Gilbert@Ace Racing

The issue with flat towing an automatic and having the driveshaft in is the driveshaft will rotate the output assembly. Depending on the unit it can and will damage the low roller, the rear planets, sun gear and other rotating hard parts as there is no lube flow. Also, the driveshaft yoke and related bushing can overheat due to lack of lubrication.

Many transmissions do not have output lube flow in Neutral, regardless of whether the pump is turning or not.

The issue has nothing to do with the clutches, it is a related to lubrication fluid flowing to the output assembly. Think about it, in the clutch pack there are lots of times during the operation of the unit that a given element (clutch pack) is not applied, and they do not burn up during that tie they are not. That is not the concern here.

Manual transmissions are not affected as they typically are a splash lube system.



Hope that helps the discussion.

g

newton

iTrader: (4)

So it's okay to roll an automatic in neutral if the car is running? I remember driving around in automatics and sticking the car in neutral as I approach stoplights (just out of boredom). I eventually stopped that after people warned me of transmission damage.

I still roll my M6 in neutral a lot when I'm approaching a stoplight.

Gilbert@Ace Racing

As far as everyday driving, and kicking it into neutral rolling to a stop... no worries.

g

BryanJohnson

iTrader: (12)

to be on the safe side, i always pull the driveline loose from the rearend and just tie it up, no fluid lost. on this particular model, pulling the truck in neutral with the engine running would not hurt it since the pump is turning. you can also burn up manual trans by pulling them with the driveline in place. yes the top shaft is turning, but its not the bottom one where the fluid is located. my shop lost a $5500 NV 6spd trans due to a lazy wrecker driver who towed the truck 200 miles with the driveline in place and seized the bearings on the mainshaft. and as for pulling the 94-02 old body style dodge ram crossmember, it is necessary to spread the frame approx 1/2" to get the 8 bolts out.

ggriffin59

iTrader: (7)

RV people get expensive tranny modifications done to towed vehicles if it's not one that can be towed stock. A quick google search will answer the RV issues. One of the popular cars to tow without mods are 4WD where you can put the transfer case in neutral for long-range towing without damage. Otherwise, both auto & manual trannys are subject to damage. Like others above, I've towed short distances (a few miles) on both auto & manual in neutral without issue. Distance = Damage