when i start going from a stop in first gear in my 99 ram 1500 4x4 i get a really bad jerking/vibration between 1000 and 1700 rpm, and a small vibration when i shift too second gear. anyone have any idea what this may be?

 

Torque converter complaining?

 

nah its a manual 5 speed so there isnt a torque converter

 

and i guess its not really jerking/vibrations, the whole truck literally shakes

 

could be the u joints going bad

 

How about the clutch? There are springs in the clutch plate to take up the vibrations when in use. I had a 74 Dodge Dart, 3 speed that would shudder the whole car when starting out from a stop. I never replaced the clutch, though. I got rid of it before then.

 

yeah all the u-joints have been replaced recently so i doubt its that and it may be the clutch since i let my gf drive it on the highway and she let out the clutch sooooo slow when she shift between 4th and 5th, but the clutch that is in there isnt even a year old so i dunno

 

so apparently some of the bellhouse bolts someone loosened and fell out and one broke so there wwas 1 tight one and one loose one holding the tranny to the engine and this is what was causing the problem

 

Dang lucky you found that!

 

+1 AT dropping a tranny on the highway would ruin your day

Jeff