Hello,

I'm a bit confused about the use of 'Neutral' in my Voyager. Here's the confusion:

In many cars that have an automatic transmission you can not coast down hills with the transmission in 'Neutral'. And also flat towing is prohibited. But as far as I know some automatic gearboxes are equipped with a rear pump that can provide fluid pressure even when in 'Neutral', so coasting is OK if you have this special pump.

Do Chrysler Voyagers have this rear pump? I have 1998 Voyager 2.4L (built in Austria) with a 4-speed automatic transmission and in the owner's manual (a Finnish manual) it is only stated that when selecting 'Neutral' the transmission is disengaged from the drive wheels. Nothing is said about coasting. No prohibitions or warnings concerning the use of 'Neutral'. None whatsoever... Also, in the owner's manual section where towing is described, nothing is prohibited. It does not state any warning about flat towing a Voyager with automatic transmission. Is this manual some kind of a cheap translation of the original english manual perhaps?

In comparison, I used to have 1988 Cadillac DeVille and it's owner's manual clearly prohibited flat towing and coasting.

 

Just so I don't make things even more confusing here I was a bit thoughtless when I used the phrasing "cheap translation". The owner's manual that I'm talking about is an official Chrysler Voyager 1998 Owner's Manual that came with the car when it was new. It is just written in Finnish language.

 

Back in the 1950's, automatic tranmissions were built with a "rear pump". You could actually push the car to start it back then. They haven't been putting rear pumps in automatic transmissions for 40 years now. As a result, if you tow the car on its drive wheels, the gears in the transmission will turn but they won't be properly lubricated because there wil not be any fluid properly circulating in the transmission. Coasting in neutral probably won't hurt the transmission as long as the engine is running since the torque converter is engaged and properly turning, generating some circulation of fluid. I don't think I'd do it for 20 miles down a very long mountain road, however.

 

Thanks for your answer

Isn't it true that some modern pickup trucks' auto transmissions have a similar rear pump than the 1950s cars? This is why I thought that maybe it's possible that some Voyagers might have it too...
Do you agree with me that is kind of odd that the manual doesn't prohibit towing the car in a scenario where the drive wheels are on the ground and engine is off? Actually to be more specific the manual states that if the automatic transmission is faulty / broken, then the drive wheels should be raised before towing. Otherwise put the shift lever to 'Neutral'. So, a non-broken auto gearbox can handle flat towing while engine is off. I really doubt that one...