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I was wrong about the RPMs. The specs are for the alternator RPM. Sorry for the bad info. Here's the specs for a 2016 TC.

Gotcha. When your original post was talking about fishing a wire through I was imagining fishing it through the engine bay in to the passenger area - not the other way around. Thank you! One thing I am still wondering is do I need to worry about creating a strong seal to prevent any exhaust from leaking in the hole - or can I just put the wire through and put the little grommet back in over the wire (if it will still go back in with the wire coming through the hole...)? I imagine any fumes would be negligible unless there is something wrong with the vehicle anyways. edit: I actually found this too btw (https://pictures.dealer.com/kellehermotorfordfd/c4bdd3dc0a0e09a7404529c2fe6ee796.pdf) for the 2020 2.0 Connect and this one for the 2022 Connect (https://madocumentupload.marketingassociates.com/api/Document/GetFile?v1=6671194&v2=010722113631&v3=60&v4=7176044e62d5a0d44a8cee39cebd1f3c8ba1854618631307f2a6f82e&v5=False), it has a power curve for the 150a alternator, assuming the part is the same as my 2016 ... My understanding is to get the amps output by the alternator you multiply your engine RPM by the pulley ratio (2.69) - which should mean the alternator produces roughly 100 amps at idle since it should be spinning at around 2000 rpm (my idle is 750 rpm). Could totally be wrong though - my mechanical knowledge is limited to finding info on the internet lol.

Thanks! I found the knock-out described in your original post but where is the hole when I'm looking in the engine bay? From the looks of the location from the interior ... seems to be under / behind the battery? Trying to install this to help keep my battery bank topped up. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q5VYPCF

That's engine RPM. *** Edit: this is wrong. The specs are for the alternator RPM.*** Idle is around 700 RPM so the alternator output will be much less than 88amps.

Hey Don, I noticed you mentioned the alternator produces 88 amps at 1800 rpm. Is that referring to the alternator RPM or engine RPM & is that the alternator RPM when you are idling the engine? PS: Thanks for the informative post.

On my van I am wanting to install some led strobe lights, I was having a horrible time to find an access point, until I read this thread. On my 2013 TC XLT the access hole under the dash is covered with just a piece of tape, Hmmm. But when I peeled it back to investigate it, i see 2 oval holes, no rubber plugs. Would anyone happen to know what the ford part number would be for these plugs ? And also..under the hood, I'd have never have found that access hole, it's practically behind the fuse box. I spent almost 45 min under the van looking for an access, Almost got stuck getting all jammed up in there trying to find a spot. seems they are making it to where it is almost impossible to put anything thru the firewall.. Also with my 2013, what so called Generation is mine ? I see a lot about gen 1,2,3 etc. Thanks..

A lot of Transit Connect delivery vans in my area use a rooftop mounted refrigeration unit.

Thanks for the offer. Those are a bit different from the OEM Ford ones because the tie strap can be replaced on those whereas the Ford ones cannot - Once you cut them, they're junk I'll look around on eBay and see if I can find me a package of them to have on hand - Gotta be cheaper than buying them from Ford!! Don

If these look like what you mean, and the post size is about right, I can hook you up with a couple free. I have leftovers from when I did my project. But I did have to find the right size existing holes in the bodywork to use. IIRC I got them on eBay because I'm not seeing them in my Amazon history.

Sorry, I forgot I ordered some special cable ties. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M07A8CN/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011LYJXXS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 The ones with the cable tie attached come from China so delivery takes a while. The other ones are Amazon Prime and should work.

A couple observations after completing this. Don mentioned that "You will have to cut some cable ties holding the cable on the front of the BJB." I cut them too, but I think if I was going to do it again, I would just pry those three ties out and not cut them. They are special cable ties which mount in a hole and I'll have to source some replacements for them - Likely from Ford. I can't imagine that when a Ford dealer replaces a battery (you would need to remove them for that too) that they're cutting and replacing these . . . . maybe they are, but if you just pull them out of the hole, you can just put them back when you're finished I needed a big #4 wire for my inverter install in the rear of the van - The cable is more than 15 feet long. If I was installing amps or radios, especially if they're in the front of the van, I would use a smaller wire. Certainly a #6 would suffice, but probably a #8 would be large enough to support 30 or 40 amps if the wire was only 6 or 8 feet long. Getting a #4 wire in the BJB isn't a simple thing and it would be oh so much easier if it was a #6 or a #8 Don

The video posted by rectalogic (forum member) yesterday on another thread, shows the mechanic using a battery tender to avoid losing data and memories.

Since I already had the battery out, and since it's already 3+ years old, and since it's so doggone difficult to get at . . . . and since I'm hooking up a high current load which will need to run off the battery when I stop for gas or to eat lunch, it only made sense to replace it with something better. Ford has chosen to use 'Ford sized' batteries in all their newer vehicles which I suspect was done to try and enhance battery sales at the dealerships. Our battery is a 'BXT-96R' which doesn't seem to exist anywhere but from Ford - Granted, you can buy a few 'equivalent' size replacements elsewhere Anyway, I wanted a higher capacity battery and I wanted an AGM, so after a good bit of research I settled on a Duracell Group 48 (H6) AGM from Sam's Club - $159.99. It has a 20 amp hour rate of 70 (3.5 amp draw for 20 hours) and much better specs than the OEM battery and it's made in the USA. 3 year free replacement and a 5 year pro-rated warranty Battery Electrolyte Composition: Glass Mat Battery End Type: Top Post BCI Group Size:48 CA at 32 degrees F:875 CCA at 0 degrees F:760 Polarity: Right Positive Reserve Capacity:120 The BXT-96R has only 500 cold cranking amps It's *almost* a drop in replacement for our OEM battery. It's about 1/2 inch taller, but fits in the battery box OK and you can even use the OEM hold down clamp if you remove the rear battery box spacer so the battery can slide back just a little to center the battery on the hold down studs. Then the clamp fits OK if you raise (or remove) the lifting handles that come on the battery - They fold back down after the clamp is installed, so you don't have to remove them If you intend to run high current accessories for even a short time with the engine not running, an upgrade to a better battery is probably a smart move . . . . especially if your current battery is 3 or 4 years old Don

Yes, on the TC the negative battery cable is only about 6 inches long. It runs from the battery to the nearest point on the chassis and bonds there. There is no negative cable from the battery to the engine block, or from the battery to any other high load application. Every negative in the car is a short cable direct to the unibody chassis . . . . and there are literally hundreds of them - Negative connections take up several pages in the car's book of wiring diagrams I've already scoped out the place near the jack where I'll bond the negative for my inverter Don

dbv, The chassis is a proper ground, especially in a newer vehicle. A separate ground wire only increases the voltage drop. You also don't want to fuse the negative or ground leg. The + fuse at the battery protects all the wiring and it could be a problem if the ground leg opens while the + is hot. In high voltage applications this would be dangerous. Here it may only cause you to touch 12V.

When you ran that cable to the back for power, did you run a ground return with it? I've seen problems with vehicles that have rear heat/cooling where corrosion was caused apparently by residual current in the fluids. I hear you on the battery installation. A friend has a car where you have to remove a frame member to get the battery out. That car always draws blood for any service. I don't anticipate going that far, I'm still trying to find the right place for the control heads, but it's likely my radios will live under the front seats. I always run power and ground though, and I fuse both. I set the fuses appropriate to the load, and the wire well beyond, so that there's no possibility of fire if something goes wrong.

A small note for clarifaction - Don's last photo (of the firewall knockout) is taken from inside the car, looking up and to the left of the brake pedal and not from under the hood like the other photos. If you drill your hole in the plastic knockout in the lower left corner (looking under the dash facing forward) the cable will be routed alongside the battery box when you put it back in. I cut an 'X' hole in the padding removed from the inside and routed the cable through it so that sound insulation could be put back over the knockout I armored my cable under the hood with 3/8ths protective wire wrap, Item # 66987 from Harbor Freight, $2.99 - It's a perfect fit for a single #4 cable. I tied the cable doown with cable ties so it can't move and rub against anything A note for the not so capable DIY'ers - When your Gen 2 battery dies, buy the new battery from someone who offers 'Free Installation' . . . . if you watch them install it, you'll surely thank me after Don

Yes, as it turns out, there is! - And it doesn't take 3 or 4 hours I managed to do it without removing anything. I pulled up the lower portion of the rubber door seal around the drivers side sliding door and looking in the crack, I could see the light above the jack storage compartment - I found a straight shot back to the jack compartment without removing any of the panels. It looked like there would be enough room to tuck the #4 cable under the bottom plastic threshold below the door without removing it, so I gave it a try I poked my cable back into the jack compartment and began working my way forward, tucking the cable under the plastic threshold and replacing the rubber door jamb seal as I went. I removed the lower part of the door jamb seal from the drivers door and pushed a fish wire between the drivers door and the sliding door, taped my #4 to the fish wire and pulled the cable around the door post into the threshold of the drivers door - Buttoned up the door seal on the rear door Repeated this same procedure, tucking the cable under the threshold of the drivers door and replacing the seal. Found an easy exit for the cable just above the hood release lever and pulled the cable out there. It's just above the kick panel, right behind the OBD jack under the dash. So, I got a #4 power wire from the drivers kick panel area to the rear jack compartment in the back in about 20 minutes. The cable is tucked in tight everywhere, so there should be no rattles It truly was 'quick and simple!' - Now all that remains is getting it through the firewall and into the engine compartment where I will hook it to my 80 amp fuse. I found the fuse and in-line fuse holder on eBay for $7 Don

Thanks! - Man, that's some expensive conduit. I bought a 25' coil of super flexible red #4 Stereo power cable on eBay for $15 with free shipping. Don't you hate it when the plastic tube to protect your expensive cable costs more than the cable itself? Don

Routing #4 cable to the back in your wagon will take 3-4 hours but it is not too difficult. 1 remove the rear side panel. Start at the jack storage opening. Take your time on each clip.The "pillars" on top snap onto the main panel.... Carefully disconnect these. This process takes patience and some strong fingers. 2 Remove the bottom threshold on the side door. 3 Fish/pull the cable through the rear passenger foot well under the carpet. You could run the cable in flex, plastic conduit on top of the carpet. Look at the light blue plastic conduit at Home Depot. http://m.homedepot.com/p/Carlon-1-in-x-25-ft-ENT-Coil-Blue-12008-025/202688856

Don, Is there a 'quick and easy' way to get a 4 gauge wire from the BJB to the back of the van? I would like to install an inverter in the opening panel at the rear on the drivers side. I'm thinking a 750 watt inverter, though I would likely never draw more than 300 to 400 watts from it. A 4 gauge wire with a 60 amp fuse for the positive should be all I'd need - I can ground the negative lead of the inverter to the chassis near the inverter Don

I forget to add that I wrapped the cable with Tesa wire loom tape. This stuff is strong and helps pull the cable under and through things. Tesa's Most Advanced High Heat Harness Tape 51036 Mercedes, BMW, Audi, VW https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I2MLN2Q/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_zWL5yb4JATNJH I found it cheaper on eBay.

Don, Terrific posting!