I currently have my truck in the shop getting the tranny replaced since it was slipping. The tech there is telling me that when he removed my driveshaft it was making a popping sound. He says that there is a fiberglass tube inside that is broke and I need a new driveshaft. Personally, I say he is full of it. I checked the dodge maintenance manual it it said nothing about nor have a ever heard of it. I never had a problem with the truck besides a slipping tranny. I'd replace it myself if only I had a place to do it.

 

The driveshaft IS a tube. It's not a solid chunk of steel...it is hollow. I've never heard of there being any fiberglass in it though. If something goes wrong with your driveshaft, you usually have a vibration....or your truck stops moving after a loud crash and the sound of the shaft banging against everything under your truck. [8D] Can you have him demonstrate the sound to you?

If anything, the drive shaft u-joints could be bad and causing a noise. Those (u-joints) going out is a somewhat common problem with these trucks.

 

He said I should have noticed a 'pop' when I started moving. I didn't. A pop to me would mean u-joints or gear backlash. I will stop there later today and see if he can prove the sound to me. I just wrote the guy off as nuts at the time he told me. I'm aware how the driveshaft usually is. On my truck it is aluminum BTW. I have little experience with Dodge, and I thought maybe they did something odd like that just because.

 

a week after my tranny was replaced my ujoints went on my 01 ram. im with Rom on this... your actual DS is prolly fine.. its the ujoints that are prolly bad.. and since they have to remove the DS to R and R the tranny,, that could have dropped the DS and messed up a ujoint.. i think thats what happend my mine.. kinda funny that the ujoint goes right after the tech at the ds out for the tranny.

 

Sounds like hes a retard. Swap the u-joints

 

I went there and checked and the u-joints are fine. I found out elsewhere that some vehicles do have a fiberglass tube inside that is used as a cheap way to balance the driveshaft. I checked the one on the Dodge and it already has weights welded to the outside so it is unlikely that there is a tube inside to balance it also.