Any Problems Towing an Explorer a Few Miles on the Road?

[Jvalentine]

Have a friend with a broken down Explorer and he's asked me to drag it home for him. The route we'll use is entirely paved roads and I my own vehicle will handle the load well but I've heard there are special considerations when towing a 4x4. Total distance is about 10 miles. Anything I need to worry about? Thanks!

 

[Robman]

I recently dragged an '00 sport SOHC 5r55e 4x4 about 5 miles, I kept to the gravel shoulder and had the key on with the 4ways(hazard lights) on. The truck needed a fuel pump.

Anyway, it still works. ( confirmed after I fixed the fuel pump of course..)


I wouldn't drag it too far.. something about the transmission needing lubrication.

 

[Jvalentine]

Yeah, it's potential transmission damage which concerns me. I'm talking about an all wheel drive Explorer and, somewhere, I read that such vehicles should not be towed with all 4 wheels on the ground. If that's the case, he'll have to hire a tow truck or flatbed to haul it for him. I want to help but I don't want to break anything.

 

[Josh P]

If the transfer case has a neutral, use it.

 

[Robman]

AWD Explorers only came with the V8.
The rest are 4x4 or 2wd.

Are we talking about an AWD v8 then?

What's wrong with the Explorer that it's broken down? (Does it start?)

You could probably isolate the drivetrain by unbolting both driveshafts.
or
Use a car dolly that carries the front end, where you'll only have to undo the rear driveshaft.

mmmm options.

And now I have a question:
Can you flat tow an Explorer with a running engine?

 

[Jvalentine]

Yes, it's a V8 with AWD. Vehicle will not start. Motor not turning over at all so it appears to be a starter issue. Battery is good and motor ran earlier in the day then wouldn't turn over. No clicking sounds or any telltale noise from the starter. Visual check of starter revealed lots of corrosion. The immediate problem is to get the vehicle moved to where it can be worked on. It's not a primary vehicle so we can take our time figuring it all out but I'm thinking a new starter as a jumping off point. Anyway, it's whether or not I can tow the thing on the road, on its own wheels, or do we need a pro?

 

[Robman]

Can you roll under it to tap on the starter(Gently with something like a hammer) or give the nut that holds the cable to the starter alittle movement?

Check connections on the battery, sometimes they can appear fine but not be.
Takem off and clean them up.. battery terminal cleaner/brush is good.
Check fuses.
Solenoid on the inner fender? Give it a tap too if it's an old enough explorer(I think).

Can check these things in short time with minimal set of tools before thinking of a tow job.

Would be handier for the v8 owners to chime in

 

[Jvalentine]

Yup, already did the hammer tap and various other quick fixes that have worked for us in the past...Nuthin' ! However we had a happy ending to the towing problem and now the truck is where it can be worked on and hit with a really big hammer if need be. Pretty sure this is a starter issue. Thanks, everyone, for the help.

 

[jconnway]

Had the exact same issue this week with mine. Had to get a flat bed home so I can work on it. Pretty sure it is the starter as well, lots of corrosion visible. Going to try my best and get it all cleaned up. Battery is resting a little low, 12.36 but that is more than enough to turn the engine over and it fired up fine for the drive to the mall where it was stranded.

 

[Flash]

Two things.

The AWD has a viscous coupling in the transfer case; if the rear wheels are moving and the front wheels are up on a dolly then the coupling will be working overtime and will generate a lot of heat and will probably destroy it.

That's generic viscous coupling knowledge, not Explorer specific.

The other thing is that the trans fluid pump runs off the input shaft so if the trans guts are turning without the engine running it will be operating without lubrication.

I don't know how far you could get without causing damage but IMO it's only as far as to a place where you can get under and disconnect the tailshaft.