74 bus, automatic, towing question

[cjschwer]

Hello,

We have a 74 automatic bus (have to check the tran to see if it is 003 or 010 yet).

Our plan is to fix and restore it this winter and use the bus to go to Silver Lake this summer. We would camp in the bus (plain sportsmobile) and use our buggy on the sand. There are conflicting posts on the Samba and other places as to whether an auto can tow a dune buggy.

Some feel a bus can't tow anything, manual or auto tranny. We have a spare 5 rib and one or two 3 ribs we could put in the sporty, but I would like to keep the auto in it. We would have to take off the VW Automatic emblem off the back hatch if we change out the tran.

Thanks,

[cjschwer]

It's an 003 automatic transmission.

[vwlover77]

According to the 1974 Type 2 owner's manual, you cannot tow anything with the automatic transmission in your Bus. See excerpt below, (top right of the page) from thesamba.com....

[cjschwer]

Thank you, but I have two of those manuals along with a Bentley.

What we want to know is has anyone actually towed anything with their automatic transmission bus? Just because the manual says it shouldn't, doesn't mean it can't. It just meant that the warranty would be up if you ever tried it and something broke later.

Has anyone towed anything with their auto bus?

Carolyn

[Amskeptic]

Just because the manual says it shouldn't, doesn't mean it can't.

It is like radioactivity. Because you can't see the damage, you rationalize that the damage is not occurring. You WILL get anecdotal stories of how people most certainly did too haul a trailer with no problem. . . but they cannot tell you that they just reduced the automatic's lifespan by 25-50%.
The biggest problem with trailering is to be found in the torque converter. You WILL increase the slip which generates heat which breaks down ATF. The longer implication is increased wear of the automatic clutches and bands. Were this 1979, hey, take your chances if you want. But we are now stewards of history, think carefully about wearing parts out.

That said, if you are an unusually sensitive driver, you can reduce damage by anticipating all shift points and releasing the throttle briefly for each shift. You can also downshift into 2nd manually a bit earlier so you can reduce torque converter slip which is primarily a function of rpm. And you can change the ATF when you get back from trailer journey, get torque converter drained at the same time. On the road, any change of the fluid from bright red to russet is a warning, as is a nasty acrid smell in the fluid.
Colin

[vwlover77]

In the '79 owners manual, it indicates that a Bus with an automatic can tow a 1763 pound trailer with brakes on gradients up to 16%.

Is the 010 tranny that much more robust than the 003?

[vdubyah73]

Is there a way to put an oil cooler on it. Heat is what does the damage. Never looked at an ACVW auto tranny. If it already has a cooler why not plumb in an extra one with an oil thermostat, so the tranny won't over cool when there is no load. The thermostat would bypass the extra cooler till needed. You could even run a thermostat switch for a fan on the secondary cooler. That is if there are already external lines on the tranny.


Bill

[vwlover77]

My old '79 auto Bus did not have a cooler...

[cjschwer]

This is helpful info. Thank you.

We have read about some who manually shift their autos while towing. Just want opinions and what people have experienced.

Thanks again,

[cjschwer]

Not sure about the cooler idea. That is definitely a question/idea to run by George, my husband.

We have come to a bigger dilemma at the moment. Missing a very important part.

When he went to get the bus from the original owner it was in his barn. And, as a lot of old VW owners with barns (or without barns for that matter) the bus and barn were full of stuff. So full of stuff they, husband and one of his friends, spent 3 hours cleaning a path out to load the bus on the trailer and emptying the bus of non-VW parts.

The transmission had been taken out of the bus, in, oh, 1980 to be fixed. No one realized it until George went out yesterday to see something and noticed he does not have the shaft/rod that goes through the transmission (I think it is the pump shaft from diagram in Bentley). He checked our other 030, but it came from a beetle and the shaft is too short.

He is sick over this, and did send the guy an email asking if we could come back down and look for it.

Keep the opinions and thoughts coming though. I do appreciate it!

Thanks,

[Amskeptic]

he does not have the shaft/rod that goes through the transmission (I think it is the pump shaft from diagram in Bentley).

I trust that you can find one without too much difficulty. Annoying? Yes. Impossible? No.
Colin

[cjschwer]

I brought up the idea of a cooler to George. He had already thought of it but wasn't sure. While he was thinking of it he thought of the heat problem and wondered if the torque converter from a 010 would fit on a 030? Is there a way to fit them if they don't fit?

Thanks,