Differential or Transmission Clunk

[RamCares]

@RamCares I am also having this same issue, Dealer said they did not notice it. But I really don't think they took it far because it does it almost every time for me.

We are sorry for the trouble, @itsrname2. Please do not hesitate to send us a private message if you are in need of any additional support alongside future dealer services. We are more than willing to get a case escalated on your behalf to a customer care specialist for additional assistance in having this resolved.

Kathryn
Ram Cares

 

[JRTexas]

I have a 2019 1500 crew Laramie Sport 5.7L hemi non e-torque, 11/9/18 build. Currently have about 8900 miles on it (bought it with 20 miles on it 12/23/18). I recently noticed (within the last 800 miles or so) that my truck does this "bump" "wrapping" thing when I come to a stop or take off from a stop. Basically feels like the truck stops, but the drivetrain is still going and it clunks at the end, or at take off. I had a Range Rover not long before this that developed it around 90k miles, and it was valve body related in the transmission, but this feels more like its in the rear end/drivetrain of the truck....like the truck stops and the slack hasn't been taken up between the differential/driveline/transmission. I have had the TCM software update done early on (I think released in February) to fix the shift issues, so I doubt it is software related as the only TSB I found for transmission stuff, is the same one issued in February that was completed.

Sounds like those that have taken it in either were told it is normal, or had their flange bolts re-torqued, or grease added into the driveshaft under the boot.

My concern is that this just started, and I don't want to end up damaging anything. Also, its extremely annoying in stop and go traffic as you try to feather the throttle to avoid the clunking. And since it has never done this until recently, I know its not normal, otherwise it would have done it from day 1. I had some teething issues with this truck from the beginning, and some of the issues made me question keeping it (came out of a 2015 F-150 ecoboost, which overall was pretty good with a few less teething issues), but I really like this Ram and it has been fantastic for the last 6k miles (all of my concerns were fixed early on even though it took a few tries on some of them).

I'd like to monitor this post....but also want to get my truck checked out. Just don't want to be told its normal as it is a bit of a hassle to drop it off and pick it up when they are done. Any thoughts/feedback?

Has anyone been able to successfully eliminate the "bump" or "clunk" issue with their RAM. I have had mine back to the shop 4 times in effort to remedy the issue (among other items). The issue has been present from week I took delivery and is only present in stop/go traffic. Highway this truck is great, drive in the city it is one big POS!
They've flashed it, greased it and failed to replicate the issue (once driving it as much as 3 whole miles over the coarse of 1 week!).. Each time I pick it up the smile and say "NO PROBLEM FOUND, vehicle is normal". This is NOT NORMAL. I traded in a RAM classic with exact same drive line with 80K miles on it and never had a "bump" on stop or start from a stop.
I find it really hard to believe there are this many complaints and RAM can't seem to find a fix.
Does a solution other than buying a Ford or Toyota ?

 

[MannymanX]

Has anyone been able to successfully eliminate the "bump" or "clunk" issue with their RAM. I have had mine back to the shop 4 times in effort to remedy the issue (among other items). The issue has been present from week I took delivery and is only present in stop/go traffic. Highway this truck is great, drive in the city it is one big POS!
They've flashed it, greased it and failed to replicate the issue (once driving it as much as 3 whole miles over the coarse of 1 week!).. Each time I pick it up the smile and say "NO PROBLEM FOUND, vehicle is normal". This is NOT NORMAL. I traded in a RAM classic with exact same drive line with 80K miles on it and never had a "bump" on stop or start from a stop.
I find it really hard to believe there are this many complaints and RAM can't seem to find a fix.
Does a solution other than buying a Ford or Toyota ?

I did...
I told myself after 5 times trying to fix it that I don't care about it anymore...
I don't know how and why but it worked! It doesn't bother me anymore, I don't feel it and I don't think about it.
Call me crazy, but.... It's been "fixed" for me.

From what I know, There's no fix, that's why I decided I'm not going to sweat it anymore.
Good luck

 

[Mopar_maxi]

I’ve done everything possible to fix it on mine and it still does it.

 

[JRTexas]

I did...
I told myself after 5 times trying to fix it that I don't care about it anymore...
I don't know how and why but it worked! It doesn't bother me anymore, I don't feel it and I don't think about it.
Call me crazy, but.... It's been "fixed" for me.

From what I know, There's no fix, that's why I decided I'm not going to sweat it anymore.
Good luck

Manny. So you still have the problem? Did you try to have the dealer fix it? I am lucky that I don't do much city driving and I tend to forget the problem is there until I get stuck in traffic, when I do, I swear my next stop is to trade the POS Ram off for a different brand. I want to find a fix

 

[MannymanX]

Manny. So you still have the problem? Did you try to have the dealer fix it? I am lucky that I don't do much city driving and I tend to forget the problem is there until I get stuck in traffic, when I do, I swear my next stop is to trade the POS Ram off for a different brand. I want to find a fix

Haha yeah... I still have this problem... For now, I don't care about it that much. But I'm not going to say I'm not looking at other brands......................
Waiting for the whole chip shortage crap to be over so I can get me a new F150...

 

[BowDown]

Has anyone been able to successfully eliminate the "bump" or "clunk" issue with their RAM. I have had mine back to the shop 4 times in effort to remedy the issue (among other items). The issue has been present from week I took delivery and is only present in stop/go traffic. Highway this truck is great, drive in the city it is one big POS!
They've flashed it, greased it and failed to replicate the issue (once driving it as much as 3 whole miles over the coarse of 1 week!).. Each time I pick it up the smile and say "NO PROBLEM FOUND, vehicle is normal". This is NOT NORMAL. I traded in a RAM classic with exact same drive line with 80K miles on it and never had a "bump" on stop or start from a stop.
I find it really hard to believe there are this many complaints and RAM can't seem to find a fix.
Does a solution other than buying a Ford or Toyota ?

I took my driveshaft out today (did it myself) and greased it. Pulled the plastic protective sleeve out and greased the entire length of the drive shaft splines with some Schaeffer 221 Ultra Moly I had on hand. Mine had a minimal amount of red grease on it from the factory but its basted in grease now end to end.
I took it for a quick test drive and noticed that it is much improved, my only guess is that like others have surmised is that there is little grease where the two ends of the expanding drive shaft actually spend most its time and it binds up and releases when completely stopped before re-accelerating

 

[Dusty1948]

I picked up my Longhorn Tuesday night. So far I have less than 150 miles on it.

Today driving home from work, I started hearing a clunk and can feel a slight jolt when starting and stopping in slow moving traffic (such as creeping your way up to a stop sign, waiting for your turn to go).

I'm disturbed by this and don't know if it will continue doing this until something self-destructs.

The clunk sound appears to be coming from the rear end. Maybe the differential or transmission....

I have a 3.92 gear ratio and a non-etorque engine.

Is this normal?

On another note, I can hear something rolling around inside the dash every time I stop or start moving. Guess the boys at the factory dropped something in there during assembly.

You think the assembly people would take pride in their work!

Any ideas on the clunk noise?

It is probably normal. The transmission in your vehicle must go through a learning process based on your driving style to select the right shift map algorithm. This may take awhile, depending on how many transmissions shifts occurrences during the learn process.

Best regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33 gallon fuel tank, factory dual exhaust, 18” wheels. Build date: 03 June 2018. Now at: 05304558 miles.

 

[tidefan1967]

Haha yeah... I still have this problem... For now, I don't care about it that much. But I'm not going to say I'm not looking at other brands......................
Waiting for the whole chip shortage crap to be over so I can get me a new F150...

Just curious have you drove a new F150 yet? I’m just wondering if they ride any better since they basically have had the same suspension for the last 20 years and they always rode like a buckboard wagon in the past with those leaf springs in the rear.

 

[MannymanX]

Just curious have you drove a new F150 yet? I’m just wondering if they ride any better since they basically have had the same suspension for the last 20 years and they always rode like a buckboard wagon in the past with those leaf springs in the rear.

I did...
The suspension feels better than the Ram IMO(smoother)... the powertrain is crap(5.0 + 10-Speed), Very powerful(Hemi is a joke compered to Ford's 5.0) but sluggish and very rough... I don't know why but i found myself bouncing back and forth on low speeds when touching the gas pedal. Overall, I think it's a great truck but the 5.0 is out of the question. I drove 3.5EB before and I remember it being a lot smoother.
I liked it.

 

[tidefan1967]

I did...
The suspension feels better than the Ram IMO(smoother)... the powertrain is crap(5.0 + 10-Speed), Very powerful(Hemi is a joke compered to Ford's 5.0) but sluggish and very rough... I don't know why but i found myself bouncing back and forth on low speeds when touching the gas pedal. Overall, I think it's a great truck but the 5.0 is out of the question. I drove 3.5EB before and I remember it being a lot smoother.
I liked it.

I had a 2013 F150 with the Ecoboost 3.5 and it was a beast, can’t imagine the extra power since they upgraded the HP/TQ and transmission not to mention being so much lighter than the previous gen.

 

[MannymanX]

I had a 2013 F150 with the Ecoboost 3.5 and it was a beast, can’t imagine the extra power since they upgraded the HP/TQ and transmission not to mention being so much lighter than the previous gen.

They are definitely the fastest in the segment and Ram is the slowest... These turbo-charged v6's are great!

 

[anthony196]

Add me to the list of those dealing with this annoying clunk. 2019 Crew Cab 4wd with the 6'4" bed and 3.92 axle ratio. It probably started at around 10k miles, I'm at 17k now and it seems to be getting worse. Like others have said, I definitely notice that it is more pronounced when the ambient temperatures are higher. I live in New York and barely noticed it over the winter, but as soon as the weather got warm it came back. I tow a 6,200 lb travel trailer during the summer months and it's especially evident when taking off from a stop with the trailer attached. I've been to the dealer twice for this. First time they reflashed the transmission, which had no effect. Then I made an appointment to take a drive with a technician, but the season had changed to fall and of course the temperatures weren't warm enough for the clunk to be intrusive to the point where they considered it abnormal. I love everything else about my truck, but this is driving me insane! I'm about to make a third attempt with the dealer, but unfortunately it seems like there is no fix for this issue...

 

[BowDown]

Has anyone been able to successfully eliminate the "bump" or "clunk" issue with their RAM. I have had mine back to the shop 4 times in effort to remedy the issue (among other items). The issue has been present from week I took delivery and is only present in stop/go traffic. Highway this truck is great, drive in the city it is one big POS!
They've flashed it, greased it and failed to replicate the issue (once driving it as much as 3 whole miles over the coarse of 1 week!).. Each time I pick it up the smile and say "NO PROBLEM FOUND, vehicle is normal". This is NOT NORMAL. I traded in a RAM classic with exact same drive line with 80K miles on it and never had a "bump" on stop or start from a stop.
I find it really hard to believe there are this many complaints and RAM can't seem to find a fix.
Does a solution other than buying a Ford or Toyota ?

What exactly are you feeling?
When I come to a "stop" then accelerate again, i feel a slight bump. What I've determined is that unless you come to a complete stop, the trans does not go into 1st gear but stays in 2nd or 3rd. As you accelerate away the trans then downshifts into 1st causing a bump. If I come to a complete stop, this sensation never occurs, only in rolling or on quick stop then go.

What I'd like is a trans flash/re-tune that makes the trans downshift into 1st a little more aggressively which would completely eliminate this sensation in my truck.
I also think it needs a little more fine tuning in the e-torque programming but that may be the A/C fast idle tune causing a slight jolt when auto stop start restarts, I think the A/C restart throttle crack table needs some work and that would eliminate this. Had this issue on my built Z06 when the car was started with the AC on, took a few weeks to find it but found the AC throttle crack table and adjusted the throttle crack on restart and smoothed it out.

 

[anthony196]

In my case, it's only felt after coming to a complete stop. It also depends on how hard I stop. Hard to explain, but if I brake hard, where the suspension "rebounds" a bit after coming to a complete stop, I can almost feel the "slack" being taken up in the drive line when the rebound occurs. Then when I accelerate, there is no clunk. But if I come to more of a gentle, rolling stop, when I let off the brake and accelerate, it feels almost as if the driveshaft is spinning freely for a half-rotation, and then there's a clunk or jolt as it begins to turn the rear end.

 

[ram0686]

Same

In my case, it's only felt after coming to a complete stop. It also depends on how hard I stop. Hard to explain, but if I brake hard, where the suspension "rebounds" a bit after coming to a complete stop, I can almost feel the "slack" being taken up in the drive line when the rebound occurs. Then when I accelerate, there is no clunk. But if I come to more of a gentle, rolling stop, when I let off the brake and accelerate, it feels almost as if the driveshaft is spinning freely for a half-rotation, and then there's a clunk or jolt as it begins to turn the rear end.

Same here.

 

[BowDown]

In my case, it's only felt after coming to a complete stop. It also depends on how hard I stop. Hard to explain, but if I brake hard, where the suspension "rebounds" a bit after coming to a complete stop, I can almost feel the "slack" being taken up in the drive line when the rebound occurs. Then when I accelerate, there is no clunk. But if I come to more of a gentle, rolling stop, when I let off the brake and accelerate, it feels almost as if the driveshaft is spinning freely for a half-rotation, and then there's a clunk or jolt as it begins to turn the rear end.

That sounds like the low greased driveshaft binding up problem.
grease the rear drive shaft splines and see what happens

 

[Mopar_maxi]

That sounds like the low greased driveshaft binding up problem.
grease the rear drive shaft splines and see what happens

Greased mine, fixed it for about 1000 miles then it returned.

 

[BowDown]

Greased mine, fixed it for about 1000 miles then it returned.

What kind of grease did you use?
The only way it's coming back is if the grease is gone

 

[Pyleketerson]

In my case, it's only felt after coming to a complete stop. It also depends on how hard I stop. Hard to explain, but if I brake hard, where the suspension "rebounds" a bit after coming to a complete stop, I can almost feel the "slack" being taken up in the drive line when the rebound occurs. Then when I accelerate, there is no clunk. But if I come to more of a gentle, rolling stop, when I let off the brake and accelerate, it feels almost as if the driveshaft is spinning freely for a half-rotation, and then there's a clunk or jolt as it begins to turn the rear end.

Same here as well