windguy

Fun fishing videos, thanks for sharing. I'm waiting for the one that shows the tail fin sticking out the back of the van where you can't close the barn doors. The one where you declare as you're reeling it in "we're going to need a bigger van"

That looks very nice Don - great job, worth the long wait. I think the reflectors look better on the wagon model with the painted bumpers, side molding, door handles. There isn't black molding to compliment the black trim piece. On my XLT van, I have black in those areas and I'm on the fence towards my preference for changing that.

Understand. But wouldn't it also be prudent to search for a solution at the same time on other forums. I doubt anything with the BBB or other agencies are going to move very fast and might not give you the results you're looking for unless you want to try to lemon law the van back to Ford, if that qualifies. Go back to the dealer and raise hell. Arrange a meeting with the service manager or general manager of the dealership and don't leave their office until they get on the phone and call up their district Ford reps and run this issue up the ladder.

@timbo - The keypad is great. I use it all the time because I surf and windsurf in the ocean and don't want to stash my fob or carry it in a waterproof pouch. If I lose my fob for some reason, I always have a way to get inside the van where I have a spare key stashed. As you can see from the pic below, I mounted mine on the rear door because that's what I mostly use for getting gear in/out and the location is most accessible. You first program the keypad like a normal keyfob and then mount it anywhere with adhesive. Don't think it will come off on it's own. Battery is supposed to last 5+ years, I think. There is another thread about setting up the keypad (see link below). Very easy process. http://fordtransitconnectforum.com/topic/2991-keyless-entry-keypad/?tab=comments#comment-8793

I tried to get a 'dumb key' after I got the van but had no luck locally. The dealer said they could order the key blank but didn't have the laser machine to cut it and said the cost is very expensive and the tooling doesn't last very long, adding to the expense. They said they use another car dealer (?Mazda) that had the machine to make the keys. The whole process seems ludicrous for a simple key. I ended up adding a keypad, which I was going to do anyway. So between that and the extra fobs I had ordered with the van it was good enough.

Sorry to hear you're getting the run-around. Contacting someone at Ford yourself seems impossible, unfortunately. One option is to go back to your dealer and hold the service manager hostage until you get results, but that might have some repercussions. I have another idea that won't result in incarceration. Since your 1.6L EcoBoost engine is used in other vehicles, per the recall, perhaps you can seek help that way. Assuming that others are in the same position as you when their IPC was reprogammed. The EcoBoost may not be as popular on this TC forum for that production time span, but maybe there's a Fusion forum that you can search for where others have been working this issue. Also check for forums for the Escape and Fiesta St. Something has to turn up and perhaps you can catch the eye of someone that works at Ford engineering that frequents other forum. Per the Recall Notice: Certain 2013-2014 Fusion, 2013-2015 Transit Connect, 2014 Escape, and 2014-2015 Fiesta ST Vehicles Equipped with a 1.6L EcoBoost Engine

Thanks Don for finding that out. Appreciate the help. I do remember reading that and I tried the button but was rushed in my attempt. I'll give it another try and go direct to the light this time. I'll report back on my results.

@camber - Welcome to the forum and congrats on your TC. Did you just get it? We'd all love to see pics of your van and to hear about how your use it. Thanks!

@Mike Chell - another great video. Thanks for sharing. I have great admiration for your ability to figure out how to adapt your van to your specific needs and then get the job done. Job well done! After seeing what you did with the carpeting, you inspired me to carpet the rear wheel wells rather than seeing the painted body. I'm not mad at you for making more work for me but perhaps my wife might be cause I'm spending more time working on the van instead of doing house chores Have fun fishing and I will miss your mods videos. Perhaps a few of your fishing escapades will help. Enjoy!

@boondockinDave - Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new van. We love to see pics of new vans all nice and shiny! There are numerous write-ups here on this forum for most of the mods you want to do. Someone else installed a fan and provided some nice pics of that install. Use the search tool to locate. Please keep us posted.

Getting back to battery jump starters, I got the GB40 and it looks like a decent unit. Well packaged and the actual brick isn't too big. The cables seem beefy enough. I'm a bit confused about the 12V output port though. I also got an EC5 to cig adapter socket (link below) with the intent of being able to using the battery pack to run a tire inflator or other 12v devices remotely. I thought the EC5 connector was a standard on these jump starters. I was wrong. The adapter doesn't mate with the GB40. Anyone know what type of connector that is? https://www.amazon.com/LOTUS-POWER-Cigarette-Lighter-Adaptor/dp/B019IFHLAE Second question is can you even connect a 12V load, other than a battery, to this jump starter? I tried to connect a new LED light to test the intensity using the jump cables and it didn't work. Maybe I was doing something wrong or this jump starter has some sensing technology that prevents you from doing something like that. I had some other wiring between the LED and the jump starter so that could have been the problem. Didn't try it direct yet but scratching my head. Thanks!

@gwbasley - Great pic! Thanks for sharing. Enjoy your new van.

George - Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new to you TC. We'd all love to see pics of your new van. Wagon or Cargo model? There are a few other musicians on this forum. One posted recently but can't remember who it was. The load height on the TC is great. Also for sitting on the back tailgating or in my case changing into a wetsuit. Sure beats scrambling up on a pick-up tailgate. Enjoy!

Thanks Fifty150 - that's a good testimonial for Noco products. I decided to order a Noco GB40 with 1,000 amps, bumping up from the the GB20 with 400 amps, so I have extra power just in case. $100 at Amazon. PDF Spec sheet attached. I'll pick up a second one for my wife's car if this first one works out okay. The Noco GB40 does not come with a wall charger, only uses USB or 12VDC from the car battery. At first I really wanted to have a wall charger, but maybe that's just another part to fail, so I'm okay with using my phone's wall to USB adapter instead and a USB cable. Supposed to charge the battery pack in 2-4 hours with the Samsung charger. I'll report back after I get the unit. Appreciate everyone's input! Noco Genius GB40.pdf

Thanks GBL - appreciate your sage advise, as always.

@mike - great video, thanks for sharing. You're making good progress. What's next?

@fifty150 - thanks for all the info. Very helpful. Both car and van are 4-cylinder vehicles so I don't think I need a super heavy duty starter. A light-duty model should do the job. The Jump-N-Carry starters from Clore Industries look like decent products. They caught my eye earlier when searching around. I think the JNC311 model (500amp) will be robust enough for my needs. It's still beefier in size compared to smaller foot print models like the DBPower 600A starter but closer to the Noco Genius Boost line (400amp). Also has longer cables at 17" compared to 4-6" for the other models. Noco has 14" cables. Regarding questionable reviews on Amazon, when I can remember, I'll go to Fakespot.com to sniff out product reviews on Amazon. A few starter models got F grades, but most got B grades and a few got A grades, like the Jump-N-Carry and Noco Genius Boost models. Fakespot also shows you how many reviews were deleted by Amazon, which is very interesting in how they manipulate the perception of the product. Thanks!

Thanks Jiquay, good to know. My van use is in pretty mild climates. No sub freezing temps.

Anyone have a favorite battery jump starter they like? I have no experience in using something like this so I'm buying one blind. I'd like to get one for each car in case of a dead battery, more so if I'm in a remote location away from AAA type service or don't want to wait around for them for just a jumpstart. For the van it would be convenient to have a portable 12v source. I like the concept of having this available but at the same time it's got to work when I need it. I checked Amazon's offerings and it seems the Antigravity models (AG-XP-10 is $180) are pitched as being one of the original sources of these. Others are knock-offs and much less expensive, less than half that amount. None of them got stellar reviews. Battery cable clamp failures seem to be a common fault or just not working at all. The DBPower 600A model at $70 seems okay. Nice and compact. There are a bunch of other ones at the $70 price point with similar specs and ratings. Another poster recently showed a pic of a Noco Genius Boost GB40 and that's $100 and about twice the depth and weight of the DBPower model with a higher amp rating at 1,000 vs 600-800. Thanks!

Thanks Don. I searched on your part number and it's hard to find. The adhesive on the rear door plastic covers is clear and it seems very similar to some two sided tape I've worked with recently. High-tack but removable.

Thanks Guys! Appreciate the quick replies and advice. I'll let you know how it works out.

My sound proofing project is coming along nicely. So far the cargo area roof is done and the cargo floor area from behind the front seats to the back doors. Also added a little bit to the rear side panel as I had a small amount of 80mil Noico material left. The rest will be done with the remaining 50mil Kilmat. The van seems to be riding much quieter, or at least now I can hear where the noise is coming from where before it was just a big box of noise. I'm hoping once the doors are done it will reduce more road noise. I need a consult on how to sound proof the sliding doors. I thought they would be open like the rears doors, which had a plastic material glued on 3 of the 4 openings. Those plastic panels peeled off easily leaving some residue on the door. But when I removed the masonite panels for the sliders, there is a light foam cover on the major opening and it appears to have a pretty strong black adhesive/sealant around the edges. See the pic below. Should I take that off to gain access to the door skin to sound proof? I don't think this can be removed cleanly like the rear panels because the material seems like it would ripe very easily and the heavy duty sealant/adhesive used. I also don't think the foam material is doing a lot in terms of sound proofing but I could be wrong. It's a large surface area that maybe adding a lot of road noise. For the rear doors, I plan to use the 50mil butyl material and the second layer of 150mil foam pad cover. I also had a thought of making a few insulation bags using regular wall fiberglass insulation and stuffing it in a ziplock gallon size plastic bag like a small pillow and fitting that in the cavity to add extra sound proofing. I wouldn't add the insulation by itself due to moisture concerns. Any thoughts on doing something like that? Lastly, I'd like to put the rear door plastic covers back when I'm done to help keep it waterproof. I would need to apply some type of brush on adhesive. Any suggestions on an adhesive for that? The only adhesive I can think of is something like Weldon's contact cement. Thanks for the help!

You're getting close. You can almost smell the new car smell. I have the same configuration for my 2015. What color is yours? I thought the port of entry used to be in Maryland. Perhaps Ford moved operations to the port of Newark instead. I would image that there is some added delay in grouping the vehicles for rail transportation to regional hubs. For my order, it took exactly two months from the time it shipped from Spain until it arrived at the local dispatch in Los Angeles. Total wait from order to delivery was six months. It's worth the wait. Good luck!

That looks like the tow or recovery hook. My Gen 2 didn't come with one so I bought it from Ford parts. Your Gen 1 may be different. See the two threads linked below for more info: http://fordtransitconnectforum.com/topic/3188-towing-the-transit-connect/?tab=comments#comment-10317 http://fordtransitconnectforum.com/topic/5785-recoverytow-hook/?tab=comments#comment-17215

Your memory is better than mine. Please post some pics of your mods when you get a chance. Would love to see them. Do you recline the driver's seat or passenger? I tried my driver's seat today when I was working on the flooring and partition and the driver's seat never touches the partition when it's reclined to the max. Didn't think to try the passenger side so was curious which one you recline. It's great the partition is a modular design so you can chose with pieces to leave in or take out. I removed all the pieces today to do some sound proofing on the open floor area. I need to pick up the pace to keep up with Mike's work.