Can i flat tow or dinghy tow an 85 civic automatic ?

Your owners manual says to use a dolly, you put your two front wheels on the dolly, dolly is connected to bumper hitch of another vehicle. Should not be dinghy towed, towed with all four wheels on the ground. I'm not saying you can't tow it with a chain? However you try to tow it, is your responsibility. Safety is your responsibility.
If you don't have an owners manual and want to look at yours, go to
my.gm.com

Of course, yes.

this question can oficially be answered in either the owners' manual or by the dealer but I will state this..depending on how far you plan to go..it is usually better on newr vehicles to put them on either a dolly that supports the drive wheels or a trailer behind the rv..by drive wheels I dont mean the steering end.. I mean the wheels that get power from the engine.. this is due to the spinning of the driveline without the engine powering the transmission fluid inside.. sometimes this will tear up or wear out the final drive clutches and cause malfunctioning of the transmission..just to save your sanity..plan on using a tandem flatbed .. if you dont have one..u-haul rents them..the costs will offset a major transmission repair..learn how to load and tie the truck down for safe transporting..good luck and safe travels..

What do you mean by "dinghy"?

Some customers may want to tow their vehicle behind another vehicle with all FOUR tires on the ground. This is referred to as "dinghy" towing.
Towing in this manner is acceptable only on the certain vehicles. The vehicle should be properly equipped and prepared as described below.
The passenger cars listed above are the vehicles that CAN be dinghy towed. Passenger cars not listed above are vehicles where dinghy towing is not permitted or recommended.
Certain 4WD trucks can be dinghy towed depending on the transfer case option. Rear wheel drive and AWD trucks should NOT be dinghy towed. Refer to the truck models and transfer case options below.
Please refer to the applicable vehicle Owner's Manual before towing.
Passenger Cars Notice: These vehicles must not be towed backwards or transmission damage may occur.

• 1995-2005 Chevrolet Cavalier, Pontiac Sunfire and 1996-2000 Toyota Cavalier equipped with Hydra-Matic® 4T40-E Automatic Transmission (AT) (RPO MN4) or 5-Speed Manual Transmission (MT) (RPOs MK7, MJ1, M86, M94) • 1995-2005 Pontiac Grand Am equipped with Hydra-Matic® 4T40-E or 4T45-E AT (RPOs MN4, MN5) or 5-Speed MT (RPO MJ1, M86, M94) • 1995-1998 Oldsmobile Achieva equipped with a 5-Speed MT (RPO MJ1) • 1997-2003 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2005 Chevrolet Classic and 1997-1999 Oldsmobile Cutlass equipped with Hydra-Matic® 4T40-E AT (RPO MN4) • 1999-2004 Oldsmobile Alero equipped with Hydra-Matic® 4T40-E or 4T45-E AT (RPOs MN4, MN5) or 5-Speed MT (RPOs MJ1, M86, M94) • 1994-1997 Geo Tracker / 1998-2004 Chevrolet Tracker 4WD models equipped with 3L30 or 03-72LE AT (RPOs M41, M65, MX1) or 5-Speed MT (RPO M59) • 2006-2007 Chevrolet HHR • 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalt, Pontiac Pursuit • 2005-2007 Pontiac G6 (excluding 3.9L V6 AT) • 2007 Pontiac G5 • 1995-2005 Chevrolet Cavalier, Pontiac Sunfire and 1996-2000 Toyota Cavalier equipped with Hydra-Matic® 4T40-E Automatic Transmission (AT) (RPO MN4) or 5-Speed Manual Transmission (MT) (RPOs MK7, MJ1, M86, M94) • 1995-2005 Pontiac Grand Am equipped with Hydra-Matic® 4T40-E or 4T45-E AT (RPOs MN4, MN5) or 5-Speed MT (RPO MJ1, M86, M94) • 1995-1998 Oldsmobile Achieva equipped with a 5-Speed MT (RPO MJ1) • 1997-2003 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2005 Chevrolet Classic and 1997-1999 Oldsmobile Cutlass equipped with Hydra-Matic® 4T40-E AT (RPO MN4) • 1999-2004 Oldsmobile Alero equipped with Hydra-Matic® 4T40-E or 4T45-E AT (RPOs MN4, MN5) or 5-Speed MT (RPOs MJ1, M86, M94) • 1994-1997 Geo Tracker / 1998-2004 Chevrolet Tracker 4WD models equipped with 3L30 or 03-72LE AT (RPOs M41, M65, MX1) or 5-Speed MT (RPO M59) • 2006-2007 Chevrolet HHR • 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalt, Pontiac Pursuit • 2005-2007 Pontiac G6 (excluding 3.9L V6 AT) Towing Procedure Notice: Failure to follow these instructions may result in damage to the transmission.
Important: The towing speed as stated in the Owner's Manual should not exceed 104 km/h (65 mph) for 1995-2005 vehicles.
In order to properly dinghy tow the vehicle, follow these steps:

1. Firmly set the parking brake.
2. Open the fuse panel and pull the fuse(s) indicated in the Owner's Manual section detailing towing your vehicle. This prevents the instrument panel (IP) and/or electronic PRNDL indicator from draining the battery.
3. Securely attach the vehicle to the tow vehicle.
4. Turn the ignition key to the OFF position, which is one position forward of LOCK. Unlocking the steering column allows for proper movement of the front wheels and tires during towing.
For 1997-1999 Cutlass, 1997-2003 Malibu, 2004-2006 Chevrolet Classic and 1999-2004 Alero/Grand Am models, turn the ignition switch to the accessory (ACC) position, which is one position forward of OFF. This position unlocks the transaxle.

5. Shift the transmission to Neutral (N).
Notice: Use extra care whenever towing another vehicle. Do not exceed the towing vehicle's gross combination weight (GCW) by adding the weight of the dinghy towed vehicle or vehicle damage may result.

6. When the vehicle being towed is firmly attached to the tow vehicle, release the parking brake.
7. Replace the fuse(s) in the fuse panel when finished towing.

Yes. There are companies that make pumps. ect to pull these out of gear. See any RV dealer or Trailer Hitch specialist.

This is a problem as I also tow a dinghy. The only way that I know is to install a battery disconnect switch. you can get one at WalMart for about $5. The concern is that you will not have the ability to use any of the dinghy's power. In other words, anything that needs to be operated will need to have power supplied from your MH. This includes braking and lighting systems. Also, every time you hitch or unhitch, you will need to re-engage the battery switch. One last note is that every time you disconnect the battery, all your stored information such as radio presets and computer info will be lost.

Good luck and I hope this helps :)

very few automatic cars can be towed, the transmission is driven by the wheels and overheats. A possible alternative is to use a tow dolly with front wheel drive cars.

You can do it if you really wanted to. You'll need to make sure the steering wheel is secured and that the wheels are perfectly straight or you will wreck the front tires. You will be adding unneeded mileage onto the the car by having the front wheels turning. would be better and less costly overall to get trailer that you can put the front end up on.

Yes, depending on the year of the vehicle. Roadmaster (800-669-9690) will give you all the info you need for the tow bar and brackets for the car. Remco (800-228-2481) will give you all the info you need to make the car towable. It will take a lube pump for the transmission- model LP-7. Remco does not answer email inquiries,but they are very good on the phone. I bought all of the gear through Roadmaster at the FMCA meeting in Indio in January, so I would recommend your start with a call to Roadmaster. Be advised that the 2010 Lexus RX-350 CANNOT be made towable. The 2007-2009 can be. Also be advised that, if you do this, it will void your warranty- at least as far as the transmission is concerned. The local Lexus dealer told me it would not affect the warranty on other parts of the car. Good luck