Timbo

It would be nice to have a spare key I could stick in a key-safe somewhere under the van that would unlock the doors. That way I could hide my spare key / fob inside the vehicle, under the dash or in some other hidden / hard to find place. Is there a simple, flat, metal key I can get that only unlocks the doors? I'm pretty sure the ignition key has a chip in it, so a simple, flat key wouldn't be able to start the engine. It would, however, be easier to hide in a small, out-of-the-way place, like in a Hide-A-Key box, stuck to a frame-rail under the van. I'd rather not put the expensive, fob-equipped ignition key in the key-safe if at all possible.

Curious what people are using to clean their headliners in the TC... I've got some ugly, black stains, that might have a little oil in them from working on the car, but might just be dirt. Thing is, I'm reluctant to use soap and water because I fear there's something under the fabric surface of the headliner that might not react too well to getting wet. Fortunately the stains aren't terrible, so if I don't have any options it won't kill me. It would just be nice to clean it up a little. I'll see if I can get a photo or two up tomorrow. It's 4 o'clock in the morning here and I have to sleep.

I don't know... At first I thought it was all in my head, but now I'm sure it's accelerating better and quicker. And I didn't have anything done to the engine during my last service. Just the transmission flush.

Wait..... The newer TC still has a 4 cylinder engine?? I was misinformed!

Depends on where you buy your parts. In the last 8+/- months I've purchased a set of front door latches for just shy of $700, but I also bought a valve cover gasket from my local auto parts store for $21 (Ford dealer wanted $42). My brake rotors are $35 each from the auto parts store. So not too bad. Besides the latches, an issue not everyone has, I haven't had to spend much on my 2010.... And yes, you can take it anywhere you want. I really like my '10, but if someone were to ask me what year to buy, I'd definitely tell them to get the later generation with the V6. My 4 cylinder is a dog. The V6 gets much better fuel economy, or so I've read.

I know it's probably just my imagination, but it feels like it's shifting and accelerating better. It always feels good when you replace fluids in your car, esp. oils, even if in reality, there's no noticeable difference.

I just had my transmission fluid flushed today at a local shop. I far as I can tell, from what I could find in my service records, it hadn't been changed for 60,000 miles. It wasn't a cheap service ($315), but they did it in a way I could't have myself.. They ran the van on a dyno while putting it through various gears to make sure the 16 (18?) quarts of ATF made its way through the entire system.

Yep. I just shelled out another $335 for my second door latch. I'm not comfortable buying those Chinese knockoffs you see on eBay or random auto parts-houses. If it were a door, pin switch I were installing, sure, I'd order from whoever had the best price, but these front door latches are sufficiently complicated that I don't want to take any chances with cheap, no-name manufacturers. 1 hour of labor later, and everything is working fine. Let's hope it stays that way. ~

Hopefully parts prices aren't as insane on your side of the country as they are over here.

I'll be installing the new latch this weekend and will report back to let folks know if it fixed the problem or moved to another door switch.

OK, I just confirmed, based on my VIN, that my van does not have a fuel filter. There's a "sock" (filter), as they call it, attached to the fuel pump, inside the fuel tank. Now I'm thinking the part in the picture is a fuel pressure regulator. The electrical plug suggests that it would send a signal to the computer if the pressure dropped below a certain level.

My crappy little owners manual does specifically state that the van has a fuel filter, it just says to replace it at 90,000 miles. Problem is, when I call my local auto parts store, or even the Ford dealer, neither of them can find it in their systems. O'Rileys said it was "non-serviceable" and thought that it was in the tank (doesn't mean it's non-serviceable), and the dealer couldn't find any mention of it at all. It's likely the useless little manual that comes with the van, doesn't distinguish between diesel and gas models, and just covers everything that "might" have been installed in the vehicle from the factory. I did find this little object on the passenger side firewall, behind the foil heat shield. It has fuel lines attached to it, along with an electrical plug, but it seems far too small to be a fuel filter. I described the part to the dealer, but they didn't know what it was. It has the numbers PA66-GF33 stamped all over it. I called the dealer back with that part number, but it didn't help. When I called the dealer, I spoke with a different person, and they couldn't find it either, saying that maybe it was part of the fuel pump. Does anybody know what this part is?

I'm glad I found this thread. I couldn't find the oil change intervals in my owners manual and was going to change the oil/filter on my '10 TC today. Then I found my maintenance records and saw that my last oil change was only 4,000 miles ago. I'm glad I read the replies here before going outside and crawling under the van. Looks like I can wait another 3,500 miles.

Well, it's happened. The driver's side door, which has been giving me the same grief as the passenger door did since replacing that latch, has started unlocking itself now. I just ordered another $335 door latch from the Ford dealer. My local auto wreckers won't sell me just the latch. They want me to buy the entire door, and that's more expensive than a new latch. It would also result in my installing a used latch of questionable reliability. I hate to throw so much money at a problem that I don't really know the cause of, but at this point it seems like the next-best step before having a comprehensive diagnostic run ($140) to see if they can find the "real problem".. Does anyone know if there's a module for the doors, somewhere between the doors themselves and the main computer? If the new latch doesn't fix the problem, and I fear it might not, that would seem like the next place to look. ~

Yeah, is this thing running yet? I wish like hell that Ford would come out with a manual from the market, available in the US. Seems like Europe gets all the good stuff.

It's called Reflectix, and yes, you can find it at your local home improvement store. I picked it up at Home Depot. It's foil on both sides with bubble-wrap material in the middle. Very easy to cut into any shape you need. It's also very affordable. We don't get super cold temps in this part of California, so I don't have a lot of personal experience with cold weather insulation, but I have used it in very hot weather. It works great at keeping out the heat. The moment I pull it off the window, I feel the heat radiating off the glass that it was blocking. (If you look closely, or zoom in, you can see the little, white conduit clamps I use to support the curtain rods). (At the bottom of the picture you can see the hardwood trim I use to hang the kitchen counter / table between the rear doors).

And with a minimum of weight added. That was key for this wimpy and painfully underpowered little van.

Thanks! 40mm ---> https://www.americastire.com/buy-wheels/voxx-mga/p/77987 I'm still trying to figure out what to do about the extra lug bores. I'm hoping to find rubber or plastic caps, but I haven't completely ruled out just painting them black.

A friend bought a house in Pebble Beach recently, I hauled pretty much all the furniture that went into it. So yeah, being able to remove the interior was a consideration for me too. I thought about using aluminum for the table supports, but getting it would have required driving several miles further than the Home Depot, where I was buying the table top material from anyway. (It was a much shorter trip from the plywood to the trim department). The kitchen counter / table weighs nothing at all, but supports anything I place on it....... which is typically food and my stove. I'm not going to try sitting on it, though. =/

I wish we could get them with manual transmissions here.

That's pretty cool! They look great! It's too bad Ford discontinued the design. I've never seen a TC with those caps before, and I can't even find them in a search. Maybe the pre-2010's weren't being sold on the west coast.

Oh those. They look great. I considered that look, with the addition of trim rings, but my wheels didn't have the little tabs the cap hooks to. Someone said you can get center caps that attach to the lug nuts. When you said "original" I thought you meant stock. (where's the dunce smilie?)

What caps did you lose? Not these? https://www.amazon.com/Hubcap-Transit-Connect-Wheel-Cover/dp/B014I98LB8/ref=sr_1_3/137-6203258-9253013?ie=UTF8&qid=1517763452&sr=8-3&keywords=ford+transit+connect+hubcaps *

A quick Google search suggests that they did.

Thanks, I went the minimalist route because eventually, if Chevy ever comes out with their promised, full-sized Express high-top, I plan to upgrade to a larger space. By not making the mods TC-specific, I can more easily move them to whatever vehicle / platform I like. I was against the idea of cabinets, shelving and modular kitchen slide-outs, because they tend to add a lot of unwanted weight, and the puny engine can't handle it without a huge loss of MPG. Imo, once the fuel economy drops down into the 16 - 19 MPG range, I might as well just buy a full sized van. If I'm going only going to get 19 MPG, I want power! Speaking of better fuel economy... I went with a narrower, lighter, bed because, 1) I camp alone, and 2) I wanted room to swing my legs off the bunk and onto the floor so I could more easily get dressed and eat at my table. Every time I see a huge, plywood-framed bed that takes up 100% of the usable interior, I wonder how they stand it. The shower holds 6 gallons, but in truth, much like the leaf on the bed, I rarely use it. I have a low volume shower head, so it lasts quite a while. Still, you're taking "Navy Showers", not long, lavish baths while whistling a tune; not a care in the world. Ultimately I want to attach a 12V compressor with a pressure regulator on it so I can better control it. Right now I use a compact bicycle tire pump, and while very quiet, it's somewhat less than perfectly suited for the job. If I had a little more height on the garage door, I'd get the "Road Shower" with its aluminum body ($300 - $400, depending on capacity). It's much more efficient at heating water than ABS, and it won't explode if you put too much air in it, like mine will. My shower was really just an experiment to see if I could make something decent. It's OK, but besides blowing up in my face, I worry about the pipe glue (dope) leaching into the stagnant water in the tube. I don't drink or clean dishes with the water in the shower. I've also read that ABS pipe, which is designed for sewage, not drinking water like PVC is, has a tendency to insulate the water from outside heat, even though it's black (it's usually buried). Still, it's what most people use when they build their own systems. PVC tends to crack if left in the sun. Then it becomes a real danger to its users. I completely forgot to look at Lowe's / Home Depot / OSH today for those black, rubber plugs. *