Extreme squeal when cold starting in cold weather

[Polaris Man]

My truck has a pretty bad squeal when cold starting it on -15*C and lower (-4*F) the squeal lasts for about 20 or so seconds and goes away. Anyone else have this issue? Anything known about the squeal? It will be a very tough one for the dealer to TS because it only does it during cold starts where the truck has been sitting all night or day and doesn't last long. I can hear the squeal inside the house with the truck parked 30' away.

 

[VaderRebel]

My 4th Gen did it in extreme temps and my 5th Gen has done it once... it's like the pulley is frozen or something is slipping. It's pretty loud.

Dealer said it was normal in extreme temps... but if you're paranoid, take a video and show your Service Manager.

 

[Polaris Man]

Not paranoid, my 4th Gen never did it, or atleast not often enough or loud enough to notice, and certainly not at only -15.

 

[NDRam]

I have a 2016 (in addition to my 2019) that does this on cold starts. Nothing to worry about I have been told by the dealer.

 

[VaderRebel]

Not paranoid, my 4th Gen never did it, or atleast not often enough or loud enough to notice, and certainly not at only -15.

Paranoid was probably the wrong word to use, apologies. To answer your question directly, I have heard the sound, questioned the dealers shop foreman and was told it's a normal cold weather noise. Like you, my concern was that most noises outside of normal operating sounds are usually not good.

 

[Jp306]

I'm in the same boat. Started keeping track of each time it happens, what the temperature was and time of day. Just in case for down the road. I agree, a brand new truck shouldn't be making any noises like this. I've owned some OLD vehicles in my time, and never did they sound like this on a cold start.

 

[RamCares]

I'm in the same boat. Started keeping track of each time it happens, what the temperature was and time of day. Just in case for down the road. I agree, a brand new truck shouldn't be making any noises like this. I've owned some OLD vehicles in my time, and never did they sound like this on a cold start.

I apologize for the trouble you are experiencing, @Jp306. We suggest contacting Canadian Customer Care to have this documented. You may find their contact information by clicking on the following link and scrolling down to the "Canada" tab: https://www.fcagroup.com/en-US/footer/Pages/contacts.aspx.

Mark
RamCares

 

[Rhoward]

Not paranoid, my 4th Gen never did it, or atleast not often enough or loud enough to notice, and certainly not at only -15.

Hi, did this noise mystery ever get solved?

 

[Jp306]

Not solved on my end. Temps are dropping, it'll be back, and I'll be back to the dealership for them to try again.

 

[Fatherof3]

Not solved on my end. Temps are dropping, it'll be back, and I'll be back to the dealership for them to try again.

I had that on a 2014 Grand Caravan . The dealer replaced the idler pulley and i never heard the noise again . I know it’s not a Ram but it sounds like you’re describing the same noise .

 

[theblet]

Inspect/ change the serpentine belt. If not that it’s the idler pulley or one of the the belt driven accessories.

 

[silver billet]

My Jeep had the same issue; at one point I opened the hood and remote started it while taking a video of it and showed that to the dealer, as theblet said it was one of the pulleys driven by the serpentine belt, replaced under warranty.

 

[theblet]

Hope he still has warranty. I would think so?

 

[Jp306]

Finally got rid of the squeal once and for all. The dealership ended up replacing the idler pulley and tensioner in one go, so I can’t tell you which one was the issue, but it’s gone now.

 

[silver billet]

Mine just started to do it too, guess I'm headed to the dealer. Only happens on bitterly cold mornings.

 

[RHeller1]

I replaced the idler pulley and that seems to have eliminated the squeal. I have the tensioner pulley and a new belt to put on as well, but the idler pulley did the trick for me. I think both pulleys are like 30 bucks from rock auto. It wasnt worth bringing the truck in to the dealership for that so I did myself. took about 10 minutes!