Byoung6
Member
I?m new to towing 4 down. My 2015 Terrain is equipped with a battery kill switch, but the first time I towed I still managed to run the battery down. Is there a correct procedure to killing the battery before towing?
Terrain battery kill switch
- Thread starter Byoung6
- Start date
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grashley
Well-known member
Please explain this kill switch. When "killed", does the radio work? Dash lights? Headlights? Power windows?
A true battery disconnect will be the same as removing the battery from the car.
What does the owner manual say about recreational towing prep?
A true battery disconnect will be the same as removing the battery from the car.
What does the owner manual say about recreational towing prep?
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
This sounds like some sort of add-on switch. Can you tell us more about it? And your towing procedure, e.g. key position and such? Are you following the dinghy tow instructions in the owner manual?
OP
OP
Byoung6
Member
Thank you for the responses!
The kill switch is supposed to disconnect the battery once you have the key in accessory and shift to neutral. I have a button on the dash of the car that toggles to either ?drive? or ?tow?. Everything still comes on, so clearly there is a problem. On the way home I pulled fuse 32 according to the Terrain owners manual and everything was fine. Put the fuse back in when we got home and car started right up. With the fuse pulled the turn signals and brake lights on the car were activated by the RV controls, so it appears like all was working properly. If the brake lights on the car come on when I press the RV brakes, then that means the car brakes are working, right? The car is equipped with an Invisi Brake unit from towmaster
The kill switch is supposed to disconnect the battery once you have the key in accessory and shift to neutral. I have a button on the dash of the car that toggles to either ?drive? or ?tow?. Everything still comes on, so clearly there is a problem. On the way home I pulled fuse 32 according to the Terrain owners manual and everything was fine. Put the fuse back in when we got home and car started right up. With the fuse pulled the turn signals and brake lights on the car were activated by the RV controls, so it appears like all was working properly. If the brake lights on the car come on when I press the RV brakes, then that means the car brakes are working, right? The car is equipped with an Invisi Brake unit from towmaster
Bobtop46
Well-known member
The lights are a separate kit from the invisi-brake. The lights can work without the brakes working. The only way to test the brake system is to hook up the car in tow mode, have one person press the RV brake and another person watch the brake pedal in the car. If the car pedal moves the brakes are working.
OP
OP
Byoung6
Member
Thank you for the response regarding the brake lights. I was wondering if the brakes and the brake lights were separate. I thought the unit was much harder to break. I?ll have to take this back to the installer. Nothing is simple.
OP
OP
Byoung6
Member
Here?s an update on this situation. Turns out what I thought was a battery kill switch is really a switch that converts the electric system from driving to towing. The car battery is supposed to get a charge from the RV battery/engine when being towed, but the wires for that were not part of the original Coachmen RV. I think they should have tested for this during the initial install of the Invisibrake, but at least now we know what was wrong. This is all new to me, but I think it will be finally set up correctly and I certainly learned a lot about towing! (I think the folks at the large RV dealership franchise may have learned something as well!?)
I want to thank those who responded to my initial post.
I want to thank those who responded to my initial post.
