Towing with a car dolly

[CoreyGough]

I have a manual e36 and need to tow it with a tow dolly, is it absolutely necessary to remove the driveshaft or will it be ok in neutral?

[flyfishvt]

I have a manual e36 and need to tow it with a tow dolly, is it absolutely necessary to remove the driveshaft or will it be ok in neutral?

How far are you towing it? If it's a short trip you'll be fine in neutral. The tranny has no way of knowing if the engine is running or not. If it's a kong distance tow I would recommend getting a trailer but that's just personal prefference

[jason325is]

if it's a standard two wheel dolly, couldn't you just put the rear wheels on the dolly?

[datto62073]

if it's a standard two wheel dolly, couldn't you just put the rear wheels on the dolly?

NO! the front end will want to wander. not to safe.


as for towing with a tow dolly, if its under 30 miles i wouldn't worry bout it. anything more i would, as stated before, put it on a trailer.

[013137]

I never believed in dragging cars using dollys, it may be the cheaper way, but cheaper doesn't always mean better . Just rent a light weight car trailer from U-haul or whatever place is closest to you.

[slocar]

Manual transmission car is completely safe to tow like that: leave it in neutral and don't worry. Nothing will get any hotter than it does normally. The problem arises only with the automatic because the driveshaft spins the tranny, fluid heats up, it's not circulating through the oil cooler and well ... you know what happens when things overheat in an automatic transmission ... 30 miles is the most you should tow the auto; manual you can do indefinitely.

[slocar]

From the owner's manual:



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[ConvGeorge]

As to towing a MT vehicle in neutral, some you can, some you can't. The problem is normally that when you are driving under the engine's power, the gears fling oil all over the transmission, while being towed in neutral, only the output shaft is spinning, and that may not provide enough lube to the output shaft bearing.

[heifetz17]

Never tow a vehicle with the drive wheels on the ground. Period. There's a reason professional tow companies always have the drive wheels in the air if they're not using a flat bed.

If you don't have a trailer, put the rear wheels on the dolly. It's perfectly safe, and the front end won't "wander" anymore than the rear end would, because the front wheels will be locked by the steering column.

[slocar]

^ Did you miss what I posted out of the owner's manual? If BMW thinks it's fine, I tend to think the same way ... not saying I'd tow my car on anything other than a flatbed, but it will be fine.

[jason325is]

Never tow a vehicle with the drive wheels on the ground. Period. There's a reason professional tow companies always have the drive wheels in the air if they're not using a flat bed.

^ Did you miss what I posted out of the owner's manual? If BMW thinks it's fine, I tend to think the same way ... not saying I'd tow my car on anything other than a flatbed, but it will be fine.

So it might be okay to tow in neutral, drive wheels on the ground... But still, I'm not convinced that towing a RWD car with rears on the dolly is wrong/bad/dangerous, etc. Like noted, the steering column locks, so essentially you have the same mechanical processes happening as the rear axle of a FWD car. Anyone else have some input on this? I mean, the diagram given above from the manual doesn't explicitly say NOT to do it

[heifetz17]

^ Did you miss what I posted out of the owner's manual? If BMW thinks it's fine, I tend to think the same way ... not saying I'd tow my car on anything other than a flatbed, but it will be fine.

BMW also recommends 15k mile oil change intervals. Do you agree with this as well?

[slocar]

No, not at all; in fact I change mine every 3000.

That said, there is a difference in the two: they recommend 15k intervals because they offer "free maintenance" ... they'd much rather do 3 changes while the car is under warranty then a dozen. Towing .... they have no personal interest in; I don't see why they'd steer you wrong there.

[Toby B]

the countershaft is the lube pump in a BMW manual. it turns with the engine.

if you tow with the rears on the ground, the transmisson does not lube the needle
bearings on the output shaft.

u decide.

t

[owwwch]

not sure if u have done the tow or not but...

tow it w/ the rear wheels on the dolly, e brake on, steering locked, seat belt wrapped around the bottom of the steering wheel and connected (to assure that the wheel wont spin should the steering lock decide to fail)..

i have done this a ton of times for trips as long as 8 hrs..

[wbarfels]

Well when I bought my car it had to be towed about 400 miles, and after a frustration hour trying to unbolt the drive line, We just ended up backing the car onto the dolly, locking the steering wheel, and then we used heavey duty rope to to tie the steering wheels perfectly straight from the back bottom corner of the front seat, to one side of the wheel, and then the other...After that I ulocked the wheel and still could not turn it...So I relocked it, and towed it home. As long as u use both the steering wheel lock, and at least 2 Nylon ropes holding it straight you shouldnt have a problem.....And if you do with the ropes being there you will be able to tell if its starting to move.

[markjennings323]

So it might be okay to tow in neutral, drive wheels on the ground... But still, I'm not convinced that towing a RWD car with rears on the dolly is wrong/bad/dangerous, etc. Like noted, the steering column locks, so essentially you have the same mechanical processes happening as the rear axle of a FWD car. Anyone else have some input on this? I mean, the diagram given above from the manual doesn't explicitly say NOT to do it

You said it yourself! the steering column locks. That does not mean the front wheels are locked in place. The front wheels will still dog track and move from side to side so you better think twice before counting on your steering lock to hold your tires in place that's not the way it works...

[JDStrickland]

You said it yourself! the steering column locks. That does not mean the front wheels are locked in place. The front wheels will still dog track and move from side to side so you better think twice before counting on your steering lock to hold your tires in place that's not the way it works...

After 11+ years, it's safe to assume that this has been solved by now.

It absolutely does mean that the tires are locked in place, with the very minor slop of the steering gear giving a little bit of slop. When the tow truck comes to get your car and they lift the rear tires, they use a belt/strap to hold the steering wheel in place. The steering lock does the same thing, the question becomes whether it is robust enough or not.