My dad just purchased a 1990 Miata in FL. He is heading back to Illinois in a couple of weeks and is using a tow dolly to bring it back. it is an automatic, and we are not sure if he needs to pull the drive shaft or not. Any tips from the collective Miata pros on this? Thanks
BBC
Drive shaft is really easy to pull. I'm not sure, but I think you need to pull it.
My buddy towed his to deals gap every year on a dolly backwards.
Joey
In reply to joey48442:
Did he do anything special to lock the steering wheel?
I would run the seatbelt through a spoke of the steering wheel and latch it rather than trust a 22 year old ignition lock.
Wally wrote: I would run the seatbelt through a spoke of the steering wheel and latch it rather than trust a 22 year old ignition lock.
I was thinking something creative could be done with a couple 1" ratchet straps, but yeah the "22 year old ignition lock" doesn't warrant 100% confidence in my book either.
I had a strap in my tow truck I would hook under the driver's seat, around the wheel and back under the seat but in a pinch most seat belts work just as well.
With a Miata, I'd remove the two front bolts for the driver's seat and add a couple of links of chain. Then run a tie down strap from one link up through the bottom center of the steering wheel, make at least one wrap around the wheel, and then down to the other link of chain. Tie off the tail of the tie down strap after it's tight so it can't slip.
Thanks for the help guys.
BBC
Woody wrote: With a Miata, I'd remove the two front bolts for the driver's seat and add a couple of links of chain. Then run a tie down strap from one link up through the bottom center of the steering wheel, make at least one wrap around the wheel, and then down to the other link of chain. Tie off the tail of the tie down strap after it's tight so it can't slip.
How about doing this, but with a couple short (~2") loops of nylon webbing (same material as the tie-down strap) with a grommet for the bolt to go through? That way you wouldn't have little chains rattling around under the seat when you're actually driving the car.
Towing on a dolly backwards would make me really nervous. I actually posted a similar thread on this topic, coincidentally enough about a '90 Miata I had just purchased, and a lot of the feedback was that it's pretty risky.
I'm a rank novice in fixing cars, just starting to learn. I can tell you from recent first hand experience that the driveshaft is super easy to unbolt. That's what I'd do.
Get a plug for the transmission if you do that.
We've towed the 5-speeds on dollies without pulling the driveshaft and with no ill effects. Don't know enough about the autos to say. Personally, I'd just put it on a car trailer.
You could tow it forwards and leave the engine running to keep the tranny safe 
Or you could get a plane ticket and drive the car home!
I towed my 240SX for 1100 miles backwards, no issue. Just centered the steering with the factory lock and wrapped a tie-down between the steering wheel and seat for insurance.
No one way fly and drives for me since he is already heading this way. Gonna get a tranny plug and pull the shaft
BBC
Billy_Bottle_Caps wrote: No one way fly and drives for me since he is already heading this way. Gonna get a tranny plug and pull the shaft BBC
Do me a favor if you do that: put painters tape on the rear bumper and write "driveshaft removed". My lack of faith in the car knowledge of the general populace makes me assume everyone towing a RWD car with the rear wheels on the ground is lunching the transmission.
Now that the OP has his answer, let me just hijack this thread a little bit...
You have to put the drive wheels of most autos in the air b/c the automatic transmission fluid pump doesn't operate without the engine running. But you can flat tow a stick b/c there is no pump in there, the gears just sit in the oil. You can get around the auto thing and tow one with the drive wheels on the ground if you remove the drive-shaft or put the transfer-case in neutral (in a part-time 4WD truck). Is that all correct?
Could you tow a non-Mopar automatic car with the drive wheels on the ground as long as the engine was running?
You'll need to log in to post.
