towing an auto car

[sawtell]

I have a 97 Vs commo wagon, auto.

i need to tow it to a mechanic cause i absolutely pwned it.

heard that you cant tow an auto... thing is, you search the net, and no one actauly explains why... its much like on here, some one ask's a question, and everyone will say the same answer with wiht out any personal experience, just from hearsay.


so what does it actually do?
and what difference is it to say, putting your car in neutral down a hill?


either way im towing it, as im not paying a tow truck to take my car 1.5-2kms.

Id almost drive it, but i dont have a tensioer pulley, or any of the other pulleys, which means i dont have a belt, which means i dont have a water pump.. and i dont really wanna fuck it any more by over heating my engine.

 

[Spanky_Ham]

Due to the design of most modern automatic transmissions, its not advisable to 'tow' the vehicle with all 4 wheels on the ground. As the automatic trans will run dry in parts... they require the 'front' part of the trans to be powered to move ATF around the system - and avoiding mucho damage. Dont tow it... so says spanky

spanky's advice, disconnect the drive shaft... then tow, reconnect drive shaft.

saves the money on a new trans or a tray lift tow truck, and should only take a few minutes at either end.

 

[GravityGuru]

I think it'll be fine. From my limited knowledge I believe the reason you can't do it is the auto gearbox doesn't get lubricated when the car's not running...or something along those lines. I think a few kilometres would be fine...

If you're really paranoid, take the driveshaft out.

EDIT: Born just a little to sloooow

 

[sawtell]

so technicaly, i could just have my engine idling over?

i know i can have my engine just idling over for a good 5-10 minutes before my cooling system kicks in.


don't really want to pay 200 bucks for a tow truck, to go 1.5kms.

finaly option is to just go hire a trailer...

 

[garfield84]

if it was mine i would just drive it ..... have driven cars about 3-4ks with no belt, just watch the guage and you'll be fine

 

[Turn It Up]

so technicaly, i could just have my engine idling over?

i know i can have my engine just idling over for a good 5-10 minutes before my cooling system kicks in.


don't really want to pay 200 bucks for a tow truck, to go 1.5kms.

finaly option is to just go hire a trailer...

Dude get a better quote I got a car towed about 25k for $55. The yellow pages is your friend

 

[sawtell]

Dude get a better quote I got a car towed about 25k for $55. The yellow pages is your friend

just been told this i thought towing was generaly like 150 ish call out, plus fee per km..
But I was just going of a mate, when we flipped his car, and it had no rear wheels, to get it towed, about 10km, cost him 290 bucks on a flat bed. this was at 3 in the morning.

 

[sxereturn]

Give a towy a call and tell them you have a car to be towed, but it doesn't matter when...they'll give you a call when they are in your area and if it's all easy access stuff you'll generally get plenty of change from $100.

 

[skivi]

give us the goss. how'd you stack it mate?

 

[Joel O]

personally i would just drive it if all you are missing is the cooling system. I think the chances of getting up to running temperature in that time are pretty slim.

 

[W2ttsy]

according to the holden owners manual - chap 6/13 (for VY but uses same box as VS)

place into Neutral gear

vehicles with an automatic transmission must not be towed for more than 55km or at over 55km/h without removing the propeller shaft.

also note that without an engine being on, you wont have ABS, power assisted brakes or power assisted steering.

hope this helps

 

[Pete_10]

according to the holden owners manual - chap 6/13 (for VY but uses same box as VS)

place into Neutral gear

vehicles with an automatic transmission must not be towed for more than 55km or at over 55km/h without removing the propeller shaft.

also note that without an engine being on, you wont have ABS, power assisted brakes or power assisted steering.

hope this helps

Very Important shit there, was going to say that myself.

 

[Caffeine]

Also note that (In NSW at least, don't know how it compares to Vic) flat towing a vehicle is illegal, and can result in a $2k or thereabouts fine...

 

[PSYCHO-T]

Also note that (In NSW at least, don't know how it compares to Vic) flat towing a vehicle is illegal, and can result in a $2k or thereabouts fine...

explain???


I have heard of some Autos being towed (by a 4x4) with the car Ideling in neutral, (Holy shit my ligh globe just blew up) and have someone in the car breaking/turning

but alas. i can not help with the reason why it cant be towed,

 

[Caffeine]

explain???

Because it's dodgy, without the engine running, most cars will have no brakes, no power steering etc.

Many years ago I was being flat towed home and the rope broke (at the tow car end), the rope went under the car, wrapped itself round the axle, and all hell broke loose

 

[smeck]

As Spanky has said, the transmission oil pump is driven from the transmission input shaft, so no engine means no oil flow, which destroys the clutch packs and brake bandsin the auto if you tow it. For 1500m you'll be okay, but don't go towing it to Geelong without removing the propshaft, and keep it slow and steady. Remember to keep the rope tight, you'll have to drag your brakes a little and try to slow the tow car. Otherwise the rope sags, and since the tow car driver can't see it, it will jerk and snap as the car accellerates again. Hiring a trailer is a good idea, using a Jinker will still have your rear wheels on the ground so it's the same transmission/prop shaft issue.

Running an engine without a cooling system is fraught with danger. You can jury rig a short belt onto the water pump, but since you're running a serpentine belt then a short belt will cost you as much as hiring a car trailer. The gauge is generally mounted towards the rear of the engine in the hottest area, and without any coolant flow it will boil in that area and create a steam pocket, which the temperature sender cannot measure. That is why a huge percentage of people who cook their engines swear the temperature was normal. The gauge will spike as the coolant leaks, the return to normal once its surrounded by steam, and then the pistons stop moving and $100 notes start flying out of your wallet.

Alloy engines hate heat pockets and will warp and twist, I won't even idle one in the workshop without its cooling system connected. If people want to drive their cars around sans fan belts and radiators that is entirely their business, but you'll never see me doing it in mine.

Edit: Putting your car in neutral and angel gearing down a hill is the same thing as towing. Your engine is idling so the oil pump is only pumping a small quanitity of oil, but your drive wheels are turning at high speed and so is the propshaft and the output shaft of the transmission, plus all of the clutches/bands are being spun at that speed. A decent transmission ECM will log a transmission abuse fault code if it detects a ground speed/output speed signal when in neutral. That code can be extracted by the service techs and will kaput your warranty. Sawtell's car will be well out of warranty, but just remember that if your planning on angel gearing in your Dad's car.

 

[slip]

sawtell - tow costs are high when it's an accident, but if it's just to get a car from one place to the next it's fair game and a $150 call out fee is bullshit. Should cost $50 or so and be so much easier/less risky than doing a tow yourself if it's only a short distance.

Or just man up and push it.

 

[b_S]

Or just man up and push it.

Get a couple of mates and a case of beer. Make a fun afternoon of it

 

[W2ttsy]

apart from the holden manual already approving the tow, from personal experience, pushing a holden wagon is going to require more than a couple of mates and some beer.

 

[sawtell]

Or just man up and push it.

ah thats what i thought! butttttttttttttttttt pushing it will b e exactly the same as towing it!

thanks for the help guys, i should have said no matter what you say im gunna tow it, ive towed cars before, but only manuals.

just wanted to know why you couldnt, and i read that in the manunal, about 55km, and something like 5kms at a time with out the engine running. the point about the front end being the pump for the oil makes alot of sense.


we did once push a vr wagon, roughly 8kms, with 4 of us, ..... that was... fun!

once again thanks for the help!

ill tow it down to the joint tonight, once theres a little bit less traffic on the road.