r1alvin

Whats up TC Group! I thought I would share a recent installation I performed on my '16 LWB TC. My van did not come with factory rails so I bought this fancy fixed mount kit from etrailer and it worked out incredible! I didn't have to drop the entire interior headliner to get this installed. I did, partially pull back the headliner on all 4 sides where I needed to access the holes from underneath. It was a bit tight but manageable. I used some really long angle tip needle nosed pliers and some good lighting to find and install the hardware inside the roof. I also used larger fender washers under lock washers to spread the load better on the mounts and ensure no vibration loosening. Underneath the roof rack feet I applied a generous amount if silicone sealant to help prevent water ingress. These kits did not come with the silicone sealant. The Lockrack is what I am using to carry my SUP board. I since moved the lockrack to the passenger side of the roof to access the arms more easily, but this rack is amazing it holds my ISUP even up to 70mph and doesn't budge. I used the T-Track fittings instead of the clamps, and I had to add a few fender washers underneath the lockrack fittings to raise it up so the removeable arms would clear the plastic caps on the end of the Thule rack. In addition , and this may or may not have been necessary, I installed a stubby antenna that I bought from ebay. Post up if you have any questions and I can try to answer them! Here's what I ordered: Thule AeroBlade Edge Roof Rack - Fixed Mounting Points/Flush, Factory Side Rails - Aluminum - Silver QTY. 1 Item # TH7603-TH7603 Fit Kit for Thule Podium-Style Roof Rack Feet - 3032 QTY. 1 Item # THKIT3032 Lockrack Adjustable Watersport Carrier - Kayak, Canoe, or 2 SUPs - Side Loading - Universal Mount QTY. 1 Item # 339-LRUNISETX

The 2 leaks on the driver and passenger side were found to be originating from the front windshield seal along the roof. Ford authorized the body shop to remove the current windshield, re-seal it and re-install the windshield. Dealer tried to get Ford to authorize a new windshield in case they damaged it on removal but they would not authorize it. The dealer managed to perform the whole process without damaging the windshield. Service showed me a crazy video of them pressing the windshield away from the seal at least a few inches by HAND from the inside of the van! I asked how this could have originated and they told me possibly a bad seal mix during manufacturing. There may be other TC’s out there with similar issues so it might be worth keeping an eye out for. This should be a final fix (fingers crossed).

Well, the leak is back. Roof Plugs did nothing. Water is dripping in from both driver and passenger side headliner near the top of the windshield. I'm taking the van back to a different Ford dealer in the area since the first one had no clue how to repair my van. My guess is that the windshield seal might be bad? Not sure how this would happen over 30k miles. The windshield has never been replaced it has the original Ford stamping on it. Has anybody had this happen before?

On the bottom right of the photo below, behind the wheel well is the rubber plug:

Okay parts FINALLY came in like a week or 2 ago (dealership completely forgot to call me). I had them install the plugs today. One of the plugs looks like it has some sort of grey sealant under it. The rest are just installed with no evidence of sealant. Well, okay. It has not rained yet, so that will be the big test. Hopefully the issue is resolved. I will be really upset if this doesn't work.

Go to page 1 of this thread and about 4 or 5 posts down there is a photo where you can see part of it.

Whats up guys. I made a few updates to my TC. I accidentally left my water spigot on (with the pump off) last summer and leaked water inside the van. Luckily it found its way out the rear of the floor somehow, but the birch wood does not handle water well at all. It absorbs it like a sponge and then becomes very brittle. The black sealant de laminated as well. I decided to scrap the entire cabinet and re-build it with unistrut. I posted 2 videos of where I'm at with it//

Nope. If I would have known it was going to be a 2 week+ long affair I would have. I don't like to pester service people because I work in the service industry myself, so I trusted that Ford would make this a priority since its a warranty repair and a fairly major one considering the water damage being out in the open environment. Lesson learned.

Edit/ I am not getting my vehicle back today. This is kind of ridiculous. All of the plugs are claimed to be in the end of this week. Ford should have at least provided me a rental when I dropped the van off but they did not even bother.

Quick update- just got off the phone with the service manager-They water intrusion was determined to be coming from the body plugs in the roof. He said that the replacement plugs fit with a better seal to prevent this from happening (Hopefully). Unfortunately, they could only fulfill a partial order of plugs as they are now on back order so they are installing the front 2 and taping off the remaining until the back order comes in at which point I'll have to return for a second visit.

Thanks for all the input guys! I just dropped my Van off at Ford. They will have it for several days to investigate the leak. I had them check my warranty and I lucked out because it expires this coming July. I'll keep you guys updated on the findings. I do not have any roof rails on my van and everything on the roof is completely stock. When I bought it, it had 10k miles on it so I'm not sure if the windshield had been previously replaced or not. Hopefully its nothing major!

2016 Transit Connect LWB Wagon For a few weeks I would notice drops of water on my dash as I would leave my home of residence. I thought nothing of it as if it were maybe condensation or something minor. Well, today we had heavy downpour rain in our area and when I got in my van and put it in reverse, water literally poured out from between my headliner and windshield INSIDE my van (Above the rearview mirror). Must have been at least 4-6 ounces all spilled down onto my dash and all over my center dash controls. The headliner is also soaking wet. Has anyone had a similar problem? I saw some stuff online talking about the sirius fm antenna or radio pod on the roof leaking on older f150's and ford escapes. I dont see any official recalls online. Has anyone experienced similar issues? My vehicle was manufactured in 2/16 and I am under 36K so literally my warranty expires this month. I have to get over to the dealer asap, hopefully they will help me out.

Fully loaded! iSup board, MTB, all gear and tools asociated with that and 2 Hounds! Headed to Hot Springs Arkansas to race the Kodiak Tough Enduro on the Lovit trail!

Trying out a few new things with the setup: REI Co-op Camp Bed 3.5 Open Cell Self Inflating pad (78"x30"x3.5") w/R-Value 6.0 Helio Down 30 Sleeping Bag It's 40 degrees outside and I just tested this sleeping arrangement with a short nap. Felt very nice and warm. I was blown away at how comfortable the pad is and I weigh about 190. Even when laying on my side it holds its shape. I will take care of it and I hope it lasts! The photo below is my 50qt arb fridge freezer, large lightweight soft crate (both beagles sleep in it together) folded up, large expanded suitcase and my 12' inflatable sup board. I still have plenty of room under the bed for biking stuff. Onewheel can go on the floor in front of the passenger seat or behind my driver seat. Inflatable pad deflates fast, and rolls up to get out of the way along with the sleeping bag allowong me a large platform to secure the beagles to their tethers!

You're welcome windguy! The side panels come off pretty easy. I start from one corner of the panel and give it a quick and careful horizontal pull away from the side of the van to get it started. Any clips that dont move I carefully use a panel remover tool (looks like a flat tip screwdriver with a notch in the center. Good luck!

Hi everyone Van Update

Little bit of TC in the beginning of my video:

First road trip today was a success 5 hours out to the field for some lure coursing trials, a visit to a state park and a 5 hour drive back ending a 16 hour day in the TC with both hounds. ARB fridge is amazing,,,so much storage space and held temperature flawlessly,,,,I only wished that I could see the temperature display from the cab. I could always turn the fridge around or buy that 80 dollar wireless display kit ARB sells for additional peace of mind. The fridge and the 8 gallon water tank work really well together. I was also for the first time using the AWESOME cold open hooks and my paracord pigtails as cage stabilizers,,,Both beagles have PLENTY of room to curl up and sleep together in their massive crate parked on top of the bed unit. I'll post some video shortly,,,

Hey whats up guys. Quick Update, I know I've been offline for a while. found some nice thin (less than a 1/4" thick) rubber mat material at Academy sports so I cut a few pieces to fit to provide some good traction on the floor and also lining the front cabinet bottom. I purchased a small 4x8 single axle utility trailer to handle yardwork stuff, material movement and possible motorcycle transport. Added the CURT trailer wiring harness and wired the hot lead into the rear passenger fuse box "hot" 40A spade terminal with a 15A fuse in line. I finally dropped the big loot on this ARB 50qt. fridge/freezer combo unit. I made a custom pigtail adapter to power this thing through my trailer wiring harness which is coiled up in the jack cubby hole on the driver side rear. Made for a more clean layout instead of running the wire across to the passenger side 12V socket, but that option is always there if I need to go that way. I had to rip about 1/2" of wood lengthwise off of the end of my flip top on the bed cabinet. This worked out perfect because the vent for the ARB unit is on the right side of the fridge so it has plenty of space for ventilation. I'm using these very handy and simple straps from REI to hold the ARB in place-"Sea to Summit Accessory Strap with Hook Release." This is all for now. I will test out the fridge on a trip tomorrow. Later!

interesting. I've been waiting for someone to post up their external a/c option. I was looking at floor standing models with flexible tube type duct to pass heat outside. Was that type of machine not an option for you? Seems like it would simplify your setup by not requiring all of the wood framing////? http://www.honeywellstore.com/store/products/portable-air-conditioner-8000-btu-cooling-single-hose-honeywell-mf08ces.htm

I bought a really pricey Gunner kennel a few weeks ago but it was just too heavy and not portable at all. My dogs also got too hot inside it even when placed in air conditioning (they were panting heavily when I let them out). These crates literally trap heat from the inside regardless of the ambient temp. I returned it and got a refund for these 2 reasons. If anyone has a lightweight portable and stronger solution then the standard fold up wire crates, I'd love to see it. Unfortunately it seems most of us are stuck with wire crates or tethering our dogs in a harness to an anchor point in the vehicle.

Here's a video I made today with updates:

I used 1/4" perforated hardboard as a base for my vinyl planks and its working great. I'm not standing up and walking around in the van so IMO 1/2" , 3/4" plywood is overkill unless you are using it as a base to screw things into (which I'm not). Seems like you have not gone through my build thread link that I posted above. Go ahead and do that.