Ford Escape, Fusion Clarification
In the ”Tech Talk” column of the June 2012 issue of FMC (page 18), it was reported that Ford Motor Company had published an Owner Guide Supplement in February 2012 that indicated 2012 Escape and Fusion vehicles with front-wheel-drive, four-wheel-drive, and all-wheel-drive systems should no longer be towed four wheels down behind a motorhome. This supplement applies only to Escape and Fusion vehicles equipped with the 6F35 transmission. It DOES NOT apply to Escape Hybrid and Fusion Hybrid vehicles that have an electronically controlled continuously variable (eCVT) transmission. 2012 Escape Hybrid and Fusion Hybrid vehicles can continue to be towed four wheels down according to guidelines included in the owners manual.
Leveling
I own a 1998 Country Coach Allure that I purchased new. It has an HWH 500 series computer-controlled air leveling unit. For some time, for no apparent reason, the green travel light will go off and the upper left red warning light will come on when the motorhome is traveling down the road. This seems to be occurring more often these days. I believe the red light has something to do with the leveling position of the left front of the coach. I have been told that there might be a mercury switch near that wheel that needs to be adjusted. If this is so, where is that switch and how do I adjust it so the red light will no longer go on when traveling?
Jack Laird, F97388
Nevada City, California
In order to answer your question fully, I contacted HWH’s service department to get some additional information that may help.
There are no switches at the wheels for the warning lights. The HWH leveling system does not control the suspension or the vehicle ride height when the vehicle is traveling. There is a pressure switch for each corner of the coach on the air leveling manifolds, but these switches are not adjustable. They will turn on the warning light if the air bag pressure is at 20 psi or less. If the light is only flickering for a second or two, there is probably no issue. If a light comes on and stays on, the issue should be addressed. It is possible the left front pressure switch has an issue, but normally if a pressure switch is bad, the light will be on all the time or never come on.
It is also possible there is an issue with a height control valve or some other suspension component. The HWH system would have nothing to do with any of the suspension components, including the height control valves.
I suggest that you contact the Country Coach Corporation service center (541-234-2167) or Oregon Motorcoach Center (800-942-6860), as many of their service technicians once worked for Country Coach. For HWH technical assistance, call (800) 321-3494 or (563) 724-3396. You also can e-mail your service questions to service@hwhcorp.com.
Towing Taurus
After using two different tow dollies for a total of 80,000 miles behind our motorhome, we decided to begin towing four wheels down. I wanted something newer than a 1991 Lumina, and my wife wanted an inexpensive vehicle. We settled on a 2008 Ford Taurus SEL that met both of our criteria.
We were instructed how to hook up the car for towing, and a week later we were off on a 3,000-mile trip. Every time we towed the car, the battery was dead by day’s end. Twice the car’s battery and all three RV batteries died — we remedied that by having the car rewired at Holiday World of Houston. Even after this, the car battery died each time I towed it.
The issue really caused problems one cold, rainy night when I pulled into a fuel station. The towing instructions for the Taurus say to run the car for five minutes at the beginning of each day and at each fuel stop. I shifted the car into “park” to start the engine while the motorhome was filling, only to discover the battery was dead again and the transmission would not shift back into neutral. I couldn’t open the rear doors, because they are electrically locked, and so is the trunk, which has no keyhole to unlock. Unfortunately, I keep my jumper cables in the trunk. Imagine a 72-year-old man crawling over the front seats (they wouldn’t lay back because they also are electrical) in order to pull a backseat down to gain access to the trunk where the jumper cables are, then going back over the front seat to get out.
Is there an alternative to leaving the transmission in neutral and the key in the accessory position when towing? Someone suggested installing an oversized battery, but the technician I spoke with at Walmart said he had heard that using a battery with more than 540 amps could damage the onboard computer. Someone else suggested a battery disconnect. But the door pillar entry system requires electricity to open the front door. Thankfully, with the front door I can open the hood, since there is a manual latch release, so it is possible for me to access the dead battery. After 10 dead batteries, I did choose to have a 540-amp battery installed. Now, how do I prevent this battery from being drained in the future?
Carl Evans, F286562
Des Moines, Iowa
We have received numerous complaints and questions from motorhome owners who experienced dead battery issues after towing. It sounds as though you are already starting the vehicle at fuel stops according to the towing instructions found in the Taurus owners manual. One thing you should know so you don’t get into the same predicament as you described in your letter is that you do not have to put the vehicle in “park” before starting it. The Taurus should also start in “neutral.”
Some vehicle manufacturers instruct owners to remove one or more fuses before towing to reduce battery drain in some of their vehicles. However, the towing instructions for the Taurus do not include such a directive, so you shouldn’t be having the type of problem you describe.
The first thing you need to do is to determine what’s draining the vehicle’s battery. Obviously, something in the towed vehicle is using a lot of electricity to draw down the battery in such a short amount of time. If an automotive electrical technician can determine what is using the energy, it may be possible for you to turn that equipment off or remove a fuse to keep the suspected energy hog from draining the battery.
Since the vehicle requires electricity for the door locks to operate, you should consider running a fused power supply wire from the motorhome to the towed vehicle’s battery. The wire should be supplied through a relay triggered by an ignition hot source. With the addition of this relay, the coach battery will feed the towed battery electricity only when the motorhome is running. Make sure the wire leading to the positive post of the battery also is fused as close to the battery as possible. This will maintain the car’s battery while you’re towing it.
Another option is the Roadmaster Automatic Battery Disconnect. This device connects to the motorhome’s electrical system to provide charging energy to the battery while powering other necessary electrical components while the vehicle is being towed. It also disconnects the battery from the towed vehicle’s electrical system, so the battery should always be fresh upon arrival. Call Roadmaster at (800) 669-9690 to determine whether this could be a solution to your problem.
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