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I spoke to several people at the recent Liberty ralley who tow their Lexus LX470 4 wheel drive wheels down (the owners manual says no). They said put the transmission in neutral, then move the transfer case to neutral, move the transmsion selector back to park with the key in the OFF position. I towed it about 3 hours today and thought I smelled something like hot brakes (minor). Does anyone have any experience with this vehicle or words of advice.
Thanks
I have talked to two persons who regularly tow their Lx470.
Book says no, but if you look at it mechanically makes sense. One guy I talk to said the service manager at his dealership said if you have any problems, just deny towing.
Steve,
I may be misunderstanding the situation, but if you are talking about smelling something when driving it after towing it for 3 hours it might be the smell of the accumlated road debris (mostly rubber) that collects on top of your exhaust system while the vehicle is being towed, and then gives off an odor due to the very hot exhaust system.
If not, it could be the smell due to a parking brake that may have been left on a little.
I know a guy that left the parking brake all the way on and in a few seconds there was the smell of burning rubber.
Jon and Budman: Thanks for the quick response. Ginger is especially glad since she doen't want to drive home alone with 3 dogs and a cat in the Lexus
I have owned Lexus vehicles for personal use exclusively for the last 10 years. My wife has had 4 Lexus SUVs and currently has an 07 LX470, so I feel like I know a little about these vehicles. We tow a Hummer right now but wanted to tow the Lexus but was told VERY EMPHATICALLY not to do so by the dealership and Lexus reps who were there. I went in on the right day to ask, as they showed me an LX that was in and had expensive damage due to being towed behind an RV. They were told not to do it but the owners thought just looking at the setup that it would not be a problem. The rep told me there is a reason it says NO in the manual. I really wish it could be towed as I would tow ours in a heartbeat. I also think Toyota is missing a nice market if there SUVs could be towed. Just my 5 cents worth but I am not towing ours because of what I was told, but with everything, its your vehicle and you are free to do what you want. I would however proceed with caution and REALLY MAKE SURE that if you proceed forward you are prepared for negative results if something bad were to go wrong. I would hate to see a fellow POGGER or fellow RVER for that fact having an expensive toad being pulled and something wrong happen while being towed.
I think your best bet is to consult an independant Transmission Shop and ask them. It may be a cooling issue with the tranmission or a lubrication issue.
I remember another conversation regarding Honda cars where one needed to run the engine every 3-5 hours to maintain the Transmission. Gary
If the transfer case in a 4WD vehicle is in neutral, and the transmission is in park it is not likely there will be any adverse impact on the transmission because it is not turning.
As some 4WD vehicles get more and more sophisticated however the transfer case and differentials are equipped with the capability to sense wheel spin and portion out driving force to the wheels as necessary to supply power to the wheels with traction. The damage to the drivetrain could occur in the differentials (front, rear, and center) or the transfer case.
Some vehicles, such as the Hummers, Jeeps, Subaru, etc. are unaffected and that is why they are not prohibited from being towed by the manufacturer.
I tow my 2005 Honda Pilot w/4WD four wheels down, with the blessing of Honda Motors (following the instructions in the owner's manual). 20,000 miles and no problems.
It is important to remember that the transmission must be put in Drive while the engine is running and then shifted to Neutral, then turn the motor off leaving the ignition key in the first position so that the steering wheel can turn freely. DO NOT SELECT REVERSE AS THE LAST GEAR BEFORE PUTTING IT IN NEUTRAL - THIS WILL DAMAGE THE TRANSMISSION. Also, Honda recommends towing at 65mph and stopping and running the engine every 8 hours (put it in Drive and idle for a minute or 2, then reverse for a minute or 2then back into Drive, then into Neutral, then turn off the engine. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT THE LAST GEAR SELECTED MUST BE DRIVE NOT REVERSE.
Hope this helps!:D :D
My friend bought a Toyota 4wd FJ Cruiser standard transmission and wanted to tow it 4 down. Toyota said no. He checked with REMCO and they told him "no go with the standard transmission. Had he bought an Automatic they would put a drive line disconnect on it and it would work". Something about the rear locking axels prevented it. Check with REMCO on your towing needs, they are the 4down towing GURU"S.