How to Tow RWD MT Car with Car Dolly ?

Assuming a 350 mi 1-way trip...

I've always heard that the way to tow a car (with a car dolly) was to disconnect the driveshaft at the rear axle. Given a solid rear axle and a manual transmission (5speed) in a traditional front engine, RWD arrangement...

Should the driveshaft be disconnected? Or is it OK to put the manual transmission in Neutral and go?

Thanks

PS: Do you leave the key in to unlock the steering or leave it locked or does this depend upon the dolly?

Reply to
loadhawg
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Chances are you will be ok. If you have the time I would disconnect it.

Reply to
John S.

Drop the driveline at the rear end, and wire it securely into a safe position. (Ideally, you'll have a plug for the tail end of the tranny, and remove the driveline completely)

Dropping the driveline is the only way to be *SURE* you aren't going to kill the tranny without knowing the exact details of the innards of your particular tranny - Some will move lube around well enough to avoid dry bearings and such when driven by the driveline while in neutral, others will not. Which is yours? You tell me! Besides - Unless you've got some weirdo vehicle, dropping or replacing the driveline isn't much more than a 20 minute job from start to finish unless you're a completely fumble-fingered "klutz-without-a-klue".

As for the locked/unlocked thing, that tends to be irrelevant when dollying, since the front end is off the ground and the dolly does all the "steering".

Reply to
Don Bruder

A few years back I was moving back home to southern Calif. from Tucson Az, (480mi) and was going to tow my fully restored 81' Collola w/auto trans, so I knew I was going to have to disconnect the driveshaft which is a pain in ass because it's two piece! Anyway I decided to rent a Ryder truck and the guy there told me that the car trailer was cheaper to rent than the dolly ($140 vs $185) go figure!!!? Well it was a no brainer and I took the trailer and I was glad I did! Saved some time for me too. I got to the rental near my home and unloaded the car off the trailer at the supermarket parking lot across the steet and drove to the rental yard and dropped off the trailer so I could unload the truck, came back to return the truck, walked across the steet got in the car and drove away. I was glad I didn't have to work on the car after I got there because I was beat. Anyway ,you should be alright towing a manual trans car on a dolly without removing the shaft....If the dolly is the type that doesn't have steerable wheels I would unlock the steering in the car.

HTH, Rick

Reply to
thetoolman

Very useful practical points. Now that I think about it, we towed my son's car cross country on a car trailer, and that thing tracked so well we hardly knew it was there.

Reply to
John S.

Manuals can be towed without dropping the driveshaft. I would lock the wheels in place and remove the key.

Good Luck!

Paul

Reply to
pauls
10 minutes and 4 bolts to undo the rear flange and it's close enough to wire up to the exhaust securely. Problem is for the individual I'm helping - that party will have to deal with reattaching and has no mechanical abilities. Thus why I ask 'how' necessary and what is the damage we are trying to avoid.

I've always been curious just what kind of 'damage' is being avoided too? In this case it's a Mazda 5 speed fully sync maybe 20ish years old. The lube would be slightly towards the rear as the car sets at slight angle in the dolly obviously. It's topped up to the fill line of course. That's about all I can tell you. Oh yeah and the axle is a limited slip though that shouldn't matter.

I agree 100% on trailers vs dollies - I've used trailers and only used a dolly once before (disconnected and wired the driveshaft back then too which I did A) because it wasn't a big deal for me to do and B) I've always heard you were 'supposed' to but didn't know why for sure).

D> Dropping the driveline is the only way to be *SURE* you aren't going to

Reply to
loadhawg

Years ago automatic tranny's had a rear pump that would pressurize the system so that the moving parts being back driven would be lubricated. This was discontinued in new auto's years ago. Automatic RWD's must therefore have the driveshaft disconnected to towing.

Manuals > 10 minutes and 4 bolts to undo the rear flange and it's close enough to

Reply to
pauls

The main problem was with automatics. After about 1965 (that was the last year for Chrysler, the others were +/- a few years), they stopped putting driveshaft side hydraulic pumps on automatics, so the fluid only circulates when the engine is running. When you tow without disconnecting the driveshaft, at least one of the clutch packs has half its elements (those connected to the output shaft) rotating, while the other half are still. Multi-plate clutches always have a little residual drag even when "released", so the clutch pack will gradually get hotter and hotter since no fluid is being pumped through it to cool it down. Tow fast enough or far enough, and the clutch pack would be roasted.

Older manual trannies were all "splash" lubricated and had no problem being towed in neutral, because the output shaft would still be splashing lube on any moving parts. It wouldn't surprise me at all if a number of more modern manual trannies now have pumps to keep various bearings and synchros lubricated under all conditions, so I don't think the old universal "if its a manual, you can just tow it" philosophy is safe on new transmissions.

I would *guess* that it would be fine. But I don't *know* that it would be fine....

Reply to
Steve

Hey loadhawg, if you wish to be sure to not melt the innards together, you NEED to remove the shaft. I witnessed a mechanic-friend of mine tow his car less than 35 miles and the 4-speed Muncie trans--a very stout one used by racers--overheated and ruined several components, & IIRC, it even got the 'cluster-gear'. So, since it seems none of knows which ones do and which ones don't, you'd best REMOVE that driveshaft. Good luck to you, & I hope I didn't make anybody mad; but we all know what we know, and I happen to know this. s

Reply to
sdlomi2

I have towed the vehicle with the engine running and the tranny in neutral. I never did damage that i was aware of.

s> Assuming a 350 mi 1-way trip...

Reply to
sonofadocker

Mark the flange location, Pull the rear of the shaft and wire it out of the way.

Or don't and risk transmission damage to the bearings from the lack of proper lubrication of the rear bearings.

Now for a different question? Why not just drive it the 350 miles?

Reply to
Steve W.

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