Towing the Tercel

[scotisha]

Hey All,

I got a transfer to the land of the Tercels (Victoria, BC) so I am going to be towing the Tercel behind my moving van. I was going to get one of those 2 wheel trailers where it lifts the front 2 tires off the ground and the back tires roll along the road. Is this okay (it won't be in 4wd)?

Thanks!

[Petros]

I regularly flat tow T4wds to get them home when they do not drive. Some have done it behind RVs for many miles. I do not think there is any issues with it.

You might go study the exploded view of the 4wd tranny in the FSM and see if the little oil pump in the transfer case is turning when the drive shaft turns, that would mean the transfer case get pressure lubed when you tow it. Without load however, I would think splash lube would be good enough, make sure the tranny is topped up.

Living closer to Seattle might mean you could attend our Pacific NW meets next summer.

[IHblarp]

when I rented a U-haul tow dolly they informed me that I needed to disconnect the drive shaft, this was after I told them what vehicle I was towing and they looked it up in their computer. I'm not sure if it is absolutely necessary or they just tell you that to lift any blame off their shoulders should anything go wrong. On that note it wasn't too difficult and I'd rather take the time to be safe than tear up my trans.

[emmahumpfritter]

I also just flat towed my blue tercel 300 miles without any problems. I've towed Festivas and metros (simular running gear in 2wd) for thousands of miles without any issues. I hope this helps, Brenton

[Petros]

The one issues that bothers me is that the front wheels will not be rotating, and the rear will. With all four wheels turning you will have the tranny main shaft rotating and splashing lube around. With the front wheel not truning the tranny might not be getting even splash lube. It would be easy and safest to remove the drive shaft at the diff, and wire it up out of the way. It would only take about 10 min to pull it off.

[scotisha]

Thanks for the replies! So how do I go about removing the drive shaft? Thanks

[sdoan]

Crawl under the car near the rear wheels and you will see 4 bolts and nuts that bolt the drive shaft flange to the differential flange. Remove the bolts and nuts and (following Petros idea) find some way to wire the end of the drive shaft up out of the way using coat hangers or something. (pull on it so you are sure it won't fall off or slide backwards while towing.) Make sure the trans is in 2wd and neutral while towing.

[Petros]

Two other things to keep in mind, sometimes the flange get stuck, you will have to put a large screw driver or pry bar into the u-joint, after you have the 4 bolts removed, and pry it loose. You will need a 10mm and 12mm box end wreches, or a 12mm box and 10mm socket. The other is it is easy to remove the driveshaft all together by unbolting the center bearing carrier (just 2 bolts), and the front is just a spline shaft in the back of the tranny that allows the drive shaft to be slipped out. The problem is all the trans oil will leak out the back of the tail shaft housing without the front of the driveshaft plugged in. If you plan on refilling the trans when you get to your new home, removing the driveshaft would be better than wiring it up, but it is more work. So it is best to leave it in place and just wire up the aft end, hang it so it can still rotate in case you roll it with the trans in gear by accident.