New owner from TX

Lexlopez · May 11, 2019

Just picked up a 16 transit connect titanium as a work van, and I gotta admit I love driving my van.

Any tips or pointers are appreciated.

Plus sites for parts and accessories.

Edited May 11, 2019 by Lexlopez

PhotoAl · May 12, 2019

Welcome, Titanium is a nice work van. I have a '16 Titanium and really enjoy it. It is multipurpose, take trips with just my wife and I, haul the twin 5yo grandkids around. Haul the 90YO mother-in-law around. She has very bad arthritis and the TC is perfect for her to get in and out of. I just spent the last week shopping for a new car for her. First step was the entry and exit test, then the controls operation test. The TC was the benchmark but she refused to consider one. After people hauling there is stuff hauling. I have the 6 passenger configuration, fold down all the seats and put the big WeatherTech mat over everything and have hauled dish washers, double ovens, TVs and my scooter. Take the back two seats out and there is even more space. When Im hauling a scooter will typically take them out as it's easier to load. Last summer we took a long vacation in Florida. Our single daughter came with us along with a mountain of stuff including my bicycle. Everything fit inside the van with good visibility out over the top of everything. When taking the rear seats out check to make sure to keep up with the two rubber pieces, Ive lost one of mine but it seems to work fine and doesn't rattle. The bolts are a bit finicky about threading back in - be careful about not cross threading. I use a small Ryobi 18V impact driver to take them out but usually put them in by hand. The impact driver is good for wheel lug nuts after they are loosened a bit and for putting them back on but I always tighten by hand with a torque wrench. A torque wrench and thread locker are two of my favorite tools - probably has something to do with motorcycles. I have the factory hitch and have done some towing but no more than 600 or 700 pounds. My trailer is very small and is difficult to see in the side mirrors. If you have the backup sensors a hitch will drive them crazy, there is a button in the center to disable the sensors.

There is some discussion on here about the transmission fluid not really being lifetime fluid. If you are not hauling a lot of weight or a heavy trailer IMO the transmission fluid is good for 50,000 to 60,000 miles, I would change it then. I have a 2008 VW Rabbit with a similar transmission and have the fluid changed every 30,000 miles or so after first changing it at about 65,000 miles. I had a second 2008 Rabbit which was traded on my TC which had 99,000 miles on it and had never had the fluid changed and it seemed to drive OK - it started life as a rental car, my older daughter bought it, I bought it from her when they had twins and my younger son drove it for 2 or 3 years. Probably more than you wanted to read about transmission fluid.

For oil changes the TC sits too low to really do it in the garage. I bought two Rhino ramps from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0117EETEK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The TC goes up on them without hitting and they get it up enough I can get unger it for an oil change. Instead of a plastic panel the TC has a pressed mat under the engine. Not too difficult to get off and on, unlike VWs it will actually fit in place and not fall down which makes getting the first screws back in much easier.

If you don't have the roof rack cross pieces, they are a bit of a hassle to get or are expensive to buy from Ford. I think all Titaniums in '16 came with the big center display and the fog/cornering lamps. I have the navigation package which is a hassle to program but works well and uses my phone data link to update traffic status. Handsfree works well also. The grandkids always laugh when I call their mom and it says their last name - it doesn't get it right.

Fifty150 · May 12, 2019

7 hours ago, PhotoAl said:

7 hours ago, PhotoAl said:

There is some discussion on here about the transmission fluid not really being lifetime fluid. If you are not hauling a lot of weight or a heavy trailer IMO the transmission fluid is good for 50,000 to 60,000 miles, I would change it then.

Lifetime automatic transmission fluid has been an issue for every car. In 1939, Chrysler already had a version of Lifetime Fluid & Lifetime Transmission. In 1967, Ford Type F fluid was suppose to be a lifetime fluid. 1974 Ford Car Shop Manual reads "The automatic transmission is filled at the factory with "lifetime" fluid. A lot of manufacturers have been down this road, with lifetime fluid, and failed transmissions. In theory, that fluid really is "lifetime". The transmission is not "lifetime". Even if the fluid was perfect, the moving parts of the transmission still heat up, wear, shear metal - friction, heat, moving parts - something will eventually give. And all of this "lifetime" refers back to when the life of the car was thought to be 100,000 miles.

Truth is that the fluid really is a lifetime fluid, in controlled laboratory conditions. In a sealed system, the loop of fluid from transmission, to cooler, returning to transmission - the synthetic fluid does not degrade to a point where it fails to lubricate & protect the moving parts of the transmission. No car has a hermetically sealed system. Your automatic transmission fluid, just like your motor oil, will suffer from oxidation, caused by oxygen & water from condensation.

If you casually cruise the interweb, read forums with opinions from everyone who isn't a factory transmission engineer, and then watch YouTube self produced videos from everyone who isn't a factory transmission engineer.......you will get a lot of information, or misinformation. Ford has been using variants of this 6 speed transmission for about a decade, in a lot of makes and models, with different degrees of success and failure. I don't know if any, or all, of those transmission failures are in any way related to degraded fluid. If the transmission is bad, it would also fail with fresh fluid.

I just changed my fluid at 25,000 miles. PhotoAl is planning on 50,000 or 60,000 miles. Other forum members have their own ideas of what they want to do. A lot of people point at 30,000 miles. Some people will only use Ford Mercon LV. Other people will use other ATF. One guy plans to drain his transmission, add 3 fresh quarts, then fill the transmission with the contaminated fluid he just drained out. Other people will drain & fill with fresh fluid; which will then mix with contaminated fluid inside of the torque converter. I will continue to follow the 6F35 service recommendation from Ford; a 3X drain & fill. Dealerships use a transmission fluid exchange machine, which is more efficient, replaces the the fluid 100%, does it in less time, and uses less fluid than the factory service manual calling for a triple drain & fill. Factory service recommendation, where vehicle is on a lift, is to place the transmission in neutral. A lot of people do it in park, and claim it does not make a difference.

You will have to figure out what you want to do. If you can change the motor oil, you can change the transmission fluid; which actually makes Transit Connect very easy to service yourself. No pan to drop. No pan to reseal.

7 hours ago, PhotoAl said:

For oil changes the TC sits too low to really do it in the garage. I bought two Rhino ramps from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0117EETEK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The TC goes up on them without hitting and they get it up enough I can get unger it for an oil change. Instead of a plastic panel the TC has a pressed mat under the engine. Not too difficult to get off and on,

The underbody cover removes with T27 torx bit. They are not on tight. You can remove easily with a 1/4" drive ratchet handle.

Transit Connect has marked lift points, and will lift easily with a floor jack. Support with jack stands. I favor UniJacks. As with all UniBody vehicles, you can safely lift from pinch weld of subframe. Ramps are nice for oil changes, but not as helpful if you need to lift the entire vehicle, since it's not advisable to drive up onto 4 ramps at the same time. Ramps aren't the best option if you need to take off a wheel. But for oil changes, they are great. If you are doing more than an oil change, you will need more lift and support tools.

On my 2016, the dipstick has 2 holes. Between the holes, there is a cross-hatch marked area from the bottom hole, going a little more than halfway to the top hole. A 5 quart fill goes to the top of the cross-hatch marking. 5.7 quart fill, which is in the owners manual, brings oil level up to and slightly beyond the top hole. I am using an FL400S oil filter, which is just a little longer than the FL910S filter recommended in the owners manual.