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If your hitch shop has the right person the receiver tube could be cut off and put back up flush with the bumper with new gussets! It would take somewhere between one and two hours.

The oem hitch hangs from the upper support and the shape of the gussets won't allow the receiver tube to be moved further under the car. The Curt hitch has the receiver tube between the support tube halfs making it easier to adjust the stick out The hitch you checked out was the correct one and fits perfectly.

If the Pictures posted are not good enough I will get more this weekend when I get back home this week end.

If you go back in this post there are pictures of the Curt hitch on my Tc check them out

Should you decide to remove the hitch part the Curt after market hitch will mount to you Tc In less than 1 hour and as my pictures show, does not stick out from the bumper The Spare drops nicely with the hitch in place. The only test I have yet to do is to see if the Tc would clear the spare with a flat tire in the rear. The Curt hitch is 151 and change from Etrailer. This option would Protect your legs, keep your recovery tow options open and allow you to tow a trailer if that ever became necessary. Win,Win,Win

The Price at fordparts.com was 285.00, More than the hitch! At that cost you could cut the Receiver off and get an aftermarket Curt hitch when you need a tow option. Installing my hitch took less than 1 hour. Keep the updates coming.

If you look at the parts picture of the Hitch assembly there are parts that stick quite far forward . It they are not inside the tubes it would be easy . If they are inside the frame boxes then getting it out would be much harder. The other question is how much is the bumper support? Depending on the price there is another option. Do you know any Good Welders?

Here are the photos of the Step that I use to access the back of the van I put rubber treads on both the step and the bumper cover

If the problem Is wide spread then they will be able to duplicate it, If not yours will have to be the test case. The piece that is circled in red is a different part for the Van and I think it stops the air going to the rear on the Vans If they used the one for the wagon or the piece is not installed right then the air goes into the Console

Nice Pictures windguy, The Oem Hitch is about 1/2 of an inch Higher than the Curt hitch .The tire lowers buy My hitch very nicely. I am going to lower the tire to the ground and see if the Tc will have to be Jacked up to get the tire out from under in the case of a flat. Good to Know before it becomes a situation. The pictures confirm that your hitch replaces the bumper support so the removal would require part 40338. That would make it not as easy as I hoped. I have made a Rear step that rides in the receiver that I use when I Stand on the bumper to get things out of the back I will post a Picture tomorrow when I have light It might be a solution for you.

I think you are on the right track. I would like to see what that connector piece looks like for the van it has to be a air flow block if that part is not right or missing then the air will be dumped into that area. I hope you get a tech who takes their time they will find it.

You could be right, I checked the ford parts and the hitch is listed as a separate part from the bumper which gives me hope Waiting for pictures

If you look at the parts diagram I posted earlier 19E705B is the part numberof connector piece and there are two listings one for the combi and one for the Vans. I suspect that the one for the Vans is a block off plate. The fact that the US vans start off as wagons could have an impact on the heater assembly. The plot gets even better

The air flow from the console rug line on the passenger side was similar on mine and the temp of the console was hotter on the passinger side When all is right the heat in the console area is completely mild even with the temp on high and the flow directed to the floor No did not have the cover that far off. With the seats all the way forward and the heat on the floor can you get your hand under the Drivers seat from the back? If you can can you feel any air movement. Need a picture pointhng forward under the seats! The diagram I posted earlier shows the heater outlet The Plot thickens

Can you post a Picture of your hitch from the back looking up from ground level? If I am right You won't need a new bumper the only thing you will need is the spacer to take up the space the hitch flanges take up behind the bumper the aftermarket hitches install on the underside of the body rails and yours has bracing that goes behind the bumper mounts. If you find the right guy it will be an easy job. If you do do this and you need the hitch again then you can put the Curt hitch on in a 1/2/ hour android the hitch will not stick out past the bumper.

The install of the Curt hitch is as you say. The bolts were easy to tighten once installed with the springs. I think you are right about the spare tire. The Ford hitch is the same even though it attaches to the Van differently.

Have you had the Problem ever when the Temp is above freezing ? When this happened the first time Had it been snowy or slushy before the cold weather set in?

Thanks, if you put the fan on high and set the heat to the floor is there any air blowing out between the front console and the carpet? There has to be a piece that blocks off the heater outlet for the rear seats. If that is not there or leaks the console area will be hot when the air flow is to the feet. I need to see a van .

Sounds good, the load rating for 215 55 16 XL tires is 40-42 Lbs for the 1600 + rated load so running them at 40Lbs will not hurt them From the pictures of your van you are lightly loaded. So you will not hurt the tires As long as the tire warning light is not on

Can you get a picture under the front seat of your Van? Either from the front or the back The parts break down not show the van heater separately so I have not been able to see how the heat is blocked off. But with the ducts in place the heat problem in the console is completely gone.

The tires on the TC are fairly small for the load they carry. The way they carry the rated load is with higher pressure. The higher the pressure the harder the tire. This tire is an extra load rated with a 40 to 42 lbs pressure rating. If the tires were sized to allow a Standerd load tire to be used it would have a 32-36 lbs pressure rating. The lower pressure would translate into a more comfortable ride. The style trend has been going to Larger wheels and smaller sidewall hight. The ressult is Cooler looking cars harder ride and less ability to handel road hazards. As a side note if your console is running hot there is deffinity an air leak in your fron heater.

If you are going to put a Battery in a tough to service location use an AGM. Vent the box And make sure the battery charge rate is set for AGM voltage.

I can't wait to see if the Traction Control in the Gen 2 responds to shifter position like the gen 1. It would make the feature quite useful. Right now at low speed on icy conditions it puts the operator in Danger. At least there is away to switch it off in the Gen 2 . Winter is coming . When I get to test it I will update

Good info thanks for the post

The TPMS on mine trip the indicator at just below 38 Psi. I keep the pressure at 42 Psi. anything higher and the ride suffers. I have 400 to 500 pounds of tools behind the second seat. Mine being a wagon it is heavy from the start.