Towing a Jimny, is the owners manual wrong?

Bosanek wrote:
By the way, when did the R72 gearbox "arrive"? Was is at the same time with the push button transfer box or was it before?

Yes, The VVT/pushbutton came with the R72.
M13a nonVVT have the earlier gearbox and lever transfer box
.

Bosanek wrote: Or could it be that even types 1 and 2 are susceptible to those rules as well, but that Suzuki just had not thought of those issues before 2002?

This I think. Very few cars get towed any significant distance in their lifetime. It would have taken several people towing them significant distances behind motorhomes before the issue showed itself.

Find it very strange that lubrication has not been "thought of" in a gearbox.
That is why I think more it could be an unforeseen heat issue.

I work with designing gear boxes for ships and when we have settled the rpm and torque, gear set, chosen bearings for it, the most important thing we think about is lubrication, drainage and circulation of the oil, and lubrication... did I mention lubrication?
Then cooling.

But then again assumption is the mother of all f#¤%-ups

Someone expressed concerns about gear box lubrication when a Jimny is coasting in neutral (like when approaching a traffic lamp).

If my thinking is correct, that is not an issue, as the engine is running, the gear box is in neutral, and the clutch foot pedal is not pressed.

So the input shaft in the gear box is connected to the engine through the coupled clutch and is therefore rotating all the time. As the rotation of the input shaft is circulating the gear box oil, it's all right then to coast in neutral?

If this is correct, than a Jimny could be towed any way you like in 2WD transmission mode, as long as the gear box is in neutral and the engine is ON all the time, right? But then, it is a rare occurrence that a vehicle, which has to be towed, has a working engine ....

yakuza wrote: Find it very strange that lubrication has not been "thought of" in a gearbox.

I work with designing gear boxes for ships and when we have settled the rpm and torque, gear set, chosen bearings for it, the most important thing we think about is lubrication, drainage and circulation of the oil, and lubrication... did I mention lubrication?
Then cooling.

In the automotive world it is

1) make it as cheaply as possible
2) make it just last out the warranty
3) buy the parts from the cheapest possible supplier

The gearbox is designed to lubricate itself when it is in normal use, towing with a dead engine isn't normal.

Bosanek wrote:
If this is correct, than a Jimny could be towed any way you like in 2WD transmission mode, as long as the gear box is in neutral and the engine is ON all the time, right? But then, it is a rare occurrence that a vehicle, which has to be towed, has a working engine ....

Correct. And I imagine over short distances (say up to 10 miles) it is very unlikely to be an issue even if the engine is off. It's certainly not something to ever worry about in normal driving situations.