Towing..

[really_drunk]

Renting a tow dolly to take my truck 3/4 of a mile to muffler shop.. Question is should I disconnect the driveshaft ? Or can I just put it in neutral ? Or put the back wheels on the dolly and strap down the steering wheel??

[elmerfudpucker]

I would think that short of distance is fine, neutral and under 50

[really_drunk]

Guess what I'm really asking is will that short distance fk up my transmission?

[Laecaon]

Shouldn't matter for 3/4 of a mile. I think the recommendation is for anything above about 25 or 50 miles, forget which?

[ggzilla]

You can do any of those things. The manual transmission datsuns can be towed with the driveshaft in place.

[really_drunk]

Sweet!! Thanx guys =)

[really_drunk]

Would just drive it there but it's too effin loud!!

[ggzilla]

Don't go over 50 miles

 

From a Datsun owner's manual:

• When the car is towed with its front wheels on the ground, secure the steering wheel in a straight ahead position with the ignition key turned in the "OFF" position.
  
• When towing an automatic transmission model, try to restrict towing speed below 30 km/h (20 MPH) and towing distance less than 30 km (20 miles).
  
• With manual transmission model, try to restrict towing speed below 80km/h (50 MPH) and towing distance less then 80 km (50 miles).
  
• If the speed or distance must necessarily be greater, remove the propeller shaft beforehand to prevent damage to the transmission
  

[datzenmike]

50 miles. This is because the counter shaft, which is in the bottom of the transmission is not turning to splash oil up onto the mainshaft when in neutral and being towed. 50 miles is find as there is no load on anything, just spinning mainshaft gears that are still wet with oil.

 

If towing further and don't want to remove the driveshaft... tow it in neutral with the motor idling.

[ggzilla]

If towing further and don't want to remove the driveshaft or tow it with the motor idling, then tow it backwards as Datsun allowed.

[datzenmike]

:lol: that too.

[datsunaholic]

I towed mine 300 miles @ 70 MPH with the driveshaft hooked up. I wouldn't recommend doing it, but it didn't hurt anything.

[wayno]

I have towed several datsun/nissan 720s over a hundred miles with no issues, I have never removed a driveline from any standard transmission vehicle ever, but if it is an automatic, either I tow dolly it from the rear, or I remove the driveline.

I drive my vehicles to the muffler shop no matter what, I don't care how loud it is, as when I drive home it will be acceptable, but I won't drive it if I think it could cause a fire, I will rig a temporary muffler with flex exhaust tubing before I would stupidly destroy my vehicle trying to get it there with the exhaust exiting at something that could ignite.

[datzenmike]

Didn't JDM510 tow a vehicle and destroy the 4 speed????

[ggzilla]

Several people have. The ouput shaft will run dry.

[datsunaholic]

More likely when you flat tow it. On a dolly the angle runs oil down to the output shaft. Though not downhill. When I brought the 4X4 home from Idaho and one truck from Sacramento the driveshafts got disconnected and wired up out of the way, but with the old (now gone) '76 KC I didn't have the tools on hand to remove it, the truck was intended to be a parts truck anyway, so I didn't. The fact that I drove it for close to 4 years anyway shows how often I end up with actual "parts trucks". Though I did change the transmission, it was because I wanted a 5-speed. The old 4-speed still worked fine.

[Laecaon]

Didn't JDM510 tow a vehicle and destroy the 4 speed????

 

Yes, and I do believe that is what started the whole JDM510 situation.

[datzenmike]

Trolololol.

[DanielC]

A manual transmission has three main parts, an input shaft, a cluster gear, and an output shaft. The output shaft has several additional gears on it, and sits in line with the input shaft. Both the input shaft and the output shaft sit above the oil in the transmission.

The cluster gear also has several gears on it, and is one piece. It always turns when the input shaft is turning. It is below the input shaft, and the output shaft. When the transmission is in neutral, all the gears on the output shaft are disconnected from the output shaft and can turn freely on it. The actual gears turn, but the shaft does not.

 

When the engine drives the transmission, the input shaft turns, and the cluster gear, sitting in the oil turns. That splashed oil inside the transmission everywhere, and lubricates all the gears, and bearings.

 

When the transmission is in neutral, and the car is towed, only the output shaft turns, and no oil gets splashed around inside the transmission. Eventually, the bearings on the output shaft run dry, and then the transmission gets damaged.

 

Gear oil is thick, and sticky. That is why it is OK to tow short distances, at low speeds. But go far enough, or fast enough, and the oil will be worked out of the bearings.

[EricJB]

Totally unrelated, but slightly funny. Once upon a time I drove a tow truck for a body shop. One of the perks was I got to use the truck for personal reasons. I picked up an old VW bug with no engine and was towing it across the 520 bridge when I heard and felt terrible noises and vibrations. When I finally got stopped and walked back to check things out, I found the input shaft was gone.Just a hole. I then realized I had left it in 1st gear. 60mph in 1st gear. Thats how smart I am.

[jrock4224]

hahaaah we all have one of those ericjb.....

[EricJB]

Towing a VW squareback backwards down 405, had the drivers door come open.

 

Lincoln towncar down lake WA blvd backwards, steering came unlocked.

 

Dropped a GMC 1ton crew cab at 40mph on Aurora when the cable broke.

 

I could do this all day.

[jrock4224]

ok whoa, i only had one.......er two...oh and the time i bought a truck loaded on the car trailer with no toungue weight towing with a lowered suburban finally hit 70 o nthe express lanes headed south.....just about death whip spun out across the tunnel.....no toungue weight is bad.......