Towing 2018 Chevy Equinox

[jeffreyhnewby]

We have a 2018 Equinox 1.5 4 cylinder Premier. After setting up everything as per Roadmaster’s instructions and following the Equinox manual for flat towing, on our third trip the battery went dead. And since then, we’ve had to continuously recharge it whether or not we were towing. On our trip from hell back from Mexico, we finally had to disconnect the car and drive it separately and the trip included charging the battery several times. Now I read in various forums that Chevy has admitted they made a mistake in their manual and they are considering changing it to either - disconnect the battery (yeah right with 27 computers under the dash that would have to be reprogrammed) or adding a charger in the towing electrical system. It’s an AGM battery so I suspect that requires a specific charger. Based on what I’ve read, it sounds like GM is trying to figure out a fix that will result in the fewest law suites. Meanwhile, we appear to now have a useless tow vehicle. I would love to hear input from others.

[wq93]

This is the basic GM drive cycle and normally this will be sufficient to reset the monitors if you go through the entire drive cycle. Certain systems are only self-testing under specific conditions thus the need to refer to a drive cycle form like this one when it is necessary to get the system quickly prepped for an inspection:

General Motors Driving Cycle

A complete driving cycle should perform diagnostics on all systems. A complete driving cycle can be done in under fifteen minutes.

To perform an OBDII Driving cycle do the following:

1. Cold Start. In order to be classified as a cold start the engine coolant temperature must be below 50°C (122°F) and within 6°C (11°F) of the ambient air temperature at startup.
Do not leave the key on prior to the cold start or the heated oxygen sensor diagnostic may not run.

2. Idle. The engine must be run for two and a half minutes with the air conditioner on and rear defroster on. The more electrical load you can apply the better. This will test the O2 heater, Passive Air, Purge "No Flow", Misfire and if closed loop is achieved, Fuel Trim.

3. Accelerate. Turn off the air conditioner and all the other loads and apply half throttle until 88km/hr (55mph) is reached. During this time the Misfire, Fuel Trim, and Purge Flow diagnostics will be performed.

4. Hold Steady Speed. Hold a steady speed of 88km/hr (55mph) for 3 minutes. During this time the O2 response, air Intrusive, EGR, Purge, Misfire, and Fuel Trim diagnostics will be performed.

5. Decelerate. Let off the accelerator pedal. Do not shift, touch the brake or clutch. It is important to let the vehicle coast along gradually slowing down to 32km/hr (20 mph). During this time the EGR, Purge and Fuel Trim diagnostics will be performed.

6. Accelerate. Accelerate at 3/4 throttle until 88-96 km/hr (55-60mph). This will perform the same diagnostics as in step 3.

7. Hold Steady Speed. Hold a steady speed of 88km/hr (55mph) for five minutes. During this time, in addition to the diagnostics performed in step 4, the catalyst monitor diagnostics will be performed. If the catalyst is marginal or the battery has been disconnected, it may take 5 complete driving cycles to determine the state of the catalyst.

8. Decelerate. This will perform the same diagnostics as in step 5. Again, don't press the clutch or brakes or shift gears.

Also the evaporative emissions self-test generally only occurs when the fuel is between 1/4 and 3/4 tank during this drive cycle so make sure your fuel level is in the desired range.

Hopefully GM will release an update to address whatever is causing the excessive drain during toad usage.

[jeffreyhnewby]

I had my own mechanic run some tests and he confirms that the battery is OK technically but the alternator is shot. However, we may be looking at two different situations - one is what is obviously a warranty issue (the alternator) and the other is that Chevy doesn't seem to know how to fix the battery going dead while towing issue. And yes we are in California so we do have the emissions test every two years. In our previous tow vehicle I once had to drive it 300 miles to make the computer testable. According to FMCA Chevy told them that they are adding the requirement of an in line charger as part of the tow wiring. However, when talking to customer support they deny that there's been any reported problems and their suggestion is to take it to the dealer to figure out. Putting in the battery disconnect switch seems like the best quick fix.

[ktosv]

If your battery is now shot, isn’t it still under warranty?

[bid_time]

Wg93 is right on. Batteries wear down and have to be replaced. Sometimes they may go dead because of things like an alternator malfunction. You will not have to reprogram computers after a loss of power. Your own experience "on out third trip the battery went dead" should confirm that. If data was lost because of lack of power there would be no such things such as thumb drives and cell phones.

[wq93]

The computers don't need to be reprogrammed from a battery disconnect nor will your radio presets, power seat memories, etc. be reset. At worst you will have to re-index the power windows so that the express up feature works. It is standard practice for many vehicles that are stored over the winter to disconnect the negative battery terminal to prevent discharge.

The only other precaution is if your state has an emissions test as part of registration renewal then the vehicle will have to be driven long enough for the emissions self-tests to complete after the battery has been reconnected so that the monitors indicate ready when queried during the test. You can find the drive cycle instructions on the web to do the types of driving to quickly prepare all of the monitors for testing.

I would just install a disconnect switch for the battery and be done with it; perhaps Chevy will come up with a different solution later.

[Lwiddis]

I know of a few law suites. What's wrong with adding a charger? Seems like a good idea that doesn't throw out the baby with the bath water.