Fifty150

I think this is the problem. The windshield and seal.

It is expensive to change a car in any way. Each of us perceives the value in a different way. Years ago, I believed I got my money's worth, and that the money was worth the investment, when I installed aftermarket parts. Today, I question myself. Would I have been better off, if I saved that money? Can I live without modifying the car, and just driving it the way it came from the factory? I had, and still have, some pretty wild ideas when it comes to what can be done with a Transit Connect.

Congrats. You did what many have dreamed of. There was a thread from years ago, where a person attempted to do the same. Then that person stopped posting, as if the project failed. Did you do all of this work yourself, at home? Or was a shop involved? What was the ballpark budget?

The first thing that you have to wonder, is what a shop, any shop, may have charged. They would have wanted at least an hour for diagnostic work - which is what you did. Some shops would have been honest. They would tell you, "look what we found in there". Other shops would have charged you an hour for diagnostics, another hour of labor for the repair. A real dishonest shop would simply charge you for 4 hours of shop time; and the cost of parts such as a new seat belt spool, gears, springs, fasteners, buckle, and shop supplies. Made in Japan. 11mm. You got real lucky with that. That 1 socket is probably worth about $10. Maybe you can sell it on eBay. Don't fret over Ford factory mechanics using tools Made in Japan. My Harley Davidson has Japanese Industrial Standard screws. Can you imagine having to special order a Japanese screwdriver and screws? Nope. You can't use a regular American Philips screwdriver. That will just strip and damage the screw.

I had the same exact problem with my Explorer and Taurus. Ford sources these same parts, from the same supplier, who makes poor quality parts? It seems like the same things fail on all Fords. Multifunction switch. Headlight switch. Interior door handles. Interior door window and lock switches. That cheap piece of plastic on the end of the steel cable, inside of the doors, that pull the locking latch when you pull on the handle. The list is quite long.

Probably the same fix. The seat belt rolls into a spool. There are some gears. Take it apart. Let's rule out the possibility that the seat belt really has reached it's limit, and that your passenger is just too large of a person. You might be able to find an obstruction, or see a broken part which is causing the problem. From there, it's just replacing parts.

The reason for that camera angle is so that you can see the wall of the loading dock, the bumper of the car behind you, or a trailer so that you can line up the hitch ball.

ScanGauge is a little outdated. It should still work though. I installed a ScanGauge in my pickup about 15 years ago. And even back then, with that version of ScanGauge, I was able to read Ford transmission temperature. I'm also using Forscan. You can run Forscan on your phone. But if you are doing other things with your phone, I get it. You don't want to have to keep playing with the phone screen to switch between apps. I use Forscan with an Amazon Fire tablet, and an OBD II plug in device. I bought the smallest, least expensive tablet, and it mounts on the dash with a cell phone holder.

You will be fine mixing brands. Just be sure that whatever fluid you choose, it is labeled as LV fluid. Don't use Dex/Merc, Mercon V, or anything else which is not specifically labeled as low viscosity. Also check the label to make sure that the fluid meets or exceeds Mercon LV specifications. My next ATF exchange will involve Mag1 ATF. There is an LV formula which I got at a reasonable price. Note that it is licensed by Ford.

You don't have to use Ford Mercon brand. There are other "low viscosity" ATF. I'm using Valvoline. It works fine, and a lot less expensive. I recall that other forum members have used several other brands also. Even Wal*Mart sells a SuperTech labeled for "LV" specification.

The oil change message flashed on the dash approximately 1 year from the last oil change. I checked my mileage. Barely 3,000 miles and change.

I don't remember anyone actually installing a drain plug on the pan. Most people want to drop the pan and change the filter, then flush the system. If you want to do it, I would drill the hole at the lowest part of the pan. I think that the bolt on drain plug kit is easier, and you should not have any problems. Of course, welding would be better, if you have the equipment to weld with. Good luck. Keep us posted. If you do it, post some photos.

I hope this gives you an idea of what you will need. I thought about it myself. Then just decided to bolt on an LED light bar instead.

You will need the lower plastic trim panel with the holes already cut out. Then there are additional pieces that the lamps mount on to. The lamps are sold separately. There are LED options. Now you will have problems. Adding the OEM wiring harness, connecting those lamps to the computer, adding the OEM dash switch, connecting the switch to the computer, then programming the computer to make it work. You can physically add the lower bumper trim piece and lamp assembly. No problem there. If it were me, I would run a new circuit, with a fused relay, and install a simple toggle switch in the van.

Crutchfield will have a lot of that information. A lot of those aftermarket radios are sold with the camera, GPS, and WiFi. Everything will be included. You will get instructions for installing.

No. You will need the dash with the cutout for the screen. The center curved hump of the dashboard pulls out. Then there are bolts which hold the front of the dash that fits the radio. Then there are probably more bolts which hold the radio down. Remove the radio. That is the easy part. You may not have any of the correct harnesses. Or maybe not. I'm not really sure if all of the radio harnesses are the same. With luck, the van's security system is not integrated with the radio head unit, and you can still start and drive the van without the radio. But you'll need to remove the OEM radio, to see what it looks like behind the dash. Then source whatever it is that you want, and see if you have the correct wire harnesses. The radio is connected to a computer in the car. There will be some programming involved. It works with the factory camera. But this will not be simple. It's not like an aftermarket camera installation. The camera is not a video cable and power wire, running to the stereo. The camera goes to one of the computers in your car. The computer sends the image to the screen.

I got a mattress from Ikea. For me, it was priced right. I just lay it down in the back, then pack my stuff into the van. When I get to camp, I can pull out my camp gear, and there's my bed. I bought the Minnesund Twin. It was good enough for me. You could get the Nyhamn and cut it to fit. The width of the mattress is wider than the van. That would make for a great mod. Custom fitted bed for under $100.

The bill for $98.05 is for the free oil change. That is what they charge for an oil change, if I did not get it for free.

Every time something like that happens, I think to myself, I'm sure glad that I'm not riding my motorcycle. It looks like you have some useable parts on that van. Now's the chance for forum members to hit you up for parts.

I still don't understand why I got my recall notice in Spanish. But I finally got it done. While it was there, I got my oil changed for free. The dealership is now charging $100 for an oil change. I'm sure glad that I own a $1 Harbor Freight wrench.

Okay.......

I don't think you'll find one. A capless fuel door is exactly that. You are not going to find a cap with a lock. I guess you could take measurements, then buy every possible cap that's about the same size, and try them all. You could get lucky. You may even find something to fit and seal correctly. Then what? Drive around with the fuel door open? Or remove it? The 70's are a bygone dra. Nobody is siphoning gas with a garden hose. The filler neck from the fuel door to the tank has a screen which prevents a siphon hose. People steal gas these days by drilling a hole in your gas tank and letting all the gas drip out into their collection pan. Are you worried about someone pouring sugar into your tank?

I would suggest that whatever you buy, it is compatible with the Ford computer systems high speed and medium speed control area network protocols. Some scan tools are "universal", and will not read "everything" for every car. Some OBD II interface devices are specifically made to do that. A very inexpensive OBD II for Ford, which you can find on eBay & Amazon, will have a toggle switch to select HS-CAN and MS-CAN. Contact the seller or manufacturer before you buy anything. Ask specifically about Ford MS-CAN & HS-CAN. Ask about being able to read transmission codes, brake codes, et cetera. I've tried several different adapters and several different types of diagnostic software and apps. With the right connector, just about any free software or app will read the diagnostic trouble codes. I don't think that you need to spend a lot of money. FORScan, which is the most popular, and just about every free app or downloadable software will read codes. That device you're looking at says, "wide vehicle coverage". It does not say that it's Ford specific. It's a lot of money to spend for a code reader, which is not vehicle specific.

If you can't securely mount the wheel, because the hub bolts are too short, then don't do it. I can't imagine how that is even possible.