Towing A/T vehicles

[nicolodeon]

Last weekend, we got stuck on the boonies here in Cambodia because our vehicle (a Toyota 4WD A/T) went bonkers on us. Since we were in a hurry and we all know that there's no service station within miles, we wanted to tow the vehicle (we were 4 vehicles in all). But since my companions and I know, as a rule of thumb, that towing an A/T vehicle would be a no-no, we had this little discussion.

I would be the first to admit that I don't know much about the mechanisms inside an A/T tranny, but I recommended that we remove the propeller shaft (heck, we had the tools anyway and the muscle - there were 7 males in our group). One agreed but the others did not. So, since we all come from democratic countries, we had a vote. Needless to say, we lost. So, we got stuck there until late in the afternoon until help finally came along.

Gentlemen and ladies, I hope you can help me provide answers to my curiosities and ignorance. So here goes:

1. Was I correct in my recommendation to remove the propeller shaft so we might be able to tow the vehicle?

2. If we had indeed removed the propeller shaft, would we have been able to tow the vehicle? If yes, would there be any damage to the vehicle?

3. Let's assume that I got stuck in the city (here or there in the Philippines) with my A/T ride and I need to move it from Point A (where I stalled) to Point B (where I want it to be moved), how would I do it safely?

Pardon the questions but I've been the owner of an A/T vehicle for only a few months so I'm still reading up on this type of tranny.

Thanks in advance.

[luckytruck]

is it at full time 4wd or the one with a manual gear shift for the 4wd tranny?

i thought you could just put the small gear shift in neutral and then you could tow it already? i am by no means a mechanic, so please correct me if i am wrong

andy

[nicolodeon]

No, it's not a full-time 4WD. It has a manual gear-shift to engage the A/T.

[bogart]

According to the manual of my wife's 94 Corona AT, put the gear in "N" and you're ready to be towed. Just be sure to put in also the key so the steering wheel will not lock.

[voltscastillo]

honda a/ts don't like to be towed anywhere more than a couple kilometers away. i don't know why. maybe the gears inside the tranny are still engaged to the engine (?). pacencia na can't be of more help...dunno much about a/t cars din eh.

although i have pushed my civic a/t a few hundred meters to nearest gas station once...tapos i found out it was just a dud battery, kaya pala ayaw mag start hehe

[baiskee]

According to the manual of my wife's 94 Corona AT, put the gear in "N" and you're ready to be towed. Just be sure to put in also the key so the steering wheel will not lock.

what will happaen if the gear is on "Park (P)"?

hhmm... pwede kayang kasuhan yung towing company dito pag nasira?

[Jayo]

No, it's not a full-time 4WD. It has a manual gear-shift to engage the A/T.

The lever that engages 4WD usually has H2-N-H4-Lo4. If you have this type just set it to N-neutral and safely tow...

[empy]

"N" should be just fine. if you are able to lift the drive wheels off the ground, that's even better. if you leave the tranny in Park when towing...well, it's time to buy a new drivetrain...

[mbt]

AFAIK, for a part-time 4WD, it's best to put the transmission in P, then put the transfer case in N. this way, the transmission will not be prone to damage from non-circulating oil (because the tranny is disconnected from the drive wheels).

for a full-time 4WD or a two-wheel-drive vehicle... if you have no choice, put the tranny in N and tow (you shouldn't go too far though, for example, my owner's manual says that towing with the drive wheels down should not exceed a total of 80 km for the life of the vehicle). or better, put it in P and then remove the propeller shafts.

[JohnM]

If tranny is in "Park" (P) a "tooth" locks the moving tranny parts to the tranny casing. Pansin nyo i-P ang tranny while parked sa medyo slanted na area. When you release the brakes you will feel the car move konti before the tranny locks. Towing the car with the tranny locked would be disastrous.

[slip-slick]

1. Was I correct in my recommendation to remove the propeller shaft so we might be able to tow the vehicle?

YES, this is actually the best method in towing a rear wheel drive vehicle with the rear wheels on the ground.

2. If we had indeed removed the propeller shaft, would we have been able to tow the vehicle? If yes, would there be any damage to the vehicle?

YES. just make sure that you select the rear-while drive mode, as opposed to 4 wheel drive mode. and just put the tranny in Neutral. you're good to go.

3. Let's assume that I got stuck in the city (here or there in the Philippines) with my A/T ride and I need to move it from Point A (where I stalled) to Point B (where I want it to be moved), how would I do it safely?

actually, any auto tranny can be safely towed with the driving wheels on the ground from 30 to 50kms, depending on the car. just have the tranny in neutral and just keep below the normal speed limits. for longer distances, you should add additional ATF before towing.

NEVER TOW AUTO TRANNIES IN ANY GEAR OTHER THAN "N"EUTRAL!! You will surely ruin the tranny!

[nicolodeon]

Thanks fellas! Iba talaga ang mga taga Tsikot.

[Trials Jpn.]

Hi guys. I often tow vehicles because of my work. I'm in the car/bike, etc. business (buy and sell/export), since times are tough I often sell my car carrier trucks whenever I have one and just tow the vehicles or get them transported to me to save me extra expenses for my trucks. My wife usually tows the vehicle and she is good. Driving a dead/damaged (crashed, dead engine, no brakes just the side brake, broken windows, no lights, cars that wont drive staight, etc) are just some of the types that we ordinarily tow. Usually we tow good cars that I got from the auctions. We tow them because some of the cars doesn't have the registration and it's cheaper that way than to get it professionally transported to me. Wifey can be crazy sometimes because she's some kind of a speed freak and I've been towed many times at the speed of more than 80kph at night, without lights, with a dead engine and with only the side brake to rely on and that's on the ordinary streets and it was raining. I often shout out the window to remind her that she's driving too fast.

It is not good to tow AT vehicles especially non Japanese made cars. Some trannys don't like being spinned without the engine running. I fcked up my old MB's tranny because of this. If I don't have the truck, I will surely remove disconnect the propeler shaft or the drive shaft even if it eats up my time. No dummy will tow a vehicle w/c has the tranny not in the "N" range. If the shift lever wont go down, you can find the unit that locks the lever and it is normally located near the shift lever or in some cars are located near the steering wheel just like the old Pajeros. You can also crawl down under the car and locate the gearbox linkage or cable, disconect it and set it to neutral. Since the vehicles that we tow are my vehicles, I really don't think much if they will get damaged especially if the vehicles are cheapies because I can repair them myself or just use it for parts and sell the aluminiums. We often tow Japanese cars at around 60 to 80 kms and still the gearboxes are OK (I hope ). If you are towing only a few kilometers, I think it will be OK.

I just bought an old tow dolly last week (pls. check the photo). I'm still repairing it and will be painting it before I can use it. I also have to make the hitch for my vehicle to connect the dolly but my welding machine is acting weird. It's just like pulling a trailer.

Always try to get the rear lights working or install a portable sets of marker lights on the towed vehicle. I always use both hazard lights for both vehicles and put as many signs as I can "kein chu" (vehicle being towed) on the towed vehicle. I live in Japan so I use "kein chu" (written in Japanese).

[Innova_Boy]

I notice that most of MANILA wrecker boys roaming in Binondo and nearby chinatown areas like masangkay and Benavides near Metro hospital... Just jack up the front of any target vehicles that they will tow away.... I notice they dont look or check if your ride is Manual or Automatic, they just check only the handbrake and sometimes they force it.... So there's a big chance they will kill your tranny and you still need to pay 1500 for towing charge..

[HBOY]

since most cars sold here in manila are front wheel drive, yun ang reason kaya laging harap ang tinataas ng mga wreckers... pero yun nga.. kahit pa FWD, RWD yan.. wala naman silang ingat mag tow.. so kahit nde tranny mo ang masira.. malamang may iba pa.. mis-aligned bumpers etc...

as for towing A/T tama yung iniisip mo.. remove prop shaft for RWD vehicles.. as this will free the tranny from moving when the rear wheels move...

[OTEP]

Most a/t vehicles (I only have MB and Mitsu experience on this one) can be flat-towed for distances not exceeding 80kms at speeds not exceeding 80 km/h. Just check your manual.

Always have key in ignition and in 'ON' position.

Tranny or transfer case to 'neutral'

[sequoia]

Heto na save ko noon, kalimutan ko na nga lang kung saang forum: HTH

The Honda procedure states:

Start the engine
Press on the brake pedal. Shift the transmission select lever through all of the positions (P,R,N,D,2,1)
Shift to D, then to N.
Let the engine run for 4 minutes then turn off the engine

Release the parking brake
Leave the ignition switch in ACCESSORY (I) position so the steering wheel is not locked.
Turn off all accessories such as radio, heater fan, etc

If you travel more than 8 hours in one day (including stopping time) you must repeat the above procedure

Another forum member sent me the Honda Service Bulletin that contained the above procedure. It works for all Honda automobiles according to bulletin.

Harry & Jane in Woodinville

[mbt]

you can put the A/T in P as long as the transmission is not directly connected to the ground (transfer is in N or prop shaft is removed)

[Shadetree MKNX]

I think MBT said it best:

Shift Transfer Case into Neutral. If no Transfer Case (4x2, Full-Time 4x4, or AWD), remove Driveshaft/s. (With a 4x2, you also have the option of lifting the vehicles off of the driving axle.)

Shift A/T into "Park". This will ensure that the transmission never rotates while the engine is off.

To save time and effort, simply tow vehicle in Neutral (T-Case equipped or not) while keeping the engine idling.

I'm not sure how it should be done with the CRV cause I haven't looked at the details of its "Real-Time 4WD" system operation. But if it was my call, and I was pressed for time, I'd shift the a/t into park, lift up the front tires, and tow at a slow speed, not exceeding a total distance of 5kms. If I had a bit more time, I'd disconnect the driveshaft from the rear diff and tie it on to something in the undercarriage, but only after I'd scribed aligning marks for re-isntallation later on.

The whole point is: to NEVER LET ANY OF THE A/T's INTERNALS ROTATE WITHOUT THE ENGINE RUNNING. Do whatever logical thing is necessary, in addition to locking the a/t in "P".