I'm tooling along comfortably at 70 miles per hour in 5th gear and POP! Then it sounds like a bag of marbles in a blender. Tow it home and pull the T5 out and find that the input shaft bearing is obliterated. But the gears and housing look fine. I know zip about transmission so I really don't know what I'm looking at but there does not appear to be anything else damaged. Not even scratches or scars on the shaft or or housing or gears or anything else. So two questions.
1. What would cause that?
2. Why is the local shop telling me its a total overhaul to the tune of $1000-$1500?

 

$1000 to $1500, WOW, I haven't been charging enough!

No idea why the bearing would do that. It was probably just worn out and time to let go. I would say that the cage that holds the ***** apart broke and let all of the ***** bunch up together and then they popped out.

http://www.tremec.com/anexos/TRSM-T5-0510-R1_173.pdf
Read this and order a rebuild kit from Rockland Standard Gear http://www.rsgear.com/

 

Check the pilot bushing.

RBob.

 

Yes, very good. I lost a few T5s because of worn out pilot bushings. The cheap bushings that the parts stores sell now have iron in them and they don't last long. If a magnet sticks to it then it's junk.