Towing an Astro or Safari van

[Ballenxj]

I have a GMC Safari van with an automatic trans. (700R I believe) Is there anything I have to do or beware of if I decide to tow it?
It runs fine BTW, I was just curious.
-Bruce

[LiftedAWDAstro]

Are you towing it with all wheels on the ground? If so, you must remove the rear driveshaft from the rear diff and if it is AWD you have to do the same. If you don't, you will burn up the transmission because there will be no oil flowing around the bearings and clutches.

[Ballenxj]

Thanks for the reply. I knew you had to remove the driveline on the older transmissions, but wasn't sure about the 700R's.
-Bruce

[1Gary]

If your towing it as a toad,it might be worth it to looking into the systems you can get to disconnect the driveshaft from a RV outlet.

[Ballenxj]

If your towing it as a toad,it might be worth it to looking into the systems you can get to disconnect the driveshaft from a RV outlet.

That's a thought, but I have heard they are expensive.
-Bruce

[1Gary]

Yes they are.Just remember the rear u-joint,bolts,and straps are not made to be connected and disconnected multi times.And each time it is a PITA to have to be careful not to lose any of the needle bearings.If you do,it's a mess having trans fluid running out on the ground and having to take the driveshaft to have a new u-joint pressed on.

[Ballenxj]

Yes they are.Just remember the rear u-joint,bolts,and straps are not made to be connected and disconnected multi times.And each time it is a PITA to have to be careful not to lose any of the needle bearings.If you do,it's a mess having trans fluid running out on the ground and having to take the driveshaft to have a new u-joint pressed on.

Thanks again for the advice. I was going to reply earlier, but my email server decided it should go down for maintenance.
-Bruce

[markmitchinnh]

I have towed them before, what I did was this: I got an old drive shaft from salvage took it apart and used the end that fits into the trans, in the end of the trans to keep it from leaking then when I removed the other end I duct taped over the ujoint to keep the bearing caps from coming apart. Worked great!

[Ballenxj]

I have towed them before, what I did was this: I got an old drive shaft from salvage took it apart and used the end that fits into the trans, in the end of the trans to keep it from leaking then when I removed the other end I duct taped over the ujoint to keep the bearing caps from coming apart. Worked great!

Thanks Mark. Sounds like that would work pretty well too. I seem to remember seeing plastic inserts that were used when shipping wet transmissions to go in where the yoke was. I wonder if those can still be had?
PS Mark, How does that van with the 5.3 in it run? I'm betting pretty good.
-Bruce

[markmitchinnh]

Wrong Mark , my van has a 1995 4.3 in it and its an 89

[Ballenxj]

Wrong Mark , my van has a 1995 4.3 in it and its an 89

Sorry Mark, I was looking at your tag line. Looking again it looks like $.3? I guess you hit the shift key and really meant 4.3.
-Bruce

[mdmead]

What is the reason for towing your van?

If you are using it as a toad, go with a disconnect (if available) as Gary suggested. We tow our Ford Focus behind out motorhome on a tow dolly and it is a royal PITA!! I've got the procedure down, and can do it fairly quickly, but there is no getting around having to crawl around up under the towed vehicle... and on a warm sunny day it is annoying... and on a cold rainy day it is downright miserable! We are going to switch vehicles shortly... to something with a manual transmission that can be flat towed without having to do anything more than connecting (an adustable) tow bar.

If you are only towing once in awhile, then the added expense of a disconnect would be hard to justify. In that case, what I do (not with my van, but other RWD vehicles) is disconnect the drivewhaft at the rear axle and bungee it to something nearby. This keeps the drivesaft in the transmission to prevent fluid leakage. (Duct taping the u-joints to keep the caps on is a good idea too.)

[Ballenxj]

What is the reason for towing your van?

If you are using it as a toad, go with a disconnect (if available) as Gary suggested. We tow our Ford Focus behind out motorhome on a tow dolly and it is a royal PITA!! I've got the procedure down, and can do it fairly quickly, but there is no getting around having to crawl around up under the towed vehicle... and on a warm sunny day it is annoying... and on a cold rainy day it is downright miserable! We are going to switch vehicles shortly... to something with a manual transmission that can be flat towed without having to do anything more than connecting (an adustable) tow bar.

Well, I don't really need to tow it, and I should really look for something to use as a "TOAD." It just runs so well that I hate to leave it behind, but I don't really need it either. Basically just thinking out loud. :fball:
-Bruce