ford/Lincoln hybrid towing
I am planning on getting a new Winnebago Aspect. It has the Triton V10 engine and says the towing capacity is 5000 pounds. The Lincoln MKZ Hybrid is easily under that capacity by 400-600 pounds. W...
Forum Discussion
Thanks for the info, triker33. Learn something new every day. :)
Apparently, the Lincoln MKZ hybrid has a different, more elaborate system for neutral towing than the Fusion hybrid. If it truly shuts off ALL loads from the 12V battery, then that would eliminate the need for a charge line. However, call me 'not convinced', haha.
Given that the owner's manual for both the C-max and Fusion hybrid say NOTHING of the electrical load placed on the battery when towing and need for a charge line....I still don't think I'd trust Lincoln/Ford, and assume that ALL loads, circuits are disconnected from the battery when it is put in neutral towing mode.
'Tis very easy to find out for certain, just do what I did: Put tranny in neutral, go through all the motions to put vehicle in neutral tow mode, like you would when hitching it up to tow. Then, put a clip-on ammeter on one of the wires coming from the 12V battery, and see what amperage it reads when vehicle is in 'neutral tow mode' with everything else turned off (radio, lights, etc).
I found with our Fusion, that even with everything turned off, there was still a 3 amp average draw on the battery all the time. That was enough draw that after just a few hours of towing, the battery was so dead it would not even operate the power locks on the car. Talked to several other Fusion and C-max owners that had a similar experience.
And, remember, these vehicles' power brake system is ALWAYS on, so any time your supplemental braking system engages the brakes, that power brake assist motor on the vehicle may engage, drawing even more from the battery. Maybe thats not the case for the MKZ, but it is on the Cmax, Fusion, and the Energi models.
I think I'd want to do an ammeter check on the MKZ to be sure. As many will tell you, it is definitely NOT fun to get to your destination with a dead toad battery, and have to get a jump from someone to get it going.
Will
Apparently, the Lincoln MKZ hybrid has a different, more elaborate system for neutral towing than the Fusion hybrid. If it truly shuts off ALL loads from the 12V battery, then that would eliminate the need for a charge line. However, call me 'not convinced', haha.
Given that the owner's manual for both the C-max and Fusion hybrid say NOTHING of the electrical load placed on the battery when towing and need for a charge line....I still don't think I'd trust Lincoln/Ford, and assume that ALL loads, circuits are disconnected from the battery when it is put in neutral towing mode.
'Tis very easy to find out for certain, just do what I did: Put tranny in neutral, go through all the motions to put vehicle in neutral tow mode, like you would when hitching it up to tow. Then, put a clip-on ammeter on one of the wires coming from the 12V battery, and see what amperage it reads when vehicle is in 'neutral tow mode' with everything else turned off (radio, lights, etc).
I found with our Fusion, that even with everything turned off, there was still a 3 amp average draw on the battery all the time. That was enough draw that after just a few hours of towing, the battery was so dead it would not even operate the power locks on the car. Talked to several other Fusion and C-max owners that had a similar experience.
And, remember, these vehicles' power brake system is ALWAYS on, so any time your supplemental braking system engages the brakes, that power brake assist motor on the vehicle may engage, drawing even more from the battery. Maybe thats not the case for the MKZ, but it is on the Cmax, Fusion, and the Energi models.
I think I'd want to do an ammeter check on the MKZ to be sure. As many will tell you, it is definitely NOT fun to get to your destination with a dead toad battery, and have to get a jump from someone to get it going.
Will
