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Thread: Cam and pawl any experience out there?

  1. #1
    boostaholic
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    Cam and pawl any experience out there?

    Anyone have a cam and pawl diff out there? Just drove my car around the block with new trans and cam and pawl. Any left turn with any gas leads to major banging and shuddering. Wondering what's normal and if I need to pull the trans and just use a regular diff.

  2. #2
    Moderator Turbo Mopar Staff Vigo's Avatar
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    Re: Cam and pawl any experience out there?

    A cam and pawl is essentially a locker that engages only under throttle, so what you're describing sounds normal.

    Everything i know about them came from Todd / '4 L-bodies', maybe PM him.

    Dont push the red button.You hear me?

  3. #3
    turbo addict
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    Re: Cam and pawl any experience out there?

    Thanks Adam,
    Yes some noise with left turns under throttle is normal. Ugly, but normal (lol). Some seem to make more noise than others. The one in my old 87 SC was reasonably quiet. I should have removed that one before I sold car, but at the time I thought no 525's EVER again.
    Todd

  4. #4
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    Re: Cam and pawl any experience out there?

    this thing is loud enough the neighbor whipped around wondering what the hell...

  5. #5
    boostaholic
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    Re: Cam and pawl any experience out there?

    so how do these do on a autocross? Just noisy in left turns?

  6. #6
    turbo addict
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    Re: Cam and pawl any experience out there?

    Quote Originally Posted by going4speed View Post
    this thing is loud enough the neighbor whipped around wondering what the hell...
    Hum... I've never heard one that is that loud. Sounds like it might be worth removing and tearing it down. Sounds like it could use a good once over. Cliff Ramsdell has had them apart before as well. They are easy to disassemble and assemble. They do work good if they are in good working order.
    Todd

  7. #7
    boostaholic
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    Re: Cam and pawl any experience out there?

    This is a Ramsdell Trans. I bet it's rock solid. I'm going to drive it as is.

  8. #8
    Supporting Member II Turbo Mopar Contributor
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    Re: Cam and pawl any experience out there?

    I've got one in the 525 hybrid that's in #463 and it crunches too. Nature of the beast. Cliff built mine too. The crunch sounds are greatest at lower speeds and in tighter turns
    John Laing

    "The sole condition which is required in order to succeed in centralizing the supreme power in a democratic community, is to love equality, or to get men to believe you love it. Thus the science of despotism, which was once so complex is simplified, and reduced . . . . to a single principle."
    -- Alexis de Tocqueville

    "One of the methods used by statists to destroy capitalism consists in establishing controls that tie a given industry hand and foot, making it unable to solve its problems, then declaring that freedom has failed and stronger controls are necessary."
    --Ayn Rand

    "To evolve, you don't need a Constitution. All you need is a legislature and a ballot box . . . . things will evolve as much as you want. All of these changes can come about democratically; you don't need a Constitution to do that and it's not the function of a Constitution to do that."
    -- Justice Antonin Scalia

  9. #9
    Moderator Turbo Mopar Staff Vigo's Avatar
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    Re: Cam and pawl any experience out there?

    And the crunching sounds are the reason they wear out and the only ones in use today are in use today because they WERENT in use long enough to wear out before now. I think they are interesting but i'd be surprised if any car with one ever functions as a DD for more than a few weeks at a time for annoyance reasons. They're probably a lot easier to go straight with if you have a problem spinning one tire than a helical diff, though.

    Dont push the red button.You hear me?

  10. #10
    boostaholic
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    Re: Cam and pawl any experience out there?

    Yea I can see this being crazy annoying. Need to find an a555 and put an obx in it then swap this trans out in the future. Rather expensive lesson.

  11. #11
    Supporting Member II Turbo Mopar Contributor
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    Re: Cam and pawl any experience out there?

    Car is not on road now but as I recollect, the crunch is limited to slow right turns when traffic forces a stop or a loss of momentum mid turn and then I have to add power.
    John Laing

    "The sole condition which is required in order to succeed in centralizing the supreme power in a democratic community, is to love equality, or to get men to believe you love it. Thus the science of despotism, which was once so complex is simplified, and reduced . . . . to a single principle."
    -- Alexis de Tocqueville

    "One of the methods used by statists to destroy capitalism consists in establishing controls that tie a given industry hand and foot, making it unable to solve its problems, then declaring that freedom has failed and stronger controls are necessary."
    --Ayn Rand

    "To evolve, you don't need a Constitution. All you need is a legislature and a ballot box . . . . things will evolve as much as you want. All of these changes can come about democratically; you don't need a Constitution to do that and it's not the function of a Constitution to do that."
    -- Justice Antonin Scalia

  12. #12
    Mitsu booster
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    Re: Cam and pawl any experience out there?

    Would you consider trading me your A525 Cam and Pawl diff for a 520/555 Shelby diff?

  13. #13
    Supporting Member II Turbo Mopar Contributor
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    Re: Cam and pawl any experience out there?

    If your question is directed to me, no, as it's the right diff for the car, they were sold out of the Shelby catalogue back when the car was new. And, it works well.
    John Laing

    "The sole condition which is required in order to succeed in centralizing the supreme power in a democratic community, is to love equality, or to get men to believe you love it. Thus the science of despotism, which was once so complex is simplified, and reduced . . . . to a single principle."
    -- Alexis de Tocqueville

    "One of the methods used by statists to destroy capitalism consists in establishing controls that tie a given industry hand and foot, making it unable to solve its problems, then declaring that freedom has failed and stronger controls are necessary."
    --Ayn Rand

    "To evolve, you don't need a Constitution. All you need is a legislature and a ballot box . . . . things will evolve as much as you want. All of these changes can come about democratically; you don't need a Constitution to do that and it's not the function of a Constitution to do that."
    -- Justice Antonin Scalia

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