bikinchris

My van is a 2014. The 2014 Transit Connect van version apparently was supposed to be built with a socket in the right rear that allows you to connect cigarette lighter plugs for power.

It DOESN'T come from under the hood, so I don't believe the post where the dealer claims the recall was the reason for the fuel smell. I have a bulkhead in my van and the smell is from the back on fillup.

Yesterday, I got a letter from Ford stating that if my Transit Van didn't have a powerpoint installed in the rear, they would install if for free. I wonder if they will remove and reinstall the racks and tool boxes for free also?

I think little red wagon is a cool name. It would fit with my van: www.eaglewheel.us/workvan.htm

Ford in one article that the older Transit would not fit in some parking garages. The 2014 has a lower roof, but also a lower floor. Not as much headroom, but I couldn't stand in the older one anyway.

Today, I got another recall having to do with plastic panels that might not be glued correctly.

The turbo won't even spin up when starting the vehicle. Pull the coil wire and spin the starter to prime the pump. If it still bothers you, buy the parts and high pressure hoses to put a remote oil filter. I had a turbo mustang once and the oil filter was right between the exhaust manifold and exhaust pipe. I placed a remote filter on the side and it was actually fun to change the oil without getting burned.

Another point against the Promaster City is that it has 60-40 doors which may be nice, but the wide door is on the street side (in the US). If it opens to 180 degrees, it will stick out in narrow streets.

That's a different issue. I get that also. Seems to me, the van would not be very suitable if you were moving food in that cargo area.

You could look for a ladder rack. They are not very high priced. I am waiting for either Thule or Yakima to wake up and make an adapter to mount their rack on a TC. It's a piece that should take about an hour to engineer and cost a few cents to make.

I ordered two from the parts department at my local dealer. When they come in, I might order a few more. Mustang, If you go to www.fordparts.com you will find the part numbers and you can order them. type in your VIN number to go right to the correct section. Look in the body section for the "wedge" for the part needed.

Okay, I had to leave my van in the garage, since we were going out of town. Now that I am back, I got a chance to look at the door again. The problem was I opened the door and it wouldn't CLOSE. I saw something odd. The lower A device Ford calls a "wedge" came apart. It fits on the body of the van at the door jamb. It came out and was stuck on the part that fits on the door, which is cone shaped. I had no idea that part had so many pieces. It had springs and plates inside and that all got stuck to the part on the door. The part is very cheap, so when the dealer wanted me to leave my van with them to be inspected, I said no thanks. I ordered two of the item with the parts department and will change it myself.

Today, my drivers side sliding door failed. There is a spring loaded latch on the drivers side (nothing like it on the rh side!) that seems to have failed. Bad part is the door won't close. Now I have to tie it down and drive to the dealer to get them to order the part. On the online diagram, it looks like it is called a wedge. Bummer.

Yes, I get the smell. Once, I tried to top off the fuel and it started then. if I don't try to top it off, it is okay.

There probably should be a recall section where this goes. Had an oil change on my TC today and they inspected the fuel lines under the recall 14S24. Seems that some fuel lines under the hood might rub and if they are routed in a way they might rub, the dealer should reroute them. This is probably just a precaution. In the old days, they would just issue a service bulletin and ask people to have it looked at. With the current high profile recalls, they are being more careful.

I drove to Houston and back this weekend. I did a little experiment with fuel economy. I drove to Houston from Lafayette, LA with the cheapest gas I could find. 89 octane with part Ethanol. I got 29.5mpg with a slight crosswind from the North. On the way back, I bought 93 octane fuel and drove back. No difference to speak of. In fact, it was slightly lower fuel economy. So the Connect does not take advantage of higher quality fuel by changing timing. It might keep the injectors cleaner to pay more for fuel, but I see no reason to do so. Just put in a can if injector cleaner every once in a while.

Yes. In urban driving, I get about 20mpg. But I don't drive hard and don't break the speed limit and that certainly helps.

I have been doing about 28.5 mpg in my daily mixed driving.

The NAV system in my TC is fine, but if I am really driving and want a good NAV system, I plug in my GPS antenna to my laptop and use Delorme software. My navigator likes it just fine for driving strange roads where you don't want to get lost. I update it every other year or so and using a 17" screen to see where you want to go is much better than a phone screen.

A plug in XM radio is about $50.00 at Best Buy.

My fronts are 43 and rears are 46. I had them backwards in my head.

I would think that you would either have to buy an aftermarket radio or find all the factory parts needed to do the swap. It's about $52.00 at Best Buy to add satellite radio.

I stand corrected. I did have the pressures backwards and the back did have the higher pressure.

No, it's the right rear. it is supposed to be inflated to 43 pounds according to the door jamb sticker. The front is supposed to have 45, I think. So the tire pressure sensor needs to be corrected. next oil change, I will have them do it.

Today, I OVER inflated the tire to 45psi and the light went off.