OK, so after 38K miles I finally decided to take it in... again. Actually this is the second time. The first time was when I first got it, and the Tech that worked on it said that DC had'nt quite figured it out yet. Anywho, this time they took it in and said they did agree there was a drivetrain vibration. They said it is the driveline out of balance, and that DC sends a specialist out to do it. He will be here on Tuesday.
So, what do you think. Is this the right way to go? I am concerned that my vibration which wasnt really that bad, although VERY annoying, will be worsened by them. Should I live with it? Or do you think balancing the drive line is the right way to go?

 

Drive line vibrations are never good. Some last a long time, some don't, and some have a very bad ending. If it were me, I would let DC do the balance job.

 

I agree with Hemi - the vibration is likely to cause early failure of bearings and u-joints. You will just need to keep after them - I think I'd try to have them replace it because it's possible that it is not true. In that case it'll still vibrate after it's been balanced.

 

Jc9995, at what speeds do you get the vibration, descibe it. The reason I ask is mine just started and I think I'm going to have to take it in.

 

Its the standard issue. starts at 68, on mine seems the worst at 72-75, then stays at about that level on up. never really settles back down.

 

I had the same vibration. At 64K the rear ujoint was bad and had to be replaced.
Vib was significantly reduced, but still there.

The Dealer agreed it still had a vib and today the drive rear drive shaft was replaced.

It has NO VIB! It is amazingly smooth!

David

 

I've had the vibe since new. I thinks it's strange that so many people have the problem but there doesn't seem to be a universal fix. It's well known that many people have had their truck bought back because DC could not fix the vibe problem.. DC has been denying this problem exist in many cases. If they actually have a dedicated person for this problem then that could be a sign that they are stepping up to the plate finally..

Keep us posted on what happens. Try to get as much info from the "specialist" as you can. I would like to get mine fixed, but I don't have time to grasp at straws and jack around with star and the dealership for 2 weeks.

 

Well, after the specialist flew out here to try to balance the driveline, and spent almost 8 hours, 160 miles on my truck, and 1/4 tank of fuel, he couldnt get it... thank god. He deemed the old shaft "warped", and had the dealer order a new one. Which they installed today. First trip home seemed pretty good, but I will update after a few trips to work. Thanks for all your input.

 

How could a 'specialist' fly anywhere with a complete machine shop? I mean, really! If the shafts are bad for whatever reason, why not just have a local shop that knows what they're doing fix them. It wouldn't be long 'till each dealer would know who local to them knew what they were doing. Then they could just take them each driveline they suspect. Not only would it be cheaper, but you would get a much better job. I'm not saying this 'specailist' wasn't any good; it's just much easier to do a job if you have tools to work with!
Dan

 

FWIW, I called a buddy of mine at the local dealership this morning to see about getting my drive shaft replaced. He was looking through the part numbers (or something similar) and said it appears that DC changed suppliers on the drive shaft for my truck (04.5) since I bought it. I don't know if that means anything, but I thought I'd pass it on. I think I will get mine changed out and see if it makes a difference.

 

I just posted under the u joint topic that the dealer is putting a new driveshaft in my truck. I started to have a slight vibration a couple weeks ago and it strated to get worse. The dealer thought it was the u joints so I brought it in, now I have to replace the rear driveshaft. 53,000 miles on it.

 

Well, a week later and 600 miles. Dang this things smooth. Ive heard other guys say its like a new truck, and there right. The truck doesnt seem like its struggling to go over 70 mph now. Very glad I did it.

 

I finally got around to taking my truck in this morning and had them put a new driveshaft in. I didn't expect it to make a difference with my luck, but IT DID! I'm lovin life now. I don't know if this is the fix everyone has been looking for, but it seems like it's working for a few of us anyways.

 

Yeah I just got mine back and after new u joint and driveshaft I don't have the vibration.

 

For the guys who have had a new driveshaft put in: did it cost y'all anything to get a new one? Mine has the same vibration around ~69-75 mph, and it gets annoying when on the interstate.