Got a chance to buy a 1985 190E with a blown head gasket cheap!
But, I'll need to tow it about 35 miles at speeds up to 55 mph. I have a tow bar and a driver to make sure it stays in neutral.

Can I harm the tranny this way?

Do I have to drop the driveshaft?

Thanks for help.

Do keep it in N.

If you have an owner's manuel for the car, it will tell you exactly what you should do with it. Maybe someone else with a 190 could look if he doesn't? If I recall, mine says to keep it in neutral, not go about 35 mph, and not more than 10 miles. I would recommend a flat bed, as does my MB manuel, but if you must, ... then I guess you must! Hopefully other's will have more valuable input!

I am not an expert on the matter, but I will definitely avoid towing the car, especially at speeds above 30 mph.

All the Mercedes Benzes I owned advise on the owner's manual NOT to tow the car with an automatic transmition.

There are some footnotes on the manuals about extreme situations where you may tow the car for very short distances and at very low speeds. The rest of time a platform tow-truck is strongly recommeded, or you may risk high and expensive damage.

A. Rosich
S 320 1998
E 320 T 1995

I you need to evaluate your options. Dropping the driveshaft will take some work. If you ever had to drop a Mercedes Benz driveshaft by jacking up the car and crawling underneath, it may take and hour and a half. You have to wrestle with the fasteners on both ends of the driveshaft and may have to possibly remove the exhasut system. You also need a 42mm wrench to loosen the clamping nut on the driveshaft. It may be worth it to get it hauled on a flatbed.

Thanks to all: paid $88 for rear-up tow.
 

Thanks for your advice. I paid $88 for a rear-up tow since no one would rent me a dolly or a hauler without the accompanying truck. But we figure $88 is a lot cheaper than a rebuilt trans.

I am glad it worked out well. :)

I overheard a guy at a shop that bought an auto on the east coast and towed it to the west coast. It had the same problem of needing the pump running. What he did was let the engine run in neutral and idled his way across country.

towing
 

I did just that last week, Jim. I drove the newly aquired 300cd from St. Louis to Omaha, put it on the dolly, put it in neutral, ran the motor at fast idle all the way to Sioux Falls--180 mi. no probs. Steve ( boy, was the fuel mileage good)