it a lot of other times though.


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Thank you.

Yes, very similar times for me.

I'm not not suddenly flooring it either, just ease off the accelerator to control speed (lower speeds, neighborhood roads, not on highway) and then when I depress accelerator, in a normal manner, an obvious loud clunk from rear end like there was play somewhere that caught.

It happens routinely, but I can't yet "make" it happen every time.

 

[NDanecker]

Service adviser got back to me late yesterday stating a low level tech test drove it and thinks he can hear something but not sure. ???? Must be very low level tech. LOL

They are waiting for a level 1 tech (whatever that is) to test drive it this morning and report back. If they state it is 'working as designed' I am going to snap. Seriously........I am sick of the low quality builds of FCA products and their lack of making things right.

I had a 2018 Jeep Trackhawk that had extremely sloppy 4-5 shifts most of the time but didn't do it all the time. No one on the TrackHawk boards experienced the same sloppy shift (rpm's rise sharply during the shift). Two dealers stated it is working as designed. I stated since it doesn't do it all the time wouldn't that be an indication that something is wrong? Also, other vehicles do not do this at all. His response was since it is not throwing a code & not broken we can't do anything about it. Not like we are going to pull the transmission down and tear it apart for an inspection. Pretty much - wait till it breaks attitude. WTF? Sold the vehicle for this and other reasons.......that truck is not worth the near 100k price tag. Its a fun truck but its still a FCA product.

 

[Boozygoose]

Fwiw, I'm not too sure about the Level 1 info you are getting. I was told a level 3 was highest at FCA for a previous transmission problem so I looked it up @ the time. It would seem Level 1 is lowest, 3 highest. I think the only thing lower than Level 1 is the guy who sweeps the floors according to this, a Level 0.

https://www.autonews.com/article/20...place-for-technician-certification-bottleneck

 

[KRField]

My guy (same service tech) the last three times.
1st go- ECM and TCM flash

2nd- Normal Driveline slack

3rd- rides with me and says “that’s not normal” and finds another computer flash

4th and current (dropped off 2/25)- testing other vehicles in lot and STAR case to find resolution. Star rep called yesterday and said Dealer is still testing to see if repairable issue or normal operation.


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[rhill]

Service adviser got back to me late yesterday stating a low level tech test drove it and thinks he can hear something but not sure. ???? Must be very low level tech. LOL

They are waiting for a level 1 tech (whatever that is) to test drive it this morning and report back. If they state it is 'working as designed' I am going to snap. Seriously........I am sick of the low quality builds of FCA products and their lack of making things right.

I had a 2018 Jeep Trackhawk that had extremely sloppy 4-5 shifts most of the time but didn't do it all the time. No one on the TrackHawk boards experienced the same sloppy shift (rpm's rise sharply during the shift). Two dealers stated it is working as designed. I stated since it doesn't do it all the time wouldn't that be an indication that something is wrong? Also, other vehicles do not do this at all. His response was since it is not throwing a code & not broken we can't do anything about it. Not like we are going to pull the transmission down and tear it apart for an inspection. Pretty much - wait till it breaks attitude. WTF? Sold the vehicle for this and other reasons.......that truck is not worth the near 100k price tag. Its a fun truck but its still a FCA product.

100K pickup! They must have seen you coming.

 

[NDanecker]

100K pickup! They must have seen you coming.

Jeep Trackhawk - not pickup.

 

[KRField]

My guy (same service tech) the last three times.
1st go- ECM and TCM flash

2nd- Normal Driveline slack

3rd- rides with me and says “that’s not normal” and finds another computer flash

4th and current (dropped off 2/25)- testing other vehicles in lot and STAR case to find resolution. Star rep called yesterday and said Dealer is still testing to see if repairable issue or normal operation.

****UPDATE****
Dealer called and said that after driving a few other trucks on the lot that the clunk appeared in all of them and nothing else seemed to have issue.

So we shall see.




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[Boozygoose]

****UPDATE****
Dealer called and said that after driving a few other trucks on the lot that the clunk appeared in all of them and nothing else seemed to have issue.

So we shall see.




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So the analogy is I go to the ER with chest pains, the doctor listens to my heart and states "that's not normal".

Then after checking around the waiting room, several people have chest pains so now tells me I'm good to go?

Did I follow that right?

 

[KRField]

So the analogy is I go to the ER with chest pains, the doctor listens to my heart and states "that's not normal".

Then after checking around the waiting room, several people have chest pains so now tells me I'm good to go?

Did I follow that right?

You got it. If it brakes then what will they say?


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