Update (maybe) on speed sensor/wheel bearing problem
From : mac davis
Q: well the ram has been in the shop since thursday.. they called yesterday and said that the grinding/wailing noise wasnt wheel bearing or brake related.. they now suspect drive shaft u-joint or rear end gear!! something about 99 rams having aluminum drive shafts or something late shift isnt the speed sensor it checks out fine... they still think its a valve body or something in the tranny so i authorized them to drop the pan & look... we bought it used so it could probably use a tranny service anyway... were scheduled for a trip to the delta this weekend with an rv group so it could get very interesting if they dont have the truck back together by the weekend.. *sigh* mac .
Replies:
From : Annonymous
the universals bad or driveshaft out of balance on sun 18 jul 2004 231320 gmt 0000 jim@epix.net wrote i bought my 95 dakota when it had 90k miles on it. when i first bought it i felt a shimmy when i stepped on the brakes which i figured was just a rotor. it wasnt bad so i let it go for a while. when it got worse i decided to replace the rotor. it didnt work. time goes by miles add on the problem became worse... a constant shimmy while driving getting worse when i stepped on the brake. a friend told me it was probably my front bearing. i lifted the truck and tested that scenerio... it was bad. replaced it but still didnt fix the problem. more time more miles problem gets worse. i then realized that it was in the rear not the front. the truck needed new tires so i got a new set... when the mechanic spin-balanced one of the back wheels he said one of my rims was bent. after just buying new tires i didnt have the cash for new rims so i let it wait. more time more miles and the problem grows bad enough that i can actually look in my side mirror and watch the wheel wobble. i finally get a new set of rims thinking my problems are over. nope didnt change at all. by that point i was afraid my axle was bent. i took the truck in to a mechanic once again to have him take the rear end apart. the axle is fine but he tol
From : tbone
welcome to the wonderful world of the pos 9.25 chrysler rear. -- if at first you dont succeed youre not cut out for skydiving well the ram has been in the shop since thursday.. they called yesterday and said that the grinding/wailing noise wasnt wheel bearing or brake related.. they now suspect drive shaft u-joint or rear end gear!! something about 99 rams having aluminum drive shafts or something late shift isnt the speed sensor it checks out fine... they still think its a valve body or something in the tranny so i authorized them to drop the pan & look... we bought it used so it could probably use a tranny service anyway... were scheduled for a trip to the delta this weekend with an rv group so it could get very interesting if they dont have the truck back together by the weekend.. *sigh* mac .
From : tom lawrence
something about 99 rams having aluminum drive shafts or something ! funny - i never knew aluminum to rust and all the ram driveshafts ive seen including a few 99s have all been a beautiful shade of rust. .
From : mac davis
on wed 14 jul 2004 051528 gmt tom lawrence tnloaswpraemnmcien5g@earthlink.net wrote something about 99 rams having aluminum drive shafts or something ! funny - i never knew aluminum to rust and all the ram driveshafts ive seen including a few 99s have all been a beautiful shade of rust. hmm... good point.. it didnt look very shiny when i saw it last.. lol also if the drive shaft was bent or warped wouldnt that vibrate a lot there is just a whine that gets louder as the speed increases... mac .
From : tom lawrence
also if the drive shaft was bent or warped wouldnt that vibrate a lot there is just a whine that gets louder as the speed increases... it depends on how much its off... if its only out of whack by a small fraction of a degree then its still possible. if its a whining/howling sound that you hear more than feel id suspect the rear end over the driveshaft. this is pretty easily diagnosed with the vehicles wheels raised running it in gear and inspecting the drivetrain very carefully of course... driveshafts can dislocate fingers and limbs - even the aluminum ones we did this on a buddys 1500 and easily determined the source of his driveline vibration - a bent driveshaft. actually it was the end of the forward section two-piece shaft that had to be cut off and re-welded to straighten it out. i have no idea how it happened but it did. the rear end can also be easily diagnosed by just pulling the cover and measuring the ring gear backlash. if that checks out the gears should be cleaned and a marking compound should be put on and a pattern run on the gears to verify proper pinion depth. contrary to other opinions the 9.25 rear is actually quite reliable if not abused and easier to rebuild than its dana counterparts if that were to become necessary. .
From : mac davis
on wed 14 jul 2004 221141 gmt tom lawrence tnloaswpraemnmcien5g@earthlink.net wrote yep.. i authorized them to open & drain the rear end & transmission... the sound is like you described with no vibration that we can feel.. actually i picked the truck up last night and ill try the dealer again next week.... we were feeling a lot of pressure about a trip this weekend and the dakota sure aint gonna pull the trailer! basically it was in the shop for a week and in that time all they did was a test drive... my service manager whos usually very honest with me said that he usually has 3 heavy mechanics but 1 quit and 1 is on vacation so the remaining guy is over loaded... maybe theyll have 2 guys next week... thanks again tom! also if the drive shaft was bent or warped wouldnt that vibrate a lot there is just a whine that gets louder as the speed increases... it depends on how much its off... if its only out of whack by a small fraction of a degree then its still possible. if its a whining/howling sound that you hear more than feel id suspect the rear end over the driveshaft. this is pretty easily diagnosed with the vehicles wheels raised running it in gear and inspecting the drivetrain very carefully of course... driveshafts can dislocate fingers and limbs - even the aluminum ones we did this on a buddys 1500 and easily determined the source of his driveline vibration - a bent driveshaft. actually it was the end of the forward section two-piece shaft that had to be cut off and re-welded to straighten it out. i have no idea how it happened but it did. the rear end can also be easily diagnosed by just pulling the cover and measuring the ring gear backlash. if that checks out the gears should be cleaned and a marking compound should be put on and a pattern run on the gears to verify proper pinion depth. contrary to other opinions the 9.25 rear is actually quite reliable if not abused and easier to rebuild than its dana counterparts if that were to become necessary. mac .