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GHarvey

2005 XLT Adrenaline
Supporting Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2021
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Location
Sacramento
Hello everyone.
Just a final update on my quest to flat tow my Trac behind my RV. I bought my Trac to specifically flat tow it as it’s the perfect camping day-trip vehicle. From everything I read on line I could convert my Trac to be able to be flat towed with a few simple steps. Well it wasn’t that easy.
I’m not going to post War and Peace here but I could come close as this process has been quite the uphill battle with a ton of twists and turns along the way. It kind of turned into an obsession and I simply wasn’t going to take no for an answer, and believe me I heard “no” a lot.
I personally visited every Ford Dealer in Sacramento and called several more in Northern Ca. Although all of them heard me out none of them would flash my computer to enable the transfer case to go into Neutral Tow. Without the computer flash I was dead in the water. “We don’t work on cars older than 2010”, “it’s a liability”, “we don’t have the software” and 1 service department even insisted Tracs cannot be flat towed under any circumstances which is complete nonsense.
Finally an old school mechanic at a dealer told me I was going to have to do it myself and told me exactly what I needed. So off to eBay I went.
I purchased a Rotunda 007 00500 Diagnostic Tool and an NGS “Purple” software card. I followed the instructions I found on line and flashed the computer myself. I purchased a basic 2 wire 12v LED light from Amazon, connected it to the factory harness and mounted it to my dash. The LED light is an alternative to the Motorcraft “Neutral Tow Kit” that is now no longer available.
I followed the instructions I found on line and shifted my transfer case into Neutral Tow.

The happiness and satisfaction I felt in that moment cannot be overstated.

Today I hooked my Trac up to my RV and went on my first test drive. Success!
Tomorrow we go camping with my Trac right behind me.
This post is already long enough so if anyone wants a full and complete detailed run down of how to do this to your truck PM me and I will be happy to walk you through it as there are definitely a few tricks I learned along the way.

And thanks to those who commented on previous threads with suggestions as some of them definitely helped me out.

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Excellent.
A detailed tutorial with pics + wiring diagram + part numbers + links
would be great.
 
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I’m interested too! Have been told so many times that it wasn’t possible with my ‘03 ST (77,000 miles-original owner)
that I have just given up trying. Instead tow our 2000 CRV behind motor home, but could really be nice to tow the Trac!
 
that is an awesome set up,, your trac turned out very nice, between the rack and shell to hitch you got a ton of storage..
 
Hey everyone. I’m going to post a full, step-by-step tutorial complete with pictures, links, etc. I’m camping this week so look for it soon. Rest assured, if you want to tow your 4X4 Trac, 4 wheels down, it’s absolutely possible and I will help you get there.
 
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I am also interested in your set up although getting a motorhome is a long way off. Sounds like you are camping just down river from me (I live in Forestville) must be hot as we are baking thus week! Enjoy
 
I know your pain & frustration ! I did however find a local auto radio / electronic shop that would flash mine ! Works like a charm. Added my own red led light to harness also.
Great vehicle not to be without while your traveling !
 

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I located led connector a couple of years back and have been watching here for others activity for flat towing modification..
Already downloaded the Warning stickers and Activation instructions
I take it that you weren't able to program flat tow option with FORScan..

I'll be watching for future posts about flashing computer..
 
I located led connector a couple of years back and have been watching here for others activity for flat towing modification..
Already downloaded the Warning stickers and Activation instructions
I take it that you weren't able to program flat tow option with FORScan..

I'll be watching for future posts about flashing computer..
👋 Hey. I’ve been slammed and haven’t gotten a chance to do a full tutorial. I was not able to flash the computer with FORScan even with the full license. I tried and tried but could not find it so if there’s a way to do it with FORScan somebody would need to post how. I went to eBay and purchased an original Rotunda 007 00500 diagnostic tool and an NGS “Purple” software card. Once you have those you can follow the instructions found online.

Connect the vehicle
Select Service Bay Functions
Select 4x4 control module
Select Neutral Tow Function
***Select Explorer
Press Trigger and scroll to enable
Press trigger again
Press “Done”

*** Under “select Explorer” it got a bit confusing. 2005 Explorer ST was not listed as an available vehicle. I went ahead and did the computer flash under 03/04 Explorer Sport and it worked.
I went ahead and repeated the process under each option listed just to make sure.

As for the LED…The OEM green connector on the harness is under the steering column on the right side. You can’t miss it. AFTER DISCONNECTING THE NEGATIVE BATTERY TERMINAL cut the connector off and connect your 12V LED
Now in most places on the Internet it will tell you that the polarity doesn’t matter and you cannot cross the wires for the LED installation. In my case that was NOT true. I found one comment in a random forum somewhere where a guy said that his wires were crossed and he had to go back in and flip them. That’s what happened to me. I got the whole project done and it still wouldn’t go through the process of going into neutral tow. I went back in and flipped the two wires and it worked.

Start the engine
Put shifter in Neutral (foot on brake if your not already connected to your tow bar.
Turn the key back but not to the locked position. If your foot is on the brake to avoid moving you’ll see the LED start to flash and you’ll hear a few “clicks” which is the sound of the transfer case going into neutral tow. If you’re connected to your tow bar and your foot is not on the break when you turn the ignition key back you’ll need to then stand on the break to engage the truck to go into neutral toe as explained above.
 
Here are some pics

I still plan to do a full tutorial on a separate thread.
 

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Now in most places on the Internet it will tell you that the polarity doesn’t matter and you cannot cross the wires for the LED installation. In my case that was NOT true. I found one comment in a random forum somewhere where a guy said that his wires were crossed and he had to go back in and flip them. That’s what happened to me. I got the whole project done and it still wouldn’t go through the process of going into neutral tow. I went back in and flipped the two wires and it worked. ...
LED -> Light Emiting Diode.
A diode will only allow current to flow in one direction.
If someone tells you polarity doesn't matter they don't know what they are talking about.
 
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