My SMB is dead in Death Valley - Page 5

Ford_6L_E350 · 10-28-2010, 04:50 PM

Well, if the front is down and the hubs are unlocked it is no issue.

And rear down, xfercase in neutral is how mine was towed (with a Ford xfercase). 50 miles of rough Top of the World Highway.

Mike

Roonie · 10-28-2010, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cellularSTEVE

I understand that the above is for flat towing. Would the above be the same for towing with one end lifted off the ground (like on a regular tow truck)?

steve

I can't speak anymore to it other than what I posted as that is all the info it had on towing in the manual.

Not to thread hijack but I found this interesting in the manual for the Atlas II. Since Torco oil is not stocked anywhere locally this might help if in a bind. They recommend changing it every 20k or sooner.

LUBRICATION:
Before lowering your vehicle, fill your Atlas with the (Amsoil MTG GL-4 or Torco MTF GL-4) oil provided. By using a hand pump, connect the hose end to the upper fitting of the site tube to fill the Atlas to the recommended oil level. Once this is completed, re-secure the upper site tube fitting to the Atlas. If you are unable to find this oil brand locally, we offer it under P/N 303200, or you can use one of the following synthetic oils as a substitute until the correct oil is found: Castrol Syntec 5w-50, Valvoline 20w-50 or Mobil 1 Synthetic 15w-50.

After looking at a lot of installs on 4x4 rigs a lot of guys are sticking to the Castrol since it can be found everywhere and if a problem occurs on the trail they can easily fill it with the Castrol but the Torco isn't available anywhere except online. Makes it hard to top it off if needed.

Christopher Thwaites · 10-28-2010, 11:08 PM

This might be one of the best pics of an SMB in distress. Thanks Mike.....can't imagine how you felt taking it.

SteveInLA · 10-29-2010, 09:31 AM

Sorry not to have updated sooner, but I was waiting for more info from Ford. The van is ready to be picked up. The new PCM is in place, reprogrammed and tested. When they reconnected the drive shaft, they found the rear differential was locked up. That is all the information that they are giving me other than they suspect it happened during the tow at some point. They say it was not damaged, just locked up. I am on my way to Las Vegas to pick it up and may or may not spend the night there. Overall, my only out-of-pocket costs for this debacle have been for the hotel in Furnace Creek and gas for the rental car. In hindsight, there are ways I could have handled things better, but I will know them for next time. Thanks for all the great information. It really helped to keep our spirits up.

Steve in L.A.

joey2cool · 10-29-2010, 01:06 PM

Here's a link that could help some of us in the future (it's only 6 pages in case you want to carry a hard copy with you in the van):

http://www.fordtechservice.dealercon...ing_Manual.pdf

woodbee · 10-29-2010, 06:17 PM

joey2cool,

Thanks for the information, a copy will go into my SMB.

Woody

Ford_6L_E350 · 10-29-2010, 06:59 PM

Steve in LA,

How could the differential be "locked up" and not damaged???? Something doesn't sound right.

Glad to hear you van is back and running without cost to you.

Mike

Ford_6L_E350 · 10-29-2010, 07:00 PM

Joey,

Thanks, it is nice to know that shifting the transfercase into neutral makes it OK to tow my van with the wheels on the ground.

Mike

Gene Atl.Beach · 10-29-2010, 09:51 PM

Steve, the Revelco system, a hole is drilled though the firewall, all wires are black, but the metal hole drilled could have a sharp edge from the drill bit. The engine would stop like you are saying if a wire was shorted out from the firewall. The bumping and rough road could cause that.. Check this out. The installer that install mine pulled the wire though and cause that problem.. Had to tow it to a ford dealership to fine the problem... Gene

SteveInLA · 10-30-2010, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ford_6L_E350

How could the differential be "locked up" and not damaged???? Something doesn't sound right.

I tried to get more information out of them, but couldn't at the time. I discussed this with John at Quadvan and he suspected that the tow truck driver may have forgotten to release the emergency brake before we left and told me what to look for as an indication of this, but it doesn't seem to be the case. I'll call Monday and pump them for more info since I would like to know as well.

When I picked up the van, the first thing I noticed was that the steering seem heavier, like the tires were flat. When I left the van, I had mentioned that in the process if lifting the front end, the tow truck lift seemed to have pushed up on the center mounting plate for the steering dampener and could they take a look at it. They either forgot or decided it wasn't necessary to do anything about the dampener even though it was clear that the shocks were no longer horizontal. Turns out that the plate had been pushed up far enough to be pressing against the bar that connects the front wheels (steering linkage?) and as soon as they brought the plate down, everything was back to normal.

Thanks Joey for the towing manual. I can see that the operator made several mistakes. Having that information in my head and in the van will make the next tow much better. Well, now that we and the van are back safe and sound, I'll get to work on the good part of the trip report!

Steve in L.A.