Rear end clunk

[Drivinfast247]

Mine had a clunk when accelerating from a dead stop. The report said that body bolts were loose and had to be re-torqued. Seems to have helped.

 

[Hoppy1075]

My dealer tried to tell me this was normal as well. Normal doesn’t mean it’s acceptable.
I would try re-lubricating your driveshaft. 1-2 hrs and a cheap tube of Ford XG-8 Teflon grease is worth a shot. I ordered mine from the local Ford dealer and it was $12 or so.
IIRC it was torque the rear driveshaft bolts to 81ftlb and 42ftlb for the two carrier bearing hanger bolts. All 15mm socket.

This clunk drove me nuts and it spoiled the experience of an otherwise amazing pickup.

If I take this quote to a dealer or shop, will it be clear to a mechanic what needs to be done? I am not so knowledgeable to drop the driveshaft and add lube - would prefer a professional did it. But mine has this slight clunk from a start or slow rolling stop to throttle on which is annoying. If it gets worse over time, like others, I would end up hating an otherwise awesome truck (so far). Thanks in advance!

 

[My1stHemi]

If I take this quote to a dealer or shop, will it be clear to a mechanic what needs to be done? I am not so knowledgeable to drop the driveshaft and add lube - would prefer a professional did it. But mine has this slight clunk from a start or slow rolling stop to throttle on which is annoying. If it gets worse over time, like others, I would end up hating an otherwise awesome truck (so far). Thanks in advance!

If you take it to a dealer and try to get it covered under warranty I believe that they will have to get authorization from FCA to pay for the repair which will likely be an uphill battle. If you are going to pay out of pocket, then the tech should understand what is going on here. Very simple. If I was in your position I would even take it to an ASE certified non-dealer shop to perform this repair as well if you are not inclined to do the work. It's not a technically challenging or sensitive job, but I understand not wanting to do it on your own.

 

[The_Dude]

What about the solid aluminum driveshaft? Where do you grease those? Mine seems to clunk when it downshifts or upshifts from first to second.

 

[fjcanepa07]

What about the solid aluminum driveshaft? Where do you grease those? Mine seems to clunk when it downshifts or upshifts from first to second.

Yeah where do we grease it. I am in same boat

 

[The_Dude]

Yeah where do we grease it. I am in same boat

I found the transfer case fluid low. So I drained and filled it up with the Ravenoil BW 44 fluid and the clunk is gone.

 

[Ldc2335]

Took mine if for a list of things and they claimed to have fixed the a/c, rear end clunk, and excessive mds activation with a software update.

Dash cam says they didn't even test drive it or do a cool down a/c procedure.

Nothing changed. Getting rear window replaced Tuesday. Will bring up everything again. Ramcares is involved, but dealer could care less.

Sent from my Galaxy S21 Ultra using Tapatalk

 

[Ldc2335]

Yeah where do we grease it. I am in same boat

I think just the slip yoke going under the boot in the middle of the driveshaft. Don't think any other of the the factory components are greasable.

Don't think I'd use this wd40 grease, but here's the idea

Sent from my Galaxy S21 Ultra using Tapatalk

 

[My1stHemi]

I have a 2020 model with 25k miles, it started making clunking noises around 12k miles. I've had one driveshaft replaced and it was quiet for another 5k miles and clunk is back. I took the driveshaft off and lubed it, it had lube, but not everywhere. What I also noticed is that the new driveshaft already had damage on the splines, the surface looks like someone beat it up with a hammer, so even though I lubed it and it made it better for a while the damage on the surface makes it bind after some time.

So either the metal is too soft or the lack of initial lube damages the shaft very quickly.

Here are some pictures of the surface of the splines. I am super fed up with the issue, I am contemplating eating the depreciation and getting a different truck.

View attachment 121973

I saw damage on my splines as well when I de-greased and re-greased. I took a file to mine to remove the burs, but the damage was very odd, why would there be a random nick or dent in at the crown of the spline at a mid point?! It's like the parts fell off an assembly bench at the factory and they just stuck them together without inspecting for damage.

 

[trailblazersss]

Wish they would find a fix an recall it. I'm now out of warranty just rolled 61000 miles has done it since 3k miles, an no dealer could ever hear it happen or heard about any issues from fca. Really bothers me wondering when it could explode or come apart with my kids in the back seat doing 75 on the interstate. Mine is a 2019 lonestar 4 door 2wd short bed with 2 piece ds.

 

[MurphBigHorn]

I started to notice a clunk in rear. But only when I’m coming to a stop but not fully stopping and then accelerating. Like a rolling stop.

 

[SKT Customs]

I started to notice a clunk in rear. But only when I’m coming to a stop but not fully stopping and then accelerating. Like a rolling stop.

Same exact thing for me. Let me know if you find the cause! Thanks

 

[Mopar_maxi]

I fixed my clunk by greasing the driveshaft splines under the boot. I cut the clamp on the boot and slid the driveshaft apart. I then used an entire tube of ford PTFE grease that is specifically for driveshafts. Reinstalled and used a hose clamp on the boot. It’s been smooth since.

 

[Deep Blue]

I have the 2-piece shaft on the 6’4” bed. Dealer replaced it which solved the problem for 1,000 miles so far. Started at 13k miles.

 

[Deep Blue]

Dealer replaced my 2-piece (6’ 4” bed), solved the problem. Been about 1,800 miles, slightly noticeable again.

 

[My1stHemi]

My clunk is back. I’d say using the Ford grease lasted about 10,000mi which isn’t that bad; but still a quirk I could live without.

 

[Rick3478]

So either the metal is too soft or the lack of initial lube damages the shaft very quickly.

Here are some pictures of the surface of the splines. I am super fed up with the issue, I am contemplating eating the depreciation and getting a different truck.

View attachment 121973

Thanks for the great photo. That's bigger than usual for a splined slip joint. What, about 4"? Anyway my guess is that it's made from cold roll tubing rather than the hard shaft steel we usually see with splines. If so, it's going to be softer and like you said, more susceptible to galling, denting, etc, especially if not adequately lubed. Someone probably got paid good money to design this part (sigh). If you're going to use that one, it might help to find a stone or mill file that will fit down into the grooves and smooth off the high spots a bit. Then lube it good, of course. The good news is that due to its large size, it's likely to continue working for a long time even if you can't get rid of the clunk.

 

[TheRAM]

I have a 2020 1500 Bighorn 5.7-liter HEMI V8 eTorque with 19k miles on it. The truck was great until I took our 5,800 lb. Travel Trailer on a 10 day trip.. During the trip everything was fine. It was only after we returned that I started having a problem. I started noticing that whenever I am stopped and begin to accelerate and turn at the same time I'd feel a clunk from the rear end. I first thought we left something in the bed from the trip and was rolling around. So, I naturally dropped the tailgate and to my surprise, it was empty.

From the outside it sounds like something grinding, but form the inside it feels like prolonged thump. There is also a noticeable squeaking noise that happens when turning at a low rate of speed. I attempted to get it to a RAM dealer, but they were booked 2+ weeks out, so I took it to a local garage to at least have it assessed because I was supposed be leaving for a trip in 2 days and wanted to make sure I was safe to drive a long distance. I took the technician on a ride to reproduce the issue for him. It took a few minutes, but I was able to reproduce it over and over. So we went back to the garage and he put it up on the lift just to make sure nothing was loose, etc.. Everything looked fine. He told me he believed the issue was coming from the rear diff and advised me to get it to a dealer because he didn't want do do anything that would potentially affect my warranty status. He also said that he wouldn't recommend going on my trip until I have this fixed by a dealer. So, nothing was done, had to cancel my trip and am now waiting to take my truck in on 08/23/22. It's the soonest they could get me in.

This is really disappointing. I really love this truck and all the features included, but it's my first RAM and I am beginning to regret making the switch from Ford. I had a F-150 previously, and that thing hauled my camper all over the country with zero issues.

 

[WhiteNight1500]

I have a 2020 1500 Bighorn 5.7-liter HEMI V8 eTorque with 19k miles on it. The truck was great until I took our 5,800 lb. Travel Trailer on a 10 day trip.. During the trip everything was fine. It was only after we returned that I started having a problem. I started noticing that whenever I am stopped and begin to accelerate and turn at the same time I'd feel a clunk from the rear end. I first thought we left something in the bed from the trip and was rolling around. So, I naturally dropped the tailgate and to my surprise, it was empty.

From the outside it sounds like something grinding, but form the inside it feel like prolonged thump. There is also a noticeable squeaking noise that happens when turning at a low rate of speed. I attempted to get it to a RAM dealer, but they were booked 2+ weeks out, so I took it to a local garage to at least have it assessed because I was supposed be leaving for a trip in 2 days and wanted to make sure I was safe to drive a long distance. I took the technician on a ride to reproduce the issue for him. It took a few minutes, but I was able to reproduce it over and over. So we went back to the garage and he put it up on the lift just to make sure nothing was loose, etc.. Everything looked fine. He told me he believed the issue was coming from the rear diff and advised me to get it to a dealer because he didn't want do do anything that would potentially affect my warranty status. He also said that he wouldn't recommend going on my trip until I have this fixed by a dealer. So, nothing was done, had to cancel my trip and am now waiting to take my truck in on 08/23/22. It's the soonest they could get me in.

This is really disappointing. I really love this truck and all the features included, but it's my first RAM and I am beginning to regret making the switch from Ford. I had a F-150 previously, and that thing hauled my camper all over the country with zero issues.

Question: do you have the 3:21 or the 3:92 rear end? Wondering if that makes a difference. I too have a minor 'thump' when leaving from a stop. I can mitigate it depending on how I stop and/or applying both brake and gas at the same time at a stop light/sign. It's been bugging me for a few days...

 

[Eighty]

Question: do you have the 3:21 or the 3:92 rear end? Wondering if that makes a difference. I too have a minor 'thump' when leaving from a stop. I can mitigate it depending on how I stop and/or applying both brake and gas at the same time at a stop light/sign. It's been bugging me for a few days...

I'm not sure if the peasant DTs have this problem, but there's a new Star Bulletin to fix the rear-end clunk on the TRX.