Towing a Jimny, is the owners manual wrong?

Well, the "critical" distance is a matter of debate. I am no gear box expert, but I assume that the critical distance would more likely be in the domain of several hundred meters or a few kilometers at most.

If it were as much as 10 miles, the manufacturer would probably have written that towing is OK for certain relatively short distances.

But others might disagree on this assumption.

So does this mean that (my bad habit of) coasting down hills in an attempt to accumulatively save fuel is damaging the car?

Max Headroom wrote: So does this mean that (my bad habit of) coasting down hills in an attempt to accumulatively save fuel is damaging the car?

Bosanek wrote: 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 ....

I think Bosanek here got it right.
Also if you keep the gearbox in a gear while coasting but clutch depressed the lube should be sufficient.

I remember hearing a strange metallic rattle under the car when for example sliding down from ramp after maintenance(engine off). Never heard this noise with the engine on. Not sure if related?

muto wrote: I remember hearing a strange metallic rattle under the car when for example sliding down from ramp after maintenance(engine off). Never heard this noise with the engine on. Not sure if related?

There is no chance that is related.

Lets be clear here. We are talking about ball and roller bearings encased in a box half full of thick gloopy oil. They won't sustain any damage in the very first instance of being rotated without positive lubrication. In fact when running under no load (coasting, being towed etc.) they require only the merest hint of oil to provide sufficient lubrication. It's very different to, for example, an engine running with no oil, where plain bearings (essentially metal on metal, save for a thing layer of pressurised oil) are continually under very high loads.

This is why I made my point about it being very unlikely to cause harm over short distances and in general use. For 99% of Jimny owners it is not an issue. But if you are thinking of towing your Jimny 1,800 miles to the South of Spain behind a motorhome then then it is definitely something you should consider.