Towing Jetta TDI

Has anyone towed the Jetta TDI with 6 speed manual with 4 wheels on ground? I've been towing a Saturn behind a diesel motor home for years with no problems. I've talked with several people that have towed VW 5 speed manual versions, but I haven't found many references for the 6 speed. Blue Ox does sell a baseplate to mount on the front of the Jetta.
I've just taken delivery of a 2010 TDI and don't want to switch to a tow dolley if I don't have to - (have the Tow Bar and all accessories). Love the car.

Thanks,
JM379

Towing

Call VWGoA at 1-800-822-8987

You should be fine with any conventional manual transmission. Just make sure to but the car in nuetral and the brake is off (which you already knew).

Eh... Ive never been a fan of towing manual transmission vehicles with the drive wheels on the ground. As the wheels spin with the engine shutoff, the only thing spinning will be the output shaft within the output gears without being oiled. I messed up my RX-7 transmission by doing this, and you'll see trucks and such being towed with their drive wheels off the ground will have their driveshaft disconnected. For FWD they just say to tow with the front wheels off the ground.

Steel said:

Eh... Ive never been a fan of towing manual transmission vehicles with the drive wheels on the ground. As the wheels spin with the engine shutoff, the only thing spinning will be the output shaft within the output gears without being oiled. I messed up my RX-7 transmission by doing this, and you'll see trucks and such being towed with their drive wheels off the ground will have their driveshaft disconnected. For FWD they just say to tow with the front wheels off the ground.

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RX 7 is set up different. The bearing between the input shaft and ouput shaft would take alot of wear, with the input shaft not turning, and the output shaft turning.

Vw's 5 and 6 speed are not set up this way. But I still would worry about it. If it were a trans that I rebuilt I wouldn't want it towed that way.

Hmm. Do you have any schematics or exploded views of VW transmissions? I'm interested in seeing how their innards work.

Pretty standard fare syncromesh transmission, I would think you could find something online that has some pics and maybe even a little video or something.

Well I'm curious as to how different they are then your run of the mill transmission taht Cool alluded to where one wouldn't need to be worried about the output shaft turning in dry gear and input shaft bearings.

Towing across town would be alright I suppose, but I'd not recommend doing it behind a camper.

I have exploded views but scanner is down the basement in a box cuz it never gets used. I have no plans of putting back into service anytime soon. Not to mention I would be scanning copywrited material and I'm not so sure if they would like that.

But anyway....

Vw input shaft goes from clutch all the way to the back of the case and is suported by a bearing at the back and the front.

RX7 trans (which is a common design, in mazda trucks and some rangers also, of which I've rebuilt plenty) has a input shaft that is supported by a pilot bearing and then the input bearing at the front of the trans case. It (input shaft) then juts backwards torward the rear of the case, and meshes with the output shaft. The output shaft is in a straight line with the input shaft and proceeds all the way to the driveshaft. There is a little miniscule bearing that is between the input shaft and the output shaft, that is only designed to take the difference in speed that is in 1st, 2nd 3rd and 5th (4th input shaft and output shaft are 1 to 1. Most hiway driving would be in 5th which has approximatly .86 to 1 ratio. Meaning the differnece in speed of the input shaft compared to the output shaft is not very much.

With RX7 towing, the difference in speed between the input shaft and output shaft is alot, since input shaft speed is zero. This little bearing isn't meant for that.

On the Vw and alot of front wheel drive transmissions, there is no input and output shaft on the same line, so the little miniscule bearing is non existant. Now there are still bearings and gears that spin with "difference" in speed but they are full sized stuff more designed for use this way.

Once again though, if I rebuilt it I wouldn't want it towed. Get a dolly to be on the safe side. Too expensive!

Hey on a side note a customer dollied her Rear Drive 2000 (???) Mercedes SLK320 behind her motor home, with rear wheels on the ground, into kansas city yesterday. She melted down that unit good. She's calling my shop seeing if we can beat the dealers price. Very expensive mistake.

Ah i see. Thanks for the explanation. I forgot that FWD doesn't keep the input and output on the same line.

Though I know for a fact I wiped out my output shaft bearing, which is a big old ball bearing because it wasn't being oiled, and I'm sure the input-output bearing was in rough shape because of what you said, as well as all the bushings between the output gears and output shaft.

Oh and i Wiped out my rear end, but that wasn't my fault. The previous doofus was too lazy or stupid to spend the 15 minutes to change the axle seals at the differential, instead tying a rag around it, causing it to run out of nice smelly gear oil. I didn't realize this at the time, and i tell you, TII differentials are neither cheap nor easy to find.

Anyhow... Rebuilt or not, FWD or not, I wouldn't tow a manual with the drive wheels on the ground. It's easy to avoid with a FWD with a tow dolly.

Makes sense on the tranny's. If you can afford the dolly use that. If not then tow it. Doesn't seem like anyone has horror stories of towing with all the wheels on the ground (vw manuals that is). I say a bug (new style) getting pulled behind an RV a couple wheels ago with all wheels on the ground.

Steel said:

Ah i see. Thanks for the explanation. I forgot that FWD doesn't keep the input and output on the same line.

Though I know for a fact I wiped out my output shaft bearing, which is a big old ball bearing because it wasn't being oiled, and I'm sure the input-output bearing was in rough shape because of what you said, as well as all the bushings between the output gears and output shaft.

Oh and i Wiped out my rear end, but that wasn't my fault. The previous doofus was too lazy or stupid to spend the 15 minutes to change the axle seals at the differential, instead tying a rag around it, causing it to run out of nice smelly gear oil. I didn't realize this at the time, and i tell you, TII differentials are neither cheap nor easy to find.

Anyhow... Rebuilt or not, FWD or not, I wouldn't tow a manual with the drive wheels on the ground. It's easy to avoid with a FWD with a tow dolly.

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You output shaft bearing/bushing on the RX7 probably fried due to the trans being a little low on oil. it's not as likely to happen on a dolly since the front wheels are up and more fluid goes to the rear of the unit. when they are full the rear of the trans is lubed just fine, it's that stupid little bearing between the input and output shafts that takes the abuse.. I've had to rebuild a number of T-5's over the years from being flat towed without enough oil in them.. I used to tow my firebird all over the place and naver had any trans issues, but it was always full.. That car got towed almost as many miles as it drove itself for a while..

With the FWD units the Diff is submerged in oil and when it's spinning it'll splash enough oil throughout the rest of the trans to lubricate the rotating parts.. remember there isn't any load on any of the bearings when being towed, they just float along for the ride.. You can pull the fill plug in the 5-speeds and oil will splash out while rotating the front wheels by hand f it's full..

Well it was at the proper level, I just think that the proper level wasn't enough to get to the bearing even with the front end lifted a little. 600 miles of that is not good. If i'd been smart, I would have put more effort into getting the driveshaft off the rearend for the tow.

The rearend was empty, thats what i was getting at, because a shop rag makes for a terrible oil seal.

Man all this talk makes me want to get another RX-7