Towing an 85 manual
Thread Starter
Spankdaddy
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 22
Likes: 4
From: Troy, Ohio
Towing an 85 manual
I need to tow my 85 about 60 miles to get it home and start work on it. I plan on using a tow dolly. I would just drive it home but the brakes are DOA and its just easier to work on it at home where all my tools are. Question is on these vehicles is it ok just to put it in neutral and tow it or is there some weird anomaly specific to these cars that this activity will damage something in the drivetrain?
Old [Sch|F]ool
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 12,864
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From: Cleveland, Ohio, USA
I need to tow my 85 about 60 miles to get it home and start work on it. I plan on using a tow dolly. I would just drive it home but the brakes are DOA and its just easier to work on it at home where all my tools are. Question is on these vehicles is it ok just to put it in neutral and tow it or is there some weird anomaly specific to these cars that this activity will damage something in the drivetrain?
A friend in Columbus dolly-tows his Miata (same trans) all the time without pulling the driveshaft. Another friend in Oklahoma dolly-tows his Miata (with a Mazda 5!) all over the freakin' country, coast to coast, and I think he also leaves the driveshaft in.
Guy I got my latest FB from said he had a trans lock up in a very short period of time, once. I opt to pull the driveshaft, if there's a plug available.
OTOH I've also driven a few hundred miles with an empty trans, you probably will be fine if you keep the speeds down.
The problem you'd possibly run into is that all of the sliders are on the output shaft. If the input shaft is not turning, none of the gears are turning, so no lube is getting splashed around. The input shaft just rides in the gears on a slowly dwindling bit of gear oil.
Last edited by peejay; Mar 24, 2017 at 12:25 PM.
Full Member
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 109
Likes: 26
From: Saskatchewan
I assume your 85 is a manual, so it should be fine to use a tow dolly in neutral.
If you have an automatic, do not tow it with the driveshaft on it. Automatics have their oil pumps driven by the input shaft, so towing them in neutral will mean the trans is not getting any lubrication.
edit: Reading comprehension fail, it is a manual. I'm going to leave the automatic info here just for others' reference.
If you have an automatic, do not tow it with the driveshaft on it. Automatics have their oil pumps driven by the input shaft, so towing them in neutral will mean the trans is not getting any lubrication.
edit: Reading comprehension fail, it is a manual. I'm going to leave the automatic info here just for others' reference.
Last edited by Joekaistoe; Mar 24, 2017 at 03:30 PM. Reason: I'm an idiot
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 25,581
Likes: 136
From: Smiths Falls.(near Ottawa!.Mapquest IT!)
A friend in Columbus dolly-tows his Miata (same trans) all the time without pulling the driveshaft. Another friend in Oklahoma dolly-tows his Miata (with a Mazda 5!) all over the freakin' country, coast to coast, and I think he also leaves the driveshaft in.
Guy I got my latest FB from said he had a trans lock up in a very short period of time, once. I opt to pull the driveshaft, if there's a plug available.
OTOH I've also driven a few hundred miles with an empty trans, you probably will be fine if you keep the speeds down.
The problem you'd possibly run into is that all of the sliders are on the output shaft. If the input shaft is not turning, none of the gears are turning, so no lube is getting splashed around. The input shaft just rides in the gears on a slowly dwindling bit of gear oil.
Guy I got my latest FB from said he had a trans lock up in a very short period of time, once. I opt to pull the driveshaft, if there's a plug available.
OTOH I've also driven a few hundred miles with an empty trans, you probably will be fine if you keep the speeds down.
The problem you'd possibly run into is that all of the sliders are on the output shaft. If the input shaft is not turning, none of the gears are turning, so no lube is getting splashed around. The input shaft just rides in the gears on a slowly dwindling bit of gear oil.
I towed my FC 200 miles (didn't disconnect anything) and it worked fine ..
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,614
Likes: 31
From: Freeland, MI
You can tow a manual trans with it in neutral, not a good idea with an automatic
I got a buddy that tows and i asked him to tow the family car because the ball joint was about to bust, and he started the car and left it running in neutral so it wouldn't hurt the trans
The phone call when he swore it acted like the brake were locking up because of the traction control was funny though
I got a buddy that tows and i asked him to tow the family car because the ball joint was about to bust, and he started the car and left it running in neutral so it wouldn't hurt the trans
The phone call when he swore it acted like the brake were locking up because of the traction control was funny though
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Thread Starter
Spankdaddy
Joined: Jul 2012
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From: Troy, Ohio
That would be my best option but the largest vehicle I have is an Odyssey van and I don't think it has enough *** to pull a car trailer loaded. I would worry about smoking the tranny....
Joined: Sep 2005
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From: Smiths Falls.(near Ottawa!.Mapquest IT!)
Well usually the company will or Should ask about the vehicle that is being used and what the tow rate of the hitch is.They need to cover the insurance aspect of the rented property.
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,614
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From: Freeland, MI
