Towing an Astro or Safari van
Towing an Astro or Safari van
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
It runs fine BTW, I was just curious.
-Bruce
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- I have my van tatooed on my cheeks
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Re: Towing an Astro or Safari van
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.
Current rides:
2013 Toyota Tundra DC 4x4
2008 Dodge Nitro 4x4
2005 Nissan Sentra 1.8S Special Edition
Mileage spreadsheet
Vans owned:
1986 Safari 2.5L 4 speed manual - scrapped
1995 Astro 2WD conversion 4.11 posi, shift kit, DHC rock rails - sold to Skippy
1998 Astro 4x4 D44, D60, NP231, full hydraulic system with 9k# Milemarker winch and snow plow - sold to Lockdoc
2003 Astro AWD all stock - traded for a 3/4 ton truck
2005 AWD, 4.10's - sold to skippy
2013 Toyota Tundra DC 4x4
2008 Dodge Nitro 4x4
2005 Nissan Sentra 1.8S Special Edition
Mileage spreadsheet
Vans owned:
1986 Safari 2.5L 4 speed manual - scrapped
1995 Astro 2WD conversion 4.11 posi, shift kit, DHC rock rails - sold to Skippy
1998 Astro 4x4 D44, D60, NP231, full hydraulic system with 9k# Milemarker winch and snow plow - sold to Lockdoc
2003 Astro AWD all stock - traded for a 3/4 ton truck
2005 AWD, 4.10's - sold to skippy
Re: Towing an Astro or Safari van
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
-Bruce
Re: Towing an Astro or Safari van
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.
1979 Malibu drag race only car
1999 Sonoma 4.3 5 speed-Rufus
1989 Astro-Ole Yellar cancelled-still selling off parts
1985 Astro-shop van R.I.P. my friend
1994 Astro LT RWD W4.3 rod knock RIP
1982 Winnebago single rear wheel-Chevy 350 Scraped 1/28/13-broken dreams......
Rochester,NY
1999 Sonoma 4.3 5 speed-Rufus
1989 Astro-Ole Yellar cancelled-still selling off parts
1985 Astro-shop van R.I.P. my friend
1994 Astro LT RWD W4.3 rod knock RIP
1982 Winnebago single rear wheel-Chevy 350 Scraped 1/28/13-broken dreams......
Rochester,NY
Re: Towing an Astro or Safari van
That's a thought, but I have heard they are expensive.1Gary wrote: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.
-Bruce
Re: Towing an Astro or Safari van
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.
1979 Malibu drag race only car
1999 Sonoma 4.3 5 speed-Rufus
1989 Astro-Ole Yellar cancelled-still selling off parts
1985 Astro-shop van R.I.P. my friend
1994 Astro LT RWD W4.3 rod knock RIP
1982 Winnebago single rear wheel-Chevy 350 Scraped 1/28/13-broken dreams......
Rochester,NY
1999 Sonoma 4.3 5 speed-Rufus
1989 Astro-Ole Yellar cancelled-still selling off parts
1985 Astro-shop van R.I.P. my friend
1994 Astro LT RWD W4.3 rod knock RIP
1982 Winnebago single rear wheel-Chevy 350 Scraped 1/28/13-broken dreams......
Rochester,NY
Re: Towing an Astro or Safari van
1Gary wrote: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
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- I sleep in my van
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- Location: Barrington NH
Re: Towing an Astro or Safari van
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!
Recently bought a 1989 Astro RS from Florida. Replaced stock engine witha 1997 5.7 vortec with TBI and replaced transmission with rebuilt 700R4 with mild shift kit.
Bought on Monday the 16th of April 2012
Bought on Monday the 16th of April 2012
Re: Towing an Astro or Safari van
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?markmitchinnh wrote: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!
PS Mark, How does that van with the 5.3 in it run? I'm betting pretty good.
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-Bruce
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- I sleep in my van
- Posts: 589
- Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2010 2:07 pm
- Location: Barrington NH
Re: Towing an Astro or Safari van
Wrong Mark , my van has a 1995 4.3 in it and its an 89
Recently bought a 1989 Astro RS from Florida. Replaced stock engine witha 1997 5.7 vortec with TBI and replaced transmission with rebuilt 700R4 with mild shift kit.
Bought on Monday the 16th of April 2012
Bought on Monday the 16th of April 2012
Re: Towing an Astro or Safari van
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.markmitchinnh wrote:Wrong Mark , my van has a 1995 4.3 in it and its an 89
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-Bruce
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Re: Towing an Astro or Safari van
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.)
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.)
Matt
Selah, WA
-96 GMC Safari AWD Hi-Top Conversion -->Stalled 5.3L swap & 5" lift
-74 Ford Bronco -->Far from perfect but mine!
-99 V-10 Ford Super Duty Super Cab 4x4 -->Stock with 285 Cooper ATs
-00 Ford Focus Wagon -->The Red Turd
-95 Ford 24' Class C Motorhome -->My big block sleeper
-07 Can-Am Outlander XT -->My yellow 4x4 quad for work & play
-04 Ski Doo REV Summit -->Still several chassis behind!
No new projects until the current ones are done!
Selah, WA
-96 GMC Safari AWD Hi-Top Conversion -->Stalled 5.3L swap & 5" lift
-74 Ford Bronco -->Far from perfect but mine!
-99 V-10 Ford Super Duty Super Cab 4x4 -->Stock with 285 Cooper ATs
-00 Ford Focus Wagon -->The Red Turd
-95 Ford 24' Class C Motorhome -->My big block sleeper
-07 Can-Am Outlander XT -->My yellow 4x4 quad for work & play
-04 Ski Doo REV Summit -->Still several chassis behind!
No new projects until the current ones are done!
Re: Towing an Astro or Safari van
mdmead wrote: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