Towing A Turbo Regal

[WE2Regal]

If the engine is running on a turbo Regal with a 200r4, will the transmission be damaged towing it in neutral with a tow bar at highway speed? I own an RV and have towed a 2002 Nissan Sentra with an auto trans for thousands of miles this way without any problems, as long as the engine was running, against the recommendation of Nissan. (But they never tested for it to know if it worked) With the engine running, shouldn't the trans be pumping enough fluid to keep it cool and lubricated? What would get damaged?

 

[SS_Sean]

Personally I wouldn't tow it except on a trailer, period. However, I would think safest is pulling driveshaft and plugging tranny.

 

[Raymond Bunch]

Ohhh man, I don't know how to reply too this.

I guess, I would have to say, why? You have a very low miliage Turbo Buick and one slight mishap and it's done for. Not to mention all the theives, idiots driving on the roads these day's.

I'd just buy another cheap Nissan and be done with it. BTW, it's your car, do what you like with it Why not just pull the Interceptor? :wink:

 

[WE2Regal]

The 16K GN I bought new doesn't leave the garage much these days. I am building a budget bracket racer to go have fun with. I have trailered, dollied and used tow bars. The tow bar is by far the easiest way to get a car around. A couple of hooks attached to the frame and away you go. 5 minutes tops to hook up, and I can do it by myself in the dark. Perfect for a one man, low budget bracket race operation.

 

[Raymond Bunch]

AHHHH gotcha now. Well, to be honest I never used anything except a trailor, if I didn't drive it to the track. I can however see the convience factor of the tow bar though, pretty straight forward and simple to deal with.

Anyhow, you might get away with pulling it while in nutural but, I personally would not leave the engine running in these cars without monitoring it. Darn cars are like women, they need eyes on them and all kinds of support.

Might want to get a recommendation from a known tranny builder. Like Lonnie Diers, CK, Len Freeman, Brian Hoffer etc. These guys know their stuff and could tell you. Good luck.

RB

 

[BadAssGN]

I've never towed a GN like this but other stuff yes.

While running the engine will help. Why not pop the driveshaft off the diff and tie it up. that way you don't have to find a spot for the shaft, no need to plug a dummy shaft into the tailstock, you wont waste any gas and you'll have piece of mind that there is no chance of damage.

When you tie up the shaft I also use electrical tape on the u joint to keep the caps from falling off.


Good Luck

 

[WE2Regal]

I'm sure removing and replacing the driveshaft 3-4 times a night every week for an hour and a half drive to the track will get old. (Of course, replacing a burnt up trans every week would be far worse, but that's why I'm asking, LOL.) I know the concept is ill advised, but myself and many other RV'ers who tow cars thousands of miles every year have found that you CAN tow many cars that the manufacturer says can't be towed. That's because they assume the engine won't be running, and their not going to say that's OK to do for liability reasons. (The car be stolen at a fuel stop, the car could stall during towing, the shifter could drop from neutral into gear over a bump, etc.) I don't really know if I will do this or not. I was curious to know if anyone else has tried it. I wonder if it would get 100 miles per gallon being towed?

 

[A. G. Olphart]

Evidently it depends on how far and perhaps how fast you are going to tow. There is a post on this board somewhere by a fellow towing basically North to South across the country; something went dry, seized up, and IIRC broke the case. No tranny lube while towing.

 

[Jay Wicks]

This is an interesting thread, brings back memories. MANY years ago, I towed my "racecar" with my "streetcar". Both were the same model car. The closest track was close to 100 miles. I used a towbar and freewheeling tow hubs made by a company called NMW. Towed vehicle is in park with e brake set and rolls down the road on free wheeling adapters. You would unbolt your rear tires, bolt this unit on, (had a large wheel bearing in the middle), then bolt your tires back on against the outside flange. I used it for a few years until I made my first trailer, ( mobil home frame cutdown, but thats another story), anyhow, it worked great! I never crawled under the car and I didn't mind bolting them on since I had to put my slicks on anyhow. The company may be long gone, and I'm not sure they are still available, but back then they were quite popular. Now everyone needs a 48ft. fifth wheel.

 

[WE2Regal]

I thought about the towing hubs. I haven't seen them used in years. They may be what I end up using if I can find some. I remember when alot of the local racers flat towed their race cars to the track using a towbar. Noone could afford trailers. They either had stick shifts cars they could pull in neutral, tow hubs or removed the driveshaft. Low budget, old school ways have been forgotten. Thanks for the replys.

 

[novaderrik]

i think $1k for a good used trailer would be a good investment.
just one smoked trans can be easily double that to fix..
plus, why would you want to put all that extra mileage on the wheel bearings and tires?

 

[ijames]

In most (many?) places it is illegal to have the engine running with no driver in the car. They don't tell you that when they sell you that nice remote start setup for the winter . Sure it is unlikely but I'd hate to see an insurance company use that to leave you holding the bag in an accident.