Fifty150

We are officially off topic. Some people's feelings get hurt when all natural order in the universe is disturbed. You simply cannot have a free flowing, organic, fluid, and dynamic exchange which strays away from the original topic.

Most effective, lowest cost, and ugliest solution is a commercial ladder rack. Get a used vehicle without a roof rack, and you won't have to worry about how much weight the previous owner loaded on the roof. i would look for the vehicle without the hitch. Because who knows what the last owner towed. Without the hitch, it never towed, and that's less wear on the transmission to worry about. Have the dealer tune it up, flush the tranny, and perform all service work before you take delivery. At 50,000+ miles, ask about an extended warranty and have that includes into your out the door price.

Sounds like a San Francisco Cable Car. http://www.cablecarmuseum.org/the-brakes.html THE BRAKES The cable cars employ a series of mechanisms to assist in braking the car and regulating its speed. The three parts of this system are the wheel brakes, track brakes, and an emergency brake. Both front and rear wheels have metal brake shoes, which the gripman operated by means of a pedal located by the grip. The conductor also has a rear brake lever at the back of the Powell and Mason cars for use on steep grades, while the California car has two pedals, one at each end of the car. Next to the grip and quadrant is a lever that operates the track brakes, pine blocks situated between the wheels. These blocks are pressed into the track whenever the gripman pulls back on the brake lever. The soft wood used exerts pressure on the tracks—sometimes enough to produce smoke—and stops the car. These blocks wear quickly and are replaced every three days or so. The final brake device is an emergency brake, operated also with a lever near the grip and track brake levers. The brake itself is a one-and-a-half inch thick piece of steel, about eighteen inches in length, hanging under the cars and over the track slot. If the gripman cannot stop the car by other means, pulling on the lever will push the brake down into the slot where it wedges so tightly that it must often be removed with a torch. This action leads to it sometimes being referred to as a “guillotine” brake. Of course these brakes are in many ways supplemental as the main braking action results from the cable itself, which when tightly held in the grip’s jaws enable the cable cars to move along at a nice 9.5 miles per hour constant speed, even on steep grades.

I had the "sport edition" Pinto. A Mustang II.

On the F-150, I have a ScanGauge II. Instant data. I can see that driving 55, compared to driving 75, means real time MPG of +4, and a 30 degree Fahrenheit transmission fluid temperature difference. 18 MPG on the freeway vs 14 MPG. 210 degree vs 180 degree. This is not a stock vehicle. Many mods, including a 6" lift, + oversized wheels & tires which tend to lower MPG and raise transmission temps. I suspect that the Transit Connect may yield similar results. Instead of 23 MPG on the freeway; I could see 27 MPG. But I just can't drive in the No. 4 lane, as senior citizens in a Prius are passing me and giving me the finger.

I was just there. Service advisor said that he thinks that the perimeter lights can only be disabled on van models, not wagons. I'm hoping that the techs know more than the service advisors.

A common roof leak with F-150's, for the last few generations, was the 3rd brake light, or high mount stop lamp. The fix for that was a revised part with a better gasket. On mine, there were stress fractures where the lamp's mounting screws were. That could have been me with a heavy hand torquing down on the screws, or simply heat expansion against the screws. We will never know. My solution was to replace the lamp. There are aftermarket gaskets for those lamps. Sponsored MOFORKIT 3rd Third Brake Light Seal Gasket Compatible with Ford F150 2004 to 2008, Explorer Sport Trac 2007 to 2010 by MOFORKIT 4.5 out of 5 stars 12 $15.99$15.99 Save 10% with coupon FREE delivery by Fri, Feb 22 Sponsored MOFORKIT 3rd Third Brake Light Seal Gasket Compatible with Ford F150 2009 to 2014 by MOFORKIT 4.3 out of 5 stars 20 $15.99$15.99 Save 10% with coupon FREE delivery by Thu, Feb 21 Sponsored MOFORKIT 3rd Third Brake Light Seal Gasket Compatible with Ford F150 1997 to 2003, F250 1997 to 1999 by MOFORKIT 4.3 out of 5 stars 6 $15.99$15.99 | FREE One-Day. FREE delivery by Tomorrow, Feb 20 on qualifying orders over $35 Ford has a cleaner to be used for the headliner which removes those water stains left behind from roof leaks. The Transit Connect may leak from the antenna, the holes used for mounting roof rails, and the 3rd brake light. On my lift gate wagon, there are also 2 rubber wire looms. You, or your dealer, may have to remove the headliner to look for the leak.

Only watch I need for work is a Timex.

I do not think that your clogged Exhaust Gas Recirculation valve has anything to do with your new battery and alternator.

I'm just glad that where I live, there is no salt on the road. Snow climate guys have to be a lot more careful.

There is a right way to do it. Hand wash. Clay bar. Wax. And then there are people who are lazy. But it's better than nothing. Namely: Me. What kind of wax do you like? Hard wax in the can, or liquid wax in the bottle? Do you follow up with metal polish on the wheels & tire dressing? Do you buy "over the counter" products from the local auto supply? Or specialty lines like https://psdetailproducts.com/ ?

I'm a tool whore. I have a lot of tools. Not to mention that I have about a dozen jacks of different sizes & designs. Low profile, SUV/Truck with extended neck, bottle jacks, Hi-Lift, et cetera. That little one with the case is one of my favorites since it's portable, and able to lift a lot of small cars.

Those are "bling bling" pickups. Work trucks are typically XL & XLT models at best. Those guys might as well be doing construction work in designer jeans, and wearing Rolex watches. My dad also told me that you could wear a Rolex for the cost difference between a work truck & a show off truck.

Full size vans require taller ladders. All the more reason to use those soaps that supposedly have wax, and those wax detail sprays.

Some people never leave the house without a handful of wipes in a sandwich bag. Hygiene is important. You don't want to be that guy in the stall, with nothing to clean with.

Mercedes Metris Way better than the Chevy, Ram, & Nissan microvans. My dad said that if a contractor shows up at your house in a Mercedes, don't even let him in. He has to charge more, for the same job, in order to make those Mercedes payments.

I remember sleeping in the back of a bug when I was a kid. My dad also had this Country Squire station wagon. Kind of like the Griswold road trip mobile. Back seats were always folded down, and all the kids would ride in the back. About 10 or 12 kids back there with 1970's bean bags, moving blankets, and sleeping bags. The whole clan would also pile into the back of a pickup truck. I remember playing Dodge-Ball in the back of a moving cargo van. We had so much fun back then. One accident, and the entire family would have been wiped out.

These vehicles were engineered for optimal results at the speed limit. At 55, you get the best mileage.

You don't even have your Transit Connect anymore. By June, you mom would have traded hers in for something new.

You can still change a tire, jump start, change a broken fan belt, repair and/or change a leaking hose, change a light bulb, change the wiper blades, change a fuse..........all sorts of little things like that on the side of the road. You can still change the oil, change the transmission fluid, change the spark plugs and coils, add washer fluid, install a backup camera, and perform minor service in your driveway. Even with a sophisticated computer, bolt on parts are still bolt on parts. Don't let the sensors intimidate you. It's not like making roast beef in a microwave.

As a passenger wagon, passenger safety relies on the headrest, seatbelts and air bags. The headrest is so that your head doesn't snap back and break your neck. In a cargo van, are those rear passenger airbags still in the van? But I'm sure that WindGuy "gets it". For what it's worth, I think you did a pretty good job. Sure, it's not the same as an OEM seat, seatbelt, airbag configuration. But what he did was a pretty neat mod. In the old days, I had a Ford Explorer. Early models were 5 passenger seating. Many people, myself included, got jump seats and bolted them into the rear cargo bay. A lot of those mods used UniStrut for the seat mount rails.

Try a solar powered fan first. A couple of these with the solar panel may be enough to circulate airflow.

Sufficient time has gone by. I have added to the Transit Connect: A plug kit. Release the spare tire, lowers the winch cable. 13mm Metric Drive Hex Bit Socket A 3/4" deep impact socket, 1/2" drive, for the wheel lug nuts. A long handle breaker bar. A torque wrench for remounting the wheel & tire. A little floor jack in a case. A little box of tools that someone gave me years ago. It has sat in storage for over decade, because I already have better tools at home. But this will give me a handful of tools in the event of an emergency. A Multi-Tool for little things.

Okay. So I really didn't know what that means. I had to look it up. Here is what I found @: https://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php?topic=651.0 HS-CAN modules: -PCM (Powertrain Control Module) -ABS (Anti-lock Brake System, includes AdvanceTrac and Traction Control) -RCM (Restraint Control Module, AKA airbags and seatbelts) -AWD (All Wheel Drive module, if equipped) -OCSM (Occupent Classification System Module, AKA Passenger Seat Sensors) -PAM (Parking Aid Module) -IPC (Instrument Panel Cluster) -BdyCM (Body Control Module 2013+) -ACM (Audio Control Module, 2013+) -FCIM (Front Controls Interface Module, 2013+) -PSCM (Power Steering Control Module, Hydraulic PS only) -SECM (Steering Effort Control Module, Electric PS only) -CCM (Cruise Control Module) -SCCM (Steering Column Control Module, 2013+) -APIM (Accessory Protocol Interface Module AKA SYNC) MS-CAN modules: -SJB (Smart Junction Box) -HVAC (Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning module) -ACM (Audio Control Module, pre 2013) -DSP (Audio Digital Signal Processing Module) -DSM (Driver Seat Module) -DDM (Driver Door Module) -RFA (Remote Function Actuator Module) -DCSM (Dual Climate Controlled Seat Module) -SDARS (Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service) -FCIM (Front Controls Interface Module, pre 2013) -FDIM (Front Display Interface Module) -ILCM (Interior Lighting Control Module) -HCM-2 (High Beam Control Module) -SOD-R/L (Side Obstacle Detection Control Module AKA BLIS, a module for each side of the vehicle) -IPC-MS (Instrument Panel Cluster, MS-CAN) -GPSM (Global Positioning System Module) -APIM (Accessory Protocol Interface Module AKA SYNC)