I decided it was time to take the truck to a Dodge dealer. This time I went to another dealer other than the selling dealer. The dealer I went to had many good write ups on a forum.

My write ups:
A loud ticking noise coming from engine when at idle.

Shutters on accelleration pulling trailer.

Truck has a very harsh down shift in tow/haul mode.

Results of troubtle shooting ticking noise from engine. Normal for this engine.

Dealed advised all Dodge trucks with diesel engine has this shutter problem. No fix.

Now we get to the harsh down shift.

They checked the readout from the tanny with I think a Star instrument. It showed one of the pressure read outs as being double of normal reading. Solution was to tear the tanny down and see if problem could be found. First thing they came up with was control valve assy failure. This was replaced along with a couple of other minor parts.
I was told truck was driven to check everything out and it was ok. I was able to get a rental car but had to call Customer Service to get approval. Can you guess what country they were in? If you said India you are correct. That was a thrill.

I picked the truck up today and started driving home. I was about fifthteen miles away when I engaged tow/haul button and them I had to stop for a traffic light and then BAM BAM a very hard downshift. To late in the day to go back to the dealer.
A little later I had to stop for traffic ahead and noticed I had a hard time stopping. I also noticed the exhust brake kicked out very early. At the next stop I noticed when the speed dropped below 40MPH the Tranny started to free wheel and RPM would go to 650RPM I have never had this problem before. This really increases stopping distance without engine help.

Repair bill was for over $1400.00and no improvementwith my problems.
Looking for ideas on how to find a good dealer wth a service dept that can work on Dodge Trucks.

Thanks for reading this post.

 

was the 1400 dollar bill out of pocket? or was it covered by warranty?

 

PM David 'Parts/Service' many members have been to his dealership including me and have been VERY pleased with the service we all have recieved. he is located in Bremen, not that bad of a drive.

 

My truck does this also. I believe it is normal. When my rpms drop below about 1100, the EB cuts out and the truck freewheels at idle. I drive exclusively unloaded and don't use tow/haul mode. I'm assuming it will work better loaded in tow/haul mode, but can't say for sure.

 

Did they apply the TSB for harsh downshift? It is a programming update for the transmission control module. You may have had two problems with the tranny; hardware and software.

 

Did you have to pay that bill?

 

From all that I have read about the shudder problems in the Mega cabs its been the drive line that is the problem and the only way to fix it is to get rid of the 2 drive lines and replace it with one long one. I've read about people who have replaced the 2 drive line set up to a single one and that Dodge now makes a single drive line that can be used to replace the 2 drive line set up that they now use.

 

You can't be more than an hour from Parts/Service in Bremen. Call him up I'm sure he'll take care of you. He's a great guy.

 

My mega has a one piece drive shaft (factory). Haven't towed with it so can't say anything about the shudder. Not sure which models have two piece; maybe 3500s???

 

Did your truck come with the single drive shaft? Thanks