Forum Discussion

racerguy's avatar
racerguy
Explorer
Nov 30, 2017

Explorer neutral tow won't work

Like so many others on the forum I decided to make my own "neutral tow kit" for my 2002 Explorer 4X4. Bought the LED from Radio Shack and wired it into the truck.

Today I took the truck to our local dealer and asked them to flash the computer to enable the neutral tow.

No problem, we do lots of these.

So a few hours later they call and tell me the computer has been re-programmed but the neutral tow won't engage.

The LED is on dim whenever the key is on. When the key is off it flashes dim about once every two seconds and never stops.

When the key is on the LED is on dim all the time.

When I first turn the key on the LED will get bright for about two seconds then go the the dim mode and stays there.

The bulb check never happens and the transfer case does not go into neutral.

Any "Gurus" here that recognize the symptoms?
  • Home_Skillet's avatar
    Home_Skillet
    Explorer II
    Nov 30, 2017
    Did you follow these steps?

    1. have the engine running
    2. put the shift lever into neutral
    3. turn the key back two positions (off but not locked)
    4. 12v indicator light will come on and then turn off
    5. press the brake and the 4X4 auto button for about 5 seconds
    6. the 12v indicator light will flash several times and then stay on
    7. release the brake and the 4X4 button
    8. transfer case is now in neutral
  • racerguy's avatar
    racerguy
    Explorer
    Nov 30, 2017
    Yes, followed the directions strictly. So did the dealer and even they could not make it work.

    The LED symptoms show that nothing is working correctly.
  • JS_Kid's avatar
    JS_Kid
    Explorer
    Nov 30, 2017
    This is the instruction I got for a 2003 Mercury Mountaineer

  • Ductape's avatar
    Ductape
    Explorer
    Nov 30, 2017
    Does the transfer case shift in and out of 4wd and low range properly? Did it before the flash? I've seen lots of sticky shift forks in transfer cases.

    Remove the LED and verify it works independently of the xfer case?

    The dealer techs should be able to pull the shift motor and run through the diagnostic checks from the service manual to verify the correct response to shift commands, seems like they're being unhelpful. Lots of places don't want to put much effort into an older vehicle unless you press them and make it clear you want to spend the money for a proper fix.
  • racerguy's avatar
    racerguy
    Explorer
    Nov 30, 2017
    The transfer case works properly and the LED light works.

    The dealer would only suggest selling me a new "Neutral Tow Kit" for $250 and charging almost $300 labor to install it. Then they said, no guarantee it will work after we're done.

    I can't afford to flush almost $600 on this truck.
  • overdrive75's avatar
    overdrive75
    Explorer
    Dec 12, 2017
    We bought a 2003 XLT V-6 Explorer with 33k miles on it this spring from an elder couple, it was there extra car when home in MI in the summers. Anyhow I did the same as you and got it flashed all worked find and is still working on our ours. I have flat towed it ~4k miles this past summer no problems. I like not worrying about a maximum speed or time, the beauty of a N-tcase. We usally set the cruise on the motorhome between 70 and 75 MPH when towing. This vintage explorer makes an excellent towed.
  • racerguy's avatar
    racerguy
    Explorer
    Dec 13, 2017
    I've had to give up on this truck for towing. I spoke to the foreman in the service department at a local Ford truck dealership. After conferring with a couple of their long time techs they could not determine what the problem is.

    It looks like somewhere in the $2000 range to make this truck towable because they want to replace the PCM and rewire the factory Neutral Tow plug. Even though it's super clean and we really like it the truck has 192,000 miles and is only worth around $3500 - $4000.

    Now I'm looking to replace the Explorer with a Jeep Grand Cherokee or maybe Liberty.

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