Fifty150

The least expensive ATF, which appears to work without issue, is probably Valvoline Maxlife, by the gallon, from WalMart. But I have seen where Mercon LV is available in 6 gallon boxes, which seems like the best option for those planning to service the transmission correctly, and on a regular basis. Another forum member is using Triax fluid. His van is running. He has not reported any problems with that fluid. I have seen other brands of low viscosity fluid. Phillips 66, Mag 1, Supertech, Castrol.....so there are other options. You do not have to feel like Mercon is the only game in town. I thought that you are suppose to perform the triple drain & fill all at once. Not drain & fill, drive around for how ever many weeks, then do it again. You should probably address all of your other issues first. Maybe clear the adaptive learning tables to see if the transmission will relearn and shift smoothly. Fix the axle seal. Clean out your cooling system. Then perform the 3X drain & fill. It doesn't look good. But that is to be expected. No used fluid coming out looks good. I would be shocked if you had 100,000 miles, and clean, red fluid came out.

Fill your reservoir with motor oil, and you can have a spy car with an oil slick for enemies following you.

Yes. I see the same with mine. The RPMs drop as the coolant temps reach 100 F. Very fast to "warm up". Not like the old cars where you sat there long enough to drink a can of beer.

There are certain "magic numbers". When the engine reaches 100 F, the idle drops. This is what you are experiencing within that short time frame immediately after starting the engine. 150 F. Engine management system goes from "open loop" to "closed loop". Car's computer also executes and completes the OBDII monitors, for the drive cycle tests, to clear the P1000 code, so that your car is "emission ready". For some cars, 150 F ATF is also suppose to register the fluid level at the low end of the dipstick. 190 F or sometimes 195 F. Thermostat opens. Radiator fluid now begins flowing through the cooling system. In some cases, simple airflow from the car moving will reduce the coolant temperature. In modern cars, the electric fan will turn on and off at preset temperatures to maintain operating temperatures. In the Transit Connect, the coolant/antifreeze also flows through an oil-to-water heat exchanger to regulate and reduce the ATF temperature. Transit Connect's 6F35 transmission is supposed to be checked for proper fill level between 180 - 200.

That is true for every car which is sold with a "lifetime fill" or "maintenance free" automatic transmission. Any car you buy with an automatic transmission: exchange the fluid regularly.

It would have been interesting to collect the drained ATF. You could have measured it to see how much came out. That would have given you an idea of if the transmission fluid was low, and how much it was low. You could have also sent in a sample for used oil analysis. Get that axle seal replaced. You don't want to keep losing ATF. Consider that the OEM thermostat opens at 190. That transmission cooler bypass valve probably closes at 190. Transmission operating at over 200 is nothing to be concerned about. You should be able to operate up to around 225 without concern. Other users see temperatures over 200: Up to 250, I would be concerned. From what you describe: 1st of all, Popeye's is out of those chicken sandwiches nationwide. So forget about it. You are only wasting your time sitting in a drive through line. With the car in "d", and you are standing on the brakes, the torque converter is still spinning and heating up the fluid. If you have to sit in traffic, or a drive through line, it's better to be in "p" or "n". But even then, the temps should have been maintained by the cooling system. Your AC was on. The electric fan was on. The coolant should have been much lower, and reducing the ATF temps via the heat exchanger. Coolers clog. So do transmission lines. Another item is the cooler bypass valve, which also can clog, and prevent the valve from closing. A simple device. When open, the path of least resistance is gravity bringing fluid back down the return line to the transmission. Valve closes, and fluid now has to follow the line to the heat exchanger. Service manuals instruct technicians to flush, and backflush the cooling & return lines, the bypass valve, and heat exchanger. You can decide to to all of that. And whichever parts do not, or cannot, be flushed clean, you can replace. Or as you pointed out, once you take it off, you may as well install a new unit. This will ensure that you do not have any blockage, anywhere in the cooling system.

Transit Connect was the lowest price people mover that I could find. No other car offered 7 passenger seating at this price point. Air Conditioning and heater fan are loud. No way to overcome this. Your loud kids could drown it out. Maybe turn up the radio. Ride is not smooth. You feel bumps. There is road noise. Don't drive with the front windows up, and the 2nd row windows down, at freeway speed. Powertrain is sufficient for GVWR. I can safely merge into freeway traffic. Maintenance is easy if you let the dealer do it. Oil change isn't bad. I've been able to jack the van up and remove the underbody shield without problem. Oil fill cap is under the cowling. You will need a short funnel or offset angle funnel. Spark plugs are under the cowling, so you will need the right tools. Transmission drain plug is very easy to access. Transmission vent comes right out for easy filling. Water pump, drive belt, and timing belt cover are tucked against the passenger side fender, but can be accessed once you remove the wheel well. Good turn radius for parking. Front end is low. Front fascia and air dam will scrape into curbs and wheel blocks. Fit and finish......spend more money, and you'll get better. Rubber trim on sliding doors keep coming off because they are held on with tape. Look for the plastic plugs on the roof to leak years down the line. Owners have already complained of water leaking into the doors, which were engineered to compensate for leaking with drainage holes at the bottom of the door. Plastic parts of interior will break years down the line. For this price, you get a budget people mover. Commercial feel. Acceptable as a company shuttle or taxi, meant to be retired and replaced after 5 years. It's not a luxury car. For you, building the passenger wagon into a camper, it's a good choice.

It looks like you can't do anything with Android demo, except check to see if the wireless connection works.

A thread on the Torque applications. Feedback, input, tips, advice, opinions........

I see from the photo, that the opening is 12 o'clock to 4 o'clock. I looked at mine, the nozzle is pointed at 2 o'clock, not straight up at 12 o'clock. Just an observation. I don't really turn on my rear wipers, even in the rain. But this is still a useful tool.

Thanks. Great Intel as always. You have posted something really useful.

I just revisited the FORScan website. I wanted to set up an Android tablet or my phone. There is a free demo version. Forscan Lite is a paid version of the app. So for some variants, there is a fee involved. Current price is $5.99 on Google Play.

Thanks for the update. Now we know that the springs are different. Great to hear that you guys are on top of that, and that you have a part available. It all sounds exciting. Any aftermarket goodies for this car is exciting.

Have Focus owners encountered problems with poor grounding? Is that an issue unique to just Focus, or other late model cars as well? I'm a little behind in the game with that issue. I haven't heard of inadequate OEM grounding. I'm only aware of poor grounding with aftermarket stereo, off road lights, and winch installation.....but that's almost always because the installer did a bad job. And usually, I only have myself to blame, since I did the install.

Depends on where you go. I pulled up to Costco. There are 40 or 50 pumps there. At least 40-50 cars lined up, out the driveway, and to the street. Nothing open, right or left. I am weird. I believe in pulling up to the pump, on the side that the fuel door is on. I don't want to drag the fuel pump hose over the top of the car. My experience is that a lot of people don't care.

That is the only aftermarket wheel which I was able to find, which has the exact same dimensions as the OEM wheel. For whatever reason, even generic steel wheels do not have the same exact dimensions.

That's a good find. Technicians can spend hours, and still not be able to find something like that.

Along the way, the drain plug thread size changed. On the 2nd generation, it's part no. 107.

This funnel will work well for the engine oil and transmission fluid. You may want 2. Mark them. Best to keep the oil & transmission funnels separate.

You could do a lot with those free tarps from Harbor Freight. Some PVC pipe could frame a canopy, or make a tent.

Looking at Eddy Kilowatt's photo, I have a hard time imagining how that dipstick would fit. Sure, you could easily tap a hole into the transmission case, and the mounting points are already there for the hardware. I just can't imagine it running along the firewall, and then up through the battery tray.

Looking good

I think deleting the dipstick had more to do with being able to access the dipstick. Look at the layout under the hood. There is a radiator hose right on top of the vent cap. There's no way for a dipstick to slide in & out. I think that the fill level port on the side is sufficient. Most people never pull the dipstick anyway. And if they do, they have no idea what the temperature of the transmission is, so the dipstick is useless. Depending on the transmission, it must be checked within a certain temperature range. And most people have no way of knowing transmission fluid temperature. For years, people have been reading dipsticks wrong, and maintaining the fluid level wrong. The dipstick almost hurts more than it helps. So if you had a dipstick, the hashmark range would be good for 150 - 170, which is what Ford considers to be the "warmed Up" temperature of the transmission. At 190, the fluid cooler bypass valve is closed, allowing transmission fluid to flow to the heat exchanger. Operating temperatures between 190 - 225, the transmission fluid is now much hotter, and the volume has expanded. The dipstick will appear as overfilled. If you look at the transmission case, you'll notice the fill level port is much lower than the vent cap. The vent cap is part of the cooling system, as it allows heat to vent. Idling at 185, fluid should be level with the hole. As the car is moving, the temperature will rise, and the fluid volume will expand. If you open the fill level port at 225, and drain to level, your transmission will be low in fluid once the temperature decreases. If you get up to 250, the vent cap will also release excess expanded fluid so that your transmission does not become a pressure cooker. If you reach transmission temperatures of up to 250, you should visit a transmission service center at your next available opportunity.

As they say, everything impacts overall performance and fuel consumption. It's usually a combination of factors. Any 1 thing will have very little effect. And it would probably be negated by other factors. If I get a phone call, and pull over to conference, that idle time impacts my tank mileage. 15 minutes idling on the side of the road, could burn more fuel than you save by removing those bars. Glad you had a good trip, and returned home safe. Your fuel mileage appears to be within the EPA estimate on the new car sticker, and is within an acceptable range. I'm jealous that I can't get that kind of mileage. But I already know why my mileage is poor.

You can drain into a paint mix bucket with measurement marks. That will tell you how much came out. A transmission funnel fits perfectly into the vent cap opening. An offset funnel will work also. An oil dispenser has the measurement marks to make sure that you know how much you are pouring in.