IDI For Life
Registered User
As the title reads, it's a bad gamble to flat-tow a truck with a ZF5. Not all manual transmissions are alike, so you may be wondering why the ZF5 can't be towed. And the reason is because there is no lubrication to the internals apart from the INPUT SHAFT turning. The Input shaft only turns when the engine is running.
My example is a personal one. I just recently purchased an F-Superduty (1992) with a zf5. I drove it, and the transmission was fine. It had a major turbo leak (uppipes we believe) so I didn't drive it home. The previous owner towed it home for me using his F450 and a tow bar bolted to the front of my truck (bumper removed). Upon starting the truck, when releasing the clutch, the engine died, even in neutral, and we couldn't select any gear whatsoever. It was stuck in neutral.
The input shaft bearings were welded solid. So unfortunately I have to yank the transmission out and rebuild it. The P.O. "thought" about pulling the driveshaft, but did not, so he felt really bad about that and we have since made arrangements for how to handle the matter, which was top notch on his part.
There are (4) 12-point bolts to remove the driveshaft from the axle yoke. This would have saved us a lot of heart ache, but neither one of us, nor any of the P.O's IDI/ZF5 buddies would have thought it an issue, until reading various forums and what not.
So, this is just a refresher for anyone scrolling the pages and curious as to whether or not to leave the driveshaft attached.
The answer is a resounding NO. Drop the shaft, save yourself the headache!
Jesus saves. Romans 10:9-10
My example is a personal one. I just recently purchased an F-Superduty (1992) with a zf5. I drove it, and the transmission was fine. It had a major turbo leak (uppipes we believe) so I didn't drive it home. The previous owner towed it home for me using his F450 and a tow bar bolted to the front of my truck (bumper removed). Upon starting the truck, when releasing the clutch, the engine died, even in neutral, and we couldn't select any gear whatsoever. It was stuck in neutral.
The input shaft bearings were welded solid. So unfortunately I have to yank the transmission out and rebuild it. The P.O. "thought" about pulling the driveshaft, but did not, so he felt really bad about that and we have since made arrangements for how to handle the matter, which was top notch on his part.
There are (4) 12-point bolts to remove the driveshaft from the axle yoke. This would have saved us a lot of heart ache, but neither one of us, nor any of the P.O's IDI/ZF5 buddies would have thought it an issue, until reading various forums and what not.
So, this is just a refresher for anyone scrolling the pages and curious as to whether or not to leave the driveshaft attached.
The answer is a resounding NO. Drop the shaft, save yourself the headache!
Jesus saves. Romans 10:9-10