Towing a 4cyl Equinox 4 down

[Executive45]

Well, GM finally got around to acknowledging there may be a problem with towing their Equinox and Terrain vehicles four down. In the past, all one had to do was put her in neutral and pull the #32 fuse or switch the fuse whichever was easiest to do. I elected to switch that fuse. Because of the 'death wobble' experienced by many pulling these vehicles, including yours truly, GM now has modified the towing instructions. This modification applies only to those vehicles with the electronic steering. The 6 cyl vehicles have hydraulic steering.


Towing Procedure
To tow the vehicle from the front with all four wheels on the ground:
Important: If the vehicle is towed without performing each of the steps listed under “Dinghy Towing,” the automatic transmission could be damaged. Be sure to follow all steps of the dinghy towing procedure prior to and after towing the vehicle.
Important: If 105?km/h (65?mph) is exceeded while towing the vehicle, it could be damaged. Never exceed 105?km/h (65?mph) while towing the vehicle.
Note: It is no longer required to remove fuse 32.
1. Position the vehicle to be towed and secure it to the towing vehicle.
2. Remove fuse 16, the Antilock Brake System Module fuse, from the engine compartment fuse block and store it in a safe location.
3. Turn the ignition key to ON/RUN, and shift the transmission to D (Drive). Note: disregard “Service Steering” message on IP cluster display.
4. Shift the transmission to N (Neutral).
5. Turn the ignition key to ACC/ACCESSORY.
6. Turn all accessories off.
To prevent the battery from draining while the vehicle is being towed, connect vehicle battery to auxiliary power.

I purchased a simple battery charger from RVI Industries for $50 and hooked it up this afternoon. I will explore how I'm going to hook up a switch so I don't have to physically remove fuse 16 in the future. Once I've done that and I've towed a few thousand miles, I'll post the results. Once I've finished the install tomorrow, I'll post some pictures. The towing plug installed by Monaco contains the necessary 12VDC pin so that helped.....Dennis

[bullydogs1]

Thanks for that set up picture Dennis..it might come up handy for me ...my charger on the Saturn goes in a plug and is fused right at the battery post...

[Executive45]

Several have asked about the battery charger install. At first I thought it'd be very simple, and it was. But, finding the correct parts turned out to be a task. Here are pictures of the install along with where to get the correct parts and cost of same. Keep in mind, my car is a 2014...Dennis


The fuse box is located in the engine compartment.


Squeeze the two connections and pull up to remove the cover.


Fuse #16 is this one.


20amp JCase fuse. PITA to remove so I'm putting in a switch.


I mounted the Battery Charger here for convenience.


The charger is fused, so I zip tied it here for access.


Run the wire from the fuse to the appropriate connector on your car.


Hooking up the charger. The post (blue arrow) unscrews using 10mm wrench. Hook up positive (red arrow) under this post and reinstall. Finally, hook up the negative (black arrow) on this post and reinstall the nut.


If you're going to add a switch, you'll need one of these.


I added my switch here so it'd be out of the way of wayward feet.

That's it. Took me about an hour for the install. I purchased the Charger HERE. The JCase fuse holder was a PITA to find. Waytek carries them for $5.81 but charges $15 S/H. I purchased mine HERE for $9.17 but only $3 S/H. Any questions, feel free to ask.....Dennis

[Nutinelse2do]

Ole B wrote:
we are talking about the 2018 models where the only gas model you can tow is the 1.5 which is because it has the 6 speed transmission. This is all in the 2018 owners manual.

Thanks for the info. I did my research from 2013-2017, which it appears they can all be towed 4 down. Appreciate the clarification.

[lanerd]

All I could afford wrote:
“This modification applies only to those vehicles with the electronic transmissions. The 6 cyl vehicles have hydraulic trannies”

Just a clarification, do you mean electronic power steering versus the hydraulic power steering in the six-cylinder model?

bullydogs1 on 12/14/17 02:08pm

Gm says power is needed for the electric steering.


The electric steering is what causes the death wobble and you have to stop for it to reset...Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee had this and supposedly you have to spring for a new wire harness...Hopefully they will get it straightened out by next year.

Meanwhile my Saturn is just dandy...I think I'll be keeping it longer...

Bullydogs is correct.

[Ole_B]

we are talking about the 2018 models where the only gas model you can tow is the 1.5 which is because it has the 6 speed transmission. This is all in the 2018 owners manual.

[Nutinelse2do]

bullydogs1 wrote:
The equinox diesel according to the owners manual can be towed as an AWD 4 down..whereas none of the gas models with AWD can be towed 4 down.

Where are you getting this information?
Everything I have read says ALL Equinox’s can be towed 4 down. Please post a link or something to support your claim. Thanks

[bullydogs1]

Gm says power is needed for the electric steering.


The electric steering is what causes the death wobble and you have to stop for it to reset...Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee had this and supposedly you have to spring for a new wire harness...Hopefully they will get it straightened out by next year.

Meanwhile my Saturn is just dandy...I think I'll be keeping it longer...

[Ole_B]

Keep in mind this procedure is only for 2017 and older Equonix. The new 2018,which I now have has a new procedure.
1. Push the start button, with key in possession.
2. Shift to park.
3. push start button to turn car off and into acc mode.
4. Make sure you are in acc. ,may have to push button twice.
5. Turn all Accessories off you can see. (I include the lights)
6. NOTE: The center display screen you will NOT be able to turn off. This screen will turn off after about 30 min. GM is revising the manual to also state you need to install a power line from the coach to charge the car battery.
No fuses are pulled, Gm says power is needed for the electric steering.

[Executive45]

jplante4 wrote:
Just bought an Equinox to tow. Good info. I'll add a pointer to this post in the Equinox thread in Dinghy Towing.

Thanks, Jerry. (head slap for me) 🙂

[DutchmenSport]

Well, I own an Equinox and love it. But I don't tow it. However, I will print this off and put it in my owners manual for future reference (just in case). Thanks for the information. I've been trying to keep up on these Equinox towing threads since I own one. (By the way ... the Equinox really is the car to love! The moment we laid eyes on it, and from the very first drive, we've 100% enjoyed ours! Not only comfortable to drive, but comfortable for the passenger and even back seat passengers! No wonder this vehicle is so popular now!)

[jplante4]

Just bought an Equinox to tow. Good info. I'll add a pointer to this post in the Equinox thread in Dinghy Towing.

[All_I_could_aff]

“This modification applies only to those vehicles with the electronic transmissions. The 6 cyl vehicles have hydraulic trannies”

Just a clarification, do you mean electronic power steering versus the hydraulic power steering in the six-cylinder model?

[bullydogs1]

Thanks Dennis for posting this...many people are using both 2018 and older Equinoxes.....and my Saturn although in perfect condition and it tows beautifully (plus I have a Chevy Sonic as a daily driver)...will probably need to be replaced next year due to age..and the Sonic is just too small to be a toad based upon our use of it when we get to where we are going...So I'll turn the two cars into one. The equinox diesel has my interest since I do a great deal of highway driving. The equinox diesel according to the owners manual can be towed as an AWD 4 down..whereas none of the gas models with AWD can be towed 4 down.

[dreamrver]

good info thanks dennis