Ramcharger vibrates after using 4wd

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I spent some time on it today. Used the FSM and went through with operation the CAD. Spun the tires, front shaft stayed put. Put a vacuum pump on it and shaft turns with tires. Disengaged easily. Pulled the automatic hubs apart and nothing sticks.
Pulled the rear driveshaft and checked the ujoints. Smooth as silk, no binding. I installed them in the spring. Pulled the wheels. Brakes are not dragging. I did not change the trans mounts. They don't look bad.
With it up on the stands, I ran it to 65mph and the vibration is still there. Starting about 45mph. I presume my next step is to pull the rear cover and check the differential. I find it ironic that the vibration started after using the 4wd. Could the front driveshaft, even though it doesn't spin in 2wd, transmit harmonics through the floor? Its gotta be something simple, I'm just not finding it.
 
Putting jack under transmission to see if it seperated. Just a little lift will reveal it.
Any evidence of a weight breaking off driveshaft?
 
You could pull the front driveshaft out and put it in 4WD and drive it. That should lock the front end in. If you still have a vibration, it would likely be in the front axle. If not, the transfer case. If the vibration goes away, it’s in the front driveshaft.
 
I don’t know **** about the ram chargers. But I do have an 02 ram 2500 gas (2nd gen) with the 241 T case. I had a vibration after I slid it into 4 high. I pulled it back into 2 high but did not fully disengage. Had to adjust the shift rod to correct this. Other thing that happened is one of the u joints in the cardon joint let lose torched the front prop shaft..
Something similar going on with the 2000 Ram I got for my stepson. The kid I bought it from got it stuck between 2 and 4. He pulled on the 4wd shift lever until it broke off and he couldn’t fix it. I bought the truck with 79k miles for $2500. Crawled under it with a hammer and the old linkage and banged it through its gears, back into 2wd. I experience the same exact shake as OP and your post makes me think that’s what the trouble is. Once I got mine back to 2wd and replaced the linkage, it still won’t shift through the 4wd gears. My plan is to just replace the transfer case, as the kid snapped the selector bolt off that the linkage attaches to and the only way to replace it it is to pull the case and split it open. For what it’s worth, I replaced the commonly failing snap ring with a “case saver” and still have thus issue. Still with checking because they do fail easily though.
 
Putting jack under transmission to see if it seperated. Just a little lift will reveal it.
Any evidence of a weight breaking off driveshaft?
All of the weights still appear to be there and not missing any. I plan on changing the mounts since I already have them.
Thanks
 
You could pull the front driveshaft out and put it in 4WD and drive it. That should lock the front end in. If you still have a vibration, it would likely be in the front axle. If not, the transfer case. If the vibration goes away, it’s in the front driveshaft.
Since its sitting on jack stands, I think I'll try going 4wd low and back. I am thinking transfer case/transmission. I will pull the rear diff cover off just to check, but it was all rebuilt in the spring. Anything is possible...
 
Just because the tires are new, doesn’t mean they are not the problem. I have seen a lot of bad tires, very bad balance and a local tire shop mounted a new tire on a bent wheel on my friends Lexus. Around my area, a bunch of the tire guys do not understand tire balance, check their work or care about the job that they are preforming .
 
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My first thought when I just seen this thread right now was a weight on the drive shaft but it looks like you checked that.. then my head goes straight to that CV joint on the front... I would probably pull that and drive it and see what happens.. at any rate it sounds like you're doing all the free stuff first is what I would do LOL...
 
And for whatever reason my mind goes to hitting something in the snow and bouncing and breaking something in the suspension and setting the pinion angle wrong...
 
Something similar going on with the 2000 Ram I got for my stepson. The kid I bought it from got it stuck between 2 and 4. He pulled on the 4wd shift lever until it broke off and he couldn’t fix it. I bought the truck with 79k miles for $2500. Crawled under it with a hammer and the old linkage and banged it through its gears, back into 2wd. I experience the same exact shake as OP and your post makes me think that’s what the trouble is. Once I got mine back to 2wd and replaced the linkage, it still won’t shift through the 4wd gears. My plan is to just replace the transfer case, as the kid snapped the selector bolt off that the linkage attaches to and the only way to replace it it is to pull the case and split it open. For what it’s worth, I replaced the commonly failing snap ring with a “case saver” and still have thus issue. Still with checking because they do fail easily though.

I had my friend that has been rebuilding gear boxes and T cases for 40+ years take a look at my T case. There were no issues with it. Now the front drive shaft (aka prop shaft ) was another story. The cardon it’s the “H” double yolk with 2 u-joints, the u joints were toasted. The shifter detent might be stuck. Other thing is the 241 case is hard to shift when not spinning
 
I had my friend that has been rebuilding gear boxes and T cases for 40+ years take a look at my T case. There were no issues with it. Now the front drive shaft (aka prop shaft ) was another story. The cardon it’s the “H” double yolk with 2 u-joints, the u joints were toasted. The shifter detent might be stuck. Other thing is the 241 case is hard to shift when not spinning
I replaced the detent spring and flushed it several times, but the selector is still seized up real bad. There’s hardly any rust on the truck but any aluminum looks calcified beyond belief. It’s the NP 231 (I believe it’s aluminum). Flaky and scales all over. A lot of corrosion. Best I can tell is the selector is stuck internally, as I soaked it in PB blaster and smacked the linkage back and forth a million times with a hammer. Wire brushed around the selector bolt that goes inside. Hard as **** to move it still. Got it where the front was disengaged and drove it home. With it being in 2wd, would the front driveshaft / u joints still cause the vibration. Like OP said, there’s nothing in my steering wheel. No shakes, shimmy or pulling.

Sorry to hijack, hopefully this gleans some new info for OP too.
 
I replaced the detent spring and flushed it several times, but the selector is still seized up real bad. There’s hardly any rust on the truck but any aluminum looks calcified beyond belief. It’s the NP 231 (I believe it’s aluminum). Flaky and scales all over. A lot of corrosion. Best I can tell is the selector is stuck internally, as I soaked it in PB blaster and smacked the linkage back and forth a million times with a hammer. Wire brushed around the selector bolt that goes inside. Hard as **** to move it still. Got it where the front was disengaged and drove it home. With it being in 2wd, would the front driveshaft / u joints still cause the vibration. Like OP said, there’s nothing in my steering wheel. No shakes, shimmy or pulling.

Sorry to hijack, hopefully this gleans some new info for OP too.

Yes it can still vibrate as the prop shaft, CV, u-joint and cardon joint is always spinning unless you have a hub disconnect conversion.
 
And for whatever reason my mind goes to hitting something in the snow and bouncing and breaking something in the suspension and setting the pinion angle wrong...
Sounds like an out-of-body experience. Can you find my best friend? He ran off with my wife and I miss him..
 
Take the front driveshaft out and drive it.
My money is on the CV joint, there is no good way to check them, unless you tear it apart.
 
Was it the rear U-joint? I just want to know if Kim's idea worked.
No. They may have 2,000 miles on them since I installed them. Pulled them apart and checked. Grease is still nice and clean. Repacked the slip joint on the shaft as well while it was apart. C clips were good too.
 
No. They may have 2,000 miles on them since I installed them. Pulled them apart and checked. Grease is still nice and clean. Repacked the slip joint on the shaft as well while it was apart. C clips were good too.
Did u check the pinion yoke to see if it came loose? Kim
 
Did u check the pinion yoke to see if it came loose? Kim
Yes sir. Its tight. I hope to get some time after work tomorrow and pull the diff cover off and see if the cross shaft pin and bolt has moved. I don't hear any odd noises in the rear when shifting from fwd/rev either.
 
Ok, folks. Got it fixed! The answer is... the front driveshaft and the Cardon joint.
Every thing was done while sitting on jack stands.
Before that i sprayed down the 4wd shift linkage and got it moving good. (4 low was difficult to engage) drove it in 4 low for a few minutes. Switch to 4 hi, did the same thing. Then 2wd. Still there. I bought a set of manual locking hubs and put them on. Vibration still there.
Tried greasing that Cardon joint and it was hard to pump grease in. I heated it some with a torch and it took grease easily. Drove it in 4low and I could feel it smooth out. Back in 2wd and it was mostly gone. Rotated front shaft 180* and it was back. So, I did the heating, grease, drive in 4wd, 2wd a few times and the ramcharger stopped the shakes.
When I actually took it off the jack stands and drove on the road, it felt great with the new hubs, tires and vibrations gone. I think it needs to be driven more often in 4wd to keep that joint from binding.
I really appreciate all your help with figuring out the vibration. Hell, I might even get better mileage with the hubs and tires.
Thanks, Paul
 
Ok, folks. Got it fixed! The answer is... the front driveshaft and the Cardon joint.
Every thing was done while sitting on jack stands.
Before that i sprayed down the 4wd shift linkage and got it moving good. (4 low was difficult to engage) drove it in 4 low for a few minutes. Switch to 4 hi, did the same thing. Then 2wd. Still there. I bought a set of manual locking hubs and put them on. Vibration still there.
Tried greasing that Cardon joint and it was hard to pump grease in. I heated it some with a torch and it took grease easily. Drove it in 4low and I could feel it smooth out. Back in 2wd and it was mostly gone. Rotated front shaft 180* and it was back. So, I did the heating, grease, drive in 4wd, 2wd a few times and the ramcharger stopped the shakes.
When I actually took it off the jack stands and drove on the road, it felt great with the new hubs, tires and vibrations gone. I think it needs to be driven more often in 4wd to keep that joint from binding.
I really appreciate all your help with figuring out the vibration. Hell, I might even get better mileage with the hubs and tires.
Thanks, Paul
Good job Paul glad you got it figured out.RJ
 
Ok, folks. Got it fixed! The answer is... the front driveshaft and the Cardon joint.
Every thing was done while sitting on jack stands.
Before that i sprayed down the 4wd shift linkage and got it moving good. (4 low was difficult to engage) drove it in 4 low for a few minutes. Switch to 4 hi, did the same thing. Then 2wd. Still there. I bought a set of manual locking hubs and put them on. Vibration still there.
Tried greasing that Cardon joint and it was hard to pump grease in. I heated it some with a torch and it took grease easily. Drove it in 4low and I could feel it smooth out. Back in 2wd and it was mostly gone. Rotated front shaft 180* and it was back. So, I did the heating, grease, drive in 4wd, 2wd a few times and the ramcharger stopped the shakes.
When I actually took it off the jack stands and drove on the road, it felt great with the new hubs, tires and vibrations gone. I think it needs to be driven more often in 4wd to keep that joint from binding.
I really appreciate all your help with figuring out the vibration. Hell, I might even get better mileage with the hubs and tires.
Thanks, Paul
That was my best guess, I chased my tail on a power wagon I bought one time.
It shook so bad, I pulled the covers off the rear ends, just check to make sure the axles had the same ratio in them.
Rebuilt the CV joint $30 for the kit from NAPA, vibration gone.
 
Ok, folks. Got it fixed! The answer is... the front driveshaft and the Cardon joint.
Every thing was done while sitting on jack stands.
Before that i sprayed down the 4wd shift linkage and got it moving good. (4 low was difficult to engage) drove it in 4 low for a few minutes. Switch to 4 hi, did the same thing. Then 2wd. Still there. I bought a set of manual locking hubs and put them on. Vibration still there.
Tried greasing that Cardon joint and it was hard to pump grease in. I heated it some with a torch and it took grease easily. Drove it in 4low and I could feel it smooth out. Back in 2wd and it was mostly gone. Rotated front shaft 180* and it was back. So, I did the heating, grease, drive in 4wd, 2wd a few times and the ramcharger stopped the shakes.
When I actually took it off the jack stands and drove on the road, it felt great with the new hubs, tires and vibrations gone. I think it needs to be driven more often in 4wd to keep that joint from binding.
I really appreciate all your help with figuring out the vibration. Hell, I might even get better mileage with the hubs and tires.
Thanks, Paul

Good deal. The old man that owns the drive line shop I use only recommends used non-serviceable aka non grease-able u-joints as they are stronger than the ones drilled for the zerk fitting. He showed me why and I’ll never use a grease-able u-joint again.
 
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