Towing wrangler battery questions
First time towing. When towing a wrangler what do you do to keep the wrangler battery from running down (key turn enough to release locked steering wheel).
David
David
Forum Discussion
12 Replies
- Owners manual is wrong. Transfer case in N and tranny in P, key off and away you go!! This is only for 2008.5 and later without locking steering wheel.
Will - I use an RVI2 braking system with no charge circuit and have not run the battery down in 3 1/2 years. 2014 Wrangler..........
- No one really answered the question about keeping battery from running down. When the ignition is off there should be no drain on the battery. If you are using an outlet in the jeep to power an auxiliary brake the only time you are using power is when or after the brake has been activated. Using a brake buddy I have towed for as long as 4 days without starting the towed vehicle and have never run the battery down to the point it would not start, I never even think about it anymore
- There has been an error in the Wrangler OM for a few years. To tell if you have a steering wheel lock simply try turning the steering wheel a full turn and back with no key in the ignition. It will be hard to turn since the power steering is not operating but can be done. If the wheel turns there is no reason at all to leave the key in ACC. And of course it has to be a 4 X 4 model with the TCase in neutral and tranny in park.
- The guide that came with my 2017 wrangler says to turn key to accessory when hooking up. It also says to reconnect the battery after towing. Jeep has been no help, but the manual that is only available on the internet doesn't mention either one of those items.I haven't towed mine yet but it is set up to do so. I'll follow instructions from the manual i downloaded from the internet. I use a brake buddy and to power it I have to plug it into an outlet in the console that is always "hot". The outlet in the dash is only on whern the ignition is "on" or in "ancessory" position.
- 2017 has no steering lock, so no need to leave key in the vehicle.
- Thanks...duh on hubby!
- Your 2017 Wrangler doesn't need a key to unlock the steering as there is no steering lock.
I use a battery charge line from the 7 pin RV connector fused 12V pin on our RV, wired through a 20amp circuit breaker directly to my Wranglers battery. You can see the battery charge line in the following diagram from my supplemental brake system installation guide...
UTB Install Diagram - 2017 wrangler
- I run my engine a short time when I fuel up.
