flat towing a NV4500

[TDLHoussaye]

My clutch went out in my work truck, a 98 p30 2wd with a chevy 6. 5 with a nv4500. The tow guy hooked up and towed my truck 24 miles at 40mph. He did not disconnect the driveshaft. Needless to say when I put a new clutch in and when i went to put the transmission back in the input shaft literally fell off!!! Upon inspecting the transmission it was bone dry and all gear lube was turned into powder. It looked like a piece of charcoal inside! Anyway I immediately called the wrecker and told him he owed me a new transmission. He said there was no way towing a manual transmission in neutral would hurt anything. He said he would pay for replacement if I could prove "in writing" that you can't tow a nv4500. Anyone have any documentation on this??? Thank you in advance.



Troy

 

[jimnance]

You could hurt one if it didn't have any oil in it, but the question would be why there was no oil in it?????



Otherwise, I can't see how you'd hurt the transmission.

 

[TDLHoussaye]

The transmission was just rebuilt 1 month ago. I filled it with 4. 5 qts of the GM specified syntorq fluid. ($16 per quart). There were no signs of leaking aside from the front input shaft. The front seal was melted. My driver said it was shifting great and then the clutch just went to the floor. If the fluid was slowly leaking it seems the transmission would have made a horrendous noise and became unshiftable before chronic failure. I believe that the transmission got so hot while being towed that it simply burned up all gear oil in housing.

 

[HBarlow]

I know our replies are not the support for your position you were seeking but they are honest opinions.



While your truck was being towed with wheels down the transmission output shaft would have been turning which would have kept lubricant circulating. I'm not a transmission design engineer or mechanic but I don't see how towing wheels down could have damaged your manual transmission. Could it be that the clutch failed because of contamination by transmission lubricant that leaked around the front seal?



Harvey

 

[DSpencer]

You might try calling standard transmission in Ft Worth. I seem to remember reading a caution message on their site about not towing the nv4500.

Their phone is:817 625 7109

800 783 8726

 

[GAmes]

While your truck was being towed with wheels down the transmission output shaft would have been turning which would have kept lubricant circulating.



Harvey

It is the input shaft that has to be turning in a 4500 for lubrication, not the output. I also recommend standard transmission for the written word.