Starfox07

I'm towing my car about 60 miles to a shop and all i can come up with for towing it is a car dolly. Obviously I will raise the front, but I'm getting mixed information about whether to remove the driveshaft or not. What do you guys think?

BlackWorksInc

IMO if you have proper fluid in the trans and axle, just pop it in neutral...

Starfox07

I mean if it was several hundred miles, I would definitely get a full trailer or drop the driveshaft, but for 60 miles I think it will be fine.

FelixIsGod29X

iTrader: (50)

I went and picked up a car in VA and towed it back to NY with a car dolly. Just had it in neutral the whole time and everything was fine. Like Demonspawn67 said if you have proper fluid in the trans and diff, just have it in neutral. But if you are worried then pull the driveshaft out.

Keeble

iTrader: (3)

open diffs do not work that way, i have popped them like that before, notice on an open diff if you spin one side, the other side spins opposite,

OneRotor

iTrader: (3)

*scratches head*

i towed mine about 500 miles home when i bought it.

BlackWorksInc

You have a point with the wheels spinning opposite, but that won't exactly cause the axle to break outright just because of towing...

A differential will always have to deal with two different wheel speeds in the course of its life, as when you turn you are rotating the outer tire faster than the inner one. The open differential does not have a means to provide equal power/torque to both of those wheels and thus the power balance between the two shafts is unequal. The limited slip differential allows the wheel with the least amount of traction to recover that imbalance and equalize the torque being driven to both wheels.

How would leaving an open differential in neutral, (essentially providing no torque to the drive shaft end, but allowing it to spin freely) cause it to bind and become damaged?

I may be wrong in my understanding of how these axles work...

speedracer_not

dolly tow? so why not back the car on to the dolly? Tow it backwards.

I towed mine backwards from New Jersey to Texas.

If you tow frontwards, the transmission oil will drain out. And you have to remove the driveshaft so the transmission neutral line doesn't wear out. Well that's what the u haul service rep said.

Rx-7Doctor

iTrader: (13)

For a 60 mile tow you are fine.

JoeyMazda

You don't have to remove the driveshaft. You have to tow it from the back. Put on emergency brake and lock the steering wheel. My friend owned a tow truck and if it's front wheel drive it has to be towed from the front.

Starfox07

I'm not interested in a wagging RX7. I don't really trust my 25 year old steering components.

Taking the car to the Rotary Shop today....wish me luck that they can fix it. It was beyond my ability

JoeyMazda

What do you think is wrong with it?

Starfox07

I don't really know. I took apart the intake manifold to clean the six ports...and now after I put it back together (3 times now) it runs horribly. Idles at 5500rpm, burns coolant, won't run below 3,000rpm ect ect

I'm fairly certain there is an enormous vacuum leak in there, but I can't figure out why, but I also think there is something else wrong too.

rxtasy3

iTrader: (2)

towing it with the tranny in neutral is fine. as for removing the shaft, just disconnect it from the rear and tie it up. if u do it right, it wont come out of the tranny.

Anex 570

Just in case for the other people that read this, when you take the drive shaft out, its going to dump gear oil out the tail shaft of the transmission, especially when you tow it with the wheels up. You'll want to plug it up some how or tie the drive shaft up but that may be difficult.

Rx-7Doctor

iTrader: (13)

More on towing.

https://www.rx7club.com/1st-generation-specific-1979-1985-18/anyone-ever-tow-fb-behind-motorhome-771542/

Rotor_king

iTrader: (2)

badass...im in fort worth and the guys at rotary shop are really nice. little pricey though...but thats what we get for having a rare engine.

Starfox07

Yeah they seem like cool guys/gals. You don't know how much a relief it was to talk to somebody who would give me straight answers after dealing with two different colleges the other day. Just sooo much bullshit, then I talk to him and he tells me exactly what I wanted to know. So far:

As far as how expensive it is, he is actually doing my front brakes for less than Just Brakes was going to charge.

Spyride

Im a little confused about the whole open diff deal. Logic and common sense (funny how thats not so common though) to me would say that if you towed it without pulling the driveshaft and had something like an axle breaking, or gears wearing out to fast or some other funniness, then why would you not run into those same problems while coasting? I coast all the time going down hills, coming up to stops and the such and Ive never had any issue, and all that towing would be is like a really long coast as far as the car is concerned. And I dont think the slight incline that the dolly puts the car at is going to move fluids enough to cause any damages either. JMHO though.

Starfox07

I can't see it doing any damage to the rear end whatsoever? The trans theory is that the layshaft (i think) is not being spun because the car is in neutral, therefore the gears are not pushing the lubricant around the trans and bearings. But if its IN neutral, the front bearing should not be spinning anyways, and the rear bearing, due to gravity, will be submersed in oil anyways. I don't see how it could damage the car.

slowautoxr

iTrader: (6)

I used to tow with a tow dolly. I towed to Nashville and back (2 hours each way) for an autox. The tranny was making noises after that. Coincidence? Could be. The tranny had about 95k on it.

And as far as towing backwards. I did that twice. I'm never doing that again.

If I had to tow a RWD car on a tow dolly again, I'm disconnecting the driveshaft. Get some rope and tie the driveshaft up.

turboIIrotary

iTrader: (9)

towed my car 700 miles diff and tranny are still good.

TheRX7Project

iTrader: (3)

It's an automatic for starters :p

Because if it's not... what is the problem? pop it in neutral. I dragged mine home, with stuck rear brakes, 200 miles on a tow dolly.

Rx-7Doctor

iTrader: (13)

TheRX7Project

iTrader: (3)

The only reason to d/c the driveshaft is if it's an auto. Pulling an auto trans with the driveshaft in is terrible and will destroy the trans.

So I assumed it was an auto. I guess I assumed wrong?