zalienz

Welcome to the forum! If you're buying new, Thule makes roof racks and carriers that will fit the TC. Lots of choices. https://www.thule.com/en-us/us/roof-rack/roof-racks

Actually that plastic piece is behind the sensor, it doesn't do anything to protect it. The sensor needs airflow to work properly, which is why it is up front and in the vent area. It just needs a good visual inspection to see of there is any damage.

Good find on the plastic shield. Looking at the sensor location, it is up front next to the condenser. But which side is a little murky. This photo from the service manual shows it, but on the big photo it looks like it's on the left, the smaller (upper left) picture in a picture shows it on the right.... Update - Just looked at my 2017 - it is on the left. You can see yours in your photo just below the middle strake of the fascia. That's a great place to start, considering there is damage in that area. In any case, you have intermittent a/c operation, which indicates a more likely electrical or sensor issue. If there was a leak in the refrigerant portion of the system, it would stop working and not come back on until repaired. Unfortunately you will need to catch it in the non working state and do some diagnosis, pull codes from the computer that will point you in the right direction to continue diagnosis and find the cause. Replacing the sensor proactively is easy, but with hit or miss results. All outside connectors are water proof, and generally do a good job of keeping moisture out, but since there is damage there, it may have damaged the connector or sensor, which would explain intermittent operation. You may want to pull the undercover and take a good look.

It's possible the outside ambient air temperature sensor is getting wet in the car wash. They are often located up front near or under the front bumper for airflow, and cold water can drop the temperature reading below the expected parameters which the computer will see as a sanity malfunction and switch off the compressor to protect it. Once the sensor warms back up the computer restarts the compressor. I've seen this happen on other vehicles, but not Ford. But it's entirely plausible scenario.

I like the Rhino Ramps, but I see many negative reviews about them collapsing under the weight of a vehicle. Doesn't inspire a lot of confidence unless jack stands are used as a secondary backup, which isn't a bad idea.

Great post, thank you

Welcome to the club! She's a great vehicle. Many good times ahead.

Spotted yesterday on Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Los Angeles ?

According to Herb's rules, I need bail money...

The solid panel and all fixed glass is glued to the vehicle using urethane adhesive. To remove them, it involves taping off the surrounding area with gaffers tape, and then using a windshield cutout wire tool or a power tool with a metal blade, depending on the application. With the wire tool it's usually a 2 person job, with 2 T-handles and sharp wire that slowly saws its way through the dry urethane adhesive. Once the panel is removed, most of the remaining adhesive is removed with a razor blade and then cleaned with rubbing alcohol. Installing the glass then involves a power caulking tool, some primer depending on the adhesive, and laying a bead of adhesive around the perimeter of either the glass or the body. Then carefully laying the glass into place and taping it to hold it into position. Drying time varies with different adhesives. This is the same process for windshields and fixed quarter glass.

Nope. I'd rather stick with the factory filter while it's still under warranty, but I'm not really worried about it. I can get the Motorcraft filter at the local parts store for about 5 bucks, so it's not expensive either. Most other filters are about the same price, except the K&N. I know it will always work right, as long as I tighten it properly... lol

Water leaks are tricky, as where the leak begins and where they drop into the interior can be 2 different places. Windshields are held in place by urethane adhesive and it is entirely possible it could be leaking from the windshield urethane seal. If so, the windshield needs to be removed, the old urethane cut out and cleaned, urethane re-applied and re-installed. Hopefully the windshield doesn't get damaged or it's new windshield time. But first, the leak needs to be diagnosed by pouring water over the vehicle while a technician inside the vehicle can perform a visual inspection and see where the leak is coming from. Of course, it may not be coming from the windshield. I haven't seen it on this model vehicle, but I have on other vehicles.

I like the FL-400S filter idea. More filter area works for me. I just changed my oil, and 5 quarts brings it to the top of the cross-hatch line on the dipstick. I'm ok with that. Currently using Mobil 1 full synthetic and the FL-910S Motorcraft filter. Next oil change I'll try the FL-400S.

The PCM sends a 5 volt reference signal to the engine sensors and then makes decisions based on the returning voltage. If the 5v signal is low, it will affect the returning voltage as well and can cause a variety of driveability issues. You will need a wiring diagram and a digital voltmeter. Start at the PCM and test for voltage coming out at the appropriate pin and connector. If the PCM is not putting out 5v you may have a PCM issue. Check power and ground to the PCM itself first before condemning the PCM. If it is 5v, you will need to follow the wiring diagram from the PCM through the different connectors until you find the voltage drop. Voltage drop per connection is max 0.1v. Any higher than that, you have a high resistance connection that will likely be the root cause of the codes and hesitation. Get some help if this is more than you're into. You want to make sure you don't cause any wiring harness damage during the diagnosis process. Good luck!

My favorite method in the old days was to disconnect the input of the trans cooler line, run it into a drain pan with the engine running and adding fluid until it came out clean. Seemed to work well as I was capturing all the dirty fluid heading into the cooler. I'm trying to find a way to do that with the TC, but the cooler lines are not easy to work with. But at least you can gauge how much came out by how much went in, and judge the color of the fluid from dark to clean. And easier than the multi drain & refill. The time is coming soon, I'm approaching 30K.

Short answer, Nope!

Sweet. I wanted those wheels, but the 17" are reserved for wagons, and not cargo vans. Looks great, congrats!

Yep. If it's not loud enough, you need more power (amplifier). The stock speakers sound good, but are only rated at 20 watts, more power will blow them, so you need both, higher watt component speakers with an amplifier that matches the watt rating of the new speakers. Yes choose carefully. Many like to upgrade to different head units, speakers and speaker positions in the elusive quest to find great sound. One thing I have found with the OEM's is they are very good at placing the stereo image and soundstage to resemble a concert sound experience. Keeping the factory radio and speaker positions keeps this intact. I think they just lack power. Amps and better speakers is the direction I went. Seek out a pro install shop if it's out of your skill level.

I forgot to mention probably the most important aspect -braking. Say some hotshot pulls in front of you and hits the brakes, forcing you to brake hard and/or swerve to avoid them, is often the result of a jack-knifed trailer, especially a trailer without trailer brakes which most of the small trailers do not have. The more weight you are towing, the worse this scenario is.

Don's correct, none of us really know. There is much more to this calculation than just the weight on the tongue. Vehicle engineers decided to use a Class 1 hitch on this vehicle, 2000 tow and 200 tongue weights so the vehicle can safely drive in a wide variety of conditions, including the total vehicle weight and cargo, passengers and so on. It will affect the handling of the vehicle, especially if it's overloaded. Speaking of hitches and tongue weights, they are designed to handle much more than their rating. Imagine driving over a bump, the tongue gets light going up and much heavier coming back down. Hitches are designed to support that. The resulting weight can be 2 times more than the actual 200 pounds, depending on the conditions, which again are widely varied. The Curt hitch is Class 3, but putting 500 pounds on the tongue behind the rear wheels will definitely make the front end light especially if you add cargo in the back. Do what you like, but be careful.

I used an AudioControl DQ-61 to interface with the factory radio. It accepts speaker level inputs from the factory radio and converts the output to low level signals you can send to a 4 channel amp and subwoofers. The sky is the limit, after this processor. It was worth the effort and expense, in my opinion. https://www.audiocontrol.com/car-audio/factory-system-upgrade/dq-61/

Great job on the tutorial. Very easy to follow and helpful. Thank you!

As 50 said, there is a right way to do it. I went nuts on mine just before the winter season, took the whole day..... I like to use Chemical Guys products -- https://www.chemicalguys.com/Exterior_Car_Care_and_Car_Wash_Products_s/371.htm They have many videos on different products, watch before you buy, not cheap Hand Wash Clay bar Paint correction (polish) - can be several steps depending on the paint condition with a dual action polisher Glaze Sealant Wax Each of these is the entire vehicle, hence the major time spent But in the end the van paint was amazing, especially after the glaze, the wax is just a protectant. I was very happy with the result.

The amount of fuel remaining today is actually rather generous. Old Ford's from the 60-70's would promptly stop driving the moment the needle hit E on the fuel gauge. Manufacturers will only tell you that when the low fuel light comes on, it's time to refuel. They don't want consumers to drive further for liability purposes, and also running out of fuel can permanently damage a fuel injection fuel pump. My advise, time your refuel at the exact time the display reads 0 miles, refuel, and observe the gallons (liters) that it took, and compare it to the capacity listed in the owner manual. In the US, I have done this and found that the TC would take 13.8 gallons at 0 miles, and the manual spec is 15.8 gallons. Basic math shows there is about 2 gallons left the the tank on "reserve". Compare that to your average fuel economy, and you can guess how many more miles you can drive. Of course, once I have driven past that mark, there is an uneasy feeling, knowing you could run out and damage your fuel pump. And the start of a really bad, and expensive day. I stopped doing this years ago. A lot of stress can be created waiting until the last minute to refuel. This especially happens when you're late and in a hurry to go somewhere and realize that now you also have to stop for fuel, which makes you more late and more stress. Some people like to massage their ego to see how far they can go, and then brag about it if they make it. Fools. Now, when my fuel gauge reads 1/4 tank, I refuel. And on my terms, when I'm not in a hurry, like on the way home from work or the store. The amount of stress relieved is a solid feeling. I always have at least 1/4 of a tank, usually more, so if there is an emergency, you can jump in and go, and not have to worry about fuel.

Yes, I have NAV and it is dated 1-15. Manufacturers are often a year behind in map releases, so a 2016 model would have 2015 maps until the 2016 version is released and implemented in the assembly line. Always a good idea to have choices in life. I use a Garmin NAV in my work TC which is powered by a cigar lighter outlet. Another idea is to purchase a USB to cigar lighter adapter, they're inexpensive and gives you options of having both, super easy and reversible. I found a workaround for the audio channel switching issue. The system likes to default to radio. So if you're using XM or USB and you turn the vehicle off, it will usually (although not always) default back to the radio. I have found that when using XM or USB, if I manually turn off the audio system before turning off the vehicle, and returning starting the TC and then turning on the audio, it will be back to where I left it. A minor pain, but it seems to work.