Override Tow Mode?

[Gregors]

Hello Gladiator Forum. I searched both the forum and AI and came up empty handed. I have a '22 Gladiator Overland that I have set up to flat tow behind a motorhome. I used a kit to enable the jeep tail lights and turn signals to work like a trailer. I never noticed an issue until recently when my gas mileage seemed to be about two MPG lower. Didn't think much about it until I was on the road at highway speeds and noticed it was still in 7th gear. Then it occurred to me that the lighting kit I installed to use the Jeep lights is triggering the tow mode and locking out 8th gear. Is there any way to override this? TIA, Greg

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[Gvsukids]

Is there any way to override this? TIA,

There's no Tow mode.
https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/...to-lock-out-upper-gears-at.72021/post-1175470

 

[Gregors]

There's no Tow mode.
https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/...to-lock-out-upper-gears-at.72021/post-1175470

I was under the impression from my research that when the truck senses a trailer wiring harness connected, it changes shift points and locks out higher gears.

 

[NC_Overland]

I was under the impression from my research that when the truck senses a trailer wiring harness connected, it changes shift points and locks out higher gears.

It can sense the weight and shift differently, but it doesn’t lock out higher gears.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I was under the impression from my research that when the truck senses a trailer wiring harness connected, it changes shift points and locks out higher gears.

Ignore almost everything you read about these on the internet and AI especially. AI really is bad at a lot of stuff and gives you forum and FB opinions more than facts.

These also sense TORQUE - I can tow my light weight trailer and not notice any changes, but add a fully loaded car hauler - it changes.

 

[S JEEPN]

I have a 2024 Mojave it does adjust for load, driving input and seems to set things up for how it is being operated. If you drive it as an economy car it will adjust to that if you drive it more spirited it adjusts shift points accordingly. If you are towing it does try to adjust its settings to how you are manipulating the throttle and sense the load from the Trucks reaction. It seems to do pretty well once it determines what the truck and you are doing. I did have an update occur in a remote area while towing that caused it to want to use lower gears than i would like the off road pages were also missing at the time. I thought due to the location the software may not have loaded correctly or completely. It fixed itself when it loaded the software updates the next time i was in the City.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

. I thought due to the location the software may not have loaded correctly or completely. It fixed itself when it loaded the software updates the next time i was in the City.

Not possible. Not even a thing! Modules don't get OTA updates like that and there's no loading incorrectly and fixing itself. Flat towing has zip, nothing to do with anything.

 

[S JEEPN]

Bill The majority of my vehicles are straightforward manual boxes just a few automatics none so advanced electronic control wise. I do not know the software update details or how it would affect specific control modules if at all that is why i did not mention any specifics just the fact the changes occurred simultaneously with the updates. It would be a big coincidence for it to start and end with updates. Your comment is absent any suggestions of what the issue could be so with my thought being so imposable do you have a suggestion as an alternative to the update theory?

 

[IamPro2A]

Ignore almost everything you read about these on the internet and AI especially. AI really is bad at a lot of stuff and gives you forum and FB opinions more than facts.

These also sense TORQUE - I can tow my light weight trailer and not notice any changes, but add a fully loaded car hauler - it changes.

About the only USEFUL thing I've found AI is decent at is the app connected to my CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor) has a feature that let's me take a photo of what I am about to eat and it is surprisingly accurate at figuring out what is on my plate, and how it will impact my glucose levels.

As for just about anything else, like shopping or technical information, it currently tends to be totally useless. I'm sure that will improve at some point, but not today.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Bill The majority of my vehicles are straightforward manual boxes just a few automatics none so advanced electronic control wise. I do not know the software update details or how it would affect specific control modules if at all that is why i did not mention any specifics just the fact the changes occurred simultaneously with the updates. It would be a big coincidence for it to start and end with updates. Your comment is absent any suggestions of what the issue could be so with my thought being so imposable do you have a suggestion as an alternative to the update theory?

You get app updates OTA, not TCM, BCM and so on.
Knowing what isn't possible is part of troubleshooting, doesn't mean you have the answer yet, just can rule some things out. There are a lot of reasons to not see the higher gears, grade or slight incline, wind, and more. If you were at elevation it could matter.
Automatics don't adjust in the ways you think. And they have used similar logic since the 60s, just different methods of measuring today

 

[Wildtoad]

Don't have the issue with my '21 Willys but then it doesn't have LED tail lights. Have you double checked the wiring?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Hello Gladiator Forum. I searched both the forum and AI and came up empty handed. I have a '22 Gladiator Overland that I have set up to flat tow behind a motorhome. I used a kit to enable the jeep tail lights and turn signals to work like a trailer. I never noticed an issue until recently when my gas mileage seemed to be about two MPG lower. Didn't think much about it until I was on the road at highway speeds and noticed it was still in 7th gear. Then it occurred to me that the lighting kit I installed to use the Jeep lights is triggering the tow mode and locking out 8th gear. Is there any way to override this? TIA, Greg

2MPG can be due to fuel changes, cold weather, and other factors.

You did not say HOW your "kit" connected to the Jeep - the trailer light connector is electrically isolated from the rest of the lighting on the truck. So if you tied into the normal lights, it has no impact on the trailer light connector.
There's a lot of reasons to not see 8th gear - heck, with my Mojave all it takes is a little breeze and I won't see 8th. Wind goes away or I go the opposite direction, 8th is back. Hills, inclines, high elevations, all matters.

About the only USEFUL thing I've found AI is decent at is the app connected to my CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor) has a feature that let's me take a photo of what I am about to eat and it is surprisingly accurate at figuring out what is on my plate, and how it will impact my glucose levels.

As for just about anything else, like shopping or technical information, it currently tends to be totally useless. I'm sure that will improve at some point, but not today.

There's a guy on a stamp collectors group who keeps preaching to new people to use AI - and when they do and come in with a common George Washington 3 cent stamp that was printed in numbers of over 11 billion and say "I found a rare one, and AI says it's worth $1200!!" - AI used eBay listings of scammers and money launderers for the value - it's worth 30 cents in MINT unused condition.
AI just is not there yet. It might get you close but you must look at the sources of information it is using and for Jeeps, well, since it uses forums and fakebook groups, it's mostly wrong.

The guy who preaches AI in the stamp group is an attorney and should know better. But if you say anything negative about it, he'll rip you to shreds. (he must have invested heavily in it!)

Chris on BWTB the other day challenged Chat GPT to "who played bass" on a song. It came back as George playing bass in that song because Paul was gone. Turns out Paul recorded the track at another time and it WAS his bass playing in that song.
Chris had even corrected Chat GPT days before - and challenged it with that fact, it apologized and said apparently the correction had not made it to all sources yet.
So there you go - it can be wrong even after training.


As far as the whys of things here - frankly, not really enough data to give a decent reasoning other than we KNOW what it can't be, so count those things out right away. We KNOW there's no specific tow mode, especially that locks out any gears. That's a fact - evidenced by my own JTs finding 7th when going down an incline (7th and 8th are both OD gears)
We know the trailer light connections are isolated from the truck lighting system - one is not connected to the other directly.

Spirited driving with automatics - in the simplest form, it's TP against GP - throttle pressure against governor pressure. Early automatics detected your foot on the pedal either via vacuum or direct linkage. that controlled the throttle valve and thus TP. The governor is what senses road speed and increased that pressure based on the speed of the vehicle. So if you drove with your foot into it, shifts were delayed and pressures were higher - so harsher, delayed shifts resulted.
It's similar to today except more goes into it - road speed, throttle position, engine torque output which is calculated, it's not magic and not unique to Jeep. It's all of them and always has been. You drive more easily, foot out of the throttle, and shifts happen earlier and are softer. Put your foot into it, throttle pressure increases until governor pressure over-rides throttle pressure - with pressures elevated you get harder shifts, delayed shifts.
It's pretty much that simple.
And if there's any wind or incline or both, then it takes more throttle to keep speed up, throttle pressure increases, shifts are delayed or don't happen, or if they do, are harsher shifts.

 

[Gregors]

Don't have the issue with my '21 Willys but then it doesn't have LED tail lights. Have you double checked the wiring?

All the wiring works as intended. Just don't seem to get to 8th gear any longer.

 

[Labswine]

Chris on BWTB the other day challenged Chat GPT to "who played bass" on a song. It came back as George playing bass in that song because Paul was gone. Turns out Paul recorded the track at another time and it WAS his bass playing in that song.
Chris had even corrected Chat GPT days before - and challenged it with that fact, it apologized and said apparently the correction had not made it to all sources yet.
So there you go - it can be wrong even after training.

I remember hearing that as well. I listen to BWTB every day. I have the XM app on my phone and a Bluetooth receiver hooked up to my home stereo. I don't drive much and have XM in both cars so the ability to listen at home, I'm getting my money's worth.

 

[Labswine]

All the wiring works as intended. Just don't seem to get to 8th gear any longer.

You can always flip to manual mode and pop in into 8th yourself. If it doesn't go, even then, then you may have an even deeper problem.

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