2003 Chevy Tracker 5 speed RWD

[Shelton6]

Gurus, Out-of-box thinkers, etc.
My 2003 Chevy Tracker 5 speed RWD manual basically says no all four down.

I know several people have done this but most forum replies are dated, so….

-Has it been done?
-Under what circumstances/set-up (I.e. brake off, neutral, acc on) do you tow?
-Has it been done with detrimental results? (We only find positive outcomes or repetition of the manual.)
-In today’s world, is there an external temperature monitor we could install in the Transmission?

Love all the information RVLife provides

[TandW]

Probably because the final drive in the tranny won't be lubricated why towing it in neutral.

[mbridinger]

You could use a driveshaft disconnect But by the time you spend that much you could find a 4wd version that is flat towable as is.

[yeloduster]

I think you said you have a RWD Tracker with a 5 speed manual transmission.

Most manual transmissions of that era are designed in a way that the input and output shaft are in line with each other and connected together with a small bearing. This bearing allows the two shafts to turn at different speeds. Under normal operation the design limits of the bearing are for about 600 RPM sustained which occurs when in 5th gear.

The bearing is small and not designed for continuous operation when the difference in speeds between the input and output shaft is high. When towing with the transmission in neutral the input shaft from the engine is 0 RPM because the engine is off and the output shaft is turned by the wheels at highway speeds. The bearing is turning as high as 3000 RPM at 60 MPH. This is about 5 times too fast!

The bearing is probably getting sufficient oil but the bearing is just too small for sustained operation at that speed.

You can tow many thousands of miles without apparent damage but the bearing is wearing out anyway. The symptom of a bad input to output shaft bearing is a whirring noise when driving in 5th (overdrive) gear.

I suspect that monitoring transmission temperatures would not be helpful.

I have a car that I have towed quite a lot with the manual transmission in neutral. The transmission still works fine but the whirring in overdrive gear is annoying.

If I misunderstood and you have an automatic transmission disregard my post.

[Gary RVRoamer]

The Tracker automatics with 4WD are towable, with some limits on speed and time. I've towed both a 2000 and a 2004 auto but I've not heard of anyone successfully towing a manual RWD. It's probably do-able under the the right conditions, but heat & lack of lubrication are gonna be a constant threat. Experimenting to figure out what those "right conditions" are could be expensive.

[f15epilot]

I have a 1999, 2WD, 5-speed manual transmission Tracker. I've towed it 4-down for 7yrs and 60k+ miles. I've never had an issue until now, and that's to replace a rear output drive shaft seal, the failure of which is related to age, not being towed 4-down. It's light enough that aux brakes are not required in most states.

[f15epilot]

So...it wasn't a rear seal. It was the universal joint in the slip-yoke end of the drive shaft. That went bad, and the vibration and stress destroyed the bearing surface inside the rear of the transmission. On the Tracker 2WD/5-speed, there is a bearing surface (like a bearing on a crankshaft) inside that seal. When the U-joint goes bad, it puts stress on that bearing surface. That is what failed (somewhat catastrophically since it broke the rear housing).

Here's the kicker...you CAN NOT find a 2WD, Chevy (or Suzuki) 5-speed slip yoke. They are not made and were unique to that transmission. The driveshaft shop had a machinist who resurrected mine, as the gouges and wear had made it unserviceable. I now have it back together.

Time will tell if this fixes the problem.

[d23haynes57]

Originally Posted by yeloduster

I think you said you have a RWD Tracker with a 5 speed manual transmission.

Most manual transmissions of that era are designed in a way that the input and output shaft are in line with each other and connected together with a small bearing. This bearing allows the two shafts to turn at different speeds. Under normal operation the design limits of the bearing are for about 600 RPM sustained which occurs when in 5th gear.

The bearing is small and not designed for continuous operation when the difference in speeds between the input and output shaft is high. When towing with the transmission in neutral the input shaft from the engine is 0 RPM because the engine is off and the output shaft is turned by the wheels at highway speeds. The bearing is turning as high as 3000 RPM at 60 MPH. This is about 5 times too fast!

The bearing is probably getting sufficient oil but the bearing is just too small for sustained operation at that speed.

You can tow many thousands of miles without apparent damage but the bearing is wearing out anyway. The symptom of a bad input to output shaft bearing is a whirring noise when driving in 5th (overdrive) gear.

I suspect that monitoring transmission temperatures would not be helpful.

I have a car that I have towed quite a lot with the manual transmission in neutral. The transmission still works fine but the whirring in overdrive gear is annoying.

If I misunderstood and you have an automatic transmission disregard my post.

The "bearings" you are referring to are actually the idler bearings in each of the freewheeling gears. These are needle bearings. They rarely wear regardless but they can fail and when they do they "lock up" effectively engaging that gear. Lock up one and the engine gets turned. If the locked-up gear is first or reverse the engine will get destroyed. If two should lock up the drive axle gets locked up and something will have to break, or the tires get dragged.

For most transmission arrangements the output shaft is lower then the input and as those gears turn oil is splashed onto the upper shaft and bearings. This usually works. Heat does build up and sometimes this becomes the speed and distance limiter.

[David 70]

d23; those must be the way these newer transmissions are built? I'm just curious because all the older ones, but mostly heavier duty, are a straight through shaft. I have not had the opportunity of working on thses smaller ones and just figured they were the same way.