1998 S70 T5 Towing another car

[DrJammer]

just typing in general info into uShip (disclaimer - I've never used), just a quick google search looks like it could be done for ~700 bucks? look into anything, I recently moved residences and hired a small local group of movers that moved mostly old restored cars in a modified circus truck. I bet they would would be cheaper than an online vendor.

[QuirkySwede]

Most manuals are splash lubricated by sump in the gearbox. You should check with Miata experts on this to see if this is the case. If it is, tow away.

False. You have to look at how it is "splash lubed" as they are seldom as simple as they appear. Most transmissions' gears are constant mesh, it's just a matter of which are engaged to the shaft. As such, the gears require lube between the gear and the shaft they spin on (when that gear is NOT selected, hence in Neutral ALL gear pairs have at least one spinning on a shaft requiring lube on the INSIDE), the shaft often having a oil passage hole for the journal and the shaft being hollow to the end by the bearing. The bearings can be fed by slung oil caught in a drain tray or such which drains into that hollow end of the shaft which in turn lubes the gear spinning on the shaft. Starve it for lube and it wears the bush. Worn bush allows the gear to wobble. Wobbling gears' teeth have accelerated wear. Accelerated wear ...

So putting the car on the dolly and expecting the transmission driven by the rear wheels to remain lubed is like tilting your house 15 degrees and expecting your roof's gutters to still drain properly.

[osman]

Those tow bar contraptions are dangerous (especially the HF $70 model)and I would never do a long haul tow with one of them. I was towing a buick park avenue with a ford explorer (I know, I used to buy/repair/sell Domestic and Japanese models before I went Full Euro) and everybody knows you cant go Full Euro and ever come back. Anyway the Buick fishtailed when the tow bars bent and smacked into the rear of the explorer. Two cars with body damage on maybe a ten mile tow.Good thing together I only paid $1500 for them both. Anyway sell the Miata to a female college student (women love Miatas for some strange reason, they must remind them of the Barbie convertible) and never tow anything more than a few miles with your S70 as they already have Valve body solenoid problems in the transmissions as well as usually neglected trans fluid. Good Luck.

[precopster]

Removing the tailshaft of the Miata disconnects any impact of road movement to the manual transmission. This is cheap insurance.

However the S70 transmission WILL suffer.

[polskamafia mjl]

I'll just leave this here. No idea where I found this. That trailer packed with stuff likely weights more than a Miata, right?

Volvo_Trailer.jpg (106 KiB) Viewed 1427 times

[matthew1]

I'm guessing that trailer weighs 1500 lbs, empty. And I thought I towed too much!

I'm surprised the U-Haul shop rented a two-axle trailer to this person.

[mecheng]

For whatever it is worth, my friend is into boats and he tells me the boat guys love Volvos because they can tow heavy loads, and their rear suspension is heavy duty