Fifty150

Stay away from the shade tree types. Looks like you can tackle this project on your own. You already have tools and enough knowledge to replace the spark plugs and COPs. You may even find an online tutorial or video, since the same engine is used on other small cars.

I pity the fool.

I'm waiting to see how your Triax fluid holds up also. Are you planning to send in a sample for used oil analysis? My brother in law's Acura transmission went out. A lot of people are aware that with Honda Acura, the transmissions are okay with the 4 cylinder engines, but not quite so strong with the extra power of a 6 cylinder engine. I asked him about the transmission fluid. He never serviced it. Which is like most people who are sold a car with a lifetime transmission fluid.

Nice fit. Looks good.

Every car has it's own range of where the temperatures for the engine coolant/cylinder head, and transmission fluid, sort of "settle". For whatever reason, each car is somewhat unique, and it's hard to even compare 2 cars of the same model with similar equipment. Drive any car long enough, and you will notice where that range is. I see that my Transit Connect coolant temperature can be as low as 181 at freeway speed, and soars to 210+ on city streets. The transmission fluid temperature on my car will run from 195 - 210. These are numbers I look at towards the end of the day, after all day of driving. Where highway speeds and better airflow lower the coolant temp significantly, the transmission temperature lowers when I'm sitting in PARK. It makes sense that the transmission fluid increases as I'm driving, and lowers when the car is in PARK. I haven't seen 225 - 250, which would cause for alarm. In my mind, because I'm old, that little heat exchanger on the Transit Connect appears inadequate. But in reality, despite my personal bias, it does work. I haven't seen any overheating. I have yet to read reports of overheating from members on this forum. If the fluid cooler bypass valve closes between 180 - 190 like most Fords, then it is working. Transmission fluid remains above 180 once the car is warmed up. The scare is that the bypass valve does not close, and the transmission fluid loops back to the return line, without cooling.

Mine are fine.

5th gear is the 1:1 ratio where the torque converter is locked. 6th gear is the overdrive. I suspect that if you are towing a trailer at 70 mph, you are not in overdrive, and there is probably a lot of downshifting to 4th gear. And your engine must be revving a little higher, spinning the torque converter faster, and heating up the fluid a little more. Your cooling system is working as designed. I would have thought that towing at 70 mph, the transmission temperature would be even higher.

My key fob has one of those buttons. My button does nothing. I wonder if I can use Forscan to try to find a feature I can activate with that button.

With auto repair, and home repair, it helps to have a little knowledge before shopping. Sure, tires have different ratings, but how many of us know what those codes really mean? I've seen a lot of bad auto repair, done by very good mechanics, who do know better. Worst example is with an older car that needs a timing belt. They remove, then reinstall, all the old belts, hoses, thermostat, water pump, etc. Beautiful work. Timing belt is perfect, and ready for another couple of hundred thousand miles. But why didn't they install new parts? You just spent $$$XXX for his labor. Or when those shops send you a coupon in the mail for a tune-up. Read the coupon carefully, and it says things like "inspect ignition system" and "inspect cooling system". How much am I paying you to "look" at old parts, just so that you can quote another price to replace those parts? I know a guy who operates a neighborhood gas station with a repair shop. It's how he makes his money. They actually charge the customer to remove the spark plugs, look at them, report that the condition is fouled and out of gap range, reinstall the plugs, and quote a price for changing the spark plugs. Every car, at 50,000 miles, will not have clean spark plugs, and the gap will always be off by a little. That's why you change them. Not look at them, then quote another price to change them. This shop also uses one of those coolant testers, reports the condition to the customer with a recommendation and quote for coolant drain & fill. What a ripoff. I can tell you that all coolant, unless it's new, has a decreased level of coolant properties. You don't need to test it, to know that after 100,000 miles, you should change it. I love the plumbers who always want to sell you a re-pipe job. Or you call them for a clogged drain, and they rack up the billing with an inspection camera. What ever happened to just sending a snake down the line and clearing the obstruction? After they send the camera, they show you that the obstruction is a bunch of wadded up paper & sludge, then send a snake down the line and clear it. Same thing a plumber did 20 years ago, before they could pad the bill with the inspection camera.

Accurate as the Daisy Duke Dyno. When I wear tight, short shorts, I can feel the power from the stickers on my Honda.

I don't know how much cargo, or what type, you'll be carrying with a baby in the car seat. I've driven vans with, and without bulkhead divider screens. I've seen cargo fly around unexpectedly. I've had loose objects strike the back of my seat, slide under the seat and hit the back of my foot, fly into the windshield, and strike me in the back of the head. Just a tug on the sleeve. Keep the baby safe. Maybe install some sort of screen between the passenger and cargo areas.

Retail gasoline sales dominate the market. Every other type of fuel can't compete with distribution. Imagine that you invented the next miracle fuel. More power, clean, and less expensive. Will work in every engine. Made from never ending supply of seawater. If you have a better product, you will not be able to get it sold. No gas station operator will sell your product. You won't be able to develop a retail system. Gasoline sellers will block you politically from obtaining license to produce, store, transport.... Unions will not allow anyone to work for you.... You won't even be able to build a factory without union labor and construction permits..... Then oil companies and auto manufactures will conspire to program the car's so that your fuel won't work..... None of the gas pump manufacturers will sell you nozzles... For economic reasons..... profits.....USA market is locked into gasoline sales. Otherwise, overnight, we could all use alternative fuels. The entire nation could phase out gasoline with conversions for existing cars....All new cars could be built for other fuel....LPG, CNG, ethanol, hydrogen.....but not with gasoline industry lobbying lawmakers to protect their profits.

Diesel is a hard sell in The USA. It's hard even to purchase diesel fuel. A lot of gas stations just don't sell diesel. All the talk of bio-diesel, and that's even harder to find. We have diesel trucks in our work fleet. And I can tell you it's frustrating to drive around looking for diesel, if you are in a hurry to leave in the morning and did not start the day with a full tank.

I have a collection of stickers which I never placed on my truck. Maybe I should stick them on my van.

One of the best programs I've tried. It certainly does a lot more than I am using it for.

Since it does so much, we should have a subforum for using ForScan. What kind of hardware are you using? Apple, Mac, PC, laptop, Android tablet, Microsoft phone, Motorola, Samsung, et cetera? Bluetooth, WiFi, physical cable from OBDII to your computer? Which brand or source for your OBDII connection equipment. What did you do with the application? Step by step to help the next guy. Maybe screenshots. Looking forward to Transit Connect specific task performed with ForScan. Or maybe some other app or program which you are using, and care to share the knowledge with the next guy.

I don't even want to think about a key on engine on test.

Sensors on rear bumper, sometimes get bumped.

That's a new gremlin. Is that parking aid a new feature?

I've also heard that you should use a cable connector to the OBD II port. You don't want to chance losing a connection, for whatever reason, in the middle of programming, or running any of the tests.

modyourconnect may not have verified or updated the information. That happens with a lot of aftermarket parts. Check Ford. If the OEM model number is the same, then it's the same spring. The other option is simply to take a look. Look under your van. Look under an older model van. Does it look the same? Are the springs mounted in the same way? My guess is that since it's still in the same generation, the springs are the same. There are differences, but probably not in the springs.

You are completely correct. The only way an LED lamp is effective, if it's designed as a LED lighting unit. Any LED replacement for a halogen lamp is less effective. With household light bulbs, and commercial style fluorescent tubes, the LED replacements work. They are okay. But the best lighting is to install an LED fixture. The truly effective use of LED in automotive applications is when it's an LED lamp engineered at the factory. LED drop-in is not as good.