A525 goes boom and then it's fine

[iTurbo]

So the A525 in my Omni GLH went out south today. It's an A525 from an '84 base model Charger with a 3.05 final drive.

I was driving on the interstate, down shifted it into 4th gear and accelerated ~10 psi part throttle and it started grinding loudly. It would make the grinding in neutral and all gears except 5th. It was definately not a synchro type grinding noise; more like chunks of metal being ground to bits. Luckily I was able to drive it back home 40 miles without any more grinding (in 5th gear), but about 10 miles from home it started kicking itself out of gear. I had to hold the shifter in 5th the rest of the way home. I got off the interstate on-ramp and it started grinding again as soon as I pushed the clutch in. I took off from a stop and it started grinding REALLY BAD. The car was vibrating from it and it was loud as hell. Just then, the noise disappears! Drove the last two blocks and never heard any more sounds out of it.

The clutch pedal feel is fine and there is no engagement or slipping so I don't think it's related to the clutch. It would shift into all gears just fine as well, except I had to hold the shifter in place or it would kick itself out of gear.

I know it's toast, even though the problem seems to have gone away for now, but what is the likelyhood that this is still a salvageable core? Any idea of what might be the problem? Same thing happened to the last A525 that was in my old '85 H.O. GLH.

[89acclaim]

Take it apart in the name of science.:nod:

Daniel Merrill

[turbovanman²]

It could be ok, depends on how badly the bits and chunks floating around have done there damage?

[MiniMopar]

Yup, it sounds like some gears ate something they weren't supposed to. Perhaps the magnet grabbed hold of it, whatever it was. I definately wouldn't take any long trips with it...LOL.

[boost geek]

My guess is your main shaft bearing, the one by the pinion gear. Drove mine for around 2 weeks, any longer would have blown through the bellhousing...

[iTurbo]

I checked the fluid level on the A525. Nothing! So I fill it back up with 5-30, which took about 2 quarts to get it back up to full.

Start the car, drive to NAPA and back, go get some coffee....it's like nothing ever happened. Definately will not be going out of town with it.

[GLHNSLHT2]

install a 523 :)

[iTurbo]

It's getting either a built 3.05 FD A525, or a A568/A523 (3.50 FD) with OBX. I'm dreading the thought of hacking the car to put the later cable shifter in.

[GLHNSLHT2]

it's only 1 hole or 2 depending on what you use to route the cable through. If you do the shifter right you won't be able to tell at all.

[WVRampage]

My guess is your main shaft bearing, the one by the pinion gear. Drove mine for around 2 weeks, any longer would have blown through the bellhousing...
when I got my rampage it did it for a month or so and finaly one day I pushed in the clutch and herd a bang then the clutch stuck at about hap way out and it was due to the bearing coming out the case.

[mindlessly_me]

I had a similar incident occur recently with my A520 on my 89 daytona 5speed. i pulled out from my house and got nearly 15 feet before hearing all kinds of gridning them boom! 15 foot skidmark locked the wheels and everything. i pulled the tranny and got a marble size hole blown through the inner bellhousing by the input shaft. and liquid metal inside.

[iTurbo]

Many thousands of miles off pizza deliver later....and my A525 is still fine. I check the fluid level every week and top it off.