Hey all! Back with another problem lol
I have a 97 ram 1500 4x4 with the 5.2L

when accelerating I have this pulsating vibration starting at 35mph and gets worse the faster I go. It doesn’t go away if I hit the breaks. When I slow down the vibration slows, when I hit the gas it speeds up.

I don’t feel it in the steering wheel and it’s not either side dominant per se. it feels like it’s coming from under the front floor board. It’s really strange. I’ve been told it could be the front u-joint(s) or maybe wheel bearing(s) but it feels like it’s coming from the middle of the floor board not just one side.

i can hear it more than I can feel it if that makes sense once I get up to 55mph or so I can start to feel it like it’s under mine and the passengers feet.

there’s no vibration under 35 but after it gets progressively louder the faster i go. I’ll take a video in a little bit with sound to help maybe hearing it will help...

I graciously thank anyone for the help!

 

I'm guessing U joints. They're easy enough to test, so I'd start there.

 

Yeah, that's gonna be u-joints, or tire balance problem.

 

so I had my
wife drive with me and she can actually feel it way more under her feet than I can driving so I guess it is more in the passenger side. I recently moved to Michigan from Washington and I’ve never had any real rust. Now being here only 6 months things are visibly rusted so I’m thinking your right Ujoints...

on another note what’s the best way to PREVENT new rust? I’ve seen adverts for undercoating sprays does that stuff actually work? I’ve also considered getting a single piece underbelly to prevent road salt from spraying up... ive never been somewhere with this much rust so fast.

 

Welcome to Michigan. What part of the state are you in?

Yeah, the rust belt. Wait until winter..... when they start putting salt on the roads.

Basically, as far as undercoating goes, anything is better than nothing. Some folks use Fluid Film, but, that needs to be re-applied every now and again, and NOT something I would want to be out doing in the dead of winter. Places like Ziebart will 'rustproof' the whole vehicle, but, it is not inexpensive, and I don't think it works as well as they would like to claim. The doors on my 98 look just as bad, if not worse, than the doors on my old 96, and the 98 was ziebarted...... Hhhhmmm...... My back bumper is essentially gone. That went from a small hole, to most of the bumper gone, in about three years..... (rusted from the inside out, no idea if ziebart sprayed anything in there. If they did, it's long gone.....)

 

thanks! I’m in the southern part of the thumb. We have property out in the UP we will be building a house on next year but for now southern thumb lol. Yea I’ve been told time and again the rust is something I’m going to have to live with LoL. It is what it is though I love it out here

 

Don't know about today, but, back when I was in the UP, they didn't use salt on the roads, they used urea... which isn't quite as bad as salt.

I am in south central Michigan, just a bit west of Adrian. Not real far from the Ohio line...... Lived here most of my life.

 

When I jack up my passenger front wheel and hold my hands at 6 and 12 position the tire has a lot of wiggle. Is that u joints or wheel bearing?

if I grab the ujoint there IS a little play whereas on the driver side there is ZERO play

 

urea? Like what’s in pee? I. Had. No. Idea. That was a thing haha. Thanks for the warm welcome by the way you’ve been a giant help So far in multiple threads!

 

Why yup. That's exactly what it starts out life as. Its denatured some though. I think it also occurs naturally in some form or other. Airports use it on runways because it is supposedly non-corrosive.

6 and 12 is going to be wheel bearings, or upper ball joint. See where its moving when you do that, and it will tell the tale.