Rear end clunk

[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.

 

[TheRAM]

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...

My truck has the 3:21 rear axle ratio

 

[Rick3478]

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.

View attachment 136721

Thanks for the star pub. Do you happen to have the instruction sheet they mention?

 

[Eighty]

Thanks for the star pub. Do you happen to have the instruction sheet they mention?

No. The kit supposedly won’t be available until October 1.
But a lot of the TRX guys have already done this exact thing. They’ve been buying the Ford grease (designed for driveshaft splines) and a compatible clamp. The actual process is pretty easy. It’s really just greasing the splines on the slip yoke. Not a permanent fix, as the clunk returns a couple thousand miles later.

 

[WhiteNight1500]

My truck has the 3:21 rear axle ratio

Well I have the 3.92 so that pretty much rules out the differential. I DO have the split rear driveshaft though, which seems to be the culprit from everything I've read. I wonder if there will ever be a legit FIX instead of the preverbal band-aid (grease re-pack).

 

[Eighty]

Well I have the 3.92 so that pretty much rules out the differential. I DO have the split rear driveshaft though, which seems to be the culprit from everything I've read. I wonder if there will ever be a legit FIX instead of the preverbal band-aid (grease re-pack).

I don't know a lot here, but the TRX bulletin only states specific driveshafts. There's now an updated shaft 53011135AF that's not covered by the Star bulletin - so there's a possibility that they either (a) solved the fundamental problem, or (b) have started shipping driveshafts pre-lubed with this special grease.

 

[joshporterhouse]

Maybe look at slip yoke?


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[Ram/Tun]

My 2020 Big Horn 5.7 has same issue last 12K and started within 10K when I got it

 

[Bt10]

I haven't looked or read the entire thread, but is there a grease zerk on the slip yoke? I remember my GM having a zerk.

 

[trugg1910]

My 2020 Big Horn 5.7 has same issue last 12K and started within 10K when I got it

I have a 2020 1500 2WD with 32K miles on it. I towed a travel trailer from NC to Grand Canyon and Back (22' Camper Nothing too big). Uopn my return home is when I noticed vibration when starting from a dead stop, around Oklahoma, but I thought it was the trailer brakes sticking. Upon returning home I visually inspected the drivetrain and saw the center support bearing mount (the rubber around the bearing looked ripped apart see photos). So I thought this was the issue. But now the dealer is telling me this is cosmetic and normal not causiing the vibration (which they said they can not replicate and are asking me to come show it to them (I instinctively used a lot of profanity over the phone as I have to drive an hour to get to the dealer and it literaly shakes the whole truck especially when I turn right and start off, I've even heard it clanking a little). I've seen many posts about it possibly being the slip yolk running dry and needs greased; one claiming RAM knows of it and has yet to do a recall. A 32K mile truck, this is to say the least pissing me off. If it wasn't drivetrain warranty I would've attempted to do this myself at this point with what I've spent in gas. P.S. they diagnosed it, gave it back to me said a center shaft bearing was on order, called me to bring it back to have it installed, then a day later to call and say there was no problem, then I cursed them out, now they said they replaced the center shaft bearing but still have not replicated the problem (why the crap would they replace it??). I know the cursing helps nothing but he tried to argue with me after not attempting to replicate it like I explained in detail to him (twice) when dropping it off to be fixed.
Anyone have any experience as to whether or not this rubber mold should look like this, it does not look at all right to me.

 

[WhiteNight1500]

I haven't looked or read the entire thread, but is there a grease zerk on the slip yoke? I remember my GM having a zerk.

No zerk fitting on the RAM trucks.

 

[spelunk68]

I have a 2022 with 335 miles on it that I got 3 months ago, I thought it was an engine clunk, I was actually headed over to these forums to ask about it when I came across this (which actually makes me feel better about it) , maybe it is not the engine but something in the drivetrain links. I have the 10 year 100k bumper to bumper so I am not hugely concerned about it, especially since the truck will take longer than 10 years to hit 100k miles as it is not a daily driver. I don't hear it all the time just once in a blue moon. It happens when the (I forget the name) truck restarts at a stop or when I first start the truck and 99 percent of the time does not happen at all, and now that I describe it and also what this thread is about something behind the engine makes sense. So is this something I should just ignore for now or does it need to b addressed? Also this is an etorq so the engine being spun up with it and the half turn on the wheels makes sense. It is a very ugly noise when it does happen, something I would notice but not big enough for a person not familiar with the truck would notice. Also this is the 4th ram hemi I have owned and the first time I am hearing this noise, I am well tuned into what things should sound like so what sounds like the death of something to me would not even be noticeable to anyone else .

 

[cunnsco]

Hey y'all, newbie here. I bought a '19 about 3 weeks ago. The next day I noticed mine had the clunk too. I took it in because it had 35,077 miles and they told me it still had a little warranty left on it when I bought it. I did also buy the extended care package. When I got there, the SA told me the factory warranty expired on time two months ago. Naturally. I bickered with the sales manager, sales man, service manager and SA and they agreed to look at it. Also, my tailgate wouldn't drop with the remote or open at all unless you aggressively push it in before trying to activate the electronic switch. I'm going to paste the email I sent to the GM rather than type it all out. The outcome was, the GM told me to call Customer Care basically, and his master lead mechanic also copied on his reply told me that he did some research and it is clearly a known problem, but there is no fix for it. He said he tried to get in touch with the regional tech dude but that could take months. Its a shame. I love the truck but I won't last long with this clunking crap. They did not even attempt to fix it. Also, they said they adjusted the tailgate. It still doesn't work but I can live with that. I have no idea which way to go now. See below for the email / story:

Sent: Friday, September 16, 2022 8:14 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: My experience at your dealership.



Good morning, Steven.



I want to share my experience with you that I've had at you dealership, if you'd care to hear. I will also let you know that the driveline issue is still very present, if not more pronounced and the tailgate works intermittently. So nothing got accomplished during my visit other than a waste of about 5 hours of my time.

I traded my Lexus Rx350 last week for a 2019 Ram Laramie with 35200 miles. The sales group did a fine job and after trying to negotiate the most comfortable transaction I could, I slept on it overnight. The next morning I handed over $46,000 and met with you F&I guy. He explained that, while the truck had a little more factory bumper to bumper warranty on it and suggested I purchase a Mopar warranty, which I did. He said it was the exact same as the factory bumper to bumper. I drove home happily with my new (to me) truck and a lot of money lighter.

On my first drive to work, in heavy traffic, I noticed a clunk in the rear end when resuming forward motion upon completion of a stop. Also, the tailgate wasn't working correctly. I scheduled a service appointment and brought it in Wednesday of last week. The service advisor told me the factory warranty was expired by a month or two but not to worry because I had the new warranty. He said it would be $200 per complaint and they'd get it handled. I debated that with him on three counts. First, I had literally just bought the truck. Second, it still had some of the factory warranty and, third, the new warranty was exactly as the original warranty so there should be no charge. He explained that I was right, the truck should've been delivered without any existing issues but since the warranty had expired I would need to use the new warranty and that involved the $200 co-pay. I told him what the F&I guy said, and he said "Yeah, they are all sales guys, that doesn't surprise me". I then got the sales guy involved, he spoke with the sales manager and they agreed to cover the $200 (x2). I gave the service advisor a detailed explanation of the rear end issue and told him that the problem is very well documented all over the Ram message boards and a lot of fifth generation owners are experiencing it. He said, "well if we can do anything about it, you'll just have to wait for a recall if it's that big of an issue". What??

Fast forward to Saturday morning when I went to pick up the truck. As I pulled up to the feeder road and began to accelerate, the rear end made the same clunk. I just went home... Then I reviewed my dash cam footage. I watched the dash cam video of the technician. He drove it for about 2 miles. Stopped twice. At red lights.

When I explained that it happens when you stop then apply the throttle in heavy traffic, I would have expected the tech to at least try to replicate it issue. I would think that a series of at least a dozen stop/go cycles would’ve been part of the diagnosis. Nope. Just two quick drives around the feeder road loop.

Typical Ram/Dodge warranty work. I’d bet my life savings that if it were not about warranty and I was paying out of pocket they would’ve found it, or at least tried to find it.

My expectation is that y’all will tell me to bring it back in and you’ll go with me for a ride so that I can replicate it for you. That’s not going to happen. It’s an hour to get there, an hour to get a rental and an hour home. I’ll find try Spring Jeep Ram and see if they will try a little harder.

I'm also attaching a screenshot of my interaction with the service advisor. I didn't mention any 2-1 downshift issues, only stopping-accelerating, so I'm not sure what prompted the TSB application, but maybe that's just best practice when a customer says there's a driveline bump. I'm a bit surprised that he would tear down the fourth wall and expose that Ram / Sellantis basically doesn't even try on warranty claims, but as a seasoned car guy that's spent enough time in the automotive world, I get it.

I went to leave a google review, and out of curiosity, I looked at the one star reviews, and there are a lot, and they all seemed to have a common theme with regards to the service department…

 

[BowDown]

No. The kit supposedly won’t be available until October 1.
But a lot of the TRX guys have already done this exact thing. They’ve been buying the Ford grease (designed for driveshaft splines) and a compatible clamp. The actual process is pretty easy. It’s really just greasing the splines on the slip yoke. Not a permanent fix, as the clunk returns a couple thousand miles later.

I've regreased mine with Schaffers red grease



Lasts about 25k miles

Schaeffer Manufacturing Co. 02292-029S Ultra Red Supreme Grease, NLGI #2, 14 oz. https://a.co/d/ewQhTxo

 

[Rick3478]

I was wondering about something. Does this seem to happen more with suspension lift, or is it more with stock height? I'm thinking, could this be caused by the splines developing a ridge from running at the same place all the time? Maybe it needs to move a little more. Or maybe a bit of chamfer in the right places could help? Has anyone looked at the splines under a bit of magnification? Driveshafts don't seem to be falling off or having major failure, as near as I can tell, just annoying. Grease seems to help some, that's probably a clue. Maybe a bit of study could lead to a cure...

 

[Eighty]

I was wondering about something. Does this seem to happen more with suspension lift, or is it more with stock height? I'm thinking, could this be caused by the splines developing a ridge from running at the same place all the time? Maybe it needs to move a little more. Or maybe a bit of chamfer in the right places could help? Has anyone looked at the splines under a bit of magnification? Driveshafts don't seem to be falling off or having major failure, as near as I can tell, just annoying. Grease seems to help some, that's probably a clue. Maybe a bit of study could lead to a cure...

Here's a picture that someone took when they greased their TRX yoke.

 

[BowDown]

Here's a picture that someone took when they greased their TRX yoke.

View attachment 139486

That's essentially what mine looked like but the problem is even greasing them, its only a temp fix as the problem does return. I'm actually curious where the grease goes or if its simply consumed over time by the movement of the two piece drive shaft. I never see any grease slung out and I guarantee you that when I pull mine apart to re-grease, it'll look dry like the one you posted. The only difference is that the grease I'm using is giving me about 10x's the life as the ford grease everyone else is using

eTorque vs. Hemi

I've never owned a car with start/stop, but I have driven them and yeah, they do suck. Supposedly, the eTorque system is supposed to be almost invisible, time will tell. If not, I'll just make switching it off part of motion of moving the dial from Park to Drive... I have about 8k miles on my...

5thgenrams.com

 

[BowDown]

I was wondering about something. Does this seem to happen more with suspension lift, or is it more with stock height? I'm thinking, could this be caused by the splines developing a ridge from running at the same place all the time? Maybe it needs to move a little more. Or maybe a bit of chamfer in the right places could help? Has anyone looked at the splines under a bit of magnification? Driveshafts don't seem to be falling off or having major failure, as near as I can tell, just annoying. Grease seems to help some, that's probably a clue. Maybe a bit of study could lead to a cure...

Mine is stock height and 99.9% of the time the truck is in aero mode so I don't think that's a factor.

 

[WhiteNight1500]

I bought grease. I bought the clamps. I tried to pull the slip yoke drive shaft off, but the bolts are so tight that I just about stripped one and gave up. Maybe it's just me, but it seems you need an impact wrench (which I do not possess) to get those bolts loose.

Next oil change, I'm going to bring the grease and clamps to my local mechanic and have him do the work. Not worth the hassle to get the job done under warranty. If it costs $100 or so, it will be well worth it IMHO. Maybe, by the time it needs to be re-greased, there will be a recall or TSB out for the issue.