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PhotoAl

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Everything posted by PhotoAl

  1. That is nice. Which transmission did you use and how much was involved? How much ECU programming/changing was required? Not looking to do this as my wife needs to be able to drive the van but a fascinating project.
  2. Good to hear the TC held up well in both of those crashes. I looked at KBB a few days ago at the trade in value of my 2016 LWB Titanium - WOW. For about 15 seconds though about trading on a new one but I'd still have to spend $12 thousand. Decided to just keep my 2016 which is slowly creeping up on 28,000 miles! It mostly sits but is fantastic when I need to move something of haul several folks. Last January I bought a new Chevy Bolt Premier for $21,322 out the door and that is with no tax credits. List was over $44 and it was new. Couldn't believe how inexpensive they were and felt like it was the last time if not ever I would be able to get a new car that cheaply. It is perfect for those short trips when its just me or my wife and I. Have to drive the van every couple of weeks just to make sure it stays in good shape. LOL what got me started was an email from a Ford dealer in Huntsville AL, I followed and was looking around and they have a couple of TC. Both are $33,xxx XLTs and nicely equipped. I am tempted by the new Maverick, not a van but would be handy.
  3. Looks like at low engine speed it is coming on, once you accelerate it get enough pressure to cause the light to go off. Some of the things which can cause this: Oil sensor bad or incorrect - check and replace if needed incorrect oil - don't say which year/engine. If a 0W20 oil is used in an older engine that wants 10W40 then it could maybe cause this Oil pickup strainer clogged - if sludging oil has been used then sludge can clog oil pump pickup screen (running conventional oil in a turbo will do this) Oil pump bad - oil pump may be worn out and not delivering enough flow and pressure Bearings - worn bearings can cause low oil pressure at idle Just some of the things that come to mind. I'm sure others here can add to that list. Low oil pressure is not a good thing and usually indicates a costly repair. Hope it's the pressure sensor.
  4. Doesn’t look like the taillight is cracked but Ive had issues in the past with sockets where water got in and corroded the socket. Bulb was fine but socket was corroded and even with thieves good bulb in place it didn't work. Your lights look good in the pic so probable an electrical issue. Don’t discount loose connections and frayed wiring where it goes thru holes in the body structure. Rodents are another issue as well.
  5. Now that is a worthwhile change! My Volt had a little dash top cubby with a 12V outlet. Very handy for charging the phone or powering a Garmin/TomTom or Radar Detector (seriously who would have or need one in a Volt :-) )We use the TC for long trips and that would be so nice.
  6. Hummm, Im going to have to investigate. Recently picked up a bluetooth OBDLink MX+ OBD2 adapter. Will have to check out Forescan and the see what it can do. Originally got it to check up on the battery on my new BoltEV and reset codes on my Yamaha motorcycle.
  7. Great to hear about a reliable vehicle. Have to agree about the gas mileage, mine is not horrible but not so great either. My van was kicked out of it most favored parking status las month when I bought a Chevy Bolt, TC did come in handy as it got me an additional $750 off. Now I have my van for hauling stuff and taking long trips and the Bolt for around town - will take some trips but the TC carries more stuff and people. Gas mileage - well how about just driving past gas stations :-) BoltEVs are super cheap right now with lots of rebates plus we have a GM Card so got an additional $6,400 off - out the door for $21,322 for a car that sticker at $44,130 - all I can figure is GM makes it up on volume. A fun little car with 200HP and 1 speed. For speed well there my motorcycle ....
  8. That is frustrating haven't had that with a Ford but when my wife ordered her Smart car back in 2007 it seemed to take forever to arrive. I've ordered camera equipment before that seemed to take forever. Is your Ford dealer a high volume dealer? has your order been lost in the pipeline? seems like someone should be able to answer as to why.
  9. Welcome and great color - I also have a white wagon which my youngest daughter proudly proclaimed creeper white. My older daughter didn't care as long as it hauled her kids around.
  10. The important word being EXPERIENCED! Next question, does your Ford dealer have any of these?
  11. I think the mounting holes are the same and it is more of an unbolt and bolt. Biggest concerns would be the center seat belt and car seat fastener. Certainly understand your concern but didn't have that problem with my grandkids - they are twins! When I was looking for my TC Wagon I wanted middle row bucket seats, seemed like there were a lot of middle row bench seat configurations I got good at scanning the listings. I found Car Gurus to be a good website to look for vehicles, I would set the search radius out to 500 miles to see what was available - figured a night on the road was worth getting what I wanted. Wound up finding one closer to home in Knoxville Tennessee. My wife quickly changed the one night to two nights in Gattlinburg. Wishing you the best with your newborn and in your search for a TC Wagon. I've had mine for 3 years and love it. It has hauled 90+ yo in-laws, twin grandkids to mothers day out then kindergarten (LOL is is funny watching the helpers who don't know what to do with a van that doesn't have power sliding doors), my scooters (2 wheel gas powered), hauling my mother-in-laws power chair, and pulling a small trailer. I wound up with a white one which my youngest daughter labeled creeper white - the twins parents think of it as wonderful white cause when it shows up that means some time without the kids. Sadly haven't been able to do it so much since COVID started.
  12. +1 on the scan tool. Also may be a connection issue, dirty sensor etc. First step would be to pull the wheels and check the sensors to make sure they are clean. Check connections if possible, intermittent problems are always difficult to diagnose but makes me think it may be a connection issue somewhere. Over the years I've had good success unplugging and re-connecting plugs - but then there are some problems that doesn't fix which is frustrating. Not sure what the fuse looks like and I'm too lazy to look it up but I have found many of the small fuses to be difficult to get out without a puller. I've resorted to a small pair of needle nose pliers on occasion but have to remember they are metal and conduct electricity so don't mess up more stuff. If you can't fix it your self may have to resort to dealer or a good independent repair shop. Problem I have these days is I don't use a repair shop often enough to know who is good and who isn't - maybe this is a good thing. I have a Chevy Volt which is loaded with electronic devices and high voltage cables and I cringe when thinking about what could go wrong.
  13. You could add a really box that is turned on by an ignition source. Currently installing a Neutrino Element box on my motorcycle. https://www.neutrinoblackbox.com/details Its really nice and probably overkill but has solid state fuses and PWM modulation on the output. Bluetooth links to phone which can be used to set it up. PWM is nice as it can control led brightness - I use it for controlling aux lights so they are brighter when I have high beams on. There are other products out there that range from a simple fuse block to a powered fuse block that is switched on and off via an ingestion wire. Not the ignition wire inputs are low power, basically just need a voltage signal.
  14. I've had several VW. Have a 2008 Rabbit bought new and still going but others have not done so well. Have had 2 of the turbo engines fail in a catastrophic manner. I like the way they drive just don't trust them, headliners falling, rubber coating on interior parts getting sticky with age. Not impressed with some of their efforts prior to 2010. Haven't looked at them in the last 10 years. One turbo engine failure was a 1.8turbo that had a pie shaped piece of a valve head break off and rattle around in the engine. The other failure was a 2009 2.0 turbo which had a timing chain tensioner fail and fill the engine with metal shavings. I think by 2015 or 2016 they had figure out how to make a timing chain tensioner! My daughter had a timing belt tensioner go bad and start leaking on her Odyssey van - technical at Honda doing the oil change let her know. Honda wanted $1,100 to replace tensioner, pulleys and other stuff which they had done elsewhere for $900. That's a lot less than a new engine from VW.
  15. PhotoAl

    Hello!

    Welcome! Nice van in my favorite color :-) I have a 2016 TC Wagon Titanium in white. Ive used it for all kinds of stuff from hauling a small trailer with wood to rebuild the deck, haul my scooter to the racetrack, haul my mother-in-law around, haul furniture and appliances and even carry my twin grandkids in. It's no sports car but does handle nicely and is nimble around town and doesn't need a lot of space. I love the extra headroom which means its possible to actually move around inside. My daughter has a Honda Odessey which is bigger but doesn't have the headroom and is mushier driving but is a bit smoother on long trips. As for your business situation I understand the company desire to control safety and appearance but not so sure about making everyone an independent contractor. I can see advantages and disadvantages to being an independent contractor. I see you are from the Canadian Prairie provinces, that is an area on my bucket list to visit on my motorcycle (in the summer of course). Last year I made it to Minot ND but this year didn't even think about it but did make it to South Dakota in June and again in September. I actually traded motorcycles in Sioux Falls SD in September. Totally off topic but I think entertaining. Left Alabama in late August on my way to Idaho and Montana on my BMW F800GT motorcycle. This was the 5th long trip on that bike in the two years since I purchased it (used). At the end of the second day as I pulled off the interstate in Grand Island Nebraska had a massive failure of a rear wheel bearing! That motorcycle has a single sided swingarm with a hub in it. the hub has a left and right wheel bearings with the pulley for the belt drive on one side and the brake disk and mount for the wheel on the other side. The hub is eccentric so that belt tension can be adjusted by rotating the hub. One of the bearings in a needle bearing and the other a ball bearing. The ball bearing failed so badly the wheel was wobbling. The only indication I had of impending failure, which I realized after the fact, was 34 miles earlier I made a hard stop and used more rear brake than usual. I noticed that the rear felt unstable almost like it locking up and skating around but the bike has ABS. When I pulled off the interstate 34 miles later it made a lot of loud metallic popping noises and occasionally the bike would twitch. Had just finished 34 miles at 85mph (speed limit 80mph)! Fortunately the KOA was very close to the exit and was able to ride there. It was 7PM and all the shops were closed - but they have fabulous pizza so didn't go hungry. No BMW dealers in town, no BMW repair shops in town, they had a HD dealership and maybe one shot that could have worked on a Japanese bike. New hub was $995 plus shipping but availability was uncertain - 7 to 8 days before shipping for one place. Thought well maybe I could trade it broke for the new Yamaha I was planning on getting after the trip. Found one in Sioux Falls SD. They would trade but BMW would need to be fixed. So got on eBay and found a used complete swingarm including the pulley and brake disk in place. It was only $550 plus $93 for 2nd day shipping. Ordered it and got my wife to send the title and checkbook. When she said yes that meant approval! The owner of the KOA let me use his shop area to swap the swingarms which was a pretty simple task. Put bike on center stand remove rear wheel, rear brake caliper unbolt rear shock and loosen 2 pinch bolts holding the swingarm pivot shaft in place. The belt came off with finger pressure. 3.5 hours at a very leisurely pace and it was ready to go! Loaded the bike up and rode to Sioux Falls SD - 250 miles and traded for a new Yamaha Tracer GT. It was exhilarating and nerve-racking to ride in and move all my stuff over to a new bike and then ride away. After I traded rode 110 miles to Yankton SD where I was staying. Hung around in the are for 3 days and had the 600 mile service before I headed home. I spent 6 days in Grand Island and 4 days in Yankton plus getting there and back. Wasn't the trip I planned but still a very memorable adventure. Met a lot of nice people and had a fun (mostly) time. I spent $100 on tools at Harbor Freight in addition to what I was carrying. Many of the tools I gave to the KOA as I had no room. Another side note the hub has a stub shaft that fastens the wheel mount and the pulley together. It has a 45mm nut. Another reason to go with replacing the swingarm. The swingarm I bought was in excellent condition and looking at wear marks on the pulley had much less miles than my bike - mine had 31,000 miles and I guess the replacement had 5,000 miles or less. As to the cause of the bearing failure IMO it was a belt that was too tight. The belt was replaced at 24,000 miles and seemed to be too tight. I tried to contact the dealer but their voice mail was messed up and I left on a 5,500 mile trip in June. Had the 30,000 mile service done just before I left but they did not notice anything - or didn't check belt tension or bearings. When I bought the bike I also purchased a 3 year unlimited mileage service contract for $1,500. I added up the cost of all the services I had done in 26 months and it was $5,000. First motorcycle I've had totally maintained by the dealership. As for my new Yamaha, I'll be doing the maintenance.
  16. Welcome and quite an interesting journey. LOL my TC wagon is about the only vehicle I have that wasn't bought in a hurry. I actually took my time and searched for the right stuff and good price. Tire are a frequent topic here, I haven't looked into any alternatives as don't drive it a lot and don't need extra ground clearance.
  17. I have a 2016 six passenger. Many times I have the 3rd row seat out - I'm not sure I would describe them as light :-) My garage is full of junk scooters and a motorcycle and don't have a good storage spot so keep them in the van mostly. From what I've seen of the 2nd row bucketsI don't think the 3rd row seat would fit in their place. I do really enjoy to two seats with the passthru instead of the 3 seat bench. I think it would be an easy swap to replace the 3 seat split bench with two 2nd row buckets. Might find someone who wants to go from 2 middle to 3 middle seats.
  18. Welcome! Love my 2016 TC wagon. It hauls pretty much everything from my scooter to my mother-in-law to my twin grandkids. I have the Titanium version with 6 passenger leather seats - got a good deal on it. While I cannot stand up in it, the headroom is fantastic particularly considering the exterior size. Doesn't feel as small as it is and actually handles pretty well for a van. I routinely take out the third row seats which gives a bit more vertical space. When hauling my scooter (265 pounds 110CC) it makes loading easier. Recently went to the beach for a couple of weeks (in mid summer the beaches near Sarasota are pretty empty during the week so no trouble even on weekends with social distancing). Pretty well loaded with my wife and I and mother-in-law. Area behind middle row was loaded within a foot of the top. My gravel road bike was on top of the piled to take both wheels off but it rode very easily there - I did put a strap around the wheels and fame as a restraint just in case of an accident the bicycle would not come forward. Mother-in-law has very bad arthritis and is just able to walk with a walker. The seat height in the TC is perfect for her, she doesn't have to climb up or sit down - just ease into the seat. It goes down the interstate nicely although in hilly terrain it likes to downshift. LOL Used to take the grandkids to preschool and pick them up and sometimes picked them up from kindergarten. The TC confounds most folks helping with loading and unloading the twins as the doors are not power operated! I even had to explain to one 6th grader how to open the door. :-) As a bicycle mechanic I would think a cargo version would be nice as you could put a bicycle rack in the back to hold several bikes as well as a hitch mounted rack. As you can find out from threads on this site, there is not a lot of difference between the cargo version and the wagon (people hauler). Most folks with the cargo version seem to like the windows in the sliding doors for visibility. Personally I prefer the rear lift gate to the doors as it give a place out of the rain when up. I would also recommend the Sync 3 system for the convince of having handsfree phone capability and Apple CarPlay or the Android version are nice for navigation. I take long solo motorcycle trips and cell service is not perfect in some remote areas and I like having a GPS based navigation system. A Garmin works well also. Note that the rear hitch is only rated for 200 ponds of tongue weight. There has been a lot of debate on here about that and my best guess is the hitch may hold more but the gross vehicle weight is the bigger issue and there limits the towing capability and tong weight. I have the factory hitch and will not exceed the 200 pound weight limit. Aftermarket hitches are readily available and easy to install. I like the factory hitch as it comes with the trailer lights controller already installed and if you have the rear sensors there is a button to silence them when towing. I'm super happy with my TC and would buy it again.
  19. I would expect a remapping would not be good for the warranty. In the event anything went wrong Ford would first point to the remapping. In addition remapping may run afoul of law and regulations particularly emissions. In the motorcycle world remapping is very common and can yield very good results if done correctly. IMO modern engines run very lean and have rough spots and uneven response to throttle input. Remapping can fix a lot of these things and I would not be surprised to see it increase both power and fuel economy, if you use the new power frequently in may negate any efficiency improvements because as Gideon points out the physics is physics.
  20. Congratulations and a great van you have. Somehow I'm not at all surprised at your experience. Experience has taught me doing it myself usually get it done right but takes time. I am usually disappointed by dealerships and their service. Last week I was on vacation near Sarasota. TC had a rear tire with a small screw in it. Got online and chatted with a local dealer about could they fix it? Person chatting got my name and number but they never called back. It was a short notice but still would have taken just a moment to call and say "sorry but can't fit you in". Instead now I have a dislike for that dealership and harm has been done to Ford's reputation. Wound up driving 600 miles home with the slow leak and took it to my local tire shop who fixed it without any issues. I have used them for many years started way back in the last century when I would mail order tires for my BMW that could not be found locally. Same people were there this week but now we have masks on. Over the years have learned that plugged drains are the source of many problems. Sold my son's old Jetta wagon to a fella who worked for APR (turbo folks in Auburn AL and a great group). He posed the headliner and replaced the drain couplings and cleaned the drains. Amazing how simple some stuff is when you know how to do it, and again there are those things that are hard no matter how many times you have done it!
  21. My first thought is something is not right when radiator not heating up but car too hot, seems like lack of flow to me. IMO dealership doesn't know as much as I do :-0 I have always used the heater as an emergency heat dump when my car overheated - LOL my daughter still talks about driving her Volvo (or SAAB) to college with the heater going! I did have a SAAB (different one) - flushed it and replaced coolant but ran hot, replaced radiator and that fixed it. Seemed like something had built up inside the radiator which caused it to not work as well. New radiator put everything right. Im still stuck on the part where the mechanic could read 253F and yet you could touch the radiator. How about the upper radiator hose? When they refilled the engine and radiator after replacing hoses and water pump did they bleed the system? I'm not familiar with the 2.5 engine but some are difficult to get air bubbles out of. My motorcycle is notorious for that and it has to be vacuum filled. It overheated at the end of a 5,500 mile trip. Took to dealer who said it had an air pocket at the top of the radiator and the engine was filled with water. It was fixed but I'm still trying to figure that one out - only one place has ever worked on that bike. In case you haven't figured it out I don't trust dealerships. EDIT: Rereading your post, when you say after a bit heat came out of heater. I think they have a valve which blocks flow thru it until heat is requested so it was probably full of cold antifreeze (or air if they didn't cycle valve during filling.
  22. Good news and good move on the hoses and gaskets. If not replaced guaranteed to have small leak in the most difficult to replace hose. Easy to access hoses never break!
  23. Nice! Before CV I did a lot of race photography but not any RallyCross. That looks like lots of fun. See you are running Nicky Haydens (last American to win a MotoGP championship) number.
  24. It's not perfect but generally a reliable engine if maintained with proper oil and oil change intervals. At 70,000 miles I would get the transmission fluid changed. I would want a very good price for the 2018. I started off looking at used TCs in mid 2017. Wound up buying a new 2016 with over $7,000 off as it was only $3,000 more than the nice used ones of the same vintage or a year older. I haven't looked recently but at that time there was not much difference in price between a 14, 15 or 16. 16's had higher prices usually because mileage was lower. Too bad you can't get the one from TC-stretch4044, looks like a nice one.
  25. I have a 2016 very similar. Sorry don't have the complete answer but dropping the headliner is tedious with lots of hidden clips and then there are the airbags. I did it on a 2008 VW Rabbit to redo the headliner. If I did it about 10 times would get good at it but just one time was a pain. I think some of the parts diagrams show the locations of the clips. When I first got the van really wanted to put stuff on top but then fixed my tiny trailer up and now haul stuff on that. I have a pair of crossbars that have never been installed but have the factory roof rails.
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