What can be flat-towed/long coasted w/o damage?
 

Out of curiousity, I was wondering if any of you have extensive experience working at U-Haul, or selling/servicing motorhomes; in that you would know the secret master list going way back as to what vehicles can be flat towed auto/stick FWD/RWD/4WD safely all day long cross country STOCK w/o driveshafts needing to be disconnected or anything! I would think the auto trans. list would probably be short... but for all all possible combinations; I know I'm asking a lot; and the list of yrs. and exact models could be quite long! Anybody up for this challenge? Also, need the list like above but ready with some modification kit... Could someone explain what parts are affected, and exactly what the mod. or kit does, so we would all understand a little better? Are most kits only for the typical 6yr. old or newer veh., and then almost impossible to find for older apps. w/o digging deep?($$$$$$) My main point is when you are doing hyper coasting whether eng. off or not at highway speeds for say a 7 to 20 mile downhill run; what vehs. would it be unadvisable to leave in neutral for that length of time and speed.? Should I assume that any veh. deemed to be safe to be flat towed forever w eng. off; would also be undamaged w eng. on going down a mountain as described above? Thank you in advance for your input!!!

Off the top of my head I can't think of any vehicle with a manual transmission that it would harm to do this to, nor can I think of a single vehicle with an automatic transmission that you could get away doing this to, so unless someone can prove me wrong, I think that is your list right there.

Google is your friend. FWD and RWD MTs are safe, but AWDs and ATs typically aren't (Saturns being the main AT exception), and 4WDs are a mixed bag. Basically, one with a neutral transfer case and lockout hubs might be safe. Lots of exceptions and caveats. Tread carefully.

Saturns are the standard for this.

The chevy hhr can be flat towed in either stick or auto with just pulling a fuse

Pretty sure the Honda Element can be, which means the CR-V should work too, which means Civics might be okay as well.

I see that Larry mentions coasting *whether engine on or off* in his question. My understanding from what I've read on EM is that there is a big difference between EOC and E(on)C with an automatic trans.

=> Coasting engine OFF can cause big problems because the transmission won't operate properly as far as pumping needed fluids, etc. (Sorry...I'm not even close to knowing the ins and outs of how engines and drive trains work. I'm auto-illiterate.)

=> Coasting engine ON is not a problem at all. As long as the engine is on, even in neutral/idle, no damage should be done no matter how long the coast.

That's what I've picked up here on the forum, anyway. Am I correct about that or have I misunderstood something?

Thanks for helping us new guys!

John

Engine on, in any case, won't hurt the trans at all while coasting.

Ive done a good bit of EOC in automatic equipped vehicles, and never had any troubles other than software getting upset with me. The oil in the transmission doesn't just dry up as soon as you turn the engine off, and in neutral, there is very little load on the bearings, etc. so it's not going to instantly grenade on you.

Manuals, I've never hard tell of one that's not ok to coast in neutral, so long as its actually in neutral. You normally won't want to put a transfer case in neutral to coast... Many won't reengageeasily without coming to a full stop, and some require witch craft and potions before they'll go back into drive ranges.

Dinghy's Towing Guide (google it) lists vehicles that can be flat towed.

Also, the vehicles owner manual should tell you its flat towing capabilites.