Thanks sarge,

Keep us posted!

 

I`m betting they are going to install the exhaust ballast`s from the 2005 TSB. (been there, done that) These were a ballast that they installed on the 05 hemi trucks that had exhaust/engine vibes. (it DID help the 05 "non mds" hemi trucks, but it never did fully cure them, so the MDS vibes in these newer hemi trucks are going to be very hard to calm down) If this is the case with sarge`s truck, they better install about 20 of them to "help eliminate" the MDS vibes. I custom built several very large ballast`s for testing, everything from mounting one to the drivers seat frame, and the engine block, transmission, frame locations, AND including exhaust ballast`s, and you`ll need them ALL to stop the torsional vibes from the hemi when it goes into MDS mode. This is a VERY expensive fix, but it does work 100% and kills every MDS vibe inside the cab. All of my custom ballast`s are made from stainless so they wont ever rust... the factory 05 TSB ballasts are just made from mild steel and will rust and fall off your truck in a couple years or more. You can also spend $500 on a fluid dampener for the engine, that also helps alot BUT does not fully eliminate the MDS vibes. (yes, i bought one of those too) All my MDS vibes are completly 100% gone now, but it cost me dearly to eliminate it. Sorry i cant help any of you with my custom ballasts, but they are not for sale, nore is the design. I`m only shareing this info to tell you what the real fix is for the MDS vibe issue because chrysler cant seem to step up and find the problem or fix it, so i took it apon myself to fix it, and THIS is as far as its going for me. I had several trucks to use for testing for the past 2 years, and my custom ballasts fixed them all. So, all i can tell you now is, go get some 05 TSB ballasts and start bolting them on all over your trucks, thats the fix for your vibrating MDS issues. The factory ballasts aren`t going to fully cure your MDS vibes, but it WILL help it a bit. Those are going to be far cheaper for you to buy than my custom ones that i built. I`m not going to build anymore of them anyway because i dont have the resources to mass build them for everyone that complains about the horrible MDS vibes. I only did it to fix my own truck, your truck is yours to fix. Some will call it selfish, i call it being done with it. So take it for what it is and come up with your own things to fix it. I did, so can you, but the real fix is not cheap, nore is it something that the regular guy can do. So good luck guys.

 

Will the truck is back and there is no change. they installed some weights on the frame but it didn't help. the shop foreman rode with me and commented that he knew I wouldn't be happy with the results but that Chrysler says it its by design. he recommended a diablo programmer to shut of the mds which is my next plan. either that or live with it.

 

I pretty much figured on what the out come would be before i read you final answer on what they would find. I already knew thats what would happen because i`ve already been down that road with these trucks with MDS. It will take ALOT more than just a couple ballasts to fix the torsional vibration frequencies. Keep in mind, if you had bought a (2011 on up) chevy, it would have been the same issue only worse. Chevy`s 8/4 system vibrates too, BUT, it has ALOT more issues involved with it than dodge has. You cant shut 4 cylinders off on a V8 engine and not have some sort of torsional vibration(s). Is it "as per design", NO, absolutely not..!!! The engineers didnt plan on it to vibrate when they designed it, if they had, they would have done something different, so their only "cover thy azz" scenario is to get out of fixing it by saying its "as per design". They themselves dont concider this vibration to be that big of an issue because most people dont even notice it. ALL the hemi`s with MDS vibrate while in 4 cylinder mode, some are just worse than others. Dodge engineers need to isolate the vibrations better. If i had it to do all over again with chasing down this MDS vibration(s), i would have just bought a tuner and shut the MDS completely off and not had spent the money i had, to totally eliminate the MDS vibrations. Not having the MDS activated, you`ll lose 1 or 2 mpg`s, so either way, you shut off the MDS and lose mpg, or leave it on and lose your patience with the factory and dealers not fixing the issue at all. My own personal advice, buy the superchips tuner and shut the MDS completely off if your particualer vibes are real bad. If you want to do it more cheaply, you can just drop into 5th on your shift selector, that will disable the mds fuction. You`ll be running the engine a couple hundred rpm`s higher though. I use to just run my truck in 5th around town an then re-activate the MDS on the highway. Another method to force the mds inoperative, run 5w30 motor oil, that will cause the mds not to work also. The 5w30 is to thick to operate the mds... but i dont recommend doing that though.

 

I was thinking that the MDS can be de-featured in the EVIC Set Up Mode. I'm pretty sure I read that the fuel saver mode can be switched off, but I'm not sure that means that the MDS is shut off as well.

I believe you're correct about using 5W-30 motor oil de-featuring MDS since I know somebody that this inadvertently happened to. Of all the things one could do to shut off MDS, that method may have major unintended mechanical consequences. Internal engine tolerances are designed to work within specific oil viscosity ranges (or vice-versa). You could experience insufficient oil flow to bearings, for example.

Regards,
Dusty
2010 Ram Big Horn 1500 Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 545RFE, 3.92 LSD, dual exhaust, 20” wheels

 

Nope, you cant shut the MDS off thru the EVIC. (SC tuner can do it)
Yes, you can shut the ECO light off, but the dealer has to do it for you.
Though i dont condone the use of 5w30 in the MDS hemi engine, but using it certainly wont hurt the engine at all. (all the NON MDS hemi`s use 5w30 oil anyway) The only thing it will do is stop the MDS mode from actativating with using heavier oil. Using heavier oil will NOT hurt anything in the MDS part of the engine either, it will just render the MDS mode useless.

 

With the transmission in Park, engine off, and the ignition switch in the On position, go to Setup and scroll to Fuel Saver Display. Pressing the ">" button on the steering wheel will select on or off. If off is selected, the MPG bar will operate as normal but the ECO indicator will not illuminate.

Driving with it off seems like the MDS is still operational, so I believe you're correct. Just the ECO indicator didn't come on.

Engine clearances are different between MDS and non-MDS engines and that's why I would caution against using a higher viscosity oil in MDS versions:

Main Bearing = 0.0008 (MDS) 0.0011 (non-MDS)
Rod Bearings = 0.0006 (MDS) 0.0010 (non-MDS)
Cam Bearings = 0.025 (MDS) 0.035 (non-MDS)

Regards,
Dusty
2010 Ram Big Horn 1500 Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 545RFE, 3.92 LSD, dual exhaust, 20” wheels

 

What engine clearances are different? Its just a difference in some vale train components. Bet rod,mains,piston wall clearances it the same motor used in other applications. The MDS engines do have different valve train components.

 

Like i said in the past, 5w30 is NOT going to hurt that MDS hemi one bit. The only reason i dont condone it is for warranty reasons and warranty reasons only. Once you`re out of your warranty period, the smarter people will likely switch to 5w30 due to the fact that the heavier oil with help make the hemi engine last longer due to a heavier film protection in critical area`s LIKE the rod & crank bearings. It is already a proven fact, that 5w20 oil has a bigger wear factor than 5w30 in these engines today. Google search it, the info is out there. Also, the clearence numbers you list between the MDS and NON MDS, is so minimal, that stepping up to 5w30 will never hurt the hemi engine. I am a 30+yr mastertech and machinist by trade, so i know about clearences very very well.

 

Then I would wonder why they tightened the clearance specifications if it didn't make a difference.

By definition viscosity is resistance to flow. Yes, a higher viscosity (usually) has a higher film strength, but it will not flow as easily. This could be especially true as temperatures dip. Further, without knowing the oil's specification, you cannot automatically assume any given motor oil with slightly heavier viscosity will provide better wear protection.

Somehow I think the design engineers knew what they were doing. I'm not aware of issues using 5W-20 motor oils in MDS 5.7 Hemis. In fact, I use a 0W-20 in mine.

Regards,
Dusty
2010 Ram Big Horn 1500 Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 545RFE, 3.92 LSD, dual exhaust, 20” wheels