How far can you flat tow an auto trans before...

Saturns have a design where when the wheels are moving, the trans fuid is still being circulated, whether the engine is running or not, that's why they are popular with the RVers for flat towing.

 

If you read the owners manual for most newer rear wheel drive cars(I know, owners manual, what's that?) it says that they can be flat towed for a specified distance, usually 30 miles or less, at a low speed, generally less than 35 or 40 mph. The issue, as others have said, is lack of lubrication. Older trans with a rear pump can be flat towed because the rear pump is ciculating the fliud and keeping things lubed. If I didn't haver the specific information for the year and model of transmission I'd be taking the driveshaft loose from the rear end and tying it over to the frame. Better safe than sorry.

 

Forgot to mention- a lot of those cars you see behind RVs have axle diconnect setups in them. Lokk in the RV magazines and you'll see the ads for them.

 

what about a 50 poncho hydromatic? pulled my 50 4 miles, no more than 40 mph at all. of course, that's before i found the HAMB too. dammit.

 

Go ahead and pull it home as is. I've pulled hundreds of cars and NEVER had a problem with the trannys. Just recently pulled home my 64 Bel-Air w/glide and it shifts and works perfectly. I think it's a myth IMHO...

 

Just leave it run in neutral.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't believe I am, aren't all Saturns except for their poor excuse for an SUV Front Wheel Drive? So then your towing a dead axel.

I had my 97 Silverado 4x4 towed 50 plus miles with a wheel lift and the trans is fine still going stong at 229,000 miles. But for piece of mind you can pull the drive shaft, loose one or two of the cap bolts and drop a cap loosing all the needel bearing in the dirt. Ah hell jsut call a flatbed....

 

For what its worth, I pulled the driveshaft. Actually, I called him and he pulled the shaft for me. Good thing too, the windchill is -20 late this afternoon,by the time I got the thing strapped down my hands were about froze. We used my 50 4x4 to drag it home, there is a heater in the truck,but it barely kept enough of the windshield clear enough to see through.

Anyway, I have a 78 Dodge factory service manual here. According to it, you can flat tow up to 15 miles and up to 30 mph without disconnecting the shaft. More then 15 miles or faster then 30 mph the drive shaft must be removed.

Sounds like a lot of you guys and on borrowed time. You are indebt for a trans or two to someone or something. The big trans revolver still has a slug in it, and you've already pulled the trigger a few times.

Squirrel, Those pictures sure look like my car! Still has an AZ plate on the back, 39 plymouth or something like that! Too damned cold to go look tonight. What motor did you put in it? I just looked at the title, The guy's name is Larry Insenberger and was purchased by him on 5/02/98!!!!!! Don't tell me nothing bad about it. I haven't really looked it over too close yet!
Squirrlel has better pictures of my car then I do!
Gene

 

Hey, congrats on your new car! I never got it on the road, pulled the engine out not long after putting it in. I guess someone else put in a newer engine and trans. I wonder if they used the same mounts I made? the engine sat pretty far over towards the pass side to clear the steering, and I think it hit the firewall too.

I think I still have the matching front license plate in the garage somewhere.

You should have fun with the old coupe..it's a neat car, just needed someone with ambition to get it on the road.

My wife was kind of shocked to see her old car again. She never got to drive it, but she did drive the replacement we got, a 47 plymouth coupe, for a couple years.

 

in answer to your keeping the fluids in it a good sandwich baggie around the end of the tranny secure with a couple of rubber bands low tech but never failed me yet

 

that is a TRIP! man,,just goes to show how BIG the HAMB is,,

 

That ain't no shit. Suprised the hell out of me too.

Squirrel, I'll have a chance to look it ove tomorrow. Couldn't tell about the paint on it, it had been sitting in that location for a year or two and had that nice undisturbed dust blanket on it, so the condition of the paint is not known. It does have some mag wheels and almost new tires on it, and the V6 does run, at least it did for a minute or two... The guy said something about having another trunk lid, but he would have to dig it out. He told me he put the V6 in it and got it running, but he has never driven it more then up the country road a few blocks.

It will be on the road this summer, and it will be at the HAMB Drags this year, unless it needs a whole lot more then I think it will. I'll get it into the shop tomorrow and evulate what its going to need to be a realiable driver for this year, after that we will make the master plan.

Funny thing about it being your wife's old car, it is replacing our 54 Dodge pickup, which happened to be my wife's truck. She was giving me that look about this one too. I think I'm going to put this in my name. (she went to bed, I can say that now)
Gene