Don Ridley

You have a big project because you are doing everything the right way. No way you will be done this weekend. Your questions: Floor: yes you will need to remove the trim pieces. This is easy. Ceiling: my opinion, no. Rear doors: here is where I deviate from the audio purists. I used the factory speaker wires. All connections from the amp speaker wires were made at the head unit connector. I struggled with this decision because I am an electrical engineer and always take the conservative approach. But the audio quality is fine. I seriously doubt you could hear a difference between 18 ga and 14 ga wire. This significantly simplified installation and made it very clean. FYI I am pushing about 120w to my mids. You will have good access to all the doors after you remove the panels. Panel removal tools are a necessity and are $15 on Amazon. Keep us updated. Curios to know how the tuning goes. This was new to me and it was surprising how much it affects and improves the sound. Have fun.

This shows the location of the factory CLD-type panels. They are sections of mastic applied before the vehicle is painted. TC noise panels.pdf

I spent hours reading sound deadening forum posts. It is a contentious topic. This website has a good explanation and their products tested well. Note you only need 30-50% coverage for CLD. https://www.sounddeadenershowdown.com/ I used Second Skin and its only drawback is price. The doors have some factory deadening so apply yours around it if you want to save money. I did not apply any to the roof because of the headliner. I put leftover tiles on the rear floor. I mounted the amp/DSP under the front seat on top of the stryofoam block. I glued in plastic screw anchors (the big ones for heavy loads in sheetrock) the stryofoam. There is a 8mm anchor point near the amp on the floor you can use for GND connection.

No, I have not experimented with disabling the shutters. My immediate problem is the narrower FMIC exposes the MAP sensor to road debris. First I need to shield it from harm. I don't think I can try to shutter experiment now because because cool weather is here. Plus I was thinking about what is more important: 3-5 extra horsepower under certain freeway driving conditions or 2 extra MPG under all freeway driving conditions. The MPG advantage wins. But I will probably get bored next summer and try the shutter experiment.

Welcome to the forum. I kept the stock head unit and installed an amp w/DSP and some nice speakers. 6.5" speakers will fit but you have to cut the mounting ring off of the stock speakers. Amp: Audiocontrol d4.80 Speakers: Morel Hybrid Sub: Bazooka tube The d4.80 is great for aftermarket upgrades using the stock head unit. It handles line input signals and the DSP removes any factory adjustments to the audio signal so you can start with a flat response. If you never had a DSP you will wonder how you ever listened to music without one. My initial speaker upgrade. These were replaced by the Morels: Power for the amp: Here is info on removing the door panels. There are other posts about speaker installs and complete audio system upgrades you should check out. Good luck with your project.

Probably not.... But we need to know more details. Year of vehicle, symptoms etc. Most switching is done by modules and they are designed to handle shorts without affecting other systems.

I don't notice any obvious performance improvement. But combusting cooler air does increase potential HP. I will experiment with disabling the AGS. I suspect that will set a DTC at minimum. The project was fun and I am already looking for another project that is arguably unnecessary.

I attempted to fit a Cobb front mounted intercooler (FMIC) made for a 2016 Fiesta into my 2016 TC 1.6L and it did not come close to fitting. The TC has very limited space and also has the MAP (manifold pressure) sensor and the evap purge line integrated into the outlet end tank. The only FMIC I found that had the proper dimensions is a Mishmoto Z-Line. This FMIC is a universal fit model. The downside is it is only slightly larger in volume than the stock FMIC. I bought a MAP sensor mounting bracket and 1/8 NPT weld bung from ATP Turbo. A local machine shop welded them to the outlet tank. The MAP sensor must be oriented so the electrical connector is opposite the evap connector. The evap line connects use the same connector as 3/8” fuel line. I used a Dorman short length of replacement steel fuel line with integrated connector ring and attached it to the FMIC using a 3/8” tubing connector. I had to bend the fuel line 45 deg to mate it with the stock evap connector. The hard part of the install was fabricating mounting brackets. The top of the stock FMIC slips onto two plastic tabs. I cut, drilled and cut, cut, cut some aluminum to make a similar bracket for the Mishi FMIC. The bottom brackets were simply bolted to the frame. The stock FMIC has 2” hose connections. The Mishi has 2.5”. I used 90 deg reducing elbow silicone hoses to connect to the stock hoses and pipes (there are 3 different diameter hoses and pipes from the turbo to the intake: some as small 1.75”). Cutting and clamping the elbows was surprisingly time consuming (even though I used the trick of a hose clamp as a cutting guide). The bottom bolts on the FMIC protruded into the plastic bottom cover. Cutting some ribs and drilling a big hole allowed the cover to be reconnected. So how does the Mishmoto FMIC work?............Not much better than the stock FMIC The Stock FMIC produced ambient-vs-intake air temperate differentials of 17 to 35 deg F on the highway (hot days). City driving had differentials of at least 25 deg and higher. The early results on the Mishi shows it is about 5-10 deg better than stock. But it does NOT hold intake temperatures 5 deg above ambient like a large, performance FMIC would. One reason for this is I left the active grill shutters (AGS) connected. They only open 30% at highway speeds and often partially close when driving around town. Removing the shutter completely or maybe removing the slats in front of the FMIC would allow better cooling. Plus the Z-Line is the lowest performing FMIC according to Mishi. The Mishimoto probably has slightly less backpressure than the stock unit and this will improve performance. Overall I give myself an "A" for execution and "C" for results. If anyone wants to try this install, I can provide links to the parts I used. Just let me know.

I briefly tried to remove the panel per the instructions in the manual (like GBL's post). But it was not coming apart and I did not want to break the panels. I chose Plan B and ran my speaker and power wires using a fish tape. It was easy and the dash panel is undamaged.

.....I think you question was whether the Z-Series is designed as a universal fit IC. Yes it is But the Z-Series does not easily fit the TC. Sorry for the mix up.

No, any intercooler will require modifications to add the pressure sensor and evap purge fittings. I am having those welded by a shop. I will need to fab some mounting brackets.

Maybe mutes nav instructions when you are playing music via Bluetooth or talking on the phone?

The Fiesta and TC have similar part numbers for the intercooler. I assumed they were functionally the same...this was a mistake. I ordered the Cobb intercooler for a Fiesta and it is not close to fitting or working. 1. The Fiesta IC mounts differently and it's location allows for a much larger, wider unit to be installed. 2. The TC intercooler mounts between frame rails that limit the width... unlike the Fiesta. 3. The TC IC has two ports on the outlet, one for the MAP sensor and another for an evap line. I removed the stock TC and measured all clearances. The only TC that will fit is a Mishimoto Z-Series. I ordered one and will have the necessary ports installed by a machine shop. Look for a separate post on the install soon.

These types of technical challenges require a lot of research. I have used Forscan and FOCCCUS on my Gen 2 TC and they work fine. I use the OBDlink MX Bluetooth ELM. I don't know if you can change the transmission type and/or if you must also change other modules. I have no experience with the Gen1 configuration. Here are some suggestions on where to look for info: 1. Ford Focus forums like focusfanatics. Lots of guys modifying those cars. 2. Try looking up your vehicle configuration using the vin on Ford's service website (maybe someone here can provide a link). Then look up the configuration of a donor Focus to see if the transmission and gearing are the same. 3. The Forscan forum is rarely helpful for specific problems, but it has a lot of info on how to connect to a vehicle. You may be stuck with having a sophisticated shop replace the transmission even if you use one from a TC. I know the Gen2 transmission is controlled and monitored by the ECU (or various modules) so it must connect perfectly to operate at all.

It's all very subjective. Americans seem to have no problem dressing up pickup trucks to look like race cars.

https://jalopnik.com/im-a-cyclist-that-finally-needs-a-car-what-should-i-bu-1828384088

Project Bike Truck, Any update on the Cobb intercooler?

The TPMS sensors go into sleep mode when they tire does not rotate for 30 min. You need to put the normal tire back on the vehicle and perform a sensor calibration procedure. The sensors will wake up when you drive and transmit data to the BCM. You can read the tire pressure with most OBDII reader apps.

This is why I do all work possible myself. I know I can screw up much less frequently than others. Of course recalls are the exception.

That is a crazy story. Your resoulfuness is commendable. I thought the fresh air is pulled through the screened vents by each wiper?

It takes 100+ million years to make a gallon of crude oil. There is a lot of extra energy around (sun, wind, wave, Geo thermal etc). Oil is finite. When it's gone it's gone. Save the oil for the thousands of valuable carbon compounds needed to make stuff. Burning it is like burning 300 year old oak just to keep warm. I love my vehicle and the internal combustion engine, but that is not the future. The next generation will argue about performance mods to their electric motors.

R9 in the fuse block under the hood is the Aux Ignition relay in a TC van. If you have a wagon it is R 2 in the rear fuse block. The relay controls the wipers and other accessories. Here are the troubleshooting instructions for the relay. Aux Ignition relay.pdf

Use Forscan to reset each of the modules involved. Read and clear all DTC s. Relay 9 is for remote start (if I remember correctly). I think you have a software bug, not wiring problem.

You need a scanner to work on these vehicles. Everything is controlled by micro computers (modules). A scanner will show the diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) that have been triggered by the wiper operation. An OBDII reader is not sufficient. Buy an aftermarket scanner or use Forscan and an ELM converter. Attached are the first 6 pages of the wiper troubleshooting from a 2016 service manual. Note the DTCs on the last 2 pages. This is where you need to begin. wiper operation.pdf

Sorry, I replied to the wrong post.