This channel is an information goldmine. Keep on keeping on my friend. I don’t know why more people aren’t curious about this stuff until it’s too late. Real head scratcher.
Good advice Chase . I would have guessed a standard transmission would be fine but I'd be guessing and most likely wrong so its best not to guess cause it can get expensive guessing .
Check your owners manual. If you no longer have it you can usually download it for free. Don't guess, don't blindly trust the tow company or "friends or relative". Even most major brand car dealerships don't know, so if in doubt, your best bet if a breakdown occurs is a roll back. Most cars nowadays are front wheel drive only and can be easily towed with a typical small wrecker that picks up the front axle.
Hey so I have a automatic transmission for my 1994 caprice wagon , due to location of driveshaft it’s hard to do .... can I just leave the car running while towing it ....? It’s about an hour drive ...what’s the best bet ?
Thanks for the video! Just a curius speculation... If you need to tow a boat with a marine gear in it you should ether lock the prop shaft or overfill the transmission with oil to lubricate the bearings and gears during the towing. Do you think the oil overfilling method could be used in a automatic transmission for towing without damaging it?
Probably would depend on the particular transmission and how it was designed. I wouldn't risk it myself. All it takes is one part or bearing that doesn't get enough oil to cause you problems, since most are designed as a pressure lubed system. Too easy to get a dolly or trailer in most cases. Or if it's not too far, you can usually get a tow truck to move it for a reasonable amount.
Hello chase. If i tow 92 f150 4WD with tow dolly then i need to put 4WD in neutral position and truck in park and remove drive shaft completely? Thanks hope to hear back from you.
Im going to flat tow a Subaru 6 speed manual transmission tomorrow for 2 hours. Just to be safe, I'm going to over fill the manual transmission/front differential with oil and hope for the best. 🤷♂️
I don't know if your idea would work but personally I wouldn't try it. The transmission pump puts out relatively high pressure over 150 psi generally in order to apply clutches and to properly lube bearings and bushings through small holes. I would look through forums and try to find info specific to your vehicle and what others have done. I've been out of this industry for several years and don't have any specific info for your vehicle. Certain vehicles are more tolerant than others and can be flat towed to an extent. My video was to inform that it's generally not a good idea at least without further research to your specific make and model.
@vitiay7209 0 seconds ago Hi, why the service manual for the 4x4 Nissan Pathfinder 1998 with the rear 2wd part time option says, that the vehicle can ( but not recommended ) to be towed with the rear drive wheels on the ground at the speed no more than 60 mph with the transmission and the transfer case in neutral ? Does the transfer case in neutral not totally disconnect the front and/or rear wheels from the transmission? Your opinion would be highly appreciated.
I had a 2 speed Power Glide trans. That I could pull that car, and start it. It had dual pumps front and rear. But not many had both pumps. It was pulled 50 miles one time. Figured they had destroyed the trans. When I sold it 3 years later still worked. Also a lot of RV's install a quick release. That makes undoing the drive shalt fast and easy for towing. We have a 97 TJ manual for our tow Vehicle. Just put transfer case in N and trans in 1st and go.
I've never seen a dual pump power glide. I know they made a few, I've heard that you could pull start those but I've never got to see one. All the power glides I've seen were single pump... I've seen one of them quick release driveshaft things once, I really don't even remember what it looked like it's been so long ago... but by far the most common way is how you described last, trans in park for auto or gear for manual and transfer case in neutral...
I parked in a no-parking Zone on accident somebody use their truck to pull my Chevy Volt 2013 probably about 10 ft while the engine wasn't running I got in the car rearranged it then drove 39 minutes back home then drove another 5 minutes and still no sign of check engine light or bad signs at all. Should I still be worried or did I get away scot-free?
I only towed my 98 chevy blazer less than 1/2 a mile, at a slow speed, it broke down about 1/2 mile away, would that ruin it? It was pulling up code p1810 before I towed it, is it just the tps pressure switch valve that's bad???
Good stuff to know, I do it just like you said. Explaining what go’s wrong , when the engine isn’t turning, didn’t know the particulars on all of that . Thanks Chase
Yep, some of the transmissions that don't have a pan or have a very shallow pan, mainly some front wheel drives do have some splash lubrication that occurs in the differential part when being towed but it's usually not enough to thoroughly lubricate everything properly. Would be like running a engine with half the oil capacity. it'll run for a while but it's probably gonna have a much short lifespan...
Have you heard of transmission circulation pumps? Remco used to sell a lube pump just for this. It was really expensive for what you're getting. I am trying to piece together a DIY lube pump system for my lexus rx300 using a continuous duty 12v oil pump running inline with the factory trans cooler in the radiator. Powered by the motorhome through the 7 way cable Food for thought
I'm not sure if I would be comfortable trying that on a transmission that requires pressurized lubrication. It would probably work ok on the transmissions that benefit from splash lubrication such as some saturns gm etc, etc. I would still be Leary of it from an install point of view. When you start modifying transmission lines you create potential leak points and failure points that can fall leaving you stranded with a failed transmission.i know many people have tried different things, some with good success, but my personal opinion is if I was going to tow a vehicle behind an RV it would be either a 4x4 with transfer case with neutral, they usually have lube pump on output shaft. Or if I was going to use a car I would use a tow dolly or a small trailer like the little tandem axle uhaul rents. Again this is just my thoughts. You may have great success doing what you said, idk. Just can't help but think a trailer with premium tires would be my choice rather than modify my car.
@@LifeWithChase That is a good point. I just don't want to have to deal with a trailer or dolly at campgrounds. Towbars/flat towing is so much easier to hookup. My Lexus is 22 years old with 270k miles so it's not a huge financial risk if it ruins the transmission, but I am trying to design the system to be as solid as possible. There's a guy on the irv2 forums who built a diy lube pump system for his minivan very similar to what I am attempting. Can't post links in youtube comments. Do you have experience with the RX300 transmissions? Are they splash lubed? Lexus released a TSB in 2000 stating it can be flat towed with no mods for 200 miles at 55 mph. But I want to be able to go faster, so I'll need a pump. Thanks for the video btw! Subbed
No experience with those, but if the tsb said its good for that many miles that tells me its getting some splash lubrication and your idea might work ok. A transmission that is not getting at least some splash lube would be cooked in probably 10-15 miles at road speed. since it's an older car and your willing to try it, and accept the consequences you have nothing to loose. I was thinking maybe you were gonna be chopping up the transmission lines on your $50k lexus with 30-40k miles on it LOL😂
Correct, but If you remove the cv shafts on most cars the wheel bearing assembly will separate as the cv shafts holds it together and you will also lose transmission fluid.
@Life With Chase oh dear. I did not think about that. The cv shaft hold it together... the car is a 2009 nissan sentra. I need to get it to my house. Just a couple of miles. I would run it but the motor just barely starts and when it does, it knocks like it is gonna dump its oil. You think the bearings would stay in long enough to make a two mile journey? I might cower out of that idea anyway
The big nut on the cv shafts keeps the bearing from coming apart. It might make it a few miles before they start to separate but I wouldn't try it without putting a large bolt in place of the cv shafts, where they go through the bearings. I would probably pay a wrecker 75 bucks or so to tow it before I went to the trouble. Or just pull it as is and hope it doesn't damage anything since your only going 2 miles. Your money, your gambling decision 😂
@@LifeWithChase I wimped out of that potential disaster. I went ahead and rented a uhaul. Pickup n dolly. Gets the job done. Thank you for that knowledge. That could've gone very poorly
Some cars allow four wheel down towing. Check the manufacture user manual. I tow a 2016 Chevy Sonic. Run engine 5 minutes before and after towing. Under 65 MPH towing.
Those do benefit from splash lubrication... The fluid level is high enough that the differential component of the trans turns in the fluid. However you still don't get the full lubrication that the transmission pump provides when the engine is running, it's also a smaller amount of fluid in that area that can over heat without it being circulated and pumped through The cooler and the reason they have the 65 mph speed limit and run for 5 min procedure... In my opinion you are still probably shortening the life of the transmission... I personally wouldn't do it unless I was gonna get rid of it when the warranty ran out, or I didn't mind paying for an early transmission replacement if it came to that. Kinda like racing, you go into that knowing you're shortening the life of components, but if you enjoy it then it's worth it...A lot of the manuals these days also say you never have to change the fluid for the life of the vehicle... Well that depends on who you ask what the life of the vehicle is.... Is it 50k or 500k miles? The manufacturers only Care that it makes it out of warranty, beyond that, it's your baby and they'll gladly sell you another... My sister bought a new camry in 2015, they told her the first oil change was free but she didn't need it until 15,000 miles because it was synthetic... I told her she better get it changed at around 6,000-7,000 if she was planning on keeping it for a long time. I try to err on the side of caution because I've experienced a lot of failure's that bad engineers said would work! Keep me updated on how many miles the transmission last if you keep it a long time...
Not true in all cases. One of the most popular towed vehicles behind motor homes is the Honda cr-v (2000-2014) with auto transmissions. The procedure is in the owners manual. We tow my wife's manual transmission 2003 Saturn ion(177k totalmiles) 4 down for the last 5 years(5k miles towing) with no problems. If you want to give your viewers good info then tell them to check the owners manual of their car. There's also a publication that comes out every year that list the cars which can be towed 4 down and the proper procedure to do so. My brother has towed his 4wd 2003 jeep Cherokee for around 10-12 years. It has over 200k miles on it(driving miles) plus another 80-100k being towed 4 down behind his motor home. Neither of us has had any damage. While most auto transmissions are not flat towable (especially the ones with CVTs, none are, that I'm aware of), some older auto transmissions are. People need to do their own research.
As you said most are not flat towable. Their are a small percentage that are. Most RV people do their research and buy something that is... My video was mainly meant for those who break down on the Rd and then hook a chain up and have a friend pull them 20 miles to a shop to save on a tow bill. Seen this many times. Especially gm vehicles with bad fuel pumps 😂. So unless you have done research and know for sure I recommend not doing it, cause it can be very expensive! Their have also been cases of towing companies destroying transmissions due to improper towing.
if I'm going to pull my vehicle cross country behind me I'm going to just have all four wheels on the ground put it on a car trailer I'm a mechanic and a truck driver that's just me I'd rather be safe than sorry plus the trailer tire and rim is a lot cheaper
I flat towed a handful of different types of cars. Never had a problem. Jus pop em in nooch n sail on.
This channel is an information goldmine. Keep on keeping on my friend. I don’t know why more people aren’t curious about this stuff until it’s too late. Real head scratcher.
Thanks so much, you did give many valuable infornations in short period of time, it was helpful and can help so many people from damage and headaches.
Good advice Chase . I would have guessed a standard transmission would be fine but I'd be guessing and most likely wrong so its best not to guess cause it can get expensive guessing .
Guessing can get expensive quick for sure LOL.
Check your owners manual. If you no longer have it you can usually download it for free. Don't guess, don't blindly trust the tow company or "friends or relative". Even most major brand car dealerships don't know, so if in doubt, your best bet if a breakdown occurs is a roll back. Most cars nowadays are front wheel drive only and can be easily towed with a typical small wrecker that picks up the front axle.
Hey so I have a automatic transmission for my 1994 caprice wagon , due to location of driveshaft it’s hard to do .... can I just leave the car running while towing it ....? It’s about an hour drive ...what’s the best bet ?
Thanks for the video!
Just a curius speculation...
If you need to tow a boat with a marine gear in it you should ether lock the prop shaft or overfill the transmission with oil to lubricate the bearings and gears during the towing. Do you think the oil overfilling method could be used in a automatic transmission for towing without damaging it?
Probably would depend on the particular transmission and how it was designed. I wouldn't risk it myself. All it takes is one part or bearing that doesn't get enough oil to cause you problems, since most are designed as a pressure lubed system. Too easy to get a dolly or trailer in most cases. Or if it's not too far, you can usually get a tow truck to move it for a reasonable amount.
Hello chase. If i tow 92 f150 4WD with tow dolly then i need to put 4WD in neutral position and truck in park and remove drive shaft completely? Thanks hope to hear back from you.
Im going to flat tow a Subaru 6 speed manual transmission tomorrow for 2 hours. Just to be safe, I'm going to over fill the manual transmission/front differential with oil and hope for the best. 🤷♂️
I have a 2012 Odyssey i want to flat tow. Could I just wire a 12v fluid pump to keep the atf fluid circulating while its in neutral, in theory?
I don't know if your idea would work but personally I wouldn't try it. The transmission pump puts out relatively high pressure over 150 psi generally in order to apply clutches and to properly lube bearings and bushings through small holes. I would look through forums and try to find info specific to your vehicle and what others have done. I've been out of this industry for several years and don't have any specific info for your vehicle. Certain vehicles are more tolerant than others and can be flat towed to an extent. My video was to inform that it's generally not a good idea at least without further research to your specific make and model.
Thanks for this. Was considering 12v pump but your explanation makes a lot of sense
@vitiay7209
0 seconds ago
Hi, why the service manual for the 4x4 Nissan Pathfinder 1998 with the rear 2wd part time option says, that the vehicle can ( but not recommended ) to be towed with the rear drive wheels on the ground at the speed no more than 60 mph with the transmission and the transfer case in neutral ? Does the transfer case in neutral not totally disconnect the front and/or rear wheels from the transmission? Your opinion would be highly appreciated.
So if engine is running
It’s ok to tow automatic rear wheel drive?
I had a 2 speed Power Glide trans. That I could pull that car, and start it. It had dual pumps front and rear. But not many had both pumps. It was pulled 50 miles one time. Figured they had destroyed the trans. When I sold it 3 years later still worked.
Also a lot of RV's install a quick release. That makes undoing the drive shalt fast and easy for towing. We have a 97 TJ manual for our tow Vehicle. Just put transfer case in N and trans in 1st and go.
I've never seen a dual pump power glide. I know they made a few, I've heard that you could pull start those but I've never got to see one. All the power glides I've seen were single pump... I've seen one of them quick release driveshaft things once, I really don't even remember what it looked like it's been so long ago... but by far the most common way is how you described last, trans in park for auto or gear for manual and transfer case in neutral...
Thank You Sir!!
I appreciate you explaining this!!!
I parked in a no-parking Zone on accident somebody use their truck to pull my Chevy Volt 2013 probably about 10 ft while the engine wasn't running I got in the car rearranged it then drove 39 minutes back home then drove another 5 minutes and still no sign of check engine light or bad signs at all. Should I still be worried or did I get away scot-free?
it probably didn't hurt anything with the transmission. Maybe they didn't damage anything where they hooked onto to pull it.
I only towed my 98 chevy blazer less than 1/2 a mile, at a slow speed, it broke down about 1/2 mile away, would that ruin it? It was pulling up code p1810 before I towed it, is it just the tps pressure switch valve that's bad???
A half mile shouldn't have caused any damage.
Good stuff to know, I do it just like you said. Explaining what go’s wrong , when the engine isn’t turning, didn’t know the particulars on all of that . Thanks Chase
Their all designed a little different but in general it's similar to an engine oiling system the way the oil is pumped through.
@@LifeWithChase yes , since you said it like that. It’s just like running a engine without oil
Yep, some of the transmissions that don't have a pan or have a very shallow pan, mainly some front wheel drives do have some splash lubrication that occurs in the differential part when being towed but it's usually not enough to thoroughly lubricate everything properly. Would be like running a engine with half the oil capacity. it'll run for a while but it's probably gonna have a much short lifespan...
Just put the car in neutral right?
Have you heard of transmission circulation pumps? Remco used to sell a lube pump just for this. It was really expensive for what you're getting. I am trying to piece together a DIY lube pump system for my lexus rx300 using a continuous duty 12v oil pump running inline with the factory trans cooler in the radiator. Powered by the motorhome through the 7 way cable
Food for thought
I'm not sure if I would be comfortable trying that on a transmission that requires pressurized lubrication. It would probably work ok on the transmissions that benefit from splash lubrication such as some saturns gm etc, etc. I would still be Leary of it from an install point of view. When you start modifying transmission lines you create potential leak points and failure points that can fall leaving you stranded with a failed transmission.i know many people have tried different things, some with good success, but my personal opinion is if I was going to tow a vehicle behind an RV it would be either a 4x4 with transfer case with neutral, they usually have lube pump on output shaft. Or if I was going to use a car I would use a tow dolly or a small trailer like the little tandem axle uhaul rents. Again this is just my thoughts. You may have great success doing what you said, idk. Just can't help but think a trailer with premium tires would be my choice rather than modify my car.
@@LifeWithChase That is a good point. I just don't want to have to deal with a trailer or dolly at campgrounds. Towbars/flat towing is so much easier to hookup. My Lexus is 22 years old with 270k miles so it's not a huge financial risk if it ruins the transmission, but I am trying to design the system to be as solid as possible. There's a guy on the irv2 forums who built a diy lube pump system for his minivan very similar to what I am attempting. Can't post links in youtube comments. Do you have experience with the RX300 transmissions? Are they splash lubed? Lexus released a TSB in 2000 stating it can be flat towed with no mods for 200 miles at 55 mph. But I want to be able to go faster, so I'll need a pump.
Thanks for the video btw! Subbed
No experience with those, but if the tsb said its good for that many miles that tells me its getting some splash lubrication and your idea might work ok. A transmission that is not getting at least some splash lube would be cooked in probably 10-15 miles at road speed. since it's an older car and your willing to try it, and accept the consequences you have nothing to loose. I was thinking maybe you were gonna be chopping up the transmission lines on your $50k lexus with 30-40k miles on it LOL😂
Not in neutral on a manual
So if you removed the driveshaft/cv shafts then you would not have this problem?
Correct, but If you remove the cv shafts on most cars the wheel bearing assembly will separate as the cv shafts holds it together and you will also lose transmission fluid.
@Life With Chase oh dear. I did not think about that. The cv shaft hold it together... the car is a 2009 nissan sentra. I need to get it to my house. Just a couple of miles. I would run it but the motor just barely starts and when it does, it knocks like it is gonna dump its oil. You think the bearings would stay in long enough to make a two mile journey? I might cower out of that idea anyway
@@LifeWithChase WAIT A MINUTE! The bearing assembly is bolted onto the spindel. So I should be good...
The big nut on the cv shafts keeps the bearing from coming apart. It might make it a few miles before they start to separate but I wouldn't try it without putting a large bolt in place of the cv shafts, where they go through the bearings. I would probably pay a wrecker 75 bucks or so to tow it before I went to the trouble. Or just pull it as is and hope it doesn't damage anything since your only going 2 miles. Your money, your gambling decision 😂
@@LifeWithChase I wimped out of that potential disaster. I went ahead and rented a uhaul. Pickup n dolly. Gets the job done. Thank you for that knowledge. That could've gone very poorly
Some cars allow four wheel down towing. Check the manufacture user manual. I tow a 2016 Chevy Sonic. Run engine 5 minutes before and after towing. Under 65 MPH towing.
Those do benefit from splash lubrication... The fluid level is high enough that the differential component of the trans turns in the fluid. However you still don't get the full lubrication that the transmission pump provides when the engine is running, it's also a smaller amount of fluid in that area that can over heat without it being circulated and pumped through The cooler and the reason they have the 65 mph speed limit and run for 5 min procedure... In my opinion you are still probably shortening the life of the transmission... I personally wouldn't do it unless I was gonna get rid of it when the warranty ran out, or I didn't mind paying for an early transmission replacement if it came to that. Kinda like racing, you go into that knowing you're shortening the life of components, but if you enjoy it then it's worth it...A lot of the manuals these days also say you never have to change the fluid for the life of the vehicle... Well that depends on who you ask what the life of the vehicle is.... Is it 50k or 500k miles? The manufacturers only Care that it makes it out of warranty, beyond that, it's your baby and they'll gladly sell you another... My sister bought a new camry in 2015, they told her the first oil change was free but she didn't need it until 15,000 miles because it was synthetic... I told her she better get it changed at around 6,000-7,000 if she was planning on keeping it for a long time. I try to err on the side of caution because I've experienced a lot of failure's that bad engineers said would work! Keep me updated on how many miles the transmission last if you keep it a long time...
@@LifeWithChase Right now it has 68K on the odometer and another 25K towed. Knock on wood it last many more years.
Sounds like it's holding up pretty well so far...
Thanks Chase. I know it's been a while since I have made a comment. I'm not as active as I use to be. Good information here, thanks.
so what is the best way to tow a 2010 vw gti? its automatic 2wd, i need to tow it 1400 miles and needs to be flat tow? thanks
Don't know anything about those specifically. check your manual or Google or call the dealership and see if that's ok on those. If not get a trailer.
What about if your towing a car that won't start
In a country where nearly every car has an auto box how could any tow truck guy not know about this ?!!
Not true in all cases. One of the most popular towed vehicles behind motor homes is the Honda cr-v (2000-2014) with auto transmissions. The procedure is in the owners manual. We tow my wife's manual transmission 2003 Saturn ion(177k totalmiles) 4 down for the last 5 years(5k miles towing) with no problems. If you want to give your viewers good info then tell them to check the owners manual of their car. There's also a publication that comes out every year that list the cars which can be towed 4 down and the proper procedure to do so. My brother has towed his 4wd 2003 jeep Cherokee for around 10-12 years. It has over 200k miles on it(driving miles) plus another 80-100k being towed 4 down behind his motor home. Neither of us has had any damage. While most auto transmissions are not flat towable (especially the ones with CVTs, none are, that I'm aware of), some older auto transmissions are. People need to do their own research.
As you said most are not flat towable. Their are a small percentage that are. Most RV people do their research and buy something that is... My video was mainly meant for those who break down on the Rd and then hook a chain up and have a friend pull them 20 miles to a shop to save on a tow bill. Seen this many times. Especially gm vehicles with bad fuel pumps 😂. So unless you have done research and know for sure I recommend not doing it, cause it can be very expensive! Their have also been cases of towing companies destroying transmissions due to improper towing.
if I'm going to pull my vehicle cross country behind me I'm going to just have all four wheels on the ground put it on a car trailer I'm a mechanic and a truck driver that's just me I'd rather be safe than sorry plus the trailer tire and rim is a lot cheaper
would cut down on suspension component wear on a trailer also
Good video !
Yea that’s de sure
I was just thinking about this while passing a truck hauler pulling his pick up.smhh
This does not apply to front wheel drive.
I've seen it happen
I'm
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