Will a Fuse Bypass Keep Battery From Draining when Flat Towing a 2013 Ford Edge

Question:

I have a 2013 Ford Edge. I plan to set it up for towing behind our motorhome. Checking several RV forums, several people complain the battery is dead after towning all day. The Ford Owners Manual doesnt say anything about pulling fuses, only put the car in neutral and start it every few hours. I purchased the RM76511 Fusemaster and have installed it. It appears to be working correctly, in that it disengages the ignition switch and allows me to remove the key. Following the Ford procedure, I release the parking brake and put the transmission in neutral, turn the ignition switch counter-clockwise to accessory, flip the Fusemaster switch and remove the key. I exit the car and close the door. The two screens on either side of the speedometer remain lit. Also, the slide to park message remains. My question is: Has the Fusemaster removed the voltage draw that will potentially drain the battery after a day of towing?

asked by: Rick D

Expert Reply:

I did not see anything about removing the key to flat tow the 2013 Ford Edge. Not that it should have an affect on the battery but still, you never know. It sounds like you still have things with power running even with the key in the flat tow position. So it could still potentially drain the battery.

To keep a maintenance charge on the battery I recommend using a harness such as # BX88206 with the tow bar wiring you will be using so that you can run a wire from the connector at the front of the truck to the vehicle battery.

There are a couple of ways to do this. First, you can tap into the running light circuit in the tow bar wiring but to provide power to the battery the RV running lights would have to be on all the time. Or if the connector at the back of the RV has a working 12 volt circuit you could use that circuit instead.

Which ever way you choose you would just attach the wire to the appropriate corresponding pin at the back of the connector that will be at the front of the truck and the other end of that wire will go to the positive battery terminal.

expert reply by: Michael H