front end howling noise

[MACH]

I took my 2013 laramie into the dealer last Tuesday and its been sitting there ever since.

I told them about this issue and that I took the bolt out cause the noise is annoying as hell. They took note of it and said the sent a note to Chrysler as there is no fix. They said it wouldn't void my warranty.....

 

[katokahn99]

Sub'd for the permanent solution. I'm deaf as a doorknob but if my wife is subjected to that sound...if it comes up in my truck...I'll be a miserable SOB until it is resolved.

 

[757guy]

Delaership called and asked me to bring in the truck as they had a second Chrysler Engineer wanting to see and hear this issue. After a test drive his comment was: "They all do that and your seems to be quiter than most. "

Gee, that's reassuring!

Here is what Chrysler has for a solution so far: Wrap the rubber hose section of the transmission oil cooler lines (next to the engine and air filer housing) with a high density pipe foam. This foam is refrigeration line insulation which is more dense than regular water pipe insulation you might see at Home Depot (They have it in the plumbing section). Wrap only the rubber section of the transmission cooling lines making sure to not cover the metal end sections of the rubber hose. Place 3 zip ties around the foam to hold it on place firmly-not tight, making sure the open seam is placed on the bottom of the rubber hose area to allow moisture to drain out.

That solution did quiet the noise down around 70% in my case, but removing the bolt and using a large 2" push pin (Plastic trim fastener with serrated edges) to hold the bracket to the fan shroud housing eliminated all sound. I also used 2 large rubber grommets, one on each side of the plastic bracket, to further insulate the bracket and push pin from the fan shroud housing.


Hope that information helps. I sincerely hope that RAM is working on a permanent solution for this problem. Good luck!

757guy
Minnesota

 

[Casper]

Check underneath you may have run over a Prius and gotten it lodged in the wheel well.

 

[superlubricity]

Here is what Chrysler has for a solution so far: Wrap the rubber hose section of the transmission oil cooler lines (next to the engine and air filer housing) with a high density pipe foam. This foam is refrigeration line insulation which is more dense than regular water pipe insulation you might see at Home Depot (They have it in the plumbing section). Wrap only the rubber section of the transmission cooling lines making sure to not cover the metal end sections of the rubber hose. Place 3 zip ties around the foam to hold it on place firmly-not tight, making sure the open seam is placed on the bottom of the rubber hose area to allow moisture to drain out.

That solution did quiet the noise down around 70% in my case, but removing the bolt and using a large 2" push pin (Plastic trim fastener with serrated edges) to hold the bracket to the fan shroud housing eliminated all sound. I also used 2 large rubber grommets, one on each side of the plastic bracket, to further insulate the bracket and push pin from the fan shroud housing.


Hope that information helps. I sincerely hope that RAM is working on a permanent solution for this problem. Good luck!

757guy
Minnesota

Super helpful.

My truck (2013) is at the dealer now and this "whirl/howl" is one of the issues I'm having them look at.

Do you have any pics of your fix in place? I'd love to see it visually entails so I can get an idea of what I need to do if the dealer comes back without a solution.

Thank you.

 

[URdone21]

My new 2013 was doing the same thing, so I just took the bolt out completely and installed a piece of foam in between the bracket and fan shroud. The noise is now gone. Here's a picture of mine.

Thanks for the pic. That noise has been driving me nuts! Took out the bolt and zip tied it a couple times to something sturdy above and below it. Sounds better. Going to get that foam to wrap around the rubber part of those lines from Home Depot ASAP. Thanks again.

 

[superlubricity]

Super helpful.

My truck (2013) is at the dealer now and this "whirl/howl" is one of the issues I'm having them look at.

Do you have any pics of your fix in place? I'd love to see it visually entails so I can get an idea of what I need to do if the dealer comes back without a solution.

Thank you.

No luck at the dealership for me. The advisor acknowledged the issue and the attempted fix (a small piece of thin double-sided tape in-between the bracket and the fan shroud) did not work.

Using a zip tie (attached to the AC cooler lines) to suspend the transmission lines is the best solution I've found so far and it only minimizes the howl. It is certainly still there.

I can replicate the issue @ ~1,100 RPM every time. Pretty annoying.

 

[superlubricity]

Anyone found a better fix here? The sound is quite annoying.

What about more drastic changes?

Different Transmission Fluid?
Different Replacement Lines?
Can line pressure be changed via tuning?

 

[Big_Ben]

Thanks for the info - stumbled onto this post - picked up a 2013 in June and have not had this issue yet, but will check out the lines to see if there is the same bolt configuration.

 

[superlubricity]

I still get this howl . . . even with the bolt removed.

I have had two 2013 RAMs and both make this noise when cruising right around 1,000 - 1,100 RPM. I would love to find a permanent fix.

 

[smiley]

I had the same noise in my 2013... I drove me insane.

I found out that it is the velocity of the fluid going through the tranny lines that are held on by a plastic bracket connected to the fan housing. The sound resonates through the fan shroud and gets amplified.

I took the bolt out that holds the two lines down and put a small thing of foam from my dirt bike handlebar pad (old one) behind the bracket.


PROBLEM SOLVED!!! but it still sucks to have it like that but it works.

I will share this.


$miley

 

[sirwankel]

This started happening to me a few days ago, any one know if dodge came up with a fix yet?

 

[hemi pete]

I have 2012 ram 1500 5.7l and makes same noise.Some hardware stores have plastic threaded bolts/different sizes too/.Maybe replacing that metal bolt with plastic one and installing foam around that bracket will help. I will try to install that bolt and foam. i will let you guys know if noise is 100% gone. By the way noise is created in the return line coming from trans cooler.I lift the car on the rack in the shop and run it in 4th gear around 30 mph. I used stethoscope to listen the noise in the line.Holly crap is loud.To me sounds like a high frequency fluid vibration created by pressure in the system. I work with Mercedes Benz cars and we getting similar noise in hydraulic suspension system but only if pulsation dampener that is attached to the pump is bad.So did Chrysler screw something up in the system.Don't know. Keep trucking tsb's maybe they will have better fix then foam.

 

[hemi pete]

well plastic bolt did not help much.next step i will install foam around the hoses and i will put rubber insulator between line bracket and fan housing.

 

[SOMD RAM]

I have a 2012 1500 CC Hemi as well and have the same noise coming from the passenger side. Usually happens between 30 and 40mph. Will try the foam fix when the weather gets better.

 

[daveray9]

Any of you guys ever have a 'solution' from Dodge/Ram?

I'm about to try this over the weekend on my 2012 Sport.

 

[zonacats]

Bump. Im interested to see if anybody has any more insight on this or any updates from dealers.

I have a 2016 2500 6.4 and im almost positive im getting this same noise. Removing the screw didnt help.

 

[daveray9]

Where are these lines located specifically... I didn't see them, and this noise is driving me INSANE

 

[Rustycowl69]

if you have fluid vibrations/ hammering in copper water lines in your home they make these resonance chambers, which are basically a capped empty pipe nipple teed into the line near a valve, which absorbs the fluid vibrations. Is somebody desperate enough for relief to try plumbing something like this into the trans cooling line?

 

[daveray9]

Just wanted to toss a thanks out on this post... finally got around to doing this over the weekend and NO more of that noise. The picture made me feel it was on the bottom of the radiator... for anyone still looking for it... its up at the top on the passenger side... right other 2 other lines..

I just put some foam behind it... a long zip tie through the bolt hold and there was a plastic piece above it with a slit that another zip tie could fit through.

NO noise... no worry about the lines not having a slight support. If anyone needs a photo PM me.

Thx to the original poster. It was the only thing I hated about the truck!