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I have picked my configuration and will be ordering a fully equipped LWB Custom Sport soon. Not decided over the color yet.

2018 Ford Transit Connect XLT Wagon LWB Let me start by saying that it does appear that I have fixed this problem now and detail for anyone in the future who has these same symptoms what my fix was. The Symptoms: --It was still during the summer and I had the a/c running on max. I got out to deliver a package and it was fine. When I got back about 30 seconds later I noticed the fan didn't seem to be blowing as hard but I didn't think too much of it and thought I was maybe a bit crazy. Several minutes later on my way to my next stop I noticed that I wasn't crazy because the fan speed slowed down drastically. I turned the control to off. I left it off until after I left my next stop when I turned it back on. It was now blowing at full speed again. Several minutes go by and it starts slowing down again. So I turn it back off. I wait a few more minutes and turn it back on, this time only onto the number 3 position. It then works fine the rest of the day without slowing down in this position (probably 4 - 5 more hours of running). Next day when I turned it on, it didn't last long at all before the speed dwindled to nothing. It remained in a state where I could turn it on and get a minute or two of air before it would die out. Then eventually it stopped working altogether. Then about a month after that I turned it on to demonstrate to someone the problem and it actually came on but again only ran for a few minutes and died out. Fixing it: -- I knew that the problem was likely either the blower motor resistor or the motor itself. So I ordered both parts from Advance Auto. And yes I did use a Carquest Premium blower motor and was able to re-install it even though I had heard or read (can't remember which) from somewhere else that this fix "requires" the Motorcraft blower motor. I got a friend to help me and we watched a youtube video which I will link at the bottom of this post. We first tried to change just the blower motor resistor since we thought that was the "easier" item to change. Here's the thing though, it is absolutely not an easy part to change at all. After 6 hours (Yes 6 actual hours of two men working) we finally got the resistor changed. And we still could not get the screw that holds it in place back in. We barely managed to get that screw taken out. So now my resistor is held in place with some 3m duct tape instead. Then we tested it. And the problem persisted. So the next thing to do which I didn't start for another month or so was the process of changing the blower motor. Let me tell you, it isn't a quick or easy process. Now, my van has a right hand drive aftermarket conversion on it for my job. So I had extra work that you likely won't have unless you're in the same profession as me. I had to remove the passenger seat (driver seat is already gone for me). Remove my right hand drive kit. Then to gain some extra working space I removed the top piece in the center of the dash so I could take the radio out. I then took the next trim piece out and then popped popped the shroud around the gear shift up so I could take the next trim piece off and finally the center console area trim panel out. Then I had to drop the BCM/fuse panel off of its mount on the passenger side (you will probably have to remove your glove box first. The PDF at the bottom might help you some too. Then I used a mini ratchet (may call it a stubby ratchet) and a long Torx T25 bit with a long extension and a endoscope/boroscope/whateveryoucallitscope to see what I was doing to get on the 3 screws around what I will call the cage around the blower motor. Once you get it out from under the driver side you will have to unplug the motor. And then you will need 2 people for sure for the next part. One person has to hold the unlocking tab from the driver side and the other person has to twist the blower motor itself clockwise 45 degrees from the passenger side. Then the blower motor will extract through the passenger side. Now for the replacement I remember hearing that because you need to be able to grab the motor you must use a Motorcraft replacement because the aftermarket ones don't have big enough holes in the fan to be able to hold on to it. But what you can do like with the Carquest Premium blower motor is take a small screwdriver and gently pry the locking tab off the end of the motor shaft. Then slide the fan blades off the shaft. Now re-mount the blower motor. Then slide the blades back onto the shaft noting that it is keyed to only let the blade slide on a certain way. Then press the locking tab back onto the shaft. Then basically reverse engineer what you did when taking it apart to put it back together. Now the way I got those screws back into those hard to reach areas was with using the scope to see and then dipping my T25 bit in some RTV silicone and then pressing the bit into the screw. Anything tacky or goopy like that should help hold the screw onto the bit without so that you can actually get it into those holes without it falling off the bit a million times. Conclusion: -- I now have my vehicle back together and it seems to be working correctly again. I have had it blowing for about 10 minutes without any sign of it slowing down and I hope it continues to work right. I believe the problem is that the brushes in the factory blower motor are cheap crap and burned up. I would rate this at least a 6-7/10 on the difficulty scale job. It requires a lot of time, a lot of patience, and a lot of painful contortionist movements to fix. I don't know what it would have cost me to have my mechanic do for me but I would guess he would have charged over $1000 for this job that cost me about $200 in parts. If you are reading this then I hope my write up has helped you because information on this particular problem seems quite sparse for these 2nd generation Transit Connects. I found plenty of videos detailing the change on the 1st gen models which seems like it was much easier to do. The video I mentioned several paragraphs ago blower moter removal.pdf

No idea why the axle gets replaced too. Listed on the receipt as a CV joint/axle. I peered underneath, looks like a new left axle. Shop was able to get CarMax to pay for that part of the repair, so I'm all good. Guessing it's possible an improper shape/profile of the axle at the sealing point could be the issue that causes the failure? In which case replacing just the seal would not be a sufficient long-term repair. The full synthetic fluid is very nice. Down in the 30s here this morning, shifting was still silky smooth. Will be interesting to see how well it works in Jan/Feb here, which can get down to -20.

Thank you new battery and no problems. Regards

i have replaced the suspension parts: tie rods, control arms and wheel bearings twice. ive done the brakes once, but ive had a problem with the rear driver side drum adjuster wheel 3 times. seems it dont adjust then falls down to rattle and wear. 1st time no lube, 2nd time antiseize, 3rd time moly on threads. it think this is the cure. ive done the coolants hoses {all} with genuine motorcraft. and changed spark plugs twice. valve cover gasket once. about 10k ago did the cv joints. oil every 10k w/penzoil ultra5w20. transmission with valvoline LV; fluid 25k & filter 50k. it has worked well for me as a delivery van. still have not found a location for my diesel heater that the vent wont be damaged by my doggie laying on it.

Just did mine with the excellent @AdanA method. That nut is called a teenut, most hardware stores should have them in the fastener area. You want the version without teeth (the toothed ones are intended for wood!) Very simple to implement, and almost looks as if the van came that way. This solves the annoying floppiness. Keeps it in position no matter if it's open or closed.

Tl;dr this alternative mod is working really great so far. The visors snap all the way up. Hi! My 2019 van’s visors have been floppy since I began using it (6k miles at that point, 40k now). They’ve gotten progressively worse to the point that, if I were to lurch forward in a crash, they could scalp me. I’m very tall. 🤷‍♂️ I studied these magnet- related posts - thanks! - but in the end decided the spring mechanism itself is maybe ok (it’s still very torquey, tough to actuate by hand once you disassemble the thing from the car) it’s just the structure that was trying to hold it in place that was inadequate. I think it’s some kind of sandwich attempting to squeeze on either side of the mechanism, but which is easily popped apart by typical road conditions. I decided to try to squeeze that sandwich back together and see how it worked. It’s very easy to take the assembly off the car, T20 is the size bit or wrench needed. This would be annoying to try to do in place. Here’s the hardware I used. I have it on hand because of a product my little company makes. Half of it is a binding bolt, female end, the other is an off the shelf button head screw and washer. There’s room for improvisation here. There’s adequate space above the closed visor for a nut (or lock nut if you want to be vibration wary). You’ll want it to be about 5/8” when cinched up but it’s best if you can get the parts to engage at 3/4”. I’m sorry I didn’t take measurements while I was doing it. Another important note: I did find a _wrong_ place to put these fasteners. I thought I was going to put two sets up there, you can see the marks on the blue masking tape. But the holes I tried to drill that were 9 inches from the mounting end wouldn’t go through easily. I think there were steel components there (Spring steel for the mechanism?), while in the other location I was just drilling aluminum & plastic. It seems to be working great with just the one set though. Also, possibly helpful: I started with a 1/16” bit and drilled through with masking tape on both sides in order to know where my holes were going to meet up. But then I used a razor knife to cut the vinyl on both sides before drilling with the larger diameter drillbit (0.206 for my fasteners, YMMV). I was worried about the vinyl twisting and making a mess. And then on a subsequent hole, I decided I was being overcautious. I tried drilling the vinyl, and it twisted and made a mess! Another random note: if you can have a strong shop vac pulling right where you’re drilling it might help reduce debris. It gets trapped under the vinyl. I didn’t use vacuum and there is debris sort of showing lumps from inside the vinyl. But it’s not bad and it’s not as disfiguring as the droopy visors. It really does seem to be working well, feels solid and they snap right up quite firmly. I need to go back and put some Loctite on my fasteners. Let me know if you have questions. I’ll keep you all posted if it stops behaving well.

A secure, yet easily reversible way to mount any GPS in your 2014, 15, 16 (17?) TC 4 pieces required. A RAM cradle to fit your particular GPS, a 1" ball mount adapter for the cradle, a round 1" ball mount adapter to bolt to the dash and a 2 1/2" double ball connector If you use 4-40 screws, nuts and washers, you can bolt the round 1" ball to the removable dash cover without drilling any holes, which means you can remove it later with no damage to the dash Don