Engine Vibration Through steering wheel?

[Shockedimpy]

Hey guys,

Intermittently, Upon giving the truck acceleration I can sort of feel the engine revs through the steering wheel and slightly through gas pedal. Not a huge amount of vibration, but definitely feedback. I don’t recall this feeling while test driving another truck or even at random times driving mine. Normally it’s butter smooth and I can’t feel any acceleration through the steering wheel...

Am I going crazy?

 

[chrisbh17]

Could it be MDS? To disable it and try you would use the gear - button then gear + up to 8 so you can get all 8 speeds without MDS and see if the feeling goes away

Does it get worse in 4wd? Even just engage 4 auto and see if you can feel it more.

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[Shockedimpy]

Well I can DEFENITELY feel

Could it be MDS? To disable it and try you would use the gear - button then gear + up to 8 so you can get all 8 speeds without MDS and see if the feeling goes away

Does it get worse in 4wd? Even just engage 4 auto and see if you can feel it more.

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Well I can definitely feel it every very cold morning. And when I engage the +- mode I can feel it as well. Best way I can describe it is, the engine revs are felt to a certain degree via the steering wheel, accelerator and slightly on the seat. Its very odd....When I test drove another ram it was butter smooth and this truck doesn't always do it either..I don't get it and I don't want to run back to the dealer to look like an idiot....

 

[Shockedimpy]

It almost feels like its lugging and sluggish

 

[crash68]

How many miles one the truck? It's possible the transmission is still "learning" your driving style.

 

[Shockedimpy]

The truck has 530 miles currently...Is the steering wheel sensation a normal thing?

 

[chrisbh17]

"Lugging and sluggish" are how I would describe MDS.

On the other hand, I have had a "cell phone vibrating" type vibration in my floorboard, gas pedal and steering wheel, but only while accelerating and only from 2000-2300 RPM. Outside of those conditions, no vibration.

 

[Shockedimpy]

I would say that's a similar type of vibration

 

[RammerHarder]

Get use to it, this is something FCA has failed to ever fix since the 2009 4th gen came out. It is torsional vibrations coming from the hemi engines, there is no fix for it. Alot of people have tried conquering this vibe, none have totally eliminated it 100%. Some have dampen`d it by installing the eco diesel damper in behind the steering wheel horn cover on 4th gen`s, but i`ve not seen or heard of anyone doing this mod to the 5th gen trucks as of yet. I`ve also read where people have pulled the carpets out and installed sound deadening sheets onto the floor pan and firewalls. Thats an expensive thing to have to do... FCA should have fixed this issue long ago.

Every one of my (4 of them) 4th gen trucks had vibes anywheres around 1500 to 2000 rpm`s. With both of my 2010 hemi 4th gen`s, i spent a couple grand chasing the vibes and adding this an that to them. I finally solved it on those two trucks, but when i got my 3rd 4th gen truck, i decided to just live with it, i wasn`t about to sink a bunch of time & money into something you can`t ever get rid of. On cold days with my latest 4th gen, it vibes the steering wheel and the floor pretty bad until warmed up. Once the truck is warm, it settles down and is smooth as glass. I`m not going to chase this demon in the 2018 i have. I`ve just decided that THAT is what its going to do, so i`ve decided to just live with it, as it only does it when its VERY cols outside. Other than that, this 18 sport is a joy compared to all my other previous hemi trucks. Yes, its annoying, but it is what it is. I call it the price of owning a hemi truck. But it is sad, that FCA has not addressed this, nore has ever fixed it. So.... i now see that the VIBE saga continues into the 5th gen trucks. Glad i didnt buy one, i would have been very disappointed in that it hasn`t been fixed yet.

If you go to your dealer`s, i`ll suggest loosening the motor mounts, shift the mounts, re-tighten them. Some people have claimed this helps. I know it changed the vibes on my previous ram hemi trucks, but it never totaly got rid of the engine vibes transmitting throughout the cab and steering wheel. Worth a shot anyways... what have you got to lose but time. Maybe if enough people call FCA and ***** about it, maybe they`ll finally fix it. But i hardly doubt it. Its a hemi, they VIBE, it is what it is. Funny how none of the hemi cars do this, but the trucks do. I think the reason the hemi cars don`t do it is because everything is tighter and closer within the vehicle... i have no other explanation as to why they do it. Some trucks do it, some people claim theirs does not. Some people dont even know what they`re looking for, so they wouldn`t know it if they felt it. Its also odd, that some trucks have it worse than others, but the end result, they ALL do it, all because of the hemi engine is NOT dampened very well. It dosen`t take much to upset a hemi.

Sorry i couldn`t help you more, but in the same sentence, i hope it helps you understand it better.

 

[RammerHarder]

"Lugging and sluggish" are how I would describe MDS.

On the other hand, I have had a "cell phone vibrating" type vibration in my floorboard, gas pedal and steering wheel, but only while accelerating and only from 2000-2300 RPM. Outside of those conditions, no vibration.

Chris,
i think i remember you an i trading talks on this issue earlier last summer & fall about this ram hemi vibe issue. I do believe i told you that my 2018 sport didn`t vibe at all, and mine was smooth as glass. Well now that the super cold spell has hit where i live, the good ole "hemi vibe`s" came in for the attack! Mine vibes thru the steering wheel, floor pan, but only when i first get it in it and drive it in sub zero temps. I`m not going to worry about it as it dosen`t do it when the temps warm up outside. We`ll see what springtime brings and if it still does it. How did you ever make out with getting one of those eco diesel dampers for your steering wheel (?). Did that ever pan out for you...?

 

[chrisbh17]

I still havent gotten around to adding the dampers, unfortunately.

I did work with a company that specializes in finding and fixing vibrations in big rigs, they said their tools and knowledge can be applied to normal size vehicles too. Using an Android app I was able to track it as a 133hz vibration. On a V8, 133hz is a fourth order vibration, which is the same as a firing order vibration. So the idea of Hemi torsional vibrations is definitely valid.

For others reading this thread - the diesel version of our truck has a few mass dampers placed in various areas of the truck. Steering wheel, transfer case and differential mount. Also, looking at the Eco Diesel RAM forum, there were a few people complaining of a vibration similar to what we experience, except it was around 2600 RPM. It just so happens that a firing order vibration on a V6 happens at.....2600 RPM, and that translates to the same 133hz that I saw on my Hemi. The company I was talking to thinks there is some inherent chassis resonance that is "excited" by a firing order vibration from the engine. The theory is that FCA uses dampers on the EcoD as an attempt at breaking the resonance. I bought the steering wheel damper but have not had time to install it yet. Im also looking at the differential damper because its cheap (about 40 bux) but you have to pull the bolts holding the right side of the diff in place to add the damper....not sure if that affects alignment, etc.

My truck shows this vibration regardless of temperature. I wish it just got worse in the cold, then it would be a pretty cut and dry explanation (something rubber is hardening up). I do plan on trying the "loosen engine and trans mounts" process, but its too cold out to do much of anything lately.

 

[Shockedimpy]

Chris,
i think i remember you an i trading talks on this issue earlier last summer & fall about this ram hemi vibe issue. I do believe i told you that my 2018 sport didn`t vibe at all, and mine was smooth as glass. Well now that the super cold spell has hit where i live, the good ole "hemi vibe`s" came in for the attack! Mine vibes thru the steering wheel, floor pan, but only when i first get it in it and drive it in sub zero temps. I`m not going to worry about it as it dosen`t do it when the temps warm up outside. We`ll see what springtime brings and if it still does it. How did you ever make out with getting one of those eco diesel dampers for your steering wheel (?). Did that ever pan out for you...?

It does seem worse now that its -10 out here in MA.

 

[RammerHarder]

It does seem worse now that its -10 out here in MA.

Try to live with it my friend, or you`ll just go crazy trying to chase it and you`ll never fix it. This has been an ongoing issues for YEARS, and FCA deny`s the issue.
If you call them, they`ll have a rep come to your local dealer, road test it with you, all that rep will tell you is: Its "As Per Design". That gets FCA off the hook with fixing it.
It can NOT ever be 100% fixed... its just hemi thing that most have just learned to live with, myself included, even though it DOES **** me off that FCA wont address it, and fix it.

And i will say, this is good to know, that the 5th gen still has this known decade long vibe problem... My next truck wont be a 5th gen, that i can surely tell you.

 

[chrisbh17]

My only real issue with the vibration is that it gets worse with 4-Auto engaged. I think that is a clue as to where the issue lies, but I also worry that it will cause bigger issues down the road.

Luckily I have MaxCare Lifetime and its been noted at 2 separate dealers that they can feel the vibration but it is "normal" since they found other trucks that do the same thing.

Some people with the vibration have also noted that it goes away or at least gets better as the truck has more miles on it. But that could just be a different vibration they are talking about.

 

[RammerHarder]

I still havent gotten around to adding the dampers, unfortunately.

I did work with a company that specializes in finding and fixing vibrations in big rigs, they said their tools and knowledge can be applied to normal size vehicles too. Using an Android app I was able to track it as a 133hz vibration. On a V8, 133hz is a fourth order vibration, which is the same as a firing order vibration. So the idea of Hemi torsional vibrations is definitely valid.

For others reading this thread - the diesel version of our truck has a few mass dampers placed in various areas of the truck. Steering wheel, transfer case and differential mount. Also, looking at the Eco Diesel RAM forum, there were a few people complaining of a vibration similar to what we experience, except it was around 2600 RPM. It just so happens that a firing order vibration on a V6 happens at.....2600 RPM, and that translates to the same 133hz that I saw on my Hemi. The company I was talking to thinks there is some inherent chassis resonance that is "excited" by a firing order vibration from the engine. The theory is that FCA uses dampers on the EcoD as an attempt at breaking the resonance. I bought the steering wheel damper but have not had time to install it yet. Im also looking at the differential damper because its cheap (about 40 bux) but you have to pull the bolts holding the right side of the diff in place to add the damper....not sure if that affects alignment, etc.

My truck shows this vibration regardless of temperature. I wish it just got worse in the cold, then it would be a pretty cut and dry explanation (something rubber is hardening up). I do plan on trying the "loosen engine and trans mounts" process, but its too cold out to do much of anything lately.

Hi Chris... you are spot on my friend! You not only understand it, you get it!
I`ve told people ever since this issue showed up in 2009, that it was the hemi torsional vibration issue thats causing it... but nobody wanted to believe me. When they changed the frames and cabs for the 4th gen era, thats when all this VIBE thing came to light very quickly. Some people argued that it was because of the MDS mode... NOPE, that is incorrect! MDS "can seem to" CHANGE whats going on, but the engine STILL has harmonics that change`s throughout the RPM range. Yes, the V6 engines also do it, but i dont see as many complaints about it with V6 owners as much as i do with hemi owners. I guess hemi owners think these hemi`s should be pillow soft... uhhh NOPE, they`re not. But we have a world full of dealerships selling the hemi`s out there to customers and praising how GREAT the hemi is. It IS a great engine, but it DOES still have its flaws. Had they incorporated twin balancer shafts within the block somehow, that would have given the torsional vibes a place to go and die. But they had to save money, so it is what it is. Its a HEMI, i`m good with that.

 

[chrisbh17]

Im also curious if something like a FluidAmpr or ATI racing harmonic damper/balancer would fix the issue. Im guessing "cheap parts" means we dont have great harmonic balancing on the engine itself. If it truly is the engine, the damper could (hopefully) absorb some of it.

If I didnt have MaxCare, I would be looking into it. But taking apart the front end of the truck to replace it while risking voiding MaxCare is not something I want to try.

 

[Shockedimpy]

Its odd that it doesn't happen all the time? Its butter smooth sometimes and worse others. Makes me think its something different

 

[chrisbh17]

Another "out there" theory I have is that its something to do with the axle disconnect. Its basically a fork that slides when you engage any 4WD mode. Kinda wonder if the fork is vibrating inside its housing and that transfers everywhere. A long shot, for sure. but it would explain why its gets worse in 4-auto, and might explain why it feels better or worse at times (if the fork is in "just the right position" maybe it alleviates some of the issue)

 

[Shockedimpy]

Should I bring it to the dealer? I'd hate to look like an idiot haha

 

[TheKenster]

It was-6 this morning and I too felt the vibes. Perfectly normal I felt due to the cold. Fluids don't flow as they normally do

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