RV driver blows up Jeep engine in massive towing fail

[Graybeard]

https://www.foxnews.com/auto/rv-driver-blows-up-jeep-engine-towing

Major mistake led to huge repair bill

By Gary Gastelu | Fox News

Here’s a lesson on how to flat-tow a vehicle. One you'll definitely remember.

A Florida mechanic has posted video to social media of the aftermath of what can happen when you do it the worst possible way.

Toby Tuten told The Drive he thought it was unusual to see a nearly new 2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon come in for service, and once he looked underneath it things got even stranger.

https://youtu.be/P2d3NXp4lDk

He discovered that the entire bottom of the engine had been blown out, exposing the cylinders from beneath and destroying the transmission bell housing, catalytic converter and other components.


It turns out that the owner had been flat-towing the vehicle behind their RV without a trailer and had forgotten to shift the transfer case into neutral, but it was even worse than that.


The transfer case had been left in its low range and the transmission in first gear, which means its rotating wheels had caused the V6 engine to spin to approximately 50,000 RPM on the highway, which is slightly more than its 6,600 rpm redline.

Needless to say, the results were catastrophic and Tuten, who is a Mopar master tech who often works on Jeeps, estimated the parts alone would cost $30,000

For the record, according to Jeep, the correct way to tow a Wrangler is:

-Automatic transmission in PARK

-Manual transmission in gear (NOT in NEUTRAL)

Transfer case in NEUTRAL (N)

Tow in forward direction.

Gary Gastelu is FoxNews.com's Automotive Editor covering the car industry and racing. Follow @foxnewsautos

[BUGEYE]

Tow in park??
Tow in gear??
Neither of those sound right.  Is that typos??

I thought the transfer case was for the front drive wheels.

[Land_Owner]

Don't know about towing in PARK or IN GEAR, both sound real bad, but the transfer case is in the front end of a rear wheel drive 4x4 vehicle to allow power on or off of the independent, normally free spinning, front axles.

[northwoodneil]

It works as long as the transfer case is in neutral. Forget and WOW!!

[oldandslow]

You tow a Wrangler in gear and the transfer case in neutral just as Jeep says to do. The steering wheel has to be unlocked so the front wheels can track. Mine has been many a mile this way.

I am quite surprised that with the jeep in the article being in low range and low gear that the wheels didn't just slide on the pavement.

[Argent 88]

Wow, even a trailer would have cost him a lot less.

[Argent 88]

You tow a Wrangler in gear and the transfer case in neutral just as Jeep says to do. The steering wheel has to be unlocked so the front wheels can track. Mine has been many a mile this way.

I am quite surprised that with the jeep in the article being in low range and low gear that the wheels didn't just slide on the pavement.

My old CJ7, would this be the same with it? But Ive never towed it before. It has the old lock in lugs. That would free up the front wheels.

[oldandslow]

Don't know for sure as I haven't dealt with a CJ. Mine is a JK. If you really want to know go to Jeeps' website and download the owner's manual which to get the procedure from the people that built it.

[ironglows]

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