Community Forums

mymyst · 10-05-2014, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lanny1763

Dennis:

I sure will. There's an RVer here at the FamCamp on base that has an Equinox for a toad. He hasn't experienced this problem yet, but he did say that when he preps his toad for towing, he starts the engine, puts transmission into drive, then into neutral, then turns car off to ACC. We weren't doing that, so on our next trip, we'll give it a try.

We pul a 2013 'noxious fwd and always go thought the sequences you mention above, then pull fuse 32. This should all be in your owners manual under "towing the vehicle". Curious to know if the car still does this after the setup sequence is followed?

Easyrider · 10-05-2014, 11:10 AM

I think that checking the wheel alignment and castor of the front wheels is good advice. I really don't see how starting/stopping the toad motor before towing it would affect anything, as long as you are sure the steering wheel isn't locked and is free to turn. Also what kind of road surface are you on when the wheels don't track around a corner? Often times if on sand or gravel or any kind of loose surface the wheels won't turn on the toad. If it tracks fine on hard surfaces such as blacktop and concrete and only has a problem on loose surfaces I wouldn't worry about it.

Lanny1763 · 10-05-2014, 02:51 PM

Easy rider:

Checked it and the steering returns fine when making a turn while driving.

The tires don't track on either asphalt or gravel, when towing.

And I agree that if the steering wheel is not locked when we prep to tow, I don't see how starting it will make a difference. But I'm game for any suggestions.

firedoc · 10-05-2014, 04:09 PM

We have a 12 Terrain which I believe is a close relative of the Equinox. Haven't noticed this problem but will keep a closer eye on it now. We do use the manual suggested procedure but I too do not see how it would make a difference in this case.

Dennis4809 · 10-05-2014, 05:36 PM

Lanny, like you, my friend and I followed the manual when connecting the Equinox and as I said earlier it tracked well for awhile then suddenly failed to follow the tow vehicle. We were using a chevy pu primarily to get the initial settings on the Brake Buddy before connecting to the motorhome. First turn where it failed to track was on clear, clean asphalt. Making a left turn and left skid marks on the asphalt. Next turn was to the right but there was some sand and gravel so that may have been a factor. Pulling. With the pickup allows for tighter turns than you'd experience behind a class A but still doesn't seem right. I've pulled my own Susuki Grand Vitara and now the Equinox behind my pu and never experience this failure to track.

norml · 10-05-2014, 06:23 PM

Just a though, could it be possible that somehow the brakes are being applied locking the front wheels. Could the brake buddy be set up wrong. I pull a chevy cobalt for the past four years and have had no problems pulling the car.

Norm

2010 hurricane
2009 cobalt

mikebreeze · 10-05-2014, 06:27 PM

I have an 06 Saturn Vue, which the Equinox was derived from. I've followed the towing prep procedures outlined in my manual for about a year now and my wheels always turn when the RV turns.

BoJango · 10-06-2014, 03:15 AM

What tow bar are you using? Is it set up right? Once I hooked up, and mistakenly turned one end of the tow bar over. I don't know if it had any effect. Because, I didn't know until I unhooked. Could the tow bar have a lifting effect on the front of the tow?

Lanny1763 · 10-06-2014, 06:33 AM

The tow bar is a Blue Ox Apha, and it is installed correctly. I ensure that the pin keepers are pointing up as the arrows indicate. It is not lifting the car, it is level from the RV hitch to the tow pins on the toad.

Below is the owner's manual instructions on towing 4 wheels down. We do 'run' the vehicle at the start of the day, but per the instructions that is for lubrication of the transmission. I don't see where in the instructions, we have to turn the key to on/run and put in Drive before putting it into Neutral. And even after all of this, if I am able to turn steering wheel manually when setup, one would think that the steering is not locked and wheels should turn left/right when being towed.

For vehicles being dinghy towed,
the vehicle should be run at the
beginning of each day and at each
RV fuel stop for about five minutes.
This will ensure proper lubrication of
transmission components.
To tow the vehicle from the front
with all four wheels on the ground:
1. Position the vehicle that will be
towed and secure it to the
towing vehicle.
2. Turn the ignition key to ON/RUN.
3. Shift the transmission to
N (Neutral).
4. Turn the ignition key to ACC/
ACCESSORY.
5. Turn all accessories off.
6. To prevent the battery from
draining while the vehicle is
being towed, remove fuse 32,
the Discrete Logic Ignition
Switch fuse, from the instrument
panel fuse block and store it in a
safe location

DUNCAN101968 · 10-06-2014, 09:06 PM

We have 2013 equinox awd not tracking. Ideas

Koele · 10-06-2014, 09:37 PM

Just a thought. Could it be that because it is all wheel drive, you make a hard turn left or right, the four wheel drive mechanism interprets it as a front wheel slip (different speeds of front wheels) and locks in the four wheel drive mechanism, this could interfere with proper tracking.

Dennis4809 · 10-06-2014, 11:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koele

Just a thought. Could it be that because it is all wheel drive, you make a hard turn left or right, the four wheel drive mechanism interprets it as a front wheel slip (different speeds of front wheels) and locks in the four wheel drive mechanism, this could interfere with proper tracking.

That does sound like a reasonable hypothesis but not sure how the system works. Presuming that it's an electronic function, then that may be a part of the reason for pulling the Discreet Logic fuse # 32 which we had pulled.

twinboat · 10-07-2014, 06:45 AM

I would try towing it, in a parking lot, with the brake control un-hooked. If it still doesn't steer, give a hard look at the front tires. They may be worn down enough to lose some traction. You could rotate the front to the back, as a test.

2000, 30' Gulfstream, Yellowstone Country Club
KIA Soul, dolly toad

Gary RVRoamer · 10-07-2014, 11:35 AM

Since the problem is both recent and intermittent, I can see only two possibilities:
1. Insufficient caster, such that the wheels don't always seek the proper angle when "pushed by the road surface" in a turn.
2. The steering wheel lock mechanism is binding sometimes, stopping the wheel from turning.

Getting the caster checked, and having it set to the maximum that the spec allows (it is always stated as a range), is the easiest action so probably should be tried first.

My GMC Acadia tends to do that if making sharp turns on a soft surface, e.g. sand or loose gravel. The ground shifts rather than forcing the wheels to angle, suggesting that there is a lot of resistance and thus only a small amount of wheel caster. But it works fine on pavement and packed ground, so I don't worry much about it. I just keep an eye on it when the ground is soft.