I have a 96 ram 1500 ext. 5.2 4x4. I had my motorcycle in the bed heading to back to school, and i noticed when i got to 65 mph, I could feel a vibration; which gets slightly worse as my speed increases. It feels as if i was driving on warning strip bumps, but not as harsh and not as loud, and much faster pitch. It feels isloated in the middle to front half of the truck. Does this sound like a torque converter or transfer case issue? I also noticed a slight decrease in my highway gas milage. Any ideas?

 

Check the front end for worn parts, or brakes binding. (or both....) Rotate the tires, and see if the vibration moves. (or, get them balanced....)

 

Start with what's easy to diagnose and fix. Check tire pressure and tire balance. Then check your u-joints.

 

Take the bike out of the truck. Then tell of any problems!

 

Sounds like a wheel/tire issue...I had the same problem with a set of '96 ram rims I put on my truck. turned out the rim itself was bent (nice of them to let me know after paying for 2 wheel balances). A bent rim will sometimes not show-up on a balancer.

 

I do remember hitting the corner of a snowbank that turn to all ice with my right front tire. I guess its possible I bent the rim. I was reading some other posts about a CAD coupler or something for the 4wd system could be the culprit. My 4wd doesnt like to disengage unless I stop and put into neutral. Might be a vac issue. But could something like that cause a vibration issue in the axle?

 

Check all u-joints for binding/rust.
My dads truck had almost the exact same problem.
Changed the u-joints on the driveshaft and no more vibrations.

 

I guess for as cheap as they are, it wouldnt hurt to replace them anyway. Will the sockets and C clamp trick work for removing dodge u joints?

 

Yep. They are just fun to dig down to.