[kampsvilleboy]

There has been a great deal of attention paid to this issue here on the forum lately and Chrysler, although acknowledging its existance, says that it is normal. It was suggested that a poll be taken to gauge just how widely this design/mechanical defect is being experienced. My opinion is that just because a large proportion of cars experience a phenomenon such as this doesn't make it, by default, normal. It just means that Chrysler produced a lot of cars with a problem. Well, lets see how many 300C's are affected...

 

[myrtle300c]

Thanks kamp...Is this just for C's? I don't think it's an issue with other engines. Limited and touring people voting may skew the results.

 

[Northern Rider]

Thanks for the poll. Hopefully the silent majority of our members will participate so we can get some real data to deal with this issue.

I believe this is important because my experience has taught me that chronic vibrations in machinery tend to get worse and eventually do damage.

 

[Northern Rider]

Morning, Myrtle,

Just saw your sig - "CV every option but cold weather " - lol

How'd you like a tandem semi of fresh snow and ice dumped on your driveway? We got lots to spare!!!

 

[Lik2race]

Vibration Problem

As most of you know,I had serious problems
with my transmission;vibrating,shuddering,poor shifting,
(unsure of what gear it wanted to be in).
Then it was found that "WATER" had gotten
in via the dipstick gasket.
End result-BRAND NEW TRANSMISSION -
March 4,2005 w/1780 miles on the car.
Car drives Excellent now,
even better than when I first got it.

 

[JustForFun]

No vibration here.....yet.

Please GOD...let me escape this issue!!

JFF

 

[myrtle300c]

keep your ice where it belongs Northern. We don't need that mess down here. it did flurry here for a few minutes on night back in Dec.

 

[Lik2race]

keep your ice where it belongs Northern. We don't need that mess down here. it did flurry here for a few minutes on night back in Dec.

Yeah,it did get a little cooler,I had to put on my "Winter Shorts"
But all better now.

 

[Northern Rider]

keep your ice where it belongs Northern. We don't need that mess down here. it did flurry here for a few minutes on night back in Dec.

Nobody wants the damn stuff. My wife and I are heading to Mexico for a month in a weeks time . . . maybe it will be gone when we come back.

 

[Northern Rider]

So far, out of 29 owners polled, over 80% report the problem. There seems to be a significant ongoing issue here.

I think we need more of our 1600 members to respond before we can draw any conclusions and get any action out of DCX. There have been no TSB's despite owners' complaints. I believe that DCX will not respond unless pushed on this. One member recently had a new transmission installed and reports the 55 mph vibration is gone.

More responses, please. I don't want to be replacing the transmission out of my own pocket down the road.

 

[arnoldw]

Here's my response, I believe this is a trivial matter, a part of normal operation as DC suggests. I like my "C" just the way it is. (27 awards and all)

 

[jcsganga34]

I don't feel anything out of the ordinary at those speeds, and never have. I'm assuming that if I had the symptom I would be able to tell...as I am pretty good at sensing when something is out of whack with my car. Again, everything at that speed appears normal at least to me.

 

[II kings 9:20]

Here's my response, I believe this is a trivial matter, a part of normal operation as DC suggests. I like my "C" just the way it is. (27 awards and all)

If it is so "normal" can you explain why several people don't have any vibration, are you suggesting that thier MDS is not operating properly? If indeed it is normal then everyone should have this vibration. Is this a case of "if you have the vibration it's normal and if you don't have the vibration it's normal", something is fishy with that logic. Time will tell.

 

[developerx]

It's a funny thing...

When slowly speeding up to the "vibration zone", it is very noticable. When slowing down to it from a higher speed, it seems less noticable. It almost sounds & feels like a car lugging in the wrong gear. Could it be that the overdrive is engaging too early? Could this have been set that way to meet some EPA mileage guideline? Will we (someday) be able to change the shift points with a Hypertech or equivalent?

Just some thoughts...

 

[Northern Rider]

It's a funny thing...

When slowly speeding up to the "vibration zone", it is very noticable. When slowing down to it from a higher speed, it seems less noticable. It almost sounds & feels like a car lugging in the wrong gear. Could it be that the overdrive is engaging too early? Could this have been set that way to meet some EPA mileage guideline? Will we (someday) be able to change the shift points with a Hypertech or equivalent?

Just some thoughts...

My thoughts, as well.

 

[II kings 9:20]

It's a funny thing...

When slowly speeding up to the "vibration zone", it is very noticable. When slowing down to it from a higher speed, it seems less noticable. It almost sounds & feels like a car lugging in the wrong gear. Could it be that the overdrive is engaging too early? Could this have been set that way to meet some EPA mileage guideline? Will we (someday) be able to change the shift points with a Hypertech or equivalent?

Just some thoughts...

I agree too, it's under light throttle or cruise. If I drive a little aggressively I never feel it or slow down quickly I never feel it, seems you're not in the zone long enough for the lock up or OD to set up. Re: set up for epa I don't think so otherwise all of us would feel it, I just wonder if those who don't feel it just don't drive it "soft enough" to bring out the vibes.

 

[arnoldw]

If it is so "normal" can you explain why several people don't have any vibration, are you suggesting that thier MDS is not operating properly? If indeed it is normal then everyone should have this vibration. Is this a case of "if you have the vibration it's normal and if you don't have the vibration it's normal", something is fishy with that logic. Time will tell.

Maybe those people who don't have the vibration aren't quite "sensitive" enough? I tried it again the other day and had trouble detecting it. First, the road HAS to be smooth, then I had to turn the radio and heater off. Cruise control has to be ON, set at 56mph. Not noticeable at 55 or 57.
I just feel that there's a bit of a tradeoff here so that we can get better mileage. When only half of your cylinders are firing at a relatively low RPM, you're bound to get some harmonics at a certain speed and load. This is also a very smooth and quiet car, making even the most subtle things more noticeable

 

[DESIREE]

I've only noticed it twice. Most of the time I have the radio turned up to a level that vibrates things itself. Both times I noticed the vibration I was accelerating lightly thru 55 to 58 MPH. Until I recognized it I couldn't slow down enough in traffic to try to repeat it. It was very slight and went away almost as quickly as it came on. It just might be, as someone suggested, just at the speed at which the transmission upshifted into overdrive and the engine was lugging a bit at the reduced RPM and light throttle until it sped up a bit. I'll be paying more attention to this in the future.
I have to say though that the transmission itself seems to operate as smooth as silk under normal driving load. The auto-stick has not yet impressed me. The "stick" part of it is a bit too "auto" for my taste. It's reactions to stick inputs are too slow and smooth. Maybe I'm just too used to the reactions of the five-speed manual in my Mustang?

 

[II kings 9:20]

. The auto-stick has not yet impressed me. The "stick" part of it is a bit too "auto" for my taste. It's reactions to stick inputs are too slow and smooth. Maybe I'm just too used to the reactions of the five-speed manual in my Mustang?

The autostick is about as good as it gets, similar to the steptronic in my X5. I agree the tranny is very smooth.

 

[Dixietwister]

Forget the MPH and watch the tach. It is most noticable at 1750rpm's in either drive 4 or 5, and a steady light pedal. Exactly when the MDS comes in. The vibration is from 4 cylinder resonance, at that RPM. If you want to prove this to yourself, you can drop the rear muffler on one side of the car in 10 to 15 minutes. The rear muffler is tuned to kill the 4 cylinder resonance. Then take it for a ride. Killer vib's. The rear muffler also chokes the engine the most, even though it has no packing in it. Just chambers. Take both of the mufflers off, if you want about .3 sec off your 0 to 60 times. The steering shaft and wheel have very little dampening to them. I could stand a little less feel in the wheel, just to help get rid of the vibrations. Turn up your radio and you and feel the bass in the steering wheel and the shifter. Maybe like the resonance you are feeling, when the vibrations are worse on your car. It is also the younger crowd that think the Borla exhaust is ok, with all its resonance. Their radio is blasting and their 22's are singing. Just my HO.
This is just one of the 26 things that I talked about with the Dist. Rep. today. I'm not going to say how many times the alignment and wheels have been checked. It's too unlucky. >>>>>>>>>>>>> Dixie