I think who ever thought to put these on a full-size truck needs to be voted off the island. I was screwing around in the drive way tonight where there was a little driftage of snow. I didn't get very far when it spun so I put activated the e-locker--nothing, but it was starting to claw its way forward when I realized the anti-skid/slip thing was still ingaged. So I reached over and hit the button and it said off. Well, it still would nit give me my power. So I said" Oh yeah, I have to hold it down until it flashes to deactivate everything". So I did that and the slip,sliding truck icon flashed 5 times or so. I tried it again to go in 2x wheelie. NOTHING. Power was still cut and I couldn't go anywhere -- held the throttle to the floor -- no power! So I tried activating my 4x4. Wrench light -- MFer. I had this happen before and I had to get rolling to get the 4x4 to go in. There I was stuck in a 5" deep snow drift in my big, bad, new super duty--- totally embarassing! Anybody know how to change this setting? I know you ,2000SB, had said of this push and hold from pg 273 in the manual to turn it all off, but I'm tellin ya, it doesn't work so you have all the power and throttle control! Ridiculous!

 

I have agree here on these trucks its plain nonsense imagine trying to cross a busy highway towing a load and tires spin from stop sign and traction control ( computer nanny) steps in and shuts injectors off? aka your stuck in middle of hwy looking at oncoming traffic coming at you...

 

I hate mine for 4x4 also, cuts your engine when you need it the most if you forget to press and hold traction off hehe

 

Should I be turning off everything(pg273) to 4x4 in soft sand with a load? And turn off before swithing to 4x4? Is the issue caused by the slipperieness of the snow, and sand wouldnt be as much of an issue. I havent tried the truck on the beach yet but if this screws up my 4x4 on the beach I'll be officially pissed.

 

Sounds like a job for Mike!

On topic though, I guess the PCM drops TOO much power?

My '97 Cougar with rear-wheel-drive has traction control, and I love it. It's rides the hairy edge of power versus wheel-slip. On dry or wet or snow or ice, even being what I consider a very experienced driver, I can barely get the vehicle to move any faster manually than allowing the traction control system to do it's thing.

On the other hand, with a good set of tires (Nitto highway Dura Grapplers), my '01 can go through a foot of snow in two-wheel drive.

Weird... I'm beginning to see a trend with the 2011 4x4 though...

 

The first thing I reach for when stuck in 2wd is the switch for 4wd. I constantly forget about the locker. When the light starts flashing to turn off the RSC/ESC/TCS, I think you have to keep holding it down. I remember holding it for like 7 or 8 seconds. I never hit up a parking lot to test it was off though.

As for the advancetrac and traction control, it works for me under normal driving conditions. It's difficult to get used to but I'm beginning to like it. When I mash the throttle on slippery conditions, I expect massive wheel spin and the back to start sliding, exactly what my 2000 did. Then I'd have to slow down, engage the 4wd and move on. Now, on the same hill going to my house (which reflects 7 degrees on the off road screen, not sure what that coorelates to in grade but it's pretty steep), I mash the throttle in the new truck, the traction control light pops up and it continues creeping up the hill, no wheel spin/high rpms/etc like on my old truck, nor do I have to engage the 4wd, the truck applies the right amount of throttle/traction to get up the hill. All of this is with the ELD disengaged, again, I always forget about its existance.

I see in the manual that if you're in 2wd and engage the ELD, it cuts out above 25mph and then re-engages at 19mph. I wonder what effect having the ELD engaged with the RSC/ESC/TCS shut off in 2wd has.

Also saw a note in there (below) that if you change the transfer case, doesn't matter from what to what, after shutting off the RSC stuff, it'll turn it all back on. You have to disengage it again once the transfer case change has taken place. I wonder if this goes for the ELD as well? Dunno...

(p273) If the button is pressed in 2WD or 4WD high, any change in the transfer case mode will return the AdvanceTrac

In sand, you'll only be concerned about the traction control, which you can shut off with the press of a button. I can't imagine you'll be doing any sideways drifting in sand like you would be on snow where you'll want to shut off the RSC and ESC. Shutting off the traction control button on my truck let's the rpm's go to whatever I let it.

 

I had to try your similar steps in a snow covered parking lot on my way home. I didn't do exactly as you did, but ended up with the ELD engaged and all the TCS/RSC/ESC turned off. I hit the traction control button for about 8 seconds to shut everything off, got the prompt that the AdvanceTrac was off. I got to the parking lot and engaged the ELD and mashed the throttle. Reminded me of my old truck, slipping and sliding all over the place (donuts galore), rpms/speedo instantly increased, rooster tail of snow/ice/rocks coming off each tire (some hitting the truck, argh! need mudflaps).

Seems to me like yours isn't functioning as intended, maybe a trip to the dealer is in order?

 

............Interesting. I think my electronics are goofy. I held it for prolly close to 15 secs. and it still activated(I held it in even after the screen came on prompting it was off). Also, the other day I remote started it and when I got in I noticed right away that the seat was back (easy entry/exit) I have mine off cuz I don't like it. Well, I went in the menu and turned it off again, went back a screen, and then back to where it says easy entry/exit on/off check screen and niether was checked so I re-checked the OFF selection and did this maybe five times. Each time nothing was checked when the OFF should have been. I immediatly went to the dealer as I was leaving work anyway and I shut the truck off and went in. Threw the keys to my salesman and said easy in/out will not sut off when it has been off for a month already. He jumped in and started it and it shut off and all was well. Wierd. I wonder if they will re-flash it just for the heck of it.

 

Im telling ya, there is something wrong with these new 4x4 systems. I had my pcm replaced already, and it worked for a few weeks and started acting up again last night. So i'm going back to the dealer again.

 

I tried all of this stuff this morning. Hit the button and released, traction control off, push the button and held it, Advancetrac off. I proceeded to go around a couple slippy corners where typicaly I would get the loss of power produced by the system, and it acted like, well, a truck. It slid out a bit and with the normal steering inputs I straightened out, no big deal. I established that when It's off it's off and it doesn't magically pop back on as is being described here (I think). With all that said, this is my question; what is the Advancetrac? I thought that Advancetrac WAS the traction control system when they are acually two different things. Can someone explain what the difference is to me please?

 

AdvanceTrac is the fancy schmancy term for all three systems (TCS, RSC, ESC) . Well, it's actually referred to in the manual as AdvanceTrac with RSC, so I guess AdvanceTrac is just the traction control system (TCS) and electronic stability control (ESC).

 

Thanks for the reply! Seems as though Ford has put cut and dry solutions in place for situations that have to many variables to be cut and dry. Just for clarification I found this:


AdvanceTrac® with RSC™ – Four Systems in One
AdvanceTrac® with RSC™ is an integrated system of four major components – one more than typical electronic stability control systems. Ford’s exclusive vehicle roll motion sensor sets AdvanceTrac® with RSC™ apart from other automakers’ stability control systems and takes additional steps to enhance vehicle rollover resistance. The system includes:

Anti-lock Brake System (ABS)
Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) – this feature regulates brake pressure to help prevent wheel lock-up when trying to stop the vehicle.

Traction Control
When the system detects a loss of traction, this quickly responds by reducing engine power when necessary and selectively applying brake force to the slipping wheel while transferring power to the opposite wheel. It helps give drivers a more seamless and controlled driving experience.

Yaw Control
This component helps drivers avoid skidding and fishtailing. When understeer (which leads to skidding) or oversteer (which leads to fishtailing) is detected, the system selectively applies individual brakes and modifies engine power to maximize control.

Vehicle Roll Motion Sensor (a Ford exclusive)
Ford-exclusive AdvanceTrac® with RSC™ utilizes a gyroscopic sensor to help monitor vehicle roll motion approximately 150 times per second. If it detects the possibility of a rollover, the system automatically engages AdvanceTrac® with RSC™ to help keep all four wheels safely on the ground. This feature is especially beneficial when a vehicle is fully loaded.

Stability Control Plus Choice
On/Off Switch – For added security: AdvanceTrac® with RSC™ is automatically engaged each time the vehicle is started. However, a center-console button allows drivers to turn the system off on the rare occasion, such as during low-speed off-roading, or in deep snow or mud, when they may want the wheels to spin freely to help the tires "dig" for traction.
An Extra Measure of Control

The Ford AdvanceTrac® with RSC™ system adds another dimension of advanced technologies and software to monitor and control a vehicle’s roll motion during extreme maneuvers. AdvanceTrac® with RSC™ continuously calculates if the vehicle may be approaching a situation where rollover is probable and takes additional action to help enhance rollover resistance.

 

So they added ABS into the AdvanceTrac definition, hmph. ha ha. This stuff makes my head hurt.

Traction Control = TCS
Yaw Control = ECS
Vehicle Roll Motion Sensor = RSC
ABS =...well, ABS.

 

Damn, I guess there goes the "F.O.R.D. = Flip Over and Read Directions"

 

LOL ^ never heard that one before!