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Towing broken down FWD & AWD

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Oreopride18

20+ Year Contributor
278
0
Jun 19, 2002
Crestview_Fl
I've wondered about this (no, I don't park in "No Parking" zones)

If my AWD gets towed by two wheels and the differential gets fried do I have to pay for the damage done or would it come out of the private property/towing companies pocket?
 
I've got a '92 AWD Laser that I've removed the engine to rebuild. I'm now moving into a new house and need to transfer the car. Is there any way to roll/tow the car onto the flat bed with the engine and tranny removed? Is there a way I can temporarily put the front axles or just the wheels on to roll it onto the truck?

Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks!

Our cars dont need axles to roll. Just slap the knuckles back together, throw some wheels on her and roll her up the flatbed. No biggie. You wont hurt anything...
 
Take the drive shaft off, and the axles out. (If they are not already.)

That driveshaft slapping around is going to chew up the yoke and cause you trouble. Or worse, bind up while towing and cause the wheels to lock and go out of control. That is if you are flat towing.

If you are using a tow truck, just make sure every thing is looped up out of the way. IE: A steel coat hanger holding the driveshaft so it can still spin, but is supported off of the ground.

Jake
 
Yeah the axles have already been removed so all I should have to do is secure the drive shaft with a hanger. I'm planning on transporting it on a flatbed tow truck if I can get one.

Thanks for the help guys.
 
I see it done with DSM's all the time. Every time, no problems at all.
 
I tow cars and trucks for a living so I know for sure you can tow that car across the states if you wanted to as long as you have that rear drveshaft out. Plus if your planing on hauling it a good distance towing it yourself is way cheaper than having a flatbed haul it for you. When you pull that shaft make sure that thing is in neutral or else you'll be catching one to the cranium.
 
When you pull that shaft make sure that thing is in neutral or else you'll be catching one to the cranium.


What i think Icd man is refering to is the shaft sometimes can be under pressure if left in gear while you pull the shaft, I've heard of guys breaking their noses if not putting the car or truck in neutral, I work for a tow company I've pulled shafts on every thing from awd cars to new awd yukons and escalades. Just make sure you put alignments marks on the rear end and shaft so you can put it back in the same position again..... (may cause a vibration) if not realigned properly
 
I tow for a towing company in detorit and if we are towing anything cars/semis. If we damage it in any way other than what was wrong with it before we towed it away we are responsible for paying for that damage. I know some people might have problems if their car gets impounded then your usually sol but otherwise most companies will pay for damage. If you must tow it by just the front then remove that driveshaft or you will smoke that trans. trust me i know from experience LOL.
 
I own a impound/repo company and there is definitely some misinformation in this thread...although there is some good info as well.

first, any true all wheel drive vehicle (gear type center diff, viscous coupling center diff, oil pressure activated (haldex systems) should be towed on a flatbed, using car dollies or by disconnecting the driveshaft. every awd system is different however...some subaru's for example only put up to 10% power to the rear wheels through a differential filled with fluid...and when slippage is detected...the fluid is compressed and power is transferred to the rear wheels. i have personally towed vehicles with this type of awd system without using dollies or disconnecting the rear driveshaft and no damage occurred.

with awd dsm's, the center diff (provided it isn't welded) will slip for a short time before locking up...and then damage will follow. the easiest way to tow an awd is to disconnect the rear driveshaft. as long as there is fluid in the rear differential (which there should be) you have no reason to worry about damaging it. another method not yet discussed would be using a "sling" which was originally designed when cars had heavy steel bumpers...so i would only recommend this if the car has front end/rear end damage etc. this method requires putting the car in neutral and letting all 4 wheels spin as they would...although one set of wheels would simply be spinning in the air and not making contact on the road. this may be hard to visualize...but it will not harm the drivetrain.

as far as who is liable...its all CIVIL. meaning, the tow truck company would either have to accept responsibility and pay for the damages voluntarily or it would have to be settled in civil court. also, any driver who cannot feel the resistance of a center differential isn't paying attention or experienced enough to be towing a vehicle in the first place.
 
with awd dsm's, the center diff (provided it isn't welded) will slip for a short time before locking up...and then damage will follow.
A very, very short time- in some DSMs, less than hundreds of feet.

I have yet to find another AWD system like the DSM's, with a true, undilluted, raw-mechanical, pure 50\50 split.
 
the jeep quadra trac system is similar and very common.
 
Hey guys i'm looking to tow my Eclipse GSX from the bay area to phoenix. Right now I would like to get a hold of tow bars and tow it with my suburban.

Now my questions are.
1.) is it possible to ground tow the eclipse using tow bars?
2.) What brand of tow bars are good?
3.) Does anyone know where i can rent tow bars rather than purchasing them?
4.) other than the tow bar assembly and break light assembly what else would i need?

thanks for any help you guys can give.

- Jose
 
I agree uhaul flat bed thats the only way i would tow it... Its not expensive at all...
 
Hey guys i'm looking to tow my Eclipse GSX from the bay area to phoenix. Right now I would like to get a hold of tow bars and tow it with my suburban.

Now my questions are.
1.) is it possible to ground tow the eclipse using tow bars?
2.) What brand of tow bars are good?
3.) Does anyone know where i can rent tow bars rather than purchasing them?
4.) other than the tow bar assembly and break light assembly what else would i need?

thanks for any help you guys can give.

- Jose

You might try reading this thread instead of re-asking the questions it answers. Over and over and over.
 
Hi everyone, I just bought an automatic 96 GSX. (automatic not by choice, but wanted a GSX and got a great deal on it)

I need some help because I'm not sure of what to do. Story is somewhat long.

I live in Chicago, IL. I left my car in a parking lot over the weekend next to my apartment. The signs for the parking lot do say that no free parking is ever allowed, but people park there for free over the weekend (when no attendants are there) all the time, so its normal. Well, over New Year's eve there were plenty of cars in the parking lot. I looked out the window and saw cars being towed out of the lot I parked in. I saw my car being hooked up to a dolly. I ran out of the apartment, and because I live in a highrise it took me a few minutes to go stop the tow truck driver. I ran down the road a little bit and couldn't catch up. I went back to my apartment to get some info from the front desk of who to contact about the towing for the back parking lot. I was told to go to the attendants office next to the parking lot. When I walked to the office I see the same tow truck there, and my car move about 6 spots out of place in the middle of the parking lot (my car was parked close the entrance on the side). I looked at the car (my alarm is still going off) and saw he ad severely scratched up my front end, and cracked both side skirts and door claddings. I walked up to the tow truck driver to ask him what he did to my car and he played dumb and took off as soon as he could. I figured he towed my car, the alarm would not stop, and he had one hell of at time towing it so he just dropped it back off in the parking lot.

When I drive my car now, its running sluggish. When I begin to drive the car (shortly after starting it) either in D or R I have to step on the gas fairly well before the car even moves (this stops when the engine heats up to normal operating temp). Sometimes when I accelerate and let off, the car jerks somewhat violently when changing gears, downshifting. On cold starts and only letting the vehicle warm up for a few minutes before driving, the car will putter and stall when I come up to a stop sign/stop light (if I leave it in drive), but when I put it in N it will return to normal idle, then when when returning to movement, I put it back into drive, It takes about 3 seconds before the drive gear will activate.

So guys, whats wrong, and what can I do to fix these problems and/or get the towing company.
 
Hi Guys,
I need some info on towing with a HF towbar. I am towing a '93 SL manual, so the AWD problems don't come into play. Since the car is 300+ miles away, I would like to know if anyone has used these and if the clamps have to be modified to hook up. I assume I have to remove the bumper cover and hook to the bumper.
I know Selmerguy had a reply in here where he used one to move a 3s 1000 miles. I tried to PM him, but it didn't go through. From his last post, I think he went to Iraq to play in the sand.
Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Bob :confused:
 
Yea, I'd definitely get the cool sticker from MachV and save my drivetrain from any unknowing tower's.:nono: I'm gonna get me mine soon!:thumb::rocks:


I know its on another page somewhere but here is the link for anyone who needs to know.
AWD Tow Decal

:dsm:
 
I live about 4 miles from the local drag strip and I want to tow my 91 GSX AWD with a towbar. (All 4 tires will roll on the ground) Any problem with that?
 
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