BAC Forum
General Boards => Technical Support => Topic started by: Greg Ross on January 17, 2019, 05:56:46 PM
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We are looking for a new Ford Explorer to tow behind our coach and the manual says to disconnect the battery while towing, which I believe will kill all the stored information in various electronic memories, maybe even locking out the radio.
I have been told that we can use a 9 volt memory saver to save the settings. ( maybe a problem with false error codes if 12 volts provided while towing)?
Does anyone have experience with this or knowledge of this.
Their are so few vehicles that can be towed 4 wheels down now.
Thanks.
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Ford does recommend removing the negative cable before flat towing. And there is info in the manual about what to do when the battery is disconnected (removed/replaced) regarding lost settings (clock/radio/etc.). The manual talks about the need for the computer to "relearn" after a the battery power has been removed and restored. But that is not a problem and other than the inconvenience of resetting clock and radio, it will not be a problem. On some cars/SUV the radio does not need a code when the battery is reconnected, on some a radio code is not needed when the battery is only disconnected for a short time (but that depends on the manufacturer) but either way you would have the reset code.
I have used those memory savers in the past (like 10 or more years ago when I worked as a mechanic) but some of the "current thinking" is to not use those. The newer electronics are more sensitive and back feeding the circuit with a memory saver (usually 9V) could cause problems. For example https://www.searchautoparts.com/abrn/opinion-commentary-collision-repair/memory-savers-not-recommended-industry-experts However, I think the jury is still out on this, so if you want to use one, I would only suggest you get a quality one and not the cheapest one you can find.
Also if Ford wanted you to use a Memory Saver they would say so in the manual. IMO.
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Everyone has their own personal preference on what they want to tow and will normally figure out a way to make it happen. For us, all we are looking for is some sort of basic transportation once we reach a destination. The car we tow is not the family car, we are not full timers and usually travel on average once a month. Having said all that... we tow a 2012 Mazda III with an manual 6 speed transmission with no steering wheel lock. So all we need to do is hook it up, put it in neutral and go. Most people prefer an automatic transmission but you may want to consider manual it as an option for towing.
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I tow a 2015 Chev Silverado 2500 LTZ. Manual states batteries needed to be disconnected (among other instructions) to flat tow. While conversing with another Beaver owner in Casa Grande, AZ I was told that the only reason to disconnect the battery was to allow the key to be turned to unlock the steering wheel and not run the batteries dead. He took his Chev pickup to a chevy dealer and had the steering wheel locking mechanism removed. Now he just makes the necessary transfer case and transmission shifts without unlocking the steering wheel as it is unlocked all the time. Others have had the locking lug cut off but he chose to have it removed so if he sold the truck the new owner could put it back in if they so desired. I never did understand why the manufacturers started to lock the steering wheel anyway other than an anti theft deterrent. Has anyone heard of this before? Kind of a pain to have to go under the hood and disconnect two batteries and re-connect them when not in tow.