[QUOTE=slvrKCs2k,Mar 10 2006, 12:14 PM]Im not real car knowledgable and im not real confident in my ability to take the wheel off the car to take it somewhere.

 

The problem with dragging the rear wheels on the pavement while towing is not because of diff damage but transmission damage. The transmission is designed such that it needs the engine running to drive the input shaft to pump tranny fluid around to lubricate parts. With the engine off, there's not enough lubrication on parts driven by the propelling output shaft.

 

The transmission oil pump is driven by the Secondary Drive Gear which would mean that if the drive shaft is turning, the oil pump is too.

Oil pump operation is not dependent on the engine, only forward motion of the car.

 

So it's not bad for the differential to coast in neutral with the car running?

 

the OP should have her husband or boyfriend change it

 

Ah, that's right! Just confirmed with the Helms Manual. Sorry, my bad. I was thinking about my miata tranny where the output shaft IS the mainshaft. When the engine is not running, none of the gears will be running (including the ones sitting on the mainshaft) and if you tow the miata with rear wheels on the pavement, the only thing that moves in the tranny is the mainshaft (output shaft). Engine on that car drives all the gears whenever the input shaft is spinning and it relies on the gears to throw fluid around.

I had a closer look at the S tranny and it seems like when the engine is running, only the 1st and 2nd gears will not be running. Not sure how it affects lubrication.

 

[QUOTE=slvrKCs2k,Mar 10 2006, 11:14 AM] Im not real car knowledgable and im not real confident in my ability to take the wheel off the car to take it somewhere.