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ksteingrube

Disconnecting Battery-- 2012 Jeep Wrangler?

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We just purchased a 2012 Jeep Wrangler, as we wanted to flat tow our vehicle. So we ordered a mopar wiring harness from the dealer and had it installed. There was an issue with the harness, so the dealer contacted the mopar tech. When the dealer got off the phone with the mopar tech he said don't forget to disconnect the battery or your wiring harness is useless.

My issue is if we disconnect the battery will our Patriot Braking System still work.

Does anyone know if it is true that you have to disconnect the battery and if so where do you connect the braking system?

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The wiring harness we got from Roadmaster has a diode system that allows us to tow our Jeep without disconnecting anything. Mopar does NOT specialize in towing, hence they obviously do not have the correct system to set your toad properly. It would have been better to get the wiring harness from an actual towing company such as Roadmaster or Blue Ox.

My aux. braking system uses power from the coach the same as the Jeep lights do. If your aux. braking system uses the Jeep power rather than the coach power, you might be up the proverbial creek. Check with whom ever wired your brake system and ask where they tapped into power for it.

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If your brake system uses battery power from the Jeep, you'll have to come up with some kind of contingency plan. Disconnecting the battery will render the system useless.

Firstly, I'm not sure why they think you need to disconnect the battery. Our '07 had a steering wheel lock and the key had to be "on" so the wheel would turn while being towed. Our '12 has no steering lock (they were eliminated sometime mid '08 model year), so once I'm all hooked up I simply remove the key, lock the doors and away we go. Our brake system, however, only uses the battery to activate the emergency break-away system, it draws nothing from the Jeep for normal use and braking.

Install a charge line, through your motor home to Jeep wire harness and I'd think that would take care of you.

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If you have to disconnect the battery, then your lights are wired wrong. We had a 2012 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. All we had to do to tow it was hook it to the coach, (Blue OX Tow Bar) plug it in to the coach, put the transfer case in neutral, the Automatic Transmission in park, put the Brake Buddy in, remove the key and go. (Maybe not in that exact order!) I would return the wiring harness to the dealer and make him remove it if you really do have to disconnect the battery. I really think that the dealer doesn't know what he is doing.

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