[B]I am driving a 2006 Dodge 3500 Diesel with auto transmission and 272,000 miles, or rather it is driving me Nuts!!

This is a company truck that I use to tow RVs, and also tow behind moter homes, so the mileage on this truck is majority highway miles. The VIBRATION I feel in the steering wheel and seat begins at 35 MPH and grows worse with increased speed, but does level a small amount above 70+. When I shift to neutral, it goes away.

This has been the case for months, and the following has been done to correct the problem with NO results.

Have replaced:

all 3 U-joints
Center bearing
Transmission support
Transmission and torque converter
clutch fan
Tires replaced, then balanced 2 times

Checking drive shaft Monday

DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY IDEAS???

 

Sounds like a unbalanced shaft to me

 

i am an expert by no means,...but when you shift the tranny into "N", your letting off the throttle as well (i'm assuming), so the engine is under zero load and RPM's are at or close to idle.
you may have an engine or engine accessory issue. perhaps an axle wheel bearing?

trying to help. good luck

 

Might need to check and make sure the flywheel is balanced as well.

 

Don, you have no truck signature, so I'm assuming everything is OEM.

Since decoupling the driveline at speed eliminates the noise/vibration, yet you feel it through the steering wheel & SOTP meter - it shouldn't be anything south of the tranny's input shaft, or anything in the front end. Does the noise/vibration return if you rev the engine to cruise RPM while in Neutral? If so, you should be able to repeat it when parked for further troubleshooting of the engine & accessories.

In particular, I recommend checking the high-pressure hose from the HydroBoost pump - master cylinder to verify that the vibration damper is still in place, and inspecting the tranny flexplate through the inspection cover to make sure it isn't loose or cracked.

HTH

 

XLR8R, Need clarification of terms

You asked "Does the noise/vibration return if you rev the engine to cruise RPM while in Neutral?" The answer is No

Also in this statement "I recommend checking the high-pressure hose from the HydroBoost pump - master cylinder to verify that the vibration damper is still in place," is this also known as "vacuum pump"

Is the "tranny flexplate" also known as the "bell housing"

Other information regarding this problem is that the vibration is continuous, BUT only occurs when in gear and under a load. There is no noice associated with the vibration, no power loss, nor engine skip.

The flywheel has been checked and has no problems

The rear engine seal was replaced at the time of the transmission replacement.

The vibration is to the point that after 300 miles every bone and muscle aches!! Any other ideas appreciated..

 

Hmmmm, I'm just trying to rack my brain what else a guy could check, this sounds like one of those things where you will smack your head when you find it because it was so simple.

But I gotta give two thumbs up to the 272,000 miles on an '06!

Very Impressive!

 

felxplate/flywheel its what the tc bolts to. there is there little bolts right under the tc. take those out and use a flasklight to look at the flexplate/flywheel for warped or broke pieces of metal

 

Best fix would be a 1-pc. driveshaft, like the '08 6.7L... otherwise, make sure the 2-pc. is balanced properly (and in phase) and check driveline angles... is the vibe worse when the truck is empty or loaded?

 

Vibration occurs when in gear and under a load

For example, If I am pulling an RV 5th wheel, Vibration begans around 35 MPH and grows worse with the increase in speed. If I let off on the accelerator, the vibration stops, but resumes as soon as I touch the gas.

The same thing occurs if I am driving the truck without anything behind it as well.

 

Bad motor mount?

 

I'd replace the tranmission mounts or mount. I believe those things are just rubber? Under a load you have vibration......trans replaced....rear worked on as well........WHO checked to make sure everything was buttoned up properly?

 

When I was 15 my first truck was a 77 D150 4 speed V-8 318. (Gaser) it ran fine but after a few months of me owning the truck it would vibrate horribly while under load, in nuetral nothing. I thought it was the U joints, driveshaft ect... Come to find out 3 of the 8 sparkplugs were carboned over and were not firing, creating an imalance in the engine. After replacing all plugs and cleaning the carb it ran better than the first day I bought it. Yea I know this is a diesel truck. But there may be something going on internaly, maybe one of your injectors is out, code no code sounds like an engine problem to me.

 

Your symptoms sounds just like mine.

I had an aftermarket center carrier bearing on my rear drvieshaft and it gave me an annoying vibration over the speed of 55mph.

The reason was that the aftermarket carrier bearing was sitting an inch higher than the stock carrier bearing so the driveshaft angle was actually messed up because of that. Oh. And the second reason was that my rear driveshaft slide was stuck so it ripped of the carrier bearings under hard accerlation...

 

If you just had the tranny done and then noticed the vibration you could easily gotten an out of balance Torque converter. this will give those symptoms. But I agree, we need a Signature to see all the info on the truck. if it is a 4x4 you can remove the rear drive shaft and test drive it. If not there may be other things and info needed. Like what exactly was done to the truck when the issue first started.