How to Disengage a Drive Line

When a car is towed its transmission will spin just as if it were running under power. The big difference is that without the power of the engine the oils that normally cool the transmission will not be flowing properly. On new cars this damage is avoided by shifting it into neutral. Towing a vehicle long distances with the drive line attached can cause damage to some older transmissions.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Jack
• Jack stands
• Needle-nose pliers
• Punch
• Hammer
• Bailing wire

1. Jack the rear of your vehicle up.

2. Place the car on jack stands.

3. Find the U-joint closest to the rear differential.

4. Remove the retaining clips from the U-joint's bearings using needle-nose pliers.

5. Tap the U-joint bearing with a punch and hammer until they pop out. Save these.

6. Remove the U-joint the axle and transmission are no longer attached and the transmission will not spin while the vehicle is being towed.

7. Wire the drive line to the frame with bailing wire after you have removed the U-joint to help prevent damage while towing.

Tips & Warnings

• Mechanical or roller-style odometers tend to advance on cars that are being towed even though they are not being driven, digital odometers don't have this problem.
• Cars with manual transmissions and most late-model automatic transmission cars do not need to have the drive line disengaged for towing.
• Do not attempt to work under a car that is improperly supported.

Resources

• The official website for Popular Mechanics Magazine.
• The official website of Chilton repair manuals.

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