18 replies to this topic

[therio]

In late July, we purchased a 2016 Chevy Tahoe and a few days later, we hitched up our Casita and headed for Canada.  The Tahoe has an "information" screen below the speedometer (not a feature on the 2009 Tahoe that was traded in).   As soon as we hooked up, a message came on the screen "Trailer Connected" followed by "Check Trailer Wiring" accompanied by a series of four chimes.  The sequence repeated approximately every 10-20 seconds.  I checked all the lights and they were working and the brakes appeared to work as well.  Drove to the Chevy dealer and was told that the car was OK and that the trailer plug was bad.  Went across the street to a trailer dealer and they replaced the plug.  We headed down the interstate for a few miles and the messages and chime started again. Thought it might be a loose wire in the umbilical cord and sometimes I could arrange it and the chime was quiet for much of the day, other days, it went off almost constantly.  It could happen any time but was especially frequent on rough roads.   Fifty miles from home on the return trip, I stopped for fuel and the message changed to "Service Trailer Brakes" and the chime was silent for the last hour of the trip. 

When we got home, I took it to the dealer for service and asked them to silence the "dinger" but they said it could not be done. 

Took the Casita to the RV service shop this morning ("dinger" went off several times on the drive in) and they went over the brakes and called to say it was ready to go.  Hooked it up and the "dinger" still went off.  Unhooked and left the Casita at the shop.

 

So, questions are:  

1.  Has anyone else ever experienced this situation with a late model Chevy?

2.  Any suggestions on how to test the trailer electrical system to find the problem?

3.  Failing one and two above, anyone know how to silence the chime?

 

Thanks for any help. 

Edited by therio, 20 September 2016 - 11:34 AM.

[therio]

Sorry for the typo, 2016 Tahoe.

[Wally Z]

I don't know answer to this, but something popped in my head while reading about your issue. "Brakes!"  What I'm wondering is, are the brakes incompatible with the system some how? An analog/digital thing maybe?  Just guessing, but maybe a question that should be asked. Check the brake wires that go thru the wheel well and make sure they aren't rubbing on tire.  Do they need to reset the tow vehicle computer maybe? Very interesting for sure. Will appreciate knowing the results when you get it worked out.

 

I found this online for you. Check the ground wire and do what is recommended here. This has fixed your same issue with several others.

 

1. This condition is caused by insufficient grounding between the trailer and vehicle.

• • To correct this condition, perform the following procedure:
  • Inspect and clean the ground wire (white wire) connection on the trailer side of the 7-pin connector.
  • Make sure that the wires inside the trailer side connector are clean and securely fastened.
  • If an electrical junction box exists on the trailer, make sure the wires inside the junction box are clean and securely fastened.
  • Once this procedure is complete, check to see if the condition has been corrected:
  • Remove the original trailer ground wire (white wire) from the trailer side of the 7-pin trailer connector.
  • Install a ring terminal (PN 12103512 or equivalent) to this wire and fasten the ring terminal to the metal or aluminum chassis of the trailer using a M6x1x20 self taping phosphate zinc coated screw (PN 11515925 or equivalent).
  • Pre-drill trailer chassis location with a 3/16" hole. Make sure the trailer chassis location is clean of paint or coating material prior to installation. Galvanic corrosion between dissimilar trailer and screw metals may require that this ground location be periodically cleaned.
  • Obtain a sufficient length of minimum 10 gauge (5.0 mm2) white wire and fasten with ring (PN 12103512 or equivalent) terminal to the trailer chassis at the same location as the original ground wire.
  • Install and fasten the other end of the new ground wire into the trailer side of the 7-pin trailer connector.
  • Install conduit on the original and new trailer ground wires, and secure the conduit to the existing trailer harness.

Edited by Wally Z, 20 September 2016 - 12:55 PM.

[Meadowlark]

Jeez, they have the new vehicles so tarted up with nonsense that even the wrenches in the shop have troubles finding a fault and fixing it.

[graham]

Jeez, they have the new vehicles so tarted up with nonsense that even the wrenches in the shop have troubles finding a fault and fixing it.

 

Or the technology has become much better at detecting intermittent  faults and could save your life.   

 

Graham

[NASA42 B]

​Folks......

 

 ​While I appreciate the safety-related nature of some of the features (semi-or-automatic braking, lane change control, ABS, sway control, etc., etc......), I tend to worry about the long-term reliability (and related dangers) of these electronics and computer controls as they age.   A fair # of older vehicles with electronics are beginning to show defect and heightened recall rates.

 

Frank   

[Steamboat]

I restored a 1958 Jaguar XK150 by myself...but I won't even think of messing with our Honda Pilot to any great degree simply due to the electronics all car makers have rushed to install. Heck, most service techs are not properly trained no matter what they tell you. I had to take my 2015 company car into several dealerships (6 times) in order to catch one person that understood how to make the bluetooth option work correctly. I did this in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas by the way. Next vehicle I purchase will be an oldie...with no electronics! 

[clover]

I restored a 1958 Jaguar XK150 by myself...but I won't even think of messing with our Honda Pilot to any great degree simply due to the electronics all car makers have rushed to install. Heck, most service techs are not properly trained no matter what they tell you. I had to take my 2015 company car into several dealerships (6 times) in order to catch one person that understood how to make the bluetooth option work correctly. I did this in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas by the way. Next vehicle I purchase will be an oldie...with no electronics! 

I think society has moved to much toward the concept that "it's too outdated to repair" like the iphone they want you to buy the newest shinny object on the end of the stick! I'm convinced this is part of their business plan and marketing programs, they are counting on us to consume products for a short period of time then throw them away to purchase more junk.

[Meadowlark]

Clover, that's what GM did back in the late  60's in Detroit. They used to make cars like the 62 Chevy Impala- a good, reliable car that you can STILL see on the road. It ran well, if heavy as a tank, and you could fix it in your back yard. Then some bright boy said,"why are we making a car that lasts 15 years when we can make a car that lasts only two...then we sell at least five cars rather than one." Which is why you seldom see a car from the 70's. It's all about their bottom line, which as we all know is Making Money.

I can't tell you how often I've been told I 'need' to 'update' my cell phone. I have a 'dumb' phone, a flip phone. It doesn't text, it doesn't take videos, it's so 'antiquated' that no one will steal it if I leave it unattended. I can only do one thing on it...talk and make a phone call. But by keeping it someone else isn't making money from me. Suits me just fine.

 

Steamboat, I admire you. I knew a guy who had THE Jaguar..you know, that sexy, low slung beast from the 60's? 70's? the one that LOOKED like a Jag instead of the sissy sedans they are now..but he said, I love this car. I hate this car, I'm constantly having to get into it to fix it. It had 32 valves (I think he said that) and he was always having to tweak them. You could tell he was working on the Jag when you'd hear cussing and at times, see a tool go flying in utter frustration

But oh my, when it ran, ..........ooh, even Harley turnout pipes didn't sound so terrific.

Edited by Meadowlark, 23 September 2016 - 12:45 PM.

[Us burros]

Sweden is looking at giving tax break (and they need that) for fixing stuff instead of throwing it away. http://grist.org/bri...ource=RodalesFB

[Steamboat]

Some years back, I was a sales manager for a company that sold small, brush-less DC motors...some were the size of your thumb and actually had a gearbox attached. One use was for the directional stability for the Cruise missiles. Others were used by high tech firms like HP. The high tech firms (like Seagate & HP) told us that they anticipated their newest products had a real time life of 18  months. They would last much longer, but the new features being developed changed consumer demand that quickly. Yes, Meadowlark, you are correct (although you didn't need me to tell you that...). I just toured the Corvette assembly factory where they build the new Corvettes. Absolutely nothing is produced there...only assembled. Just like when you buy a box of something at Lowe's and take it home to assembly the little garden cart that is inside the box. 

Actually looking for an old Studebaker...She Who Must Be Obeyed has decided I like Studebakers! She is so observant...LOL.

[Rob and Linda]

Clover, that's what GM did back in the late  60's in Detroit. They used to make cars like the 62 Chevy Impala- a good, reliable car that you can STILL see on the road. It ran well, if heavy as a tank, and you could fix it in your back yard. <<< snip >>>

 

Some time ago, I saw a comparison of the safety of those 'heavy as a tank' cars and those of recent design/production.  There was simply no contest... the newer cars were infinitely safer in every situation, including head-on collisions.   Certainly, by today's standards, my Porsche is a death trap.  

 

And, in 'the good old days,' a vehicle with 100,000 miles on it was pretty much junk: dodgy dependability, brakes from The Flintstones, and with so much of the body rusted away, one could check the air in the tires just by looking through the floorboard.  People drive more today than they did back then, and - for the most part - properly maintained vehicles deliver dependable performance until most people are just tired of looking them.

 

To me, the best thing about the good old days is that they're gone!

Edited by Rob and Linda, 24 September 2016 - 07:39 AM.

[Meadowlark]

I saw that comparison, too, Rob and you are right, new cars are far safer, far better fuel economy and are just better over all. But you have to admit that the 70's was the era of the Junk Car: how many Fairmonts, Vegas, Pintos, Corvairs, etc do you see? Practically nil. When I see a Pinto I back way off and the millenials won't even know why. I grew up in the heart of the Rust Belt: Detroit: and everyone worked for the Big 3. They told stories about the shenanigans on the assembly lines that would raise your hackles. For instance, GM was putting Vega transmissions in their big honking Oldsmobiles.....saved them a lot of money, donchaknow.

Which is why my first car..and every car/truck since then, has been Japanese. My 1999 Tacoma pickup has 210K on her and I'm already saving for a tranny/engine rebuild if and when it becomes necessary. However, compared to what is available today, my Taco is, too, probably not as safe as it could be. So I don't drive like I have a death wish.

[Steamboat]

Meadowlark, I was involved in troubleshooting a painting issue at one of the "Big 3" plants. Seems that they had moisture in their compressed air...and it would "pool" under the paint...eventually big chunks of paint would fall off. During the inspection at the plant I witnessed (more than once) a union employee walk over to a large open tank and deposit a small bottle. Yup, he was consuming alcohol on the job and getting rid of the bottle. They actually drained that tank and found scores of bottles in the bottom. That was so darned funny! The union steward (head union guy) was screaming at the management team as they were draining the tank! He was so red faced I thought he might have a stroke. His face turned white as they started seeing the empty bottles appear as they drained the tank! I will never forget that episode! So funny! 

[Rob and Linda]

After nineteen years of ownership, in January we sold our '96 Toyota Land Cruiser.  That was a traumatic event around here.  After way over a couple hundred thousand miles, that thing still drove like it was made from a single piece of steel.   But those legendarily-marginal Land Cruiser brakes made paying close attention to the road ahead more of a life-sustaining enterprise than I like to remember.  

 

With 6,300 pounds to lug around and only 212 HP on tap, even a Casita wouldn't be an easy tow.  So, we installed the Toyota (TRD) supercharger when we bought the Casita.  Now we had 310 HP and a bit more oomph up the hills.  Even so, the trusty one would struggle occasionally on steep - or ultra-long - grades.  So, when Dinky's tail lights went out of the driveway and out of sight, we knew that the 'Cruiser wasn't going to be up to the tasks ahead.

 

A friend snapped up the Land Cruiser.  

 

Dang!

 

After an appropriate amount of 'research,' we settled on a 2015 Ford F150 with the 3.5 EcoBoost, 3.55 differential, 'Max Tow' package, and 35-gallon fuel tank.  After the Land Cruiser, it seemed enormous.  I spent the next six months trying to like this new white lump in our driveway.  I was still pining away for the Land Cruiser (hey, we had it nineteen years!).

 

Then we took a 'real' trip: 3,083 miles through New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona.  Every day, I liked the new F150 more and more.  It pulled the 5,000 pounds or so completely effortlessly, was stable as a rock, and the brakes - oh, those brakes - were great.  The six-speed transmission shifted seamlessly and ran cool.  In the 'Tow/Haul' mode the transmission automatically downshifted intelligently when coming descending steep and not-so-steep grades.   Over the whole 3,083 miles we averaged 15.00 MPG, and that on regular gas.  This blew the Land Cruiser's performance right out of the water, which, on a good day might squeak out 12.5 MPG and [because of the supercharger] would drink only premium fuel.  And the truck was quiet and comfortable (and enormous!).

 

Needless to say, I'm a real believer now!  Oh, and my friend who bought the Land Cruiser is happy as a dead pig in the sunshine... he's now in California 'off roading' almost every weekend.  Win - win! 

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Edited by Rob and Linda, 24 September 2016 - 09:05 AM.