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Well, long story short, that 1980 244 I found for my ex-girlfriend needs to be rescued from her, and I need some advice on how to do so.
She killed the transmission and clutch in Springfield, OR, which is about 120 miles from where I am (Portland, OR). She's going nuts and saying she wants to sue the mechanic that sold her the car, which is completely ridiculous.
Problem is, I need to get that car out of there and away from her ASAP... She's saying she's going to send it to the junk yard, and I can't let this happen... This car is completely rust free, and runs great... If this car does get junked, it ruins my friendship with this mechanic, who has saved my butt MANY times with my 240s. (I can't let this happen, even with the brickboard at my disposal!)
The mechanic still has the title to the car, since this girl never finished paying him for it, so he can legally repo it. He just doesn't have the ability to toe it from 120 miles away.
Is there anyway I can toe this thing with my 245? Anyone ever had any success towing another car with your 240s? What is the proper way of doing this? Both cars are M-46s, so I know I wouldn't need to remove the drive train from the car being towed...
I have AAA, but they won't tow more then 100 miles, and I don't have money that I can spend on getting this thing towed by a company...
I really don't know what to do here. Any advice?
--
If you listen to the radio in Portland, OR, you may know me as 'Portland's Favorite Soul Brother!'
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Towing 244 -- Since it's a standard tranny, you can flat tow it. Strap towing for the distance you're talking about would be harrowing. The only thing I can advise which hasn't been covered already is you should make sure you have the steering wheel set to return to center. Reason: whether towing rear first or head first, you can get the front wheels cocked off-line. That is, after a turn, a sharp turn, the front wheels may not return to straight ahead, and you could end up towing the car with the wheels cocked and being dragged sideways. I overcome this problem by using heavy bungies passed over each side of the crossmember of the steering wheel and hooked securely to the driver's side seat frame. The arrangement allows the wheels to turn with the tow but pulls the wheels back to center. Happy trails. S
'72 MG mk III, '73 Rover 3500S, '86 Volvo 245, '02 Silverado HD2500, '82 Goldwing 1100
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Here's my two cents worth:
Just dollied a 245 with Auto Tranny, 55 miles, with a small (4 cyl.) pick up as the mule (still haven't attached my frame hitch......philvo). 245's rear wheels on dolly, locked the steering wheel, flicked on the four ways and down the path we went. No problems. Just keep distance and moderate speeds.
I'd offer a close friend of mine (whatever it takes to brib) a day's Volvo adventure and go rescue the Volvo. Friend may come in handy with some of the grunt work required for towing, or moderator if ex is an issue.
If you go the AAA route....I'd still go (with helping hand) just to be sure all goes well.
Whatever, I'd stay away from strap tows at that distance.
Best to you on whatever you do.
Al
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posted by
someone claiming to be twoforty
on
Wed Jan 7 09:59 CST 2004 [ RELATED]
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You can to wwitha strap or do the dolly thing. Since it is a Standard transmission you should be OK leaving the Drive shaft in. With Automatics, you can burn them up because the there is no Fluid pumping around the trani as the shaft is spinning. The Manual tranis will splash the oil around as the driveshaft turns.
If you use the Dolly, id put the rear wheels up on the dolly just so nothing has to spin but the front tires.
--
'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwr and two motorcycles: it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me
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The Manual tranis will splash the oil around as the driveshaft turns
I don't think so. All that will turn will be the Tran/OD Output shaft. It's bearing will get no lube because the splashing comes from the countershaft. Which won't be turning if the Input shaft is stationary.
I believe that any RWD car towed more than 20 miles with Rear wheels turning should have the shaft disconnected.
--
Bruce Young,
'93 940-NA (current)
'80 GLE V8 (Sold 5/03)
'83 Turbo 245
'76 244 (lasted only 255,000 miles)
73 142 (98K)
'71 144 (track modified--crusher bound)
New 144 from '67 to '78
Used '62 122 from '63 to '67
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I have to disagree.
If the car is in neutral, the output shaft is still spinning the countershaft. The other side of the countershaft is just not geared to the Input shaft.
I'm pretty sure in both Typical Manual trani designs, there are lower gears spinning up oil. whether it is the counter shaft or if the output shaft comes in at the bottom of the trani.
--
'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwr and two motorcycles: it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me
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Well, Tony, I guess we agree to disagree. I've always disconnected the shaft at the diff because that's what my Dad and Uncles said to do—and in studying the tranny (which I haven't done since rebuilding one 5 years ago), I believe that the Main (output) shaft is not geared to the countershaft when towing (with the tranny in Neutral).
In order for the Mainshaft to be connected to (driven by) the countershaft, one of the two synchro/slider hubs (1-2 or 3-4) would have to be moved to select 1st, 2nd, or 3rd gear. (In 4th the Mainshaft is directly coupled to the Input shaft, not connected to the countershaft at all.)
With both synchro hubs in the Neutral position, the Mainshaft is connected to no gears, only the driveshaft, and will spin "dry" when towed.
But will the rear bearing be ruined? Maybe not, according to Dharvey's post below. Probably depends somewhat on what shape the bearing is in to begin with.
But I'll keep on playing it safe (wear a belt and suspenders too).
Bruce
--
Bruce Young,
'93 940-NA (current)
'80 GLE V8 (Sold 5/03)
'83 Turbo 245
'76 244 (lasted only 255,000 miles)
73 142 (98K)
'71 144 (track modified--crusher bound)
New 144 from '67 to '78
Used '62 122 from '63 to '67
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posted by
someone claiming to be Dharvey
on
Wed Jan 7 13:36 CST 2004 [ RELATED]
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I once had my 1980/stick towed over 60 miles with the rear wheels on the ground. Five years and 100k miles or so later, the main output bearing failed.
Could this have been due to the tow, or was it just due to having 250k on the transmission?
Which raises a related point. How many miles have brickers out there gotten on their M46s?
Doug Harvey
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I'm currently on the second M-46 in my '80 245DL with 423K miles.
Going off the top of my head, the tranny had to be replaced sometime in '94 at about 220-230K miles, at least I think. It was a long time ago, and I was pretty young at the time...
I know it was '94 at least.
Here it is, almost 200K miles later, and the tranny is as good as ever.
In 423K miles, that tranny is the only real major repair that's been made to the car (aside from a few clutch jobs here and there, which at this point I see as routine maintenance... heh heh heh...)
--
If you listen to the radio in Portland, OR, you may know me as "Portland's Favorite Soul Brother!"
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Are you sure she killed the trans? M46s are pretty tough. A new impatient, bad etc. driver is more likely to burn out the clutch.
Perhaps if you went down there, you could crawl under and adjust the clutch so that it gives a bit of grip. And drive it home.
I thought you were going to pick up that $100 wagon. You don't want the street to end up looking like AyeRoll's, do you?
--
1980 245 Canadian B21A with SU carb and M46 trans
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I wouldn't mind having the street full of Volvos... There's a ton of them around here anyway. 544s, 122s, 1800s 164s, 145s, etc.... All the way up to the most recent model, which I think is the C-70(?)
It would probably go unnoticed by the neighbors. They'd just assume that the cars belong to someone down the street.
I hope that a simple clutch adjustment is all that is needed... I mean, if the clutch is dead, I know how to shift with out using it... Not fun, but I can do it with out too many grinds.
And once I got on the free way, as long as the traffic isn't stop and go, I would be fine.
--
If you listen to the radio in Portland, OR, you may know me as "Portland's Favorite Soul Brother!"
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I've had a bit of experience with this. In a 2 week period 2 summers ago, I towed a Dodge Neon, a Subaru 4wd wagon, another Neon, and a Pontiac Fiero, each just under 1000 miles, and each with my 1987 245 and a tow dolly.
Since the 244 is a stick, you can flat tow it, ie: with a tow bar and all 4 wheels on the ground. If it's got the commando bumpers you can just hook up and go. If it's got the later bumpers, the cover will have to some off.
The main thing to remember about towing something that heavy is not to get in too big of a hurry, and don't get close to the rear end of anybody.
--
1991 245, 61k miles, looking for a 5 speed 92-93 245 cheap.
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posted by
someone claiming to be 81242DLB21FCA
on
Tue Jan 6 13:24 CST 2004 [ RELATED]
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If you have a frame mounted hitch, then renting a tow dolly would seem the quickest and easiest method. The following may not be right if you're in a real hurry and still requires a frame mounted hitch plus a tow bar:
Quick, easy, cheap, and no welding. You must remove front bumper including impact absorbers (easy). Carry bumper in the tow vehicle. I bought some black water pipe from the hardware store, I think it is 1-1/4 in. ID. Drill one hole through end to fit impact absorber bolt in the engine compartment. Pipe slips into frame the same place as impact absorber. Drill hole through other end of pipe but crosswise to connect tow bar. Make a pipe for both sides and long enough so tow bar can be swung upward and leaned against front of hood when unhitched.
My car is an automatic so I unbolt the drive shaft at the rear most flange and just tie it up to the underside of the car with some small rope. Do a good job of this so shaft won't hit the ground if you go over a bump. Also put the key in the ignition to release the steering. The front wheels must be free to turn to follow the tow vehicle.
I've towed my car three times on 350 mile freeway trips with no problems behind a 14’ UHaul truck. Also, there has been no distortion of the holes in the water pipe and I used grade 5 bolts between the tow bar and water pipe.
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Black water pipe? I had the idea that was cast and brittle.. I might be wrong, but am I? I can see the idea, but think cold rolled galvy pipe might bent before it snapped... Like i said I might be wrong, but i would like to know it, over a guess.... Maybe there are two kinds of black water pipes?? Mac
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I think 120 miles on a tow strap is looking for problems...
Options I see working are a tow bar and a dolley if you have a hitch.
Towing a stick is done in neutral with no worries... You said the car needs a cluthc and maybe a tranny so it is not a automatic, and you don't need to drop the drive shaft...
I would see like what was suggested AAA going that 100 and you adding to that some.. Asking can't hurt...
She can't sue as she does not yet own the car... She can't junk it either for the same reasons, and if she does you had better get a new gal as she will be doing time... She seems pretty impatient, but I can't really say, and it is not appro for me to say so..
If the tranny is in fact dead, don't give her this car back, and I might suggest either a auto tranny next time as she does seem helpless after reading several threads or suggest she learns walking very well.. There is no excuse for killing a tranny to me... Sorry if this is unwelcome words as I don't intend for them to be... Mac
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Don't worry, the comments aren't unwelcome at all.
She's not my girlfriend at all anymore. Make no mistake!
I've been trying to get this girl out of my life for the past couple of weeks, but she keeps dragging me into all this crap.
Only reasons I’m worried about this is because I feel kinda like an ass for bringing my mechanic friend into all of this… I kinda want to make amends, know what I mean? He's a really good guy, and he's really taught me a lot about my 240s.
I'm also concerned because once it gets returned to the mechanic and fixed, I plan on buying it my self. It's really a great runner, just needs a little work on the inside.
--
If you listen to the radio in Portland, OR, you may know me as 'Portland's Favorite Soul Brother!'
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I'm sure your volvo will be able to tow this car just fine with a tow strap and someone in the other car. Sure, it's not going to be the fastest trip from Springfield to Portland, but it's doable.
I once towed a friends 68' camaro with my 242ti and a tow strap and it worked fine. Only problem with this method is that the speed will have to be kept fairly low beacuse the rear car will not have power brakes or steering unless it is running.
Just an idea...
Have AAA tow it 100 miles and your portion of the trip will be much shorter.
--
Zack Silver 83' 242Ti (212k)
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Maybe the cops out in WA/OR are a lot nicer than ours, or something- 120 miles with a tow-strap?! Up here in ME we'd never get away with it. Even on backroads, after about 10 miles max you'd have cops on you like sharks smelling blood.
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Have AAA tow it as far as they will take it, or see how much extra they would charge you for 20 more miles. if you have a frame mounted trailer hitch you can rent a tow dolly from u-haul for $40. It will tow it fine on a highway. Dan
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85 245 M46 189K, 92 245 A70 116K
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Had a friend that successfully "flat-towed" one volvo with another, but not sure what he used for a tow bar on the second car (had a factory hitch on the towing vehicle). I think he went about 50 miles/a little less than 1 hour.
Another option: When I had to tow our 245 (auto-tranny failed), I rented a truck and tow-dolly from u-haul. Can't remember the total cost but I think it was well less than 1/2 of what the towing company wanted.
Hope this helps!
Steve A-
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How easy was it to hook up to the car?
--
If you listen to the radio in Portland, OR, you may know me as 'Portland's Favorite Soul Brother!'
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Sorry for the delay . . .
I'm assuming you mean hooking the car to the dolly? It was the proverbial piece of cake. Hardest part was pushing the caar to be towed into place behind the dolly. The dolly had a hand-cranked winch--just hooked it to the tow ring behind the airdam and pulled it up the ramps. Once it was up and secured, I removed the car's drive-shaft and we were on our way . . .
Hope this helps,
Steve A-
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