Clunking and squealing when shifting into reverse after towing

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

ascension2020

Junior Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2015
Posts
4
Reaction score
0
Ram Year
2013
Engine
Cummins 6.7
Hey guys, I recently bought my first Ram (a 3500 SLT 4x4 Diesel dually) for hauling my 5th wheel. It's used with low mileage (30,000). I put about 1,000 miles on it before towing, just to get used to it. I haven't noticed any issues with the transmission or anything, just some squealing in the brakes due to a hydraulic leak. The dealer is going to be fixing that.

Anyway, I towed my 5er for the first time on Sunday. Everything seemed normal to me, although I don't have a baseline to compare it to. I noticed some squeaking and squealing that I thought was coming from the hitch.

Today I went to move the 5th wheel again and when I was backing up to the hitch I heard a clunk when I shifted into reverse, followed by a squeal (almost like a screech) when I started to back up. The screech went away as I rolled, then came back as I stopped.

I just had to move the 5th wheel a few feet, so afterwards I drove it around a bit and am hearing the same sound every time I shift into reverse. I haven't felt anything different when in drive. No slipping of the transmission, unusual noises, etc. I also don't hear the clunk when I shift out of reverse and into drive.

My wife took a video of it, which you can see here - https://www.dropbox.com/s/3w3gfu61dugl8ky/20150217_171323.mp4?dl=0. It doesn't sound too loud in the video, but when you're in the cab with the window rolled down it's pretty noisy.

Keep in mind that I don't know a lot about mechanical stuff (this is my first big truck) but I'm trying to learn. I did some research and heard a lot of people talking about the U joints. In my limited knowledge I think that would explain the screeching, but would it explain the clunk? The clunk makes me wonder if it's the transmission...

What do you guys think? Thanks in advance for the help.
 

Staff online

Forum statistics

Threads
194,902
Posts
2,863,860
Members
155,252
Latest member
radikio
Top