Vehicles with "automatic transmission " being pulled behind a motor home .... Does the fluid get hot? Even in neutral parts are still moving, so I'm curious to know details here what other mechanics thoughts are on this ? 🤔
it really varies from vehicle to vehicle depending on the drivetrain. So please, always provide that info when asking questions.
Thank you, but it's just a general question, in regards to buddy of mine has made a choice to travel now that he's retired, he has not purchased a vehicle to pull behind the motor home yet, because he wants a light weight small car to be pulled, possibly Jeep Wrangler or small car like Prius, ..
the owner's manual usually gives you precautions to take when flat towing.
Here's an example from a new Silverado manual:
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For flat towing a particular vehicle (with automatic transmission), you’ll need to check the owner’s manual to see if it’s possible.
Typically, a vehicle can be flat towed if it has rear-wheel drive and a manual transmission or four-wheel drive and a manual transfer case that can be placed in neutral. Â With automatics, however, it has to do with lubrication. With automatic transmissions and pump-dependent manuals, the output shaft isn't being lubricated unless the vehicle's engine is running, and a car can suffer severe transmission damage if it is towed with the driven wheels rolling along the highway, turning the driveshaft or, in the case of front-wheel-drive cars, the half-shafts.
Thank you, I will let my buddy know about all the advice given here, 👍
On a beefy conventional automatic, like what you’d find inside an old Camry -it’s fine. It can cause it to heat up but if the transmission was meant for towing it shouldn’t do any harm.
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Many simple and cheap trannies like the TG-80SC / TG-81SC ( - one of the most common automatic transmission types) can get permanently damaged form towing.
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“Automatic transmissions that do overheat when you’re standing still” are usually Dual Clutch transmissions used on Mercedes, Alliance, Volvo, and rare European fords.
Don’t tow anything on a DCT “automatic transmission” unless it’s a special one that’s built to do soÂ
(for example - some variations of the EDC6 can handle only 200NM and they will get bricked fast If you’ll try to tow anything. They have 1.8 liters of oil not being cooled.
but other EDC6 variants are rated up to 500NM and you can use them to tow pretty much anything with in reason. These have 6.5-7.5 liters of oil that is actively being cooled.
Both are labeled the same but 200NM ones come in passenger cars and the 500NM models come in sports cars and commercial cars)
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Remember, heat is the number 1 reason for transmission failure. You don’t want to do something your transmission wasn’t meant to do.Â
If your car says anything about transmission overheat, or you feel it jerking, stop and let your car cool down in Neutral.
he is talking about towing the vehicle BEHIND the motor home. Not towing the motor home with the vehicle.
Oh then obviously the driven wheels shouldn’t touch the ground (when possible) and the transmission should be in N (shift into N while engine is running - some trannies need engine on to shift)
If the vehicle is RWD unless you’re going less than 50 mi you absolutely should remove the drive shaft.Â
I'm just going to throw this out there, but if the guy has enough money for a motorhome, why not buy a small flatbed trailer for the vehicle? All four wheels would be stopped, you tie it down for better security. Seems the way to go in my opinion.Â
