Disable Odometer for towing PT

[2coolPT]

I tow my 2002 PT Limited 5-speed behing my motorhome with all four wheels on the ground. Someone told me that I can disable the odometer from racking up miles when towing by removing a fuse. Does anyone know which fuse?

[MichaelDay]

quote:Originally posted by 2coolPT

I tow my 2002 PT Limited 5-speed behing my motorhome with all four wheels on the ground. Someone told me that I can disable the odometer from racking up miles when towing by removing a fuse. Does anyone know which fuse?

No need to remove any fuses. The PT's will not register mileage when towed four down unless you have the engine running. Just turn the key to the first position to unlock the wheels, release the e-brake, put the little puppy in neutral and enjoy. I suggest that you put diodes in the wires that you are tapping into for the lights from the motorhome. You may occasionally find that if you have run the engine, shut it down and immediately start towing your PT that you may add 0.1-0.2 miles. This only happens occasionally and I have never seen it accumulate more than 0.2 miles even if it is towed hundreds of miles. I suspect that the computer is just checking to be sure you aren't "cheating" by shutting down the engine and coasting down hills to reduce the mileage.

Enjoy your PT is makes a great toad.

[sakigt]

There is no such function, and even if there was a way it would be illegal. We would all be buying 03 GTs for $10K with 200 miles on them

[MichaelDay]

quote:Originally posted by sakigt

There is no such function, and even if there was a way it would be illegal. We would all be buying 03 GTs for $10K with 200 miles on them

Which function are you referring to Saki?

I have towed my PT four wheels down for thousands of miles without the mileage registering. All of the motorhomers I know with PT's do the same (with one exception that uses a tow dolly). As far as the mystery 0.1-0.2 miles, I am offering a possible reason for the occassional registration of 0.2 miles or less after the engine is shut off and the vehicle then immediately towed four down. As an example, I recently towed my PT from Texas to Los Angeles behind my motorhome with four wheels down. When I arrived, the odometer had 0.6 miles more on it than when I left Texas three days and over 1,200 miles earlier.

I and another PT owner have duplicated the same thing by finding a long downhill grade, getting up to 45 mph or more, shutting the engine off (without locking the steering wheel) putting the transmission in neutral then coast down the hill. Sometimes you get 0.0 miles added. Other times you get 0.1 or 0.2 miles accumulated. I have yet to see more than 0.2 miles accumulate after the engine is turned off regardless of how far you travel with the engine off.

I don't know if this mileage occurs with the 5-speed or not. The PT's that I have experienced it on were automatics.

Hope that clarifies what I am saying.

[sakigt]

I was referring to a function that didnt exist...

[JaxPT]

Theres an IOD fuse under the hood in the power distribution block, cant miss it since it has a plastic holster that it slides in and out with. Anyway thats the one the dealer presses in when they get the car from the factory.

When i was installing the stereo and zapped a wire it blew that fuse and it causes the odometer to flash "no fuse". Thats probably the one they were thinking of but it will still register mileage as long as the car is running, all the fuse does it stop the car from using unnecessary power when comming from the factory to the dealer

[2sb]

We have an '02 model and this IOD fuse is on the bottom of the knee panel under the steering column. It's handy to remove if the PT won't be started for a few weeks but you lose things like radio memory.

[GLH_TC 16V]

quote:Originally posted by MichaelDay
Just turn the key to the first position to unlock the wheels, release the e-brake, put the little puppy in neutral and enjoy.

It is not recommended that you tow a vehicle with its drive wheels on the ground in neutral. If you do so, you are spinning the transmission at a high rate of speed without the benefit of having the gear oil for lubrication on the gears. You should always tow a vehicle by its drive wheels, many cars have had damaged transmissions from this procedure. Ask a tow truck operator about the proper procedure for towing a vehicle, especially long distances at fairly high rates of speed.

[IRPT]

Following are some helpful tips for towing 4 wheels down:

Before attempting to tow anything, it's important to know your motorhome's gross combination weight rating (gcwr) and its capacity for towing unbraked loads.

A good rule of thumb is you need a minimum of 10 horsepower for each 1000 pounds of weight you are carrying.

Before moving the towed vehicle, check the following: transmission fluid level is full, release the parking brake, start the engine, shift the transmission from Park to Drive, shift from Drive to Neutral, turn off the engine, leave the key in the Accessory (I) position, make sure the radio and all accessories are turned off.

The steering system can be damaged if the steering wheel is locked. Always leave the key in the Accessory (I) Position to prevent damage to the steering system when towing behind another vehicle.

Some recommend starting the engine and shifting the automatic transmission (if so equipped) through the gears approximately every 500 miles and shifting from Drive to Neutral before shutting off the engine.

Safe towing of a vehicle with four wheels on the ground behind a motorhome can only be done with a supplemental braking system including a break-away feature.

SEVERE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION DAMAGE WILL OCCUR IF THE CAR IS SHIFTED FROM REVERSE TO NEUTRAL AND THEN TOWED WITH THE DRIVE WHEELS ON THE GROUND.

You can avoid certain kinds of handling problems by making sure that your vehicle is towed with the tow bar as close to horizontal (parallel to the ground) as possible. This prevents your vehicle from "riding up" or "running under" the back of your coach during hard stops. It also avoids excessive stress on both the hitch receiver and your vehicle's mounting brackets.

Most newer vehicles will not add miles to the odometer while they are being towed. Such vehicles have an electronic odometer which will work only if the key is in the "on" position. If your vehicle is an older model and does not have an electronic odometer, you will need to have a Speedometer Disconnect to keep miles from adding up on your towed vehicle.

Never ever back up with a vehicle attached to your coach with a tow bar. Backing up is the most common way of damaging your tow bar or towed vehicle.

http://4wheeldrive.about.com/cs/towi...a070601a_2.htm

http://www.remcotowing.com/

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