jimmcpheters Report post Posted February 13, 2014 I have the GM Service Bulletin 13-00-89-007 dated June 2013 and it states, in part, that " Depower the vehicle by removing the negative cable at the battery. This procedure must be followed or the steering column could be damaged." Is there an alternative such as pulling a fuse or two that manage the steering column components that could be damaged? Loss of battery power results in having to reset radio stations , maybe Bluetooth and possibly other items. Seems cumbersome since a quick disconnect will not work as the terminal is recessed and does not sit above the top of he battery. Jim Mc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted February 13, 2014 Jim, Welcome to the Forum. Several questions: Is your truck four wheel drive? Does your truck have a steering wheel locking pin? If you truck is four wheel drive and you do not have a steering wheel locking pin, you do not need to pull any fuses. My 2003 Yukon and my 2008 Silverado neither had wheel lock pins. On the Yukon I just put it in four wheel neutral put the selector in Park and pulled on down the road, I did have it hooked to the Coach. On my Silverado, which is two wheel drive, I pull my drive shaft disconnect put the truck in park and again pull on down the road. Both of these vehicle came without the wheel locking pin. Check yours to see if it has the pin. Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimmcpheters Report post Posted February 13, 2014 Yes, the truck is 4 wheel drive with a 2 speed electronic transfer case. I do not know if it has a locking pin-- where would I look? My understanding is they are trying to protect the variable assist power steering unit of the steering column and I am trying to avoid disconnecting the battery cable each and every time I tow. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted February 14, 2014 When you turn off your engine and remove the key, turn the wheel one direction or the other. If it locks you have a locking pin. If it doesn't lock then you don't. Sorry I am not familiar with the variable assist steering. Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimmcpheters Report post Posted February 14, 2014 Herman, yes, it does have a locking pin. Love your shirt as I think I have one just like it! Thanks for trying. Jim Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimmcpheters Report post Posted February 16, 2014 I was with one of our camping groups this weekend and I think I got some good leads on an approach. Thanks for all your help. My wife thinks I should buy her a newer car and that may solve all. A happy wife is a happy life. Jim Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bucks2 Report post Posted July 24, 2015 I have towed my 2014 Chevrolet Silverado just over 5000 miles now. The manufacturer, Chevrolet, is the one that states the negative terminal must be disconnected. When I was doing my research prior to purchase the best answer I found for why, is that the electric power steering (not hydraulic, not manual... electric) must be totally depowered during towing. The key must be in ACC, to unlock the wheel, which may discharge the battery if towing for long periods of time. One of my concerns was unlocking the doors with the remote in order to pull the inside hood release cable when the battery was disconnected. With one key in the ignition, I'd need an additional key. I didn't want to do that, so I installed a latching relay (similar to the one used for the battery disconnect in the MH) with the switch for it hidden in the grill. (less than $100 for parts) Now I can connect/disconnect the battery from outside and use the remote to lock/unlock the doors. I use an M&G air brake system with break-away protection, so electricity to the breakaway portion of the M&G is needed and provided by it's own isolated wires connected directly to the battery side of the latching relay. Concerns of leaning over a wet/dirty fender to connect the cable each time I tow helped to convince me that the relay was the way to go. The only "memory" items I find are lost when the battery is disconnected, are the drivers side electric window, it must be lowered and raised after reconnecting the battery to reset the auto-down function. The radio loses it's memory of which station it was on. The presets are all preserved, you just have to push (touchscreen) a preset button to put it back on a station. And lastly the MPG display on the dash loses it's memory of your fuel mileage for the last 25/50 miles. This is my actual experience towing a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 4x4 for the past year. My experience seems to be contrary to what FMCA's tech expert advises in the Aug 2015 magazine and even others on this forum who state that the radio presets are lost, etc. so do your own research as to whom to believe. I can give detailed information of how I put the relay in and the materials needed if someone is interested. Ken Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
