Towing a Ford Taurus W Problems

[jgbaird]

HELP!!

I am in rural SC after having towed a 2011 Ford Taurus FWD up from Florida +/- 350 miles. I followed the Owner guide and put her in Neutral and key in Accessory (1 click CW). The car battery is now dead. I read somewhere that leaving the key in this position draws 6 amps - which would explain the dead battery. There is all kinds of miscellaneous advice out there: (1) disconnect the battery - negative side; (2) don't turn key at all; (3) turn it counterclockwise.

I am on my way to see my grand kiddies and I am in over my head. Can someone just give me some authoritative advice, please?

Thanks.

Jim

[85Eagle]

Jim,

You have to turn the key to unlock the steering wheel so the front tires can turn as you make turns. What I always did with my Taurus was turn key clockwise and put transmission in neutral and then turn key counter clockwise until it stopped. This unlocked the steering and key was in correct position. You have a couple of options with the battery. You can run a hot wire from the coach to the car battery which will keep the battery charged or you can add a battery quick disconnect to the battery. For a quick solution so you can continue your trip I would disconnect the negative battery cable for now.

[RVerOnTheMove]

This is what I installed on my van since our battery would go dead with time as well. Some cars allow you to pull a fuse but I just installed a battery disconnect switch like this one:

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/product/battery-safety-switches/1461

Open the hood and pull the blade and you are good to go. Slide it back in place when you get there and you have a fully charged battery. The suggestion above about running a power cable to the battery is also an excellent workable solution. You just need to ensure that the car does not require power to be towable if you want to use the battery disconnect option.

[85Eagle]

Jim did you get your problem solved?

JCB