Spare Wheel Mount Plate

[2012transitcamper]

Hello everyone!  Recently bought a 2012 Transit Connect, loving it so far fantastic little van.  Only problem I'm having at the moment is working out the spare wheel.  My van has the winch system underneath, seems to be in working condition.  I am however missing the mount plate that the winch system attaches too.  Tried local breakers but they either don't have one or don't know what I'm talking about.  Trying to source one online but having no luck in  finding one that fits the van.  Can anyone point me in the right direction on where to pick one of these up as I'm having no luck. 

Thanks!

[lowspeedpursuit]

There could be America/Euro differences in play here, but to be honest, I'm not 100% sure what you're talking about either. This is the winch carrier, right?

 

 

So it's bolted to a weld-in crossmember. Presumably that's not missing. The entire rusty bit here, and also the entire cranking mechanism located inside the back doors, and also the cable that connects them, are all considered one part, all together.

Did the PO disassemble the system and lose one of the components? Nobody's likely to sell that separately, although if you can figure out how to non-destructively disassemble it, maybe you can do it yourself if you have a u-pull-it junkyard.

 

If you're shopping full-service junkyards, you want the entire system, same as it's sold new.

 

Edited September 26, 2022 by lowspeedpursuit

[Fifty150]

I found this on the side of the road.  Yeah, now I have 2.  I suspect that this particular part is used on other vehicles also.  Not just Transit Connect.  So it's probably easier to find.  People lose things like this all the time.  They change the tire.  Then they threw the flat tire into the trunk, "the boot", the truck bed, the back seat...... and drive off.  I've lost all sorts of bits and pieces.  And those little parts are often very expensive.  In some cases, it is almost impossible to replace.  Most of those things are only important if you are restoring an old vehicle, and you have to have everything original.  Otherwise, you may be able to find something like it in the aftermarket auto parts world.  With this piece, I would try a junkyard.  

 

[lowspeedpursuit]

Fuck me, that's what he's talking about? Now I feel like the idiot, but whatever. I haven't tried this, but has anyone clipped the 2nd-gen wheel "support bracket"--which is actually sold separately--to the 1st-gen winch cable? It looks exceptionally similar, just vertically shorter. As long as the tire snugs right up to the bottom of the body, I don't see why it wouldn't work, you'd just give the crank half-a-turn less as you wind it up.

[Fifty150]

On 9/24/2022 at 11:35 AM, 2012transitcamper said:

the mount plate that the winch system attaches to

 

 

On 9/24/2022 at 11:35 AM, 2012transitcamper said:

or don't know what I'm talking about

 

 

11 hours ago, lowspeedpursuit said:

Fuck me, that's what he's talking about?

 

 

Maybe.  I don't know.  Your guess is as good as mine.   Maybe he's talking about where the winch system mounts to the bottom of the vehicle.  

 

That part just happened to be on the side of the road, as I was walking along.  It looks exactly like it will fit my Transit Connect.  But it may not.  I haven't tried it.  There are no markings on it with a manufacturer name or part number.  Just my suspicion that it's a part which is used on other makes and models.

 

Low Speed Pursuit, back to chasing OJ.  

[JackGrimshaw]

Fifty :

That part looks identical to the piece that holds the fullsized spare on my 2016 LWB.

 

Changed a front tire in my driveway,what a b***h!

Had to dig out an old jack to put under the dealer installed trailer hitch to get enough clearance to drag out the factory spare because I had already removed the flat and the van was sitting on factory jack.

Note to self: get spare ready first!

Also had to get the wife to slowly crank down winch while I dragged the tire out far enough to see how to unhook above bracket.

And then 20 min with manual,WD40 and flashlight(in the middle of the day) to actually unhook it.

If I wasn't so smart I would have called Triple A.

[Fifty150]

Once you learn the process, the next time will be easier and faster.  

 

I didn't realize that the hitch receiver made it more difficult.  You'll have to do everything all over again when you get the flat repaired, and swap the spare back into the storage location.

 

Now would be a good time to have a TPMS sensor installed into the spare.  Then you can rotate all five tires into use.