Key position for towing

[park_ridge_dave]

I noticed a post somewhere in this forum where a person said (I believe a Volvo owner), "I turn the key to the on postion then back to the off position and the wheel remains unlocked without the accesories powered up" (Not an exact quote)

So I thought what if my Escape could do that???

I tried the following experiment.

I turned the key to the first position.
This unlocked the steering wheel and lit up things like the radio.
Then I turned the key back to "OFF" WITHOUT REMOVING THE KEY.

The steering wheel appears to remain unlocked until you remove the key. I coasted down the driveway and could turn the wheel much further than is required to lock the wheel after the key is removed.

Am I correct? Or was I imagining things?

I am installing a US Gear Unified Brake System so it has a trickle charge circuit, I just don't like the idea of leaving the circuit live if I don't have to.

Just curious

[park_ridge_dave]

I noticed a post somewhere in this forum where a person said (I believe a Volvo owner), "I turn the key to the on postion then back to the off position and the wheel remains unlocked without the accesories powered up" (Not an exact quote)

So I thought what if my Escape could do that???

I tried the following experiment.

I turned the key to the first position.
This unlocked the steering wheel and lit up things like the radio.
Then I turned the key back to "OFF" WITHOUT REMOVING THE KEY.

The steering wheel appears to remain unlocked until you remove the key. I coasted down the driveway and could turn the wheel much further than is required to lock the wheel after the key is removed.

Am I correct? Or was I imagining things?

I am installing a US Gear Unified Brake System so it has a trickle charge circuit, I just don't like the idea of leaving the circuit live if I don't have to.

Just curious

[Gary RVRoamer]

Could be, but I've never heard of it before. Guess you will have to be the guinea pig and let us know if it works OK.

If it doesn't lock simply by turning the key off, I would be concerned about what does make it lock/unlock. Might be the proximity of the chip if it is an electronic key and that would probably make it OK if the key stays in the ignition. But what if it times out or there is some other factor? You could scrub some tires badly before you realized it had locked up.

And I don't know why you would be concerned about the trickle charge circuit.

[park_ridge_dave]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Gary Brinck
2004 American Tradition
2007 GMC Acadia
Homebase in the Ocala Nat'l Forest near Ocala, FL
Posts: 3577 | Location: Silver Springs, FL. USA | Registered: January 28, 2000 </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think that the steering lock is purely mechanical (I wonder if there is a way to verify this) and that if the key is left in place the key keeps the latch from activating. Anyway, I was just very suprised that it did this. It was just very curious.

I am not willing to experiment on my new tires just yet