roadhouse38

Thanks ... The shop got the engine running but did not tell us how so I don’t know if they checked all of that. The engine would not be running if those issues your tech described were present? Since it is running, we don’t know what they plan to do on Monday. All we were told was that the problem could still be related to the pump but they needed to do further diagnostics. We are wondering if our engine has a fuel booster pump that sends fuel to the fuel actuator pump as I have read that this could be a issue. Any idea how we could tell if our engine has this set up? thanks!, Brenda

We have a 2003 Cheetah Safari with less than 30K miles on the Cat 3126e. We just had a major service done at a Cat dealer in WA who detected that the fuel actuator injection pump wasn’t working correctly so we had it replaced along with the fuel sensor. The only symptom of was one low power issue last year but she was otherwise running great. So here we are in Idaho, again been running great with no issues and after setting overnight in a remote state park, the engine cranked but wouldn’t start. Checked the onboard diagnosis and the fault indicated an issue with the fuel actuator fuel pump. Had it towed to the closest Freightliner who got the engine running but said they needed to do further diagnostic on Monday when their one and only Cat mechanic was back. We drove the coach about 4 miles to the closest KOA an it seemed to run fine but may have been a bit more black smoke than usual. Any thoughts on what could be going on? I think the engine also has a fuel booster pump...could this be the issue? We need to have a conversation with the service manager to understand exactly what diagnostics they have done and try to have a somewhat educated conversation with them. Thanks for any help you can provide. Brenda

An update on the towing issue: We have been towing with with the fuse intact and the road has provided ample opportunities to the oscillation to occur and it has not. Of course, our battery goes dead within an hour and multiple stops to start the engine are tiresome. I have spoken to someone at Chevrolet Customer Service Assistance and while she is trying to be helpful it doesnt seem to be a big enough issue for Chevrolet to be interested in resolving. I am also reaching out to GM but am not hopeful for much assistance. I would encourage anyone with the issue to contact Chevrolet - this is the person I spoke to: Susan - 1-888-790-5700 EXT 592-1238 Below is my email correspondence with Chevrolet: Hello Lalaine, Thank you for your response. I have provided the additional information below as requested. Phone Number: Mailing Address: Vehicle Identification Number (VIN): Current Mileage: 50,798 Nature of Concern: Dangerous towing instability when set up for flat tow behind motorhome as instructed by Chevrolet. We have had 4 occurrences of violent shaking of the motorhome as the Equinox front end oscillates behind the RV. These oscillations seem to occur when the highway is rough, or rutted. Is it an ongoing concern? YES Has it been diagnosed by the dealer? The vehicle was taken to Chevrolet Cadillac of La Quinta for service after the incidence's occurred (12/21/16). The service advisor was made aware of the towing issues and was asked to do a through inspection the vehicle. The service advisor, Henry Hodges was not familiar with the towing issues we described. However, a front end alignment was suggested and performed, tires showed some indication of excessive wear on the front (likely due to skidding action that occurred during the towing incidences) and were rotated. They will be replaced within the next 2 months. Is the customer willing to get the vehicle diagnosed by the dealer?: Yes, if there is a dealer who is familiar with the towing issue Preferred/Involved Dealership/Name of the last GM dealer involved (If any): We will be in the Phoenix area for the next 6 weeks if another service or diagnostic needs to be preformed. Date of last GM visit/inspection/diagnosis for your concern (If any): 12/21/16 Contact person in the dealership (If any) Preferred Date and Time of Appointment (If any) Type of assistance requesting from General Motors: First and foremost, we want Chevrolet/GM to be aware that this towing issue exists with certain models of the Equinox and that the instructions for towing as provided by Chevrolet and the FMCA may be incorrect and cause dangerous towing conditions. There are other Equinox owners who are experiencing these towing issues as well and many of which are documenting the issues in the IRV2 forums and on the FMCA forum. It seems to be more prevalent with the 4 cylinder models. Secondly, we would like GM to reimburse us for the front end alignment costs and the cost of setting up the tow vehicle with an auxiliary battery charger for the vehicle since the fuse 32 can not be pulled when towing. In two subsequent trips since the initial issue occurred, we have not experienced the towing instability when we do not pull the fuse 32 as instructed by Chevrolet. However, our battery is discharged very quickly and goes dead within 60 minutes of towing. We plan to alleviate this by buying a new wiring harness that takes the motorhome battery power (and alternator charging) to the Equinox. We would like to send this expense on to GM as well for reimbursement. We are happy to provide additional information or speak to someone at either GM or Chevrolet. Sincerely, Brenda King and Walter Byers Brenda On Jan 19, 2017, at 6:50 AM, "cac@chevrolet.com" <cac@chevrolet.com> wrote:

We are towing a 2013 Equinox, 4 clylinder, AWD LTZ behind our 38 ft Monaco Safari Cheetah. This was our first trip with both rigs and we set the toad up according to Chevys instructions using a fuse bypass switch. The hitch alignment and tow bar are all installed correctly. All was well until we got to Stockton Ca where we experienced the death wobble. It only happened once that day but the next day it occurred 3 more times and we finally disconnected the toad from the coach and drove seperately. Thanks to the info on this forum we are tried the toad again today on our drive from Indio CA to Mesa AZ with the fuse intact. We did not have any issues with teh towing instability and the road has presented plenty of opportunities. Only issue is the toad battery is quickly being discharged so we will have to resolve that before the next long jaunt. I am planning to write to Chevy, FMCA about this serious saftey issue. It is particularly frustrating since we gave followed all of the manufactures towing guidelines. Would appreciate any information about who and where other Equinox Owners are sending their correspondence. Thanks, Brenda King

We are towing a 2013 Equinox, 4 clylinder, AWD LTZ behind our 38 ft Monaco Safari Cheetah. This was our first trip with both rigs and we set the toad up according to Chevys instructions using a fuse bypass switch. The hitch alignment and tow bar are all installed correctly. All was well until we got to Stockton Ca where we experienced the death wobble. It only happened once that day but the next day it occurred 3 more times and we finally disconnected the toad from the coach and drove seperately. Thanks to the info on this forum we are tried the toad again today on our drive from Indio CA to Mesa AZ with the fuse intact. We did not have any issues with teh towing instability and the road has presented plenty of opportunities. Only issue is the toad battery is quickly being discharged so we will have to resolve that before the next long jaunt. I am planning to write to Chevy, FMCA about this serious saftey issue. It is particularly frustrating since we gave followed all of the manufactures towing guidelines. Would appreciate any information about who and where other Equinox Owners are sending their correspondence. Thanks, Brenda King